All language subtitles for 20240322151606878

I think anyone will know mom is in there

Abraham Lincoln I'm running for State Assembly

it's not certain I will succeed

you plan on porn that

I would like to dance with you in the worst way

I'm not like other ladies Mrs

Lincoln I'm afraid this might be my one and only term

a nation guilty of practices more shocking and bloody

gonna be a big argument in this country

I intend to be ready for

let us have faith that right makes might get big time

the government will not assail you

how long can some to hold out for

wait for cool heads we must send more shit

I say we withdraw fire

ladies and gentlemen some of you may have heard of him

his story has been passed down

from one generation to the next

more score and seven years ago

he felt that democracy in its purest form

is for all people

all persons held as slaves shall be thanks forward

and forever free

but there's something deeper than what he did

it's about who he was

Lincoln grew up in poverty

haven't done anything to make anyone remember that

I ever lived he's living proof

that Americans can rise from obscurity

to power

with that wit and that charm and that intellect

it's better to stay silent and be thoughtful

and to speak up and remove all doubt

he has this deep sense of empathy

he takes the declaration of independence

all men are created equal

and turns it into a nation's moral compass

as the country is breaking apart

there's a turning point

where he's gonna have to take a stand

blood will be on your hand

blood is already on my hand

you need to learn how to be a commander in chief

I can't have a war to front

he was willing to admit he was wrong and to change

we can attack immediately

he was the right person the right time

if we let this stand for one minute longer

we might as well say goodbye to the whole thing

union democracy

open

wow

Paul I'm stopping the rebel

well that's good tadpole

we can't let him get washed again

you must look like a bumpkin for the cabinet

now seen to the soldiers camped in the East Room

oh they're so young

and don't mistake me I'm grateful

they're here with the rebels at our very doorstep

is there any word of reinforcements

they're due to arrive in Baltimore any moment

Mary I'll be late

there

the cabinet's waiting this just came in

3

2

1

go now

yeah come here

get over here come here

1 2

3 Happy New Year

after Fort Sumter Washington

DC is basically defenseless

there are a lot of troops in Washington

DC and for the volunteers that Lincoln has called up

they must get to Washington

as the six Massachusetts marching through Baltimore

a mob arrives and there's a massive riot

Baltimore was a very pro southern city

it's the largest city in the slave holding south

and proud of that soldiers open fire

people are killed soldiers are killed

it's a shocking moment here

at the moment of national Parole

when the president calls out troops

to suppress a rebellion

rioters in the streets attempt to prevent them

he talked about coming into office with a full plate

Lincoln's

immediately tasked with trying to preserve a union

together that is already falling apart

by the time Lincoln comes into office

seven states have succeeded

The United States

doesn't even have a sizable military force

there's only about 15,000

total troops in the United States Army

so the day after the firing on Fort Sumter

Lincoln will call for 75,000 troops

and with that four other southern states will succeed

prom for Washington DC is just to the south as Virginia

they've just seceded it's surrounded by Maryland

a border state that has secessionist tendencies

and we don't quite know what direction they're gonna go

yet so Lincoln had to wonder

is the capital in Washington now an isolated island

a federal jurisdiction

in a sea of insurrection and rebellion

you severely underestimate rebel sympathies

Southerners are resigning from my Navy everyday

the army is losing too many of its best officers too

we lost Virginia we lost Robert Lee

we need a commander first

we need soldiers for him to command

and how do you propose to pay for all these men

you're the one holding the purse strings

I cannot imagine the pressure that he was under

nobody sure that this country is actually

even gonna last through his term

he was in a very weak position

The Republican Party is only 6 years old

has never had a president

he lands in the White House

and he has to construct a cabinet

that includes people who were previously

as political foes and

who are

absolutely confident that they should be president

instead of him

Samuel Chase

still was upset about losing the Republican nomination

Edward Bates of Missouri basically the same thing

William Henry Seward

is a very famous Republican senator from New York

and a former governor

he's the favorite child of the Republican Party

Seward is kind of angling to try and be the puppeteer

if you will

the first thing we should do

is blockade the southern ports

don't let supplies in or cotton out

a blockade will be seen as an act of war by Europe

we are at war what's stopping us

we have a navy and ships ships

right now I don't have any at my disposal

oh and

and please tell me Mister Sword

what can we do with ships

if I don't have crews to man them

gentlemen

a secessionist mob has attacked the 6th Massachusetts

in Baltimore

some dead

and

we don't know when troops will make it to Washington

so

what do you propose Mr President

you find every rebel sympathizer

we came and you hold on without charge if you have to

sir that would be illegal

we don't know who's loyal

Mr Bates we have to keep control

this is no time to be timid

and where are the troops from Rhode Island in New York

now I reckon we should have a full blockade

what about Congress

I'll call a special session of Congress and do course

but we have to act now

is there another choice

a third of our country is in rebellion

because they don't like the laws we all agreed on

if we let this stand for one minute longer

we might as well say goodbye to the whole thing

union democracy

all of it

Lincoln is not allowing the south to just go its merry

old way without challenging it

because the democracy that America had created

was unique in the world

it's important to remember

Lincoln's just one generation removed from Washington

and Adams and Jefferson he feels

his generation has the responsibility

to keep that experiment going

Lincoln believed deeply in the sanctity

and the spirit of what this country was

and what it represented

and so the idea that States was to see was infuriating

because he was like well

we can't just let them hold out

the threat of succession

anytime they don't get what they want

cause they'll just do this forever

so the war was a war to preserve the union

first and foremost

they're going off to protect this great experiment that

was incredibly fragile

so Lincoln assumed a new presidential power

which he called the War Power

Lincoln declares the suspension of Habeus corpus

in Maryland in Pennsylvania

the military can now arrest people at will

and imprison them

without the necessity of a court hearing

and he also declares a blockade

to prevent the south from exporting things like cotton

and importing all of the things they need

such as weaponry

the north has the advantage in terms of population

in terms of industrial capacity

but the south had an almost invisible army

and that was the army of slaves

these were the people who did the drug work of the army

these were the people who performed all the camp duties

this would benefit the Confederate Army the great deal

now

wherever there was a substantial Union Army presence

enslaved people

were pretty much doing what they had done

even before the Civil War

which was to seek freedom

and it creates a logistical problem

what is the status of these people

in Virginia

enslaved African Americans began taking boats

in the dead of the night

to the federal installation at Fort Monroe

commanded by general Benjamin Butler

a New England politician

these are the Negroes

they came across union lines

general

these runaways are mine my bosses

that is I'm here to bring them back

that true you all runaways

you have to hand them over what's the law

I'm aware of the law

sir

if me and these boys are gonna dig holes

we'd rather dig them for Yankees

your employer hire these men out to dig entrenchments

for the success he's got every right there is property

consider them confiscated

if they're gonna contribute to the war effort

it'll be on the side of the union

check out my hair about this

sir what do I do with them

put them to work

well come on

come on boys come on

according to the Fugitive Slave Law

which is still on the books

we're supposed to return these people

Butler said I declare you contraband of war

you're here in camp you may stay in camp

and Lincoln did nothing to countermand the decision

which LED to the self

emancipation of tens of thousands of African Americans

right to the start enslave people view the Union Army

Lincoln as the liberators

before they view themselves in that role

cause Lincoln is very nervous at the start of the war

to keep the border slave states within the union

Maryland Delaware

Missouri and Kentucky he said we can't afford to lose

these days he kind of

states the future of the union

on his ability to keep those slave states

because as long as those border states are still there

this is not a war about slavery

because they're still slave states

who are part of the union

but

the people who clearly see this as a war about slavery

are abolishness

are African Americans

Frederick Douglas was a few years ahead of everybody

including Lincoln he had moved the family to Rochester

New York to publish the North Star newspaper

which became the leading abolishness voice

Douglas

believed that the Civil War was about ending slavery

reading the country of this horrific institution

more eggs please Mama

now that's it

I can't go to the office this morning

but the issue is coming out tomorrow love yes

but before it does I have to write a response to that

making a speech to Congress oh

he calls the war of People's Contest

keep reading son

he doesn't mention our people once

Lincoln's for the union I'm for the union too

but this war is about slavery

and he's trying to pretend it isn't

but you supported him the man needs to be pushed

the whole country does the only way he wins this war

is by using the strength of our people

against those rebels

and I got 3 warriors right here to help him do it

up in the north in order to not lose support

particularly from Democrats

it's important to frame the war as being essentially

only about saving the union

the most important thing to recognize is

it's not just the north against the south

it's the north itself

that is divided by different factions

there are Peace Democrats

who want to stop the war immediately

those are the copperheads

on the other hand you have war Democrats

the war Democrats are willing to fight

but only to restore the union

not for emancipation

there are radical Republicans

someone like Seward

who believed in emancipation from the get go

thought that the war should be about that

and then you have more moderate Republicans

who simply want to preserve the union

and so all of those different interests

are trying to push Lincoln

in their particular thing

but let's not forget he's a very true politician

and so even though Lincoln thought slavery was wrong

he wasn't even thinking about the idea

that freeing black people

would be necessary in the project

to preserve in the union

the Law Support Center was in April

now we find ourselves in June

there is a growing public belief in the north

that we need to do something

we need to act and so by June

the largest field army the United States has ever seen

with about 35,000 men under the command of Irvin Mcdow

is stationed in Washington

so

Lincoln meets with Mcdowell and General Winfield Scott

the commanding general of the Union Army

he had been a hero in the Mexican War

but Scott was over 70 and he was ill

now Lincoln's not trained in military science

he will check out books from the library of Congress

but he's really trying to figure out

what it means to be commander in chief

he had to learn how to be a commander in chief

just like he had to learn to be a president

and he had to develop experience

cause the president has to make some decisions

to fight the war

as opposed to the general fighting the battle

Richmond is the king Mr President

isn't that right General Scott

indeed

they claimed it as their capital

we take it

their so called Confederacy will fall

I see the merit

can you move now

hmm let's not be too eager sir but I am eager

our enlistment period is almost over

we have got to end this thing before begins

the troops are young and barely in uniform

we need time to train them

well if we agree then so the rebels

we'll move on which one

immediately

to everything

there is a season

a time to love and a time to hate

a time of war and a time

of peace

in July 1861 only a few months after Fort Sumter

Union forces under Mcdowell

marched south into Northern Virginia

for the first encounter of the war

very close to Washington

it happens around the town of Manassas

the battle is alternatively called Bull Run

because that was a creek on the battlefield

Lincoln's expectation

going in the First battle of Bull Run

is that the war will be settled in this one battle

the south will win its independence

or the north will put down the rebellion

both armies are green not a lot of experience

when Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers

to put down the rebellion

they are limited to a three month enlistment

The Militia Act of 1795 by which he calls them forward

says it's only three months

that's the way we've always done it

you know the crisis comes along

and we call in all the farmers to

get your musket over the fireplace

and when the war's over we send them home

be farmers again

Lincoln recognizes that his men are not well trained

but politically it would have been an abject sin

to send all those soldiers back home

if they hadn't been used in the first place

the reality is

the overwhelming summer on both sides was

let's get an army out there and get it done

and so Lincoln and other leaders

were pressuring the Union Army

under Erru Mcdowell to get up there and let's fight

even though it seems so foreign to us

there was a great deal of excitement

there was a great deal of war enthusiasm

keep in mind the technology of the time

with no way to see a battlefield

people had seen paintings and sketches

and the notion was that

these men are in formations and firing at each other

but it must be relatively safe

there are people who literally

showing up there with picnic baskets on their wagons

to look at the army's fight

down on the hill congressman and senators

in the social elite of Washington

had come out to view the battle

this is a major spectacle

this is major entertainment

and people really thought

this would be their only chance to see one battle

the Union Army Cross Creek

they wage an attack

against this very formidable force of Confederates

even during these difficult times

these trying times of war

we must remain strong and keep our faith in him

sir news from the field

who is this is white

Lincoln is waiting to hear how it's going

and it starts as a union advantage early in the morning

after church Lincoln

spends the rest of the day in the Telegraph office

this will be his source of information

the arrival of the telegraph

what Lincoln used to call lightning messages

changed the nature of information

suddenly what was known in one place

could be known in other places

almost instantaneously

before you get up

a dispatch would come in every few weeks or something

and so you really had to give

almost complete autonomy to military leaders

in the field now he's connected by a wire

the day began very well for the union

they routed Confederate forces and pushed them back

and not until the late afternoon

did the Confederate forces counterattack

General Mcdowell has a pretty good plan

the problem was he had a very green army

until on the battlefield

they had a difficult time maneuvering

the south had many of the same problems

but then the south was fortunate

because during the battle

the railroad

allowed the south to move reinforcements up

which reached the battlefield at a critical moment

federal troops hear the terrifying rebel yell

this high pitched yelling

union troops described it as otherworldly

they had enormous results

let's put it that way

the Confederates start pushing back

and the Federals cross back across the creek

in a mad dash they have been completely routed

citizens of Washington

who had gone down in their carriages

and set up picnic baskets on the bluffs

overlooking the battlefield

they were having a high old time for lunch

and then when the battle turned

their picnic baskets were abandoned

they fled in disarray

and the union troops had to march back

in this searing July heat humiliated

for Lincoln now

the defeat is not something that happens

hundreds of miles away that you read about

you see wounded soldiers defeated soldiers

soldiers just thrown away

their arms come streaming right back into the capital

so the idea of a disaster became tangible

you could see it you could smell it

what does Medowl say

that the day is last

it's probably his first military error

and on that day Lincoln realized

that this was not going to be a brief war

it was gonna be a long war

the uncertainty in Washington is palpable

it's not clear

that the remaining defenses around Washington

can handle a Confederate army

breaching the capital city

what if they do manage to capture the White House

McDonald's to blame I'm responsible

I gave the order

what kind of soldier runs from the field

one who's barely trained

Mr President

I must offer my resignation

I should have been no

this is my fault

you warned me and I didn't listen

now how soon can we reinforce the city

the rebels are bound to move quickly

now that I thought you might need coffee

there are rumors circulating of an attack

here in Washington

is that possible

my dear you must take the children north at once

Washington is not safe for you

will you come with me

you know I can't leave

then I won't either

in the summer of 1861

after the union loses the battle a Bull Run

the volunteers are really depressed

their morale is low

because they've lost the first encounter of the war

which they were not only expected to win

but to end the rebellion in a single day

the Confederates could have followed up and

and might have made their way into Washington

DC they don't the problem is

the victorious Confederate army

is just as shot up as the defeated

union army

the only way you grow is

by being able to acknowledge the mistakes you've made

so Lincoln gets out of the White House

and he goes and sees the soldiers

he's trying to teach himself

what he's gonna need to know

as commander in chief of the United States Army

quickly on the fly

and after the battle of Bull Run

he talks to William comes to Sherman

my man fought well enough

but we did not expect the strength of a counter return

there was a lot of bragging before the fighting started

but what we need now are cool headed

serious minded heart fighting soldiers

and we need them for more than 90 days

those are these boys

they're only listen to love already

so if you don't mind sir

I prefer you don't do too much to ride

yes

boys we got a special visitor that is

hey oh

how are you sir

oh good to see you

thank you thank you

how are you yes good to meet you

oh no

no no

no no

don't cheer boys

I like it myself but uh

Colonel Sherman here he tells me that it's not military

so uh

I'll just say this

we fought a tough battle and we came in second

but brighter days are coming

so if you need anything

please just feel free to speak up Mr President

Mr President can I really ask you anything

yes go ahead

well my 90 days are up and I gotta get home

I spoke to the colonel sir

but what did the Colonel say

well he said he'd shoot me

shoot

well Colonel Sherman threatened to shoot

I trust his words cause I believe he might just do it

no if your 90 days are up

of course you're free to go

but just know this this isn't over

your country still needs you not need you

I hope you boys all realize yeah

yeah

cause I need every single one of you

every single one of you

the soldiers felt a bond with this man Lincoln

when he came on reviews he's not distant from them

he's not some monarch on a throne now

he is common Abraham Lincoln

and he comes from places that they have come from

this surprised soldiers and they loved him for it

at the beginning of the war

you have the professional United States Army

many of the men had all gone to West Point

but the army that Lincoln creates is a volunteer army

individual companies

tended to come from towns or counties

there was such an incredible war spirit that really

people of all grades of life

were volunteering for the military lawyers

teachers politicians

even Lincoln's friend Edward Baker

who's a sitting senator volunteers

and Baker like a lot of people

wanted to uphold the principles of what America meant

and after the debacle at First Bull Run

Lincoln will call for 500,000 troops

so we've gone from a pre wartime army of 15,000 men

to a call for 500,000 men

when Lincoln first goes to visit the troops

through talking to them

he realizes they're going to need better leadership

so in 1861 George B

Mcclellan is a 34 year old

very successful railroad manager

he had gone to West Point

he had a distinguished career in the Mexican

American War Lincoln wanted an aggressive general

and George B Mcclellan is phenomenal on paper

the last time we met you

were stopping for our late friend Steven Douglas

I am a Democrat after all

what had reached my years

was a certain railroad executive chose to

rerout a train full of citizens

bent on casting their votes for me

that's all in the past General McLaren

what I need now

is someone to grab the army of the Potomac

by the shoulders and give it a shake

Mr President if you let me

I'm going to take those boys

and make them into soldiers

they will have the best uniforms

the best rifles the best artillery

when they have the best

they will become the most magnificent

and the largest army the world has ever seen

and then

I'm going to march this magnificent army into Virginia

and those so called rebels

will know what power has struck them

Lincoln is no soldier

he was elected captain in the Black Hawk War

but he hasn't seen real action and

and he's very cognizant of that

as he's suddenly the president during a civil war

by late October Winfield Scott decides to retire

and so

Lincoln will tap Mcclellan as the general in chief

Lincoln says to him

you are in charge of all the United States forces

including those out west

you need to come up with the strategic plan for that

but you are also in charge of the principal field army

in the east and Mcclellan

in his ever confident way says I can do it all

by the fall the war is all around Washington

there was a huge infusion of soldiers

camping in its public spaces

ringing the city to protect it from Confederate attack

and the war comes home to the White House

in a deeply personal way

six months into the war at the battle of Balls Buff

Lincoln's good friend Edward Baker dies

which is crushing Dave Ram Lincoln

Lincoln's second son was named Edward Baker Lincoln

they were that close

Lincoln and Baker had known each other

since those days in the back room

and speed store the quarter of a century earlier

it was said by a reporter

that his chest heaved with emotion

when he got the telegram in the office

and he just stumbled out onto the street

with tears streaming down his face

the death of someone so close to you

that responds to your call by offering their life

and their service

has to leave an indel remark on you who you wanted

does Lincoln blame himself

the day before Edward Baker would lose his life

he came to the White House to see Lincoln

and it was a beautiful autumn day

and Willy was playing in the leaves

thank you

and as Edward Baker got up to leave

he put his arms around him and kissed Willy

Willy loved him

Willy spent the whole day

working on a poem about Edward

play soul

I would dearly love to hear it

might do us all a world of good

would you read it for us

there was no patriot like Baker

so noble and so true

he fell as a soldier on the field

his face to the sky blue

come here

well

it's been 20 minutes

he works for you doesn't he

sitting here all day is no concern to me

I'd hold McLaren torch to get a victory

apologies I'm quite busy

we're building several new roads

we have over 50,000 men to equip into train

it's endless

all the new boys shaping up splendidly

I'm glad to hear that

you know general

only served a few months never saw any fighting

but I did have a good many bloody struggles

of those mosquitoes though

I'm sure you're not here to talk about mosquitoes

what can I do for you well

it's about that army of yours

I came by to find out when you were intended to use it

again

when it's ready

as you know I'm planning a major offensive

these things take time to prepare

if you know how to do it properly

and I do

respectfully Mr President

why don't you leave military matters to military men

very well general

I have complete confidence in you

look forward to a successful campaign

at first Mcclellan does a stellar job

he was great when it came to organization

he had the army of the Potomac drilled

their camps were clean

and the clones men are very dedicated to him

there's lots of support from the northern press

and all of this adulation goes to his head

Lincoln turned to Mcclon because Lincoln is a

is a man who can look at somebody and say

you know things I don't

and I'm willing to lean on your expertise

but Mcclellan sees Lincoln as this frontier backwater

uneducated ruffian he would write letters to his wife

and describe how he was selected to be the savior

and he would describe President Lincoln as

the baboon with a gorilla

and he would pretty openly tell people that

this guy doesn't understand

he needs to get out of my way and let me handle this

the Confederates are still about 30 miles away

from Washington DC in the fall of 61

mclenn has decided that

he's gonna wait until the screen

to launch a campaign

but he doesn't bother telling Lincoln this

at this point there is a committee

called the Joint Committee on the conduct of war

and it is filled with radical Republicans

men who want to move fast

who are certainly pushing for emancipation

and they're becoming increasingly frustrated

with Mcclellan as well

Lincoln is again navigating those difficult waters

he knows he sent a very green army to Manassus

and they were defeated

Mcclellan's asking for more time to train his army

and Lincoln says okay

I will I will

protect you from the political pressures

of people saying that you should get into action

however the same time

he recognizes the political pressure to

act can't be ignored I mean

the strain is is clear

he was feeling pressure from many sides

at the same time

the Confederates were actively pursuing

formal recognition on the international stage

in 1861

they're in the process of sending their emissaries

to England and to France

and they are on the British ship Trent

which is stopped by a US naval vessel

they're taken off of that ship and detained

you have to keep in mind

that the British navy was supreme

and part of the tradition

and maritime law says if you board a ship illegally

you are invading the country who owns the ship

and the British demanded to be release

or else this is an act of war they said

Lincoln is in a classic dilemma situation

Republican northerners who had voted for him

want trial for treason for these men

but he also had to keep England on the sideline

so he's ultimately got to release these diplomats

and let them go about their business

however President

Lincoln had to build up public support to do that

because public perception is everything for president

your ability to maintain morale

becomes the essential thing

if you can't do that

whatever you're doing with your army

becomes your element

and so

the courting of newspapers really helped his cause

and I should make the point

newspapers

were not just independent journals of the day

they were part of the political machine

John Wayne Forney was a Washington editor

very influential politically

and Forney became a frequent visitor to the White House

John we're in a tight spot

so was the Queen of England

both of us are clamoring for a fight

and neither of us won't

British wouldn't dare go to war over this

now you might think so

now it reminds me there was a

there was a bulldog back home

used to growl all the time

my neighbors were convinced

that there was nothing to fear

and so was that but this fellow got me to think twice

he tells me I know that bulldog won't bite

and you know that bulldog won't bite

but does the bulldog know if that bite I'm listening

tomorrow

I want you to write an article about how uh

how would be good for the country to uh

to give those two rebels over to England

my readers are rather see those two hanged

well I trust you to change your mind

I can't have a war on two fronts

I know I know it's hard to ask

but as a friend

I'm asking you

by the end of December

editorials written by people like John Forney

reflected the opinion

that the Confederate diplomats should be released

and started to modify the public reaction

should that happen

one of Lincoln's great talents is to keep focus

in the midst of crisis

this focus is what members of his cabinet

like Seward came to really respect

in early 1861 1862

winner very little is happening in terms of fighting

particularly in Virginia

where Mcclellan is continually training the troops

all these soldiers are gathering together

this costs money this takes time

there's no action taking place at this point

Lincoln is feeling like

the war isn't being pressed hard enough

and so he's going to take more direct control

Lincoln has to manage the war

sitting there day to day

trying to plot where supplies going

and who's doing what what maneuvers are being run

these days a modern president would be frowned upon

to be micromanaging like that

it's bad management practice

but he didn't have an option

eventually

Lincoln gives one of his first general orders

the famous General Orders No. 1

which requires all of his commanders

to go on the offensive and to attack

actually by Washington's birthday

on February 22nd

Mcclala just ignores this

makes no movement whatsoever

and the only one actually to move is Ulysses

is grand out west

Ulysses as grant

had gone to West Point

not performed especially well when the war begins

he is clerking in the small town of Galena

Illinois when the Civil War starts

he volunteers to help train troops

and pretty quickly he shows these got competence

not just in training but in leading in battle

Ulysses S Grant will take Fort Henry and Donaldson

in the beginning of February

so is the Western Theater

which is largely

the theater between the Appalachian Mountains

and the Mississippi River

where the union is actually starting to make progress

with this grant becomes a national hero

it's the first great union victory of the war

it's a little bit ironic though

with the jubilation of the capture of force

Henry and Donaldson

because Lincoln is in major crisis mode

causes this same time period that his little boy

Willie catches typhoid

and here it comes

this is salute

grant took Fort Donaldson

he's a western man like you Paul

seems like he can fight

just like you

alright

back to sleep now okay

how is he

he's gonna be fine

in February of 1862 Willy had fallen ill

he probably contracted typhoid fever

from bad water pumped into the White House

at first they think that he'll be fine

but on February 20th, 1862

he dies when Willy died

Lincoln put his head in his hands

and simply began to sob and then said

my boy is gone my boy is gone

after the death of Willy

Abraham Lincoln put a silk ribbon on his hat

so that he would always remember the loss of his son

when I lost a son

it was Mrs

Lincoln wrote me a letter full of comforting words

look around sir

in her time of grief

ain't no friend

no lady of Washington society by her side

she outsider

I am very grateful for you Mrs Kekley

thank you sir

ha

ha

Mary was of course distraught

took to her bed and never really recovered

I think from the loss of her beloved son

they had a private funeral because Mrs

Lincoln couldn't tolerate a public reception

her grief was volcanic she could not stop wailing

she locked herself in her room

we also know that Mr Lincoln was completely devastated

he had been many thoughts

his father's favorite

he been a boy with great talent and promise

and therefore his passing was a matter of deep sadness

he wrote poetry he loved reading

he had those qualities of empathy

sensitivity intelligence that Lincoln had

so he was like a miniature Lincoln

I think there's something to that

when you look at all the people who died

that were close to him

his mother then he lost his sister

his beloved son Eddie

his very very close friend

Edward Baker

the death of Willie then compounds the misery

but the fact is that Lincoln had a country to run

now as of March

Mccollin still hasn't moved this massive army

so Lincoln is going to issue another war order

telling him to move

and by March 17th Mcclellan

has finally ordered his army

to the tip of the Virginia Peninsula

Mcclellan's plan

is one that Lincoln initially objected to

an amphibious operation

moving down the coast of Virginia

landing on the Peninsula

and threatening Richmond from the south

this is about 120,000 men on 400 boats

who was well executed

to move this huge force down there

but they get to Fort Monroe and then they start moving

too slowly like molasses

and they're essentially bottled up

even though things hadn't been going well in the East

Lincoln has heard about grant

with the two surrenders at Forts

Henry and Donaldson

and after that

the western armies were continuing to make progress

the battle of Shiloh ends up being an amazing

if incredibly bloody victory

actually

the reaction to Granny Shallow was largely negative

all of a sudden he loses 13,000 troops

there are unfounded rumors of grant being drunk

and people are calling for his Alster

but Lincoln says I cannot spare this man

he fights

and that was the beginning of Grant's ascendancy

and Lincoln's recognition in grant

someone who would not go back

who would not wait who would not delay

now in previous months

Lincoln discovered that his secretary of war

Simon Cameron is hopelessly inadequate to the task

and so in his place Lincoln nominates Edwin Stanton

Stanton was a Democrat

Stanton would get along nicely with other Democrats

in the army especially George Mclaughlin

Mcclellan's got plenty of troops

but still he sits outside Yorktown

he's got to attack

I'm sorry he's a skittish

is a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs

but he's the best we have

you should tell yourself I've sung his praises

but he makes new enemies each day he doesn't fight

what's your advice

fire him at once

if Mcclellan can just capture

we won't capture anything at this rate

but he's got his orders he'll move

he has to

right after George Mclaughlin

the army of atomic land on the Peninsula

they will start to work their way up

about the same time that they're advancing

Abraham Lincoln arrives

Lincoln will meet with Mclaughlin

more than any other union general

over the course of the war

Between July of 61 and April 1st of 1862

he met with him at least 57 times

so very much hands on there's

there's a lot of communication

but we see him increasingly frustrated

that Mcclellan

isn't doing the things that he's asking him to do

this time when Lincoln arrives down at Fort Monroe

Mcclone's not there and it's one more insult to Lincoln

and his responsibilities

and so Lincoln's now looking around going okay

well I can't meet with Mcclone

what else is going on down there

hey isn't that normal

what he's gonna realize

is that Norfolk is still occupied by the Confederates

Norfolk which is a major naval base

and currently

it's also the home of the Confederate ironclad

the CSS Virginia

this is a threat to the Union Army

as well as to the blockade

as also

a threat to Mcclellan's effort to get up the river

General will would I be wrong in saying that

since the rebels have left Yorktown

that Norfolk is vulnerable

no sir

you would not be wrong then why haven't we taken it

well there's the small matter of the Virginia

being stationed there it's just destroyed

two of our best ships

what if we don't attack it directly

we take the fort

below Norfolk by water land

bombard the rebel batteries here

Silver's Point

and bring our boys a shore somewhere near this area

don't know these waters sir

it's feasible except for Virginia coming out of

destroying our landing

we have a Navy too don't we

yeah but we need solid ground land up troops

let's fight son

about here along the south bank of the James

Uncle scouted myself

Mister President that is enemy territory

this is the thing about Lincoln

all the experiences that he had in his life

they become part of who he is

and he's got a real

physical sense of how to operate on a river

I mean

he has a physical sense of knowing the way rivers wind

knowing geography

Commodore I saw some canal boat back at the wharf

what if we ferry some of our boys on them

and land in the shallows here

they can float normally for the water

that could work but bigger boats need some place deeper

what about there

that looks like it could be at least 8 feet

come high tide

which is soon

if we get back now we can attack immediately

there is the Virginia

Lincoln when he arrives down at Norfolk

with some massive overreach

President United States

the commander in chief

should not be in tactical operations

is that too rash

perhaps you should have waited do it back

he is basically undercut his entire chain of command

almost as if to say even a non professional

all it takes is a little bit of initiative

all it takes is a little bit of activity

all it takes is a little bit of a watchful eye

to see where those opportunities exist

and we can start making progress at a faster pace

than we currently are

troops have been unsure for hours

we should have news by now

a dispatch from Norfolk

the rebels are evacuating

and they've scuttled the Virginia

are you sure the city is ours

oh easy Stan you're crushing

well

we've done it

no sir no no

you have done it

after some pliminary bombardment by the Navy

they will land union troops

over on the Confederate side

when the Confederates see their union troops

they're gonna leave Norfolk

they'll destroy as much of the equipment as they can

including sinking the CSS Virginia

their iron clad and effectively

Abraham Lincoln has taken the initiative

he's literally leading from the front

there was a certain method to his madness

he was impatient

he was trying to send a message to General Mcclellan

get moving

so Mcclellan will move very slowly

he'll move forward up the Peninsula

fighting small battles like Big Bethel in Williamsburg

but the entire movement of the Peninsula

is slower than it should have been

less aggressive than it should have been

the uncertainty of the battlefield

the idea that

you're rolling the dice on the battlefield every time

was very upsetting to him

and so it would cause him to hesitate

it isn't so much in my view that he's indecisive

he is choosing to do what one might call light sparring

he doesn't wanna have a high body count

he just kinda wants to sneak in

slap somebody around a little bit

step on back and keep on moving

you know he's sending advance scouts to the plantations

and farms along the way to say hey

I'm coming through

but I'm not gonna mess with your slaves

and I'm not gonna burn anything

we're just gonna be moving my army through

eventually the Confederates were treat back

all the way till

within earshot of the church bells of Richmond

and then at the end of may

at the battle of Seven Pines

Joseph E Johnston

who was in command of the Confederate Army

is grievously wounded

Jefferson Davis turns to his formal military adviser

Robert Edward Lee of Virginia

and Lee is rushed out to the field to take command

Robert Evie

is probably

the most iconic soldier in American history

he had had tremendous service during the Mexican War

and so on the Eve of secession

President Lincoln sought to have Robert Lee

take command of United States forces

Robert Lee makes the decision instead

to go with Virginia

so Lee takes command of what he christens

the army of Northern Virginia

on June 1st and for the next three weeks

it's going to be incredibly rainy

and Mccollin's not able to do much

if you can imagine moving an army of 120,000 men

with all of their mules and horses and wagons

but Lincoln believes that this capital can be taken

Mclaughlin has more men than has ever been fielded

in North America this could all be ended right now

the weight of this war fell on Lincoln

from almost the first day

and that sense that wearying nagging

never ending

always draining sense of responsibility haunts him

put your light out soon you're too weary

yes for you

I'm with him when I can be

I'm busy at the hospital so

these boys so appreciate when I read to them

and write their letters

I need to be useful

well you can sit with him now

is it Mcclellan

has if robbery lead didn't have to mart some MUD too

oh he can end this

replace him

everyone says you should

with who

play me with it

I think what kept linking up at night sometimes

was just knowing how many soldiers had died that day

and that he was the leader

that was in charge of this decision

to keep the war going and that these people had died

their families were suffering under the terrible loss

but Lincoln understands the idea

that it was gonna cost a lot of lives to win the war

and I think President Lincoln at the point where he

had just lost uh

patience with General Mccloney

just felt like he wasn't aggressive enough

he wouldn't fight

so despite all of the men that Mccollin has had

he's able to make his way

outside of the gates of Richmond

but not into Richmond meanwhile

Lee is reorganizing his new army

and ultimately at the end of June

Robert Lee will launch a series of battles

known as the Seven Days

throughout these fights

probably Lee will only win one of those battles

but what he does

is drive Mcclellan back from the gates of Richmond

and pins him against the James River

Mcclellan will write vicious telegraphs to say that

if I lose this is not my fault

it's your fault you haven't given me the man I need

you haven't given me the supplies I need

and this is grading on Lincoln

so by July 1st

this Peninsula campaign has essentially come to an end

Lincoln will come down to visit him

at a place called Harrison's Landing

it's there that Mcclellan will hand him a letter

that talks about civil

military policy for the fighting of this war

what he says is that

should be executed

with the highest Christian principles

that they should take no southern property

that they should not try and subdue the south

and that whatever we do

let's not talk about the issue of slavery

and perhaps if he had written it months earlier

Lincoln may have agreed with him

but Lincoln doesn't agree with him now

the war has already turned more resolute

the war has already turned more violent

he is already now

even considering other ways

that they might be able to

put more pressure on the Confederacy

that they might win the war

in the last weeks of June

Mcclellan's army has suffered a crushing defeat

they were only like

4 miles from Richmond when Lee attacked them

and they were forced to retreat

so the mood of the north was really at its lowest point

lower even than after Bull Run

enlistments were going down

desertions were gonna happen

and Lincoln felt that something had to change

now every summer from 1862 on

Lincoln would find some measure of escape

from the White House in the high

cooler ground of the soldier's home

this was a rambling series of cottages

built by the old Soldiers

Retirement Complex in the 1850s

but always

always there was the war

there were so many times

when it looked like the war would be lost

after Bull Run it certainly looked that way

after the Peninsula campaign

it looked like the war could easily be lost

but he was the one who kept the spirit of the army

keeps the spirit of the people going

he absorbed those losses and it just makes him think

what can I do differently

how can I change what's going on

the rattles still control Mississippi up near Vicksburg

and

now we're back where we started in Virginia

my Paul could have made this chair

he can make most furniture with his hands

babe

we've got to make decisions

now

we know Mccloughlin's not the answer

but do you think General Halleck can turn things around

for us this war has nothing to do with generals

they alone can't win it for us

we have more men more supplies more money

and it seems

we're always tugging at the end of the rope

the rebels fight on their own land

well I can make a man fight harder

they also have something else too

yes

slavery

and if slavery is not wrong nothing is

I must have everyone on board

the military Copnick

and the cabinet

over the summer Lincoln is talking to people

about what will become the Emancipation Proclamation

he's talking to his War Department

he's talking to his State Department

abolitionist or clamoring for Lincoln to do something

they were saying the Confederacy has these black men

impressed into military laborers

free these people you know

we can use them to help us win the war

black men have been saying it all along

white men and women started saying it as well

Lincoln still believe that

the Constitution made it impossible for the government

to emancipate the slaves

because Constitution protected property

and property was slaves

for political figures who have a moral compass

there is a constant warring inside you of

when do I just blurt out what I think

versus when do I

bite my tongue and see if I can work something out

am I betraying the ideals that I care about

or am I playing a long game to advance them

there's a clear learning curve

as he learns the strategy

of what would be necessary to win a war

of this magnitude in this complexity

he exercised war powers

like few presidents have ever in our history

and they were pretty upsetting to people

but he understood that he wasn't just the president

he was the commander in chief as well

so that's when he begins to think about the fact that

I don't have the constitutional power

to emancipate the slaves in the union

as president but maybe as commander in chief

I can emancipate the slaves in the south

as a military necessity

but Lincoln would have to persuade the cabinet

the army and the people

that the Emancipation Proclamation was the right thing

to do

that on the first day of January

in the year of our Lord

1 thousand eight hundred and sixty three

all persons held as slaves within any state

or designated part of the state

shall be then then forward and forever free

now I have made up my mind about this

but I want to hear your opinions

now is not the time for something so rash

where is your authority come from to do this

I think it's exactly the right time

doesn't the rebellion give me authority

I am no general but I am commander in chief

aren't I allowed to lick the enemy any way

I can make this a war for abolition

and we'll drive Kentucky to the Reds

I've left it alone in the border states

this is a military order

shift the man power of slaves from them to us

if that's true I'm all for it

well good for you Stanton

but the people won't be

black and white can't live together

but if we push colonization

people might swallow that

well it's overdue but wrong headed

you say there's a way out for the rebels

but this is an ultimatum they'll never submit to

unless that's what you intended

everyone will see

you gave them a chance to act sensibly

they have their chance

this this is madness

I demand to be put on record in opposition

if this gets out we'll lose every election

Kongs will be lost

and lead to insurrection in the north

massacre in the streets

and the rebels will only fight hard

blood will be on your hands

blood is already on my hands

we have played every other card

it is time to change our tactics or lose the game

do I need your support

I think

this proclamation is what the country needs

but don't release it now when we're beaten down

the public will see it as an act of desperation

wait for a victory however small

then the public will see your proclamation for what

it is a noble act

well

if it's noble I'd rather be noble now than later

but the governor is right

public sentiments everything

we'll wait

we'll wait for a union victory

have you included my last changes

yes sir

I hear Lincoln's meeting with the Negro leaders

I hear the same

it's a great opportunity

after all his foot dragon

to have a Negro delegation come see him

it's never happened before

while you go

I wasn't invited

I guess so

Dave might not wanna hear what you have to say

that's true enough

but I sure would like to know what he has to say

what I want is a way out for everybody

to that end

I've had Congress secure some land in Central America

you and I are of opposite races

physically speaking we couldn't be more different

I fear

it might take 100 years for you to find Equality

in this country

agree to my proposal

and my people will stop killing each other

and your people will be free

that's my proposition

take your time to consider it

as long as you'd like

well Mister President

would be happy to consider it

sir

Lincoln's favorite politician

Henry Clay was a very prominent member

and president of the American Colonization Society

that was formed in 1817

for the purpose of sending free

black men and women outside of the country

Lincoln thought slavery was wrong

but he's also someone who believed in what he imagined

as nuance and Lincoln frames this as like

he's like even if I wanted black people to stay

there is no way that the average

white person would ever allow black people to exist

without the threat of violence hanging over them

at all times

they would don't wanna live next door to you

they don't want you to vote

they don't want you on their juries

they don't want you to go to school with their kids

they don't want you anywhere near them

and Lincoln said

the way to make people feel less physically threatened

and socially threatened is to say

after we get rid of slavery

this is gonna again be a white man's country

and black people are gonna go somewhere else

so we won't have to worry about

keep in mind the free north is 99% white

and so

there is a palpable fear among white northerners

of slavery being ended especially

those who felt that they were going to have to compete

with black men for the same jobs

for the same housing

now there were black men and women as well

who believed that the two races could not coexist

they're just thinking I am tired of dealing with this

I want out of this country

but the majority of African Americans

were not at all interested

we sometimes think that by the time of the Civil War

the people who are enslaved

are people who were captured in African

brought to America these are Americans

they're not citizens but they are native born Americans

and their ancestors had been here

in some instances before the Mayflower

then in August 1862 Harris Greeley's New York Tribune

publishes an editorial called

The Prayer of Twenty Millions

it basically says why

Mr Lincoln

are you delaying on issuing a proclamation of freedom

so Lincoln did write I think

the most famous letter to the editor

in American history

he said I wanna remind you

my Paramount object in this struggle

is to save the union

if I could save the union by freeing all the slaves

I would do it

if I could save the union by freeing none of the slaves

I would do that

if I could save the union by freeing some

and leaving others alone I would do that

Lincoln is by this time determined to be a liberator

but congressional elections were coming up

so first he has set the stage

among an exclusively white electorate

for emancipation to be accepted

but his cabinet had said

you've got to wait for a union battlefield victory

or people will think that this is

what William Seward called

a last shriek on the retreat

meanwhile Robbie Lee will take the initiative

from the time he takes command

he will drive union soldiers back

from the gates of Richmond

by the end of August

he'll win the Second Battle of Bull Run

and now Lee is looking at the spires of Washington DC

and then what you will write back to Jefferson Davis

is now

seems to be the most propitious time

since the beginning of this war

for this army to enter into Maryland

a change of policy

for the Confederacy to now invade the north

we're a little over a year into the war

and you're starting to get into the effects of public

cinema and what people are thinking in morale

so the idea is

Lee would put pressure on President Lincoln politically

and it might lure the Union Army out into a battle

in which he could be destroyed

she was able to maneuver his force

to force a battle of place called antitable

the battle of Antidom

will unfold on September 17th, 1862

on beautiful rolling farmland of Western Maryland

the morning fighting will happen

on the right flank of the union

the union army will go to the north

they will attack across famous places

like the cornfield

the fighting that occurred in Miller's cornfield

was so severe that the corn stocks were cut

all the way down to their bottom

then the battle shifts to the middle of Lee's line

a sunken road this is a farm lane

that connects the Hagerstown Turnpike

in the Bloomsboro Turnpike

and after wagons going cross it

it eroded to become a trench line

two under strength

Confederate brigades will defend that sunken road

and two divisions of the Union Army

will attack that sunken road repeatedly

let's go let's go

sir

would you fall back

no sergeant we're gonna end this now

on your feet man

sure

2 1

come on go go go

after two and a/2 hours of fighting

that Confederate line will finally break

but Mcclellan will commit no more forces to it

by the time all the sudden down here

the road is simply littered with vines

it is more or less a graveyard

and that's why it's called Bloody Lane

antitum is horrible

the thing about Antitum though

that becomes important is that Lincoln needed a win

he's not doing really well in the spring and summer

62

and Tatum gives him permission

to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

to the south and change the course of the war

and hit him the first battle that will be photographed

the scenes of the sunken road

are absolutely heart ringing

people can't believe the carnage that has happened

from this one battle

once these images are produced

the reality of war sets in fully

Mcclellan had 12,000 fresh troops in reserve

he could have used them to destroy Lee

instead he let him escape over the river to Virginia

papers worn his head

well McLaren has never been one to embrace opportunity

but we chased him out of Maryland still a victory

it is

now I can release the proclamation

John

I want the cabinet here as soon as possible

for final remarks on the draft

in time for the afternoon editions

yes sir

what kind of villain you think the papers will make me

yeah it won't be pretty

I expect abuse from the Democrat papers

but the friendly ones they'll see the wisdom

I worry about enlistment

they'll say it's a war against slavery

not for the union my word is going out to the people

I won't take it back

Lincoln's the master of this

at taking battles

and being able to spin them for his needs politically

so that was enough for Lincoln

to be able to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

from a position of strength

as opposed to weakness so

and Tatum was on September 17th

by September 22nd Lincoln was issuing the proclamation

that preliminary proclamation said

you have 100 days to either come back into the union

or I'm going to free your enslaved laborers

many in the world particularly in Britain

saw it as just another political move

to undermine the Confederacy

and he wasn't genuinely committed to it

but on the other hand for many in Britain

that becomes the moment

when Lincoln emerges as the Great Emancipator

you have countries like France and Britain

who had abolished slavery

in the years and decades prior

who were thinking about the idea

of supporting the Confederacy

but they also believe themselves to be very

strictly abolitionist nations

and so

when Lincoln issues this man's patient proclamation

Britain and France largely back off and they say

we're not gonna support this nation

that is founded

and predicated upon the institution of human bondage

which runs counter to our very political ethos

meanwhile on October 1st

Lincoln travels out to Antidom

and he has a conference with McAllen

McAllen has asked him to go out

and look at the battlefield

and Lincoln is really disgusted

that he's showing him

all of these wonderful things that happened

on the battlefield

and yet this hadn't been a decisive victory

Mcclellan had so many troops in reserve

that are never put into action

and Lee had so few troops

that had all fought throughout the day

that had Mcclellan pushed a little harder

there is reason believe

that he could have destroyed Lee's army that day

and perhaps into the war

I did the absolute best with what you gave me

and I gave you all I could

do you want me to go over strategy with you

don't trouble yourself Jim

I will need to know the strength

and location of all of our troops

and the condition if you know it

of the Confederate forces

that's all

yes

that's all

there are elections coming up

Mclaughlin is very popular

not only among his troops

but among Democrats in the north

so Lincoln doesn't wanna fire him yet

but the day after the midterm elections

Lincoln will fire Mclaughlin

so Lincoln had waited until the battle of antidom

to announce that he was going to issue

on the Emancipation Proclamation in January

and between September and January

the blowback was so great

that many people thought he might not sign

the Republicans

lost lots of seats in the midterm elections

the conservative Democrats

who were against emancipation

doubled in number

leaving the Republicans with a thin majority

what people in the north feared is that now

the south would never come to the bargaining table

this would mean the war would be prolonged forever

Lincoln's aware of all of these things

he's being political about it

but he's also being thoughtful about it

on New Year's Eve

people are gathered in black communities

throughout the north

people are just waiting on tender hooks

there was what we call Watch Night

where Douglas was with a group of fabolishness friends

waiting to see if Lincoln would keep his word

well

no telegram yet he said he signed it today

and I believe he's a man of his word

I can wait a few minutes long

it's time for me

I don't want folks to think I doubted this

my whole soul was in it

oh no no no no

no no no

no no

no no

no no no no no

no no no

no no

no no

no no no no

no no no no

no no

no no

no no

no no

no no no

the morning that Lincoln signed

the masturbation proclamation

there'd been a big

New Year's reception at the White House

and he had shaken hundreds of hands

so when he went finally

to sign the Emancipation Proclamation

his own hand was numb and shaking

he put the pen down he said

if ever my soul were in an act

it is in this act but if I sign with a shaking hand

posterity will say he hesitated

so he waited

and waited until he could sign

with an unusually bold and clear hand

it cannot be overstated

how consequential this document was

with the stroke of a pen

linking through the authority that he has

in that moment frees millions of enslaved people

in these Confederate states

it's coming over the wire now

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

it was a great Celebration that broke out

you know

Douglas was said to have a great baritone singing voice

and I'm sure he was out there

singing at the top of his lungs um

in Celebration that this document was finally signed

which would change the balance of the war

a man special creates a new ethos for why people fight

yeah to keep the union together

but now it's a freedom fight

that goes back to the founding of our nation

was about freedom and justice

later on Lincoln says

that

emancipation was the central act of his administration

he doesn't say saving the union

he says emancipation

not too many weeks later

Joshua Speed comes to the White House

and he reminds his old friend of that conversation

they had a quarter of a century before

when he said that he would just soon die

but he had not yet done anything

to make any human being remember that he had lived

and then he said to speed

perhaps in this proclamation

my fondest wish will be realised

I had the Emancipation Proclamation

one of the handfuls of original documents

in the Oval Office when you stand there and you read it

um it is very much a military document

it is full of caveats you think it out yeah

this is gonna be a Clarion call for freedom and justice

that that's not what it is

and yet

Lincoln was willing to state everything that he's done

everything he's fought for

to decide once and for all

this will be a free house and not a slave house

African Americans were static

even those who took issue

with the idea that not everybody got their freedom

they understood

this was the beginning of the end for slavery

Douglas says if Virginia is free

Maryland can't be enslaved for much longer

you're going to have to enslavery in Kentucky

gonna have to end it in Delaware and Missouri

also the proclamation

gave authority to bring black men into the army

and Navy

this is because Frederick Douglas

they've been advocating to allow free men

and these contraband enslaved men to join the army

and Lincoln agree so

it is the Emancipation Proclamation

that actually establishes the United States

color troops

that was believed that

especially after the proclamation

if you deserved freedom you needed to fight for freedom

I don't see before me property

I see men I don't see slaves

I see people yes

so what better defense against the hand of the slave

holder than the hand of the slave

what better way to prove our humanity

what's the question son

do we get uniforms like whites

you wanna prove you're a man

don't you

yes you deserve to be treated like one

you gonna get a uniform and a gun

and when you got those breast buttons on your chest

and a musket on your shoulder

and bullets in your pockets

there's no one on earth can tell you

you're not a citizen and a man

can you see it oh yes sir

go see these gents behind me sign your name

how about you sir

you wanna do when you think about his own sons

Louis and Charles

who he recruited into the Massachusetts 54th Regiment

that's really putting his money where his

his mouth is they were free

but yet they would risk their own freedom

and their own lives to go and fight in the Civil War

because that's how important that cause was to them

that's how important the cause was to Frederick Douglas

many people in the south were furious

you know

this is what they feared during the 1860 election

and they thought that it would create slave rebellions

across the south

they thought it would create insurrections

they thought that he

not only was taking away their property

but putting their lives in danger in a profound way

so once emancipation is one

of the twin goals of the war

it must embold in the south

to know that we have to win this war unconditionally

so Robert Lee once again steals the initiative

he marches for a second time on a raid into the north

through northern Virginia

across Maryland into Pennsylvania

and the Union Army of the Potomac is on its heels

as Lee's army moved through south central Pennsylvania

they had no compunction about

rounding up any black people

they could find in Pennsylvania

shackling them together

and shipping themselves to be sold

in the slave marts of Richmond

media is positioned here

you can either defend Washington

or go after Lee in Pennsylvania

where's Lee we're not sure

somewhere here we think

he's trying to keep this mountain pass between him

and any troops me may send his way

what's the nearest town Gettysburg

what if we catch Lee in the field

here or in Pennsylvania

maybe the best chance to destroy his army

one big battle

what if we use thinking the exact same thing

then we're both looking at the end of this war

one way or the other

when Robert Lee decides to advance into Pennsylvania

another invasion of the north

we are roughly two years into the war

there's hundreds of thousands of dead

and there's really no end in sight

Lee wants to put pressure on the north

so we wanna go north again

and force the north to defend themselves

second

Lee wants to get the war out of Virginia for a while

again he wants to give Virginia a chance to grow crops

and harvest

and because his army had to find a decisive battle

and so what he's trying to do

is provide the ultimate evidence

to that northern population

that the magnitude

sacrifice for this war is no longer worth it

we see this growing more weariness in the north

that's how Lee refers to it

this growing more weariness

it shows up in the midterm elections

where the Republican

lose seats in the house of representatives

how much longer

how much more is this gonna cost in lives and dollars

Lincoln is starting to come into his own

as commander in chief

he's trying to find someone who would chase after Lee

and destroy the army of North Virginia

he turns to George Gordon Mead

George Gordon Meade lived in Pennsylvania

he was a battle

hardened veteran of the army of the Potomac

and the reason Meade is chosen is the arch part

because Lincoln's running out of generals elsewhere

he started with Aaron McDonald

got rid of him and then Mcclellan got rid of him

and John Pope and then Burnside Hooker

and meet is just simply the next in line

and he only has command

just a short walk before he has to fight really

what is the climactic battle of the eastern theater

Union Calvary will ride into Gettysburg on the 30th

and they'll accomplish the first

orders that Lincoln gives me

which is fine Robert Lee

and they do

they find two thirds of the Confederate army

are down to the west one third are off to the north

the next morning on July 1st

Confederates march down the road from the west

lieutenant Marcella Jones

will borrow sergeant Levi Schaefer's carbine

rest on a fence rail at 7:30 in the morning

squeeze off the first shot of the battle of Gettysburg

this is a meeting engagement

both sides will send in reinforcements

and what starts off at the spark

will grow like a wildfire

The Union Army of the Potomac

is holding a position just north of the city

with a couple of brigades of cavalry

the union puts up one heck of a fight

and is able to delay the Confederate Army

for several hours

to allow for the union to bring up infantry support

Robert Lee is going to bring every soldier

he possibly can overwhelm Union Army

to Potomac

and push them back through the city of Gettysburg

the rest of the day for the Yankees

seems like a dramatic defeat

Yankees are running through the

the center of Gettysburg some of them are breaking off

and hiding in attics and cellars

yeah

yeah

yeah

yeah

yeah yeah

yeah

yeah yeah yeah

yeah

help help help

oh

yeah yeah

yeah yeah

by the end of the day it seemed as though Lee had

in fact won exactly the kind of fight he

thought he was going to have to fight

a union force blunders into his hands

is defeated is thrown back

the only hitch of course

was that they hadn't been thrown completely back

they were still holding Cemetery Hill

come

on come on come on

Lincoln is in Washington

and he is anxious for what is happening

he knows that fighting is going on

but both these armies are out

beyond the immediate reach of telegraph and railroad

so the only news is fragmentary

bits and pieces

that are floating through the newspapers

through couriers there are wild rumors

complete defeat of the Confederate forces

followed by complete defeat of the union forces

but nothing entirely clear

nothing entirely certain you should have to wait

he has no choice

our fathers brought forth on this continent

a new nation we might not stand a chance

go after Lee's army now hold off for now general

I said we'll hold off he can't let Lee get away

tell me again why Robert isn't fighting

because I won't let him come on

what are you Douglas

when we're done waiting what will be left of us

if I turn my back on the black soldiers now

I will be damned in time and eternity no

I'd like to start with a campaign and engage president

I have my own plan the playing truth is

that I'm likely to lose this election

everything I've done will be undone

we don't have to go to the theater

do we I'd much rather stay