All language subtitles for Blood and Fury s01e05 Battle of Nashville.eng

[ battle cries ]

Narrator: Following their victory
at gettysburg the previous year,

union forces have finally
gained the upper hand.

They now drive deep
into rebel territory.

The confederacy is shrinking,

being cut off and
surrounded piece by piece.

Narrator: Near the outskirts of
Nashville, Tennessee, a pivotal battle

that will forever alter
the course of the civil war

is about to commence.

Nashville's one of the most
important battles of the war.

It also sets the stage
for what's to come.

Narrator: Desperate to end
the union's invasion in the south,

the rebels have
launched a daring attempt

to seize Nashville,

a key union supply depot.

??

Jones: If the confederates
can control Nashville,

they can prevent federal
operations into the deep south.

Narrator: To hold the city,

the union will turn to an
unlikely source for help...

Former slaves

desperate to fight those
who kept them in bondage.

Jones: These men
understand that they are fighting

for the liberation
of an entire nation.

They don't want
freedom handed to them.

They want to fight for it.

Narrator: Before the sun sets
on this cold Friday in December,

history will be made...

and the nation changed forever.

In the winter of 1864,

the men of the 18th
Alabama infantry

now move through the woods
south of Nashville, Tennessee.

Alongside almost
30,000 other troops,

they've been sent on a mission

rebel commanders hope will
help them regain the upper hand

in the civil war.

The confederacy's shrinking,

being cut off and
surrounded piece by piece.

In December of 1864,

the confederacy is on the ropes.

But they're still trying

to pull the rabbit
out of the hat.

Narrator: Atlanta has fallen.

Union forces now
burn their way east

toward the coast of Georgia.

To stay in the field,

the yankee invasion
depends on a vital lifeline...

Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville is how the union army

is operating south of Tennessee.

So if you're going
to go and take land,

take territory in
the deep south,

you need a supply depot.

And Nashville is
that supply depot.

I don't think you
could overestimate

exactly how powerful
Nashville has been

as an influence on
the union war effort.

All the supplies for every
invasion they've launched

so far in the war has
passed through this city.

Narrator: In November
1864, the army of Tennessee,

the rebels' second
largest force,

is sent to sever that lifeline.

Jones: If the confederates
can control Nashville,

they can previous
federal operations

into the deep south,

into Alabama, into Georgia.

But also they have
now a major supply hub.

They can get their
supplies to their army

that's operating
north of Nashville.

Narrator: The previous
day, rebels clashed

with union forces
sent to drive them off.

After the rebel line was
smashed in several places,

they were forced to
pull back south of the city

with heavy losses.

But the fight isn't over.

These southern troops are used
to facing long odds and winning.

They know the
second round is looming

and want to be
ready when it comes.

Until they can seize
supplies in Nashville,

they'll take what they
need from fallen Yankees.

Well, don't that just beat all.

Narrator: By late 1864,

thousands of African Americans
now serve with the union army.

Jones: From the
beginning of the war,

there were African Americans

who were attempting
to offer their services

to the union cause.

They were told by
the war department

that, "we don't
need your services."

Narrator: But as
the war drags on,

the union sees the value in
arming African Americans,

especially those
enslaved in the south.

They're laying the railroad
tracks for the confederacy.

They're building the roads.

They are part of the
manufacturing industry.

So this is a critical
part of southern labor.

And if the union can
lure them into union lines

and bring them into
the federal army,

this will injure
confederate operations.

Narrator: In early
1863, Lincoln issues

the emancipation proclamation,

freeing southern
slaves and giving them

the right to fight
with the union army.

Just months later,
the first regiments

of the United States
colored troops,

or usct, are created.

These men serve with the 13th.

Formed in Tennessee,

most fled plantations to join.

One is private Moses slaughter.

Moses, try this one again.

This one is "a."

Mm-hmm, and?

What come next? I
taught you this one.

Born into slavery in Tennessee,

his difficult life was made
more bearable by his adoring

and devoted mother.

There you go.

Although slaves were
not allowed to read or write,

she was secretly teaching him.

[ Laughs ] Nice try.

But that one go the other way.

Look at this. Let me show you.

Jones: Slaughter has a very
close relationship with his mother.

His mother was a nursemaid

and actually learned
to read and write

working with the
children of the big house,

of the great house.

[ Chuckles ] It's okay, baby.

You'll get it. You just
don't give up, okay?

Narrator: But his time
with her is short-lived.

While still a boy,

he is given away
as a wedding gift.

This is a wrenching experience

that he can do nothing about.

He is completely helpless.

His mother can
do nothing about it.

He is going to be
separated from his family

because his family is subject

to the whims of a slaveholder.

[ Sobbing ]

[ Screams ]

Narrator: Nine years after
he is taken from his mother,

Moses escapes and
joins the federal army.

Jones: Moses
slaughter, when he enlists

in the United States
colored troops,

he understands that if
the union is victorious,

if he and his fellow soldiers

are able to put
down the rebellion,

slavery will come to an end.

And no child will experience

what he had to experience.

If you've seen on a plantation

the degradation to
the people of color,

if you've seen your women raped,

if you've seen your
women and children sold,

the indignities that
were suffered upon them,

it prompted one to stand up.

It gave them the
opportunity to say,

"I will fight for my freedom

no matter what the
cause, unto death."

There was no other option.

Narrator: 700 miles
away in Washington D.C.,

President Lincoln
anxiously follows

developments in Tennessee.

Allison: Lincoln needs to
destroy the army of Tennessee,

because it's the last
unpredictable factor.

It's still mobile.
It's still dangerous.

It can appear in
different places.

And in many ways, that's a
nightmare to the union army.

So they need to
destroy the last threat

that's still in the field

and still not under
their control at that point.

Narrator: He's learned
of the federal victory

on the first day of fighting

and now is pushing his
commanders to finish the job.

Anything less than
the total destruction

of the rebel force will
be considered a failure.

While Lincoln hopes
his well-supplied troops

will prevail over
the rebel attackers,

he's missing a key
piece of intelligence.

At the end of the first day,

rebel forces have
retreated to a high Ridge

that runs to the
south of Nashville.

The right end of their line

now occupies the
formidable heights

of peach orchard hill.

It's manned by veteran troops,

like the 4th Louisiana infantry.

Allison: The 4th Louisiana infantry
is one of the more experienced

in the army of Tennessee.

They have been at every
fight of the war, from Shiloh

all the way through
the Atlanta campaign.

And they have an
excellent reputation

for steadiness under fire.

And these were grisly,
tough, hard veterans.

And they had seen it all.

Narrator: One of
the confederates

in charge of
fortifying the position

is first lieutenant
John Kendall.

Like many, Kendall realizes

that the fate of
the southern cause

may well rest on what
happens on this hilltop.

He knows that if the
union breaks this line,

the rebel's last chance

to stop the federal invasion
of the south will be gone.

Over the past 9 hours,

rebels have turned the
position into a fortress.

Allison: They have
the civil war equivalent

of world war I barbed wire
in front of their trenches

to slow an attacker down.

They felled trees and
sharpened them into stakes.

So they've actually
got this set up

to give them the best
bang for their buck.

It's a tough nut for even
veteran troops to try to crack.

Narrator: By the end of the day,

Moses slaughter and
the men of the 13th

will be called upon to
assault this rebel death trap.

Narrator: Thousands
of union soldiers

now move through the
woods of central Tennessee.

They've been sent
to defend Nashville

from a rebel attack.

A key union supply
depot, if the city falls,

the entire union
invasion into the south

will be in peril.

??

Among the defenders is
sergeant James Wilson,

an escaped slave who serves

with the 13th United
States colored troops.

Proud to wear the union blue,

he demands that his
men receive fair treatment.

Jones: Wilson was the kind
of man that was a leader.

And a leader takes care
of the welfare of his men.

If you want to motivate
men to risk their lives,

then you take care of them.

Narrator: Weeks
earlier, Wilson learned

that a member of the
13th had been tied up

by some white
soldiers as punishment.

One of the problems of
putting African American soldiers

who have come right from
slavery into military discipline

is military discipline
is uncomfortably close

to the punishments of slavery.

And on this occasion, a soldier
was getting company punishment.

Why he tied up?

I asked you a question.

I didn't think they let
deaf folk here in the army.

Seems that they lettin'
just about anybody

in the army these days, boy.

Don't think because
they put on a blue uniform

that the white soldiers
respected them, as well.

They were always perceived
as second-rate soldiers.

I think we have a
misunderstanding.

You think we're runaways.

We didn't run away
from our master.

You know what we did?

We killed him.

All right, fellas.
There's nothing that's...

Now, here's what's
gonna happen, cracker.

He's gonna cut that man loose.

And he right here,

he's gonna put a ball
in your damn brain

if you move an inch.

Jones: James Wilson
cut that man down

because he found it unjust.

And the idea that
you're going to be treated

the way you were in slavery

is repulsive to these soldiers.

And when they see
things that duplicate

what they endured
during their enslavement,

oh, they... they protest.

They take action.

Now, you can keep him
here as long as you want.

He broke the rules.

But you ain't gonna tie him
up like no animal. You hear?

Sergeant.

You really kill your master?

Course not, fool.

Come on, now.

Narrator: Wilson is
desperate to prove

the 13th is the equal
of any regiment.

But so far, they haven't
been given the chance.

Jones: As frontline troops,

there's still an
argument within the union

whether African
American soldiers

will make good soldiers.

One of the main difficulties

African American soldiers
faced during that war

was just getting
to the battlefield.

The policy of the
army in general

seems to be one of
"free a white man to fight."

And they're oftentimes used

as labor battalions
or Garrison troops

or in the rear to
free up white units

to go to the front.

Narrator: Aside from a few
small skirmishes with the enemy,

the 13th had never
seen a real battle.

But that's about to change.

[ Chuckles ]

Well, spit it out.

We moving out in 5 minutes.

Spread the word.

So where we going this time?

Some emergency road need built?

Supply need guarding?

Heard it from the captain.

We're going to the line.

??

All right, boys. On your feet.

Let's go.

Allison: The African
American soldiers at Nashville

didn't want the white man
to give them their freedom.

They wanted to take
an active role in fighting

to prove themselves,

as one of them
said, worthy citizens,

worthy of full inclusion
under the constitution

as citizens after
the war was over.

So it was vitally important

that they take an active role

in emancipating themselves.

Narrator: For the first time
in the regiment's history,

they're finally
getting their chance

to fight in a major battle.

But as they make their
way toward the line,

they run into rebel skirmishers
left to guard the approaches

to the new confederate position.

Man: Here they come.

Wait. Wait.

Not yet.

Damn it.

The confederacy is furious,

because these are their slaves.

And they're attacking them.

That creates a
great deal of anger.

Allison: These are men who grew
up with the institution of slavery.

And the idea of armed
African American men

fighting for their freedom

has been drilled into
their heads as a threat.

I think it's fair to say that
there's raw hatred there.

[ Whispering ] You watch.

First volley, they bolt.

[ Gunfire ]

Get down!

[ Men shouting indistinctly ]

[ Gunfire continues ]

Told you they'd run.

See anything?

They're up there on that Ridge.

All right, 13th! On your feet!

Let's go!

They ain't running.

That's a lot.

We got to pull out.

Narrator: Faced with
the entire 13th regiment,

the rebel skirmishers
have no choice

but to race back to the
main confederate line

atop peach orchard hill.

After hours of work,

they've turned
it into a fortress.

Allison: The confederates
at peach orchard hill

are at the top of their
game as far as it goes.

They coming, boys. Get ready.

They've got good positions.
They've got good weaponry.

They're experienced soldiers.

I don't think there was
a doubt in their mind

that they could hold that
position until judgement day,

if it came down to that.

Narrator: The rebel
position anchors

the right flank of
the confederate line

that's been established
south of Nashville.

Realizing its strength,

union commanders create

a plan to destroy it.

The men of the 13th learn

they've been given the
day's most daunting task.

Alongside other regiments,

they will launch
a frontal assault

on the heights of
peach orchard hill.

Narrator: Rebel forces have
been sent on a daring mission

to seize Nashville

and end the union's
crippling invasion of the south.

??

What they're trying
to do desperately

is to stop that invasion.

Jones: If you're going
to go and take territory

in the deep south, you
need a supply depot.

And Nashville is
that supply depot.

Narrator: After clashing with
union troops the previous day,

the rebels have fallen back

to the heights of
peach orchard hill.

It was a perfect position

they had a
perfect field of fire.

Narrator: Members
of the 13th usct

have orders to join
in a union assault

to storm the position.

Allison: The African American
units don't know what to expect.

They've never fought a
full-on field engagement.

They don't have
a lot of experience

as maneuvering as a body,

as fighting as a part of
a combined arms army.

So as far as a field unit goes,

the 13th is a
fairly green outfit.

So there was some
expectation that at the first shot,

they were gonna drop
their muskets, turn, and run.

Narrator: Realizing the
strength of the rebel position,

the union takes steps
to raise their odds.

Incoming!

[ Explosions ]

There were four
federal batteries

pounding peach orchard hill.

The guns are trying to
silence the confederate guns.

They're trying to knock
down their defenses,

soften them up, kill and
wound as many as they can.

Narrator: For two
terrifying hours,

the rebels are hammered
by yankee guns.

Steady, men. Steady.

Narrator: The barrage
tests the nerves

of even the toughest rebels.

The psychological
effect was devastating.

Believing the line
has been smashed,

union troops make their way

to the base of
peach orchard hill.

[ Man grunting ]

Allison: A union
observer watching the hill

said something to the effect of,

"it was truly
beautiful to watch.

Not a shell missed."

He was quite wrong.

Narrator: Many of the
shells hit behind the trenches,

leaving the confederate
defenders largely untouched.

[ Battle cries in distance ]

Leading the assault are some
of the union's toughest troops.

The white troops are veterans.

They've done this before.

They've got just as much
experience as the confederates.

Steady yourselves!

Everybody pick a target!

[ Battle cries continue ]

Ready, aim, fire!

[ Gunfire ]

[ Explosions in distance ]

Narrator: As the 13th
nears the base of the hill,

they realize the rebel line
has survived the barrage.

Waiting for the order to attack,

the 13th gets their
first look at a real battle.

The sights and
sounds of the battle

can frighten anyone.

They're listening to this
Cannon fire and musket fire.

They hear groans
of the wounded men.

[ Men groaning ]

470 men go down

in about 10 minutes of firing.

They understand very clearly

that they're up against
a formidable foe.

I don't think realistically
you could say

there was much chance of success

against an unbroken
confederate line on that hill.

They had several hundred
yards of open ground to cover.

And they had to be
nervous about that.

Narrator: Despite
the impossible odds,

men like Moses slaughter
and James Wilson

are determined to do their duty.

Jones: As they're preparing
to assault this fortified position,

these men understand

that they are fighting

for the liberation
of an entire nation.

The iron-bar chains of slavery

are not gotten rid of by the
benevolence of someone.

It's by their bravery
on the battlefield.

??

Arms at the ready!

Still think chasing off
skirmishers is a big deal?

Forward, men!

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Aware that they are
probably marching to their deaths,

Wilson, slaughter,
and the men of the 13th

move out to meet their fate.

Narrator: The American
civil war is almost 4 years old.

??

Near the outskirts of
Nashville, the critical battle

to decide the fate of the
union's invasion of the south

rages on.

After an earlier attack by
veteran union troops failed,

a regiment of
untested former slaves

has been ordered
to drive rebel forces

from a hilltop stronghold.

Black bastards.

Desperate to prove their worth,

they now move toward
enraged rebel soldiers

determined to cut them down.

??

They're coming
right this way, boys!

Let 'em get a little closer!

How come they ain't shooting?

I don't know.

There was a tacit understanding
among the confederates.

"Don't fire a gun

until we have them
fully within our sights."

So they let them come on
until every bullet would hit.

Easy, boys!

Don't waste a bullet!

That gives you an idea of
the determination and savagery

that they felt facing former
slaves on a battlefield.

Man: Halt!

Ready!

Aim!

Fire!

[ Gunshots ]

Man #2: Put that gun down
before y'all shoot yourself!

Get up here and
make yourself useful!

I need a shine!

My boots is dirty! [ Laughter ]

They're yelling,
basically trying to say,

"you work for us.
You're our underling.

Why don't you come and
perform this service for me?

This is what your
position in society is."

And my drawers need washing!

"You're not a soldier.

You're a servant.
You're a slave."

You can do that, right, boy?

Come up here and
wash my damn drawers!

So it's to put
them in their place,

take them out of their game.

??

Doesn't work.

Ready!

Fire!

[ Gunfire ]

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Despite the
strength of the rebel position,

slaughter, Wilson,
and the men of the 13th

surge toward the summit.

And they were being
hit by small arms fire,

as well as shrapnel.

You know, shot to shreds,

just shot to pieces.

[ Battle cries continue ]

Narrator: As their
flag-bearer is gunned down

and the attack starts to
stall, Wilson takes action.

James Wilson picks up that flag

and continues to fight.

He knew that seeing
the flag being waved,

that the soldiers would regroup.

They would charge to that flag.

And they would
fight for that flag.

[ Gunfire continues ]

Jones: Wilson knows
that when he goes

and retrieves those colors,

he is a priority target.

And the odds of him being killed

have increased exponentially.

??

Wilson is clearly
setting an example.

This is the kind of
courage necessary

for us to come out
of this victorious.

Without this selfless sacrifice,

we cannot win as a unit.

To be victorious, we
must make sacrifices.

Narrator: Inspired by his
incredible act of courage,

the 13th fight on.

[ Battle cries ]

Allison: For
inexperienced troops,

it's just a remarkable story
of perseverance under fire.

They had made
it to the parapets.

Now, that was a big event.

Allison: They pressed up
within feet of the confederate line.

They must have been right
in the confederates faces.

Narrator: But despite
their incredible effort,

they can't crack the line.

And what's left of
the 13th must retreat.

Almost 40% of the regiment

has been killed or
wounded during the attack.

Turned out to be the
bloodiest single event

of the whole two-day
battle of Nashville.

Narrator: The initial
charge has failed.

But it has massive consequences
on the battle's outcome.

Believing the 13th came
close to taking the position,

rebel general hood
sends more reinforcements

from his left flank to the
top of peach orchard hill.

Hood, a mile away at his
headquarters at Leland,

looking at this through
his field glasses,

sent more reinforcements over,

as he'd been doing all day,

further weakening the
weakest part of his line.

Narrator: As reinforcements
head toward peach orchard hill,

the union decides to strike

at the left flank
of the rebel line.

As that assault begins,

alongside other usct
and regular regiments,

members of the 13th prepare

to attack peach orchard
hill one more time.

Allison: What seems to have
formed at the base of the hill

was kind of a hodgepodge
of whoever was there,

men from the 100th,
the 13th, the 44th usct,

all gathering together in
a kind of an ad hoc unit.

And witnesses that
were on the ground

said they went right
alongside the white troops

and joined them in the
attack back up the hill

and took the prominent
role in that attack.

After you've been repulsed,

you've lost comrades.

You know the bodies
laying on the battlefield.

And you're told you're
gonna have to go back

into the mouth of the tiger.

There's fear.

But Moses slaughter and
his fellow soldiers know

that they're fighting for
more than taking the hill.

They're fighting
to liberate a nation.

Narrator: Despite the odds,

once more, they
storm up the hill

toward almost certain death.

[ Battle cries ]

Narrator: Rebel troops
sent to seize Nashville,

the key to union
operations in the deep south,

cling to the formidable
heights of peach orchard hill.

??

Desperate to
crack the rebel line

and win the battle of Nashville,

the union has launched
one final assault.

[ Battle cries ]

They head back up the hill

believing that they
can win the day.

Fire! Fire!

Reload!

Keep up your fire, men!

Hold them back!

Narrator: The rebels pound
them with everything they've got.

Man: Fire!

Narrator: As the federal
troops near the summit,

something incredible happens.

To the west, a federal
attack at shy's hill

cracks the left flank
of the rebel line,

causing a catastrophic
confederate collapse.

Hold the line!

Get back to your positions, men!

Do not retreat!

??

This has got to be
one of the greatest joys

that you could experience.

You went immediately from danger

and, "I'm probably
going to die,"

to, "hell, we've won.

We... we have the hill."

[ Battle cries,
gunfire continue ]

Allison: The price
they paid in blood

bought them the respect
of their fellow soldiers.

It put to rest a lot of myths

about how black
soldiers wouldn't fight.

And I think it's a story
that speaks to everybody

just on a human
level about dignity,

about what it is
to be respected.

They demonstrated that they were

indeed American soldiers.

And those who fought with
them understood that, as well.

??

Narrator: The
bravery of the 13th

helped secure one of the
great victories of the war.

Cartright: Many
historians believe

it was one of the most
decisive battles of the civil war.

5,600 prisoners,
about 4,000 casualties,

62 cannons captured,

and, in effect,
virtually destroying

the confederate
army of Tennessee.

And by taking it
out of the equation,

the union army
doesn't have to worry

about the west any longer.

They can concentrate
on the final

and ultimate objective,

which is to destroy Lee,

to take Richmond,
and end the war.

And that sets the stage for it.

Narrator: Word of the
victory soon spreads.

The actions of Moses slaughter

and the men of the usct

give hope to many
that at long last,

millions of African Americans

will soon be free.

Jones: These men are liberators.

Now their children

and those they
free can look back

and say, "these...
These are our heroes."

??

Narrator: James Wilson
dies of his wounds

on the summit of
peach orchard hill.

He is one of the 220
members of the 13th usct

who gave up
their lives that day.

Moses slaughter continues
to fight for the union army.

When the war finally ends,

he settles in
evansville, Indiana,

a free man.

He dies in 1938 in
a house he owned

surrounded by his loving family.

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