All language subtitles for Blood and Fury s01e06 Battle of Petersburg.eng

Narrator: The
battle of Petersburg

in April 1865 marks
a pivotal moment

in American history...

A night full of
surprise tactics,

immense courage,
and terrible sacrifice.

The breakthrough at Petersburg
is the most consequential attack

of the civil war.

Narrator: After almost
four years of bloody conflict,

the toll in lives and
dollars is immense.

Trudeau: It's costing
the federal government

millions of dollars a
day to prosecute this war.

Waiting for the war
to end is not a solution.

Getting it to end is
what has to be done.

Narrator: In Virginia,
miles of fortified trenches

are the last line
of rebel defense

and the only thing
preventing the union

from capturing the
confederate capital of Richmond.

To really win the war, they need
to take out Richmond, Virginia.

Narrator: Rebel soldiers
like captain William Nicholson

are determined not
to let that happen.

Relax, men.

I don't think them Yankees
are stupid enough to try again.

Narrator: But what
Nicholson doesn't know

is that the next union
attack will be like no other.

We go tonight, after dark.

Adelman: We are talking
about a massive logistical effort...

14,000 soldiers.

It's bigger than pickett's
charge at gettysburg.

It will quickly devolve
into hand-to-hand,

close-quarters combat...
Bayonets and sabers.

Just maybe... maybe...

They could break
through the enemy lines,

make Richmond fall, and
compel Robert e. Lee to surrender.

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Narrator: For almost 10 months,

confederate troops
near Petersburg, Virginia,

have been under siege...

Pinned down by a
massive union force.

Adelman: By the spring of 1865,

the civil war has
already lasted years

longer than many people figured.

It has certainly
been a bloodier affair

than everybody figured.

And by march, April 1865,

confederate hopes
are just running out.

Narrator: After a long,
hard winter, rations are low.

Soldiers are hungry
and exhausted.

And on the front lines,
some are desperate.

Adelman: All they
want to do is eat.

All they want to do is rest.

They have had enough.

If you are tired,
hungry, cold, and thirsty,

you are thinking about food,
water, warmth, and sleep.

Man: Got a runner!

Get back here!

To be a deserter

or to go over to
the federal lines

was considered a
blight on your family

and your family's reputation.

Too damn far.

Adelman: Many of these
people were pushed to the brink,

and anybody who
has left, I don't know

if they're straight-up a
coward or a traitor at that point.

Shoot that man.

Still, they've got to resent

their former comrades
who have left.

Cadet.

Collect his things.

Hold your fire.

Somebody get me the captain.

Narrator: Robert Pratt
serves as a lieutenant

with the union's
5th Vermont infantry.

The 5th Vermont is a unit
that had lots of experience

and will ultimately have
some heavy responsibility

ahead of them.

Narrator: Lieutenant
Pratt takes his orders

from captain Charles gould.

Adelman: Charles gould is only
about 20 years old at the time.

He was known as a
daredevil in his town

before he even
fought in the civil war.

This guy seemed tailor-made
to actually help lead

an infantry company
in an assault.

Narrator: The two officers are
helping lead a union advance

they hope will finally
bring an end to the civil war.

[ Gunshots ]

Following the union
victory at gettysburg,

federal forces launched
another invasion of the south.

After months of
ferocious campaigning,

large swaths of rebel territory

are now under union control.

Hardy: By late march of 1865,

most of the south
has been conquered.

Sherman's army has captured
Atlanta and has marched

to Savannah and has come
back up through the carolinas.

Narrator: But the union advance

has not ended confederate
hopes of a turnaround.

They believed that
the federal soldiers

would slip up somehow,

that they could catch a
portion of the federal army

and defeat that portion,

and that the north would
finally get tired of a war.

Narrator: The union
war effort now focuses

on one key objective...

Crushing the rebel army

that defends
Richmond, Virginia...

The confederate capital.

In capturing Richmond,
you would not only get

the confederate capital,

but you would deprive the
south of one of its larger cities

and one of its
manufacturing centers.

Narrator: The 5th Vermont
is part of a large force

trying to seize Richmond.

But the advance is bogged
down 25 miles from the city,

near the town of Petersburg.

Petersburg is kind of like
the back door to Richmond.

And if they can
capture Petersburg,

then Richmond can't stand.

The problem for the union
is Robert e. Lee's lines

are more than 30 miles long
around Richmond and Petersburg.

And almost all of
those are guarded

by what we would
call entrenchments.

Narrator: The union's already
spent almost 10 months

trying to break through
the Petersburg line.

It can't afford to
wait any longer.

Trudeau: It's costing
the federal government

millions of dollars a
day to prosecute this war.

This is financial deficit
spending on a scope

that has never been
seen on the planet.

And so waiting for the war

to end is really not a
solution at this point.

Getting it to end is
what has to be done.

This one's fast.

Hm. Nah, just hungry.

Narrator: As they
prepare for another attempt

on the Petersburg line,

the union's come up
with a plan to undermine

the rebel defenders.

Hardy: General Grant
had issued orders

where he was encouraging
confederate soldiers to desert.

He had promised
that if you came over,

you would not have to
join the ranks and fight.

And if your home was
within federal lines,

they would even
pay for transportation

so that you could go
back to your family.

They keep coming
over like this...

There won't be many to fight.

Suits me just fine.

Narrator: Charles gould knows

the order to attack
could come at any time.

When it does,

the brash young
captain's courage

will be tested
like never before.

Trudeau: He's the
point of the sword.

When a unit is attacking,

it's the captain who
will be out in front.

Narrator: Standing
in gould's way

is one of the rebel's
most experienced soldiers,

captain William Nicholson

of the 37th north
Carolina infantry.

Captain William Nicholson
had come up through the ranks

and just was really successful.

Narrator: Nicholson has fought
hard for the southern cause

since the first
year of the conflict.

He's endured battle
wounds and personal loss.

Adelman: He's fighting
for his native state,

he has made it through
a whole bunch of the war,

he's wounded, as
most confederates

in Lee's army were.

He loses his brother
just a week before,

and here he is in a thin line

of north carolinians
holding out to the last,

getting ready for
this final attack.

Narrator: Despite the long union
siege and a spike in desertions,

most rebel troops remain
fiercely devoted to their cause.

Hardy: I think they still
had faith in Robert e. Lee

and what he has done with
the army of northern Virginia

over the past three years
that he has been in command.

Lee repeatedly has
whipped the federal soldiers.

As long as Robert e. Lee was
fighting, there was still hope.

Narrator: Nicholson believes
in the genius of general Lee.

But he also believes in the
strength of the defensive line

they've built at Petersburg.

Confederate forces are very
confident in the entrenchments

that they have built so far.

When you are thinking
about Lee's lines,

imagine open fields
in front of them.

Imagine those
open fields covered

with what we call abatis...

Pointy branches and trees
felled toward the enemy,

sometimes strung together
with telegraph wire...

Very difficult
obstructions to get by,

especially while
you're being shot at.

The purpose of that is
to slow the attack down

so that the defenders
have time to shoot.

Then there's the final line

where you have men
behind raised earthworks,

usually a ditch in front.

So all this is designed

to remove momentum
from the assault

and to give the defenders
time to exact a price.

Narrator: Abraham
Lincoln is entering

his fifth year as president.

In all that time, he's known
nothing but war and bloodshed.

Union troops have struck
deep into the confederacy,

but the conflict isn't over yet.

He knows that to win,

they must crush the
army of Robert e. Lee

currently entrenched
at Petersburg.

Then they can move on Richmond.

Lincoln's actions are always
push ahead, press the enemy.

Push them out of Petersburg,
make Richmond fall,

and then pursue Robert
e. Lee until he surrenders.

Narrator: To
achieve that victory,

union forces need
to find a weak spot

in Lee's defensive line,

something that's
eluded them for months.

On April 1, 1865,
Lincoln receives news

that could finally
turn the tables.

A union attack
southwest of Petersburg

near a place called five forks

has forces the rebels to
move some of their troops

off the fortified line.

Hardy: Robert e. Lee had
pulled confederate soldiers

from the regular entrenchments

to send against the
federal advance at five forks,

so the lines had to
be weak at some point.

Narrator: It's the opportunity
that Lincoln, general Grant,

and the entire union
army have been waiting for.

Ulysses s. Grant now knows

the confederates are
stretched very thin.

He orders an attack
all along the line.

All of his other corps
are going to attack

the confederates.

Narrator: Leading that attack

will be the men
of the 5th Vermont.

Captain, you wanted
to see me, sir?

Heard from the colonel.

We're going in.

Narrator: In the spring of 1865,

union forces near
Petersburg, Virginia,

are desperate to seize
the confederate capital,

just 25 miles to the north.

The stakes couldn't be higher.

If they can take
Richmond, Virginia,

they may finally
win the civil war.

But for months, they've
been unable to break through

the rebels' 30-mile-long
defensive line.

Now they're about to try again.

This time with a
bold, unorthodox plan.

Captain Charles gould
and lieutenant Robert Pratt

served with the 5th
Vermont infantry,

one of the union
regiments tasked

with carrying out that plan.

Take a seat.

Adelman: The vermonters,
by this time in the civil war,

had already gained a reputation
as not only tough fighters,

but ones who were really
good at the close-in combat.

And they could really
do what was necessary

when they got in
among the enemy.

So what's the plan?

We go tonight, after dark.

Once we get there,
lie down and wait.

The nature of this plan is
moving 14,000-plus men

into an open area under...

Right under the guns
of the confederates,

where the enemy can shoot you...

And sit all night.

It's a high-risk move.

Cannon from fort Fisher

is gonna fire a single
round, starting the attack.

The first wave will go in here.

The engineers with the axes
will cut holes here and here.

Then we move in
and we take the trench.

If all goes well, we'll get them

before we even know we're there.

Anything else?

We have been asked
to lead the attack.

Adelman: The very
nature of this plan

is not going to result in
some sort of a traditional fight,

a stand-up fight in a field

with soldiers
shooting at each other.

Rather, it will quickly
devolve into hand-to-hand,

close-quarters combat...
Bayonets and sabers.

Sir, that is a lot of men
to move in the dark.

We're gonna have
to be very quiet.

If we get trapped on
these logs, we're dead men.

I need your help on this.

The word was going around,

"you know what that
order means, boys."

It means death.

Narrator: Pratt has good
reason to be nervous.

He's seen firsthand
how futile and terrifying

a frontal assault on a
fortified rebel trench can be.

It is easier to defend
an entrenched position

because you are
basically protected.

Adelman: Pratt had
been at spotsylvania.

He had seen what happens

when you advance
across an open field.

Rarely do you even reach
the enemy entrenchments.

Narrator: The attack on
rebel defenses at spotsylvania

is a colossal failure.

Pratt barely
escapes with his life.

Hardy: He knew how
many thousands of soldiers

had been lost
in a futile effort.

And this bitter experience,

you know, here they are
doing it again at Petersburg.

We are talking about a
massive logistical effort.

14,000 soldiers?

You have to get them
into position hours

and hours before the attack.

Narrator: Every assault
requires careful preparation.

But for this bold nighttime
attack to succeed,

they'll need something else.

They'll need to
move like ghosts.

Make sure you tie
down your canteens.

They make noise.

Hardy: They have to be silent.

They tuck their
canteens under their belts

and make sure their bayonets
were tied down securely.

You want to get at the
enemy as quietly as possible.

Every step further you can get

before they know you're
there is going to save lives

and increase your
chance of success.

No percussion caps.

Can't afford to have any
misfires tonight, gentlemen.

A civil war rifle had
one sparking device,

which was a cap.

And it sparked and
created the explosion

that fired the bullet.

The men were specifically
instructed to load their rifles,

but to leave it uncapped.

So if they accidentally
activated the trigger,

it would not fire.

The last thing you want is a gun

prematurely discharging
during the attack,

thereby alerting the
enemy that you're coming.

Narrator: Less than a mile away,

in the rebel fortifications,

an uneasy quiet has
come with the darkness.

The army of northern Virginia

has been stretched
incredibly thin.

One soldier, one
rifle every 10 feet.

And when you have
thousands of union soldiers

getting ready to
come over that wall,

it is a thin gray line.

Narrator: There are rattled
nerves in the union ranks

as well.

But captain gould
does what he can

to inspire bravery among
the men of the 5th Vermont.

Trudeau: Gould believed that
they needed to finish the job.

He understands the cost.

It is painful to him,

but he understands victory
is the most important thing.

As you men know by now...

We have been given the
honor of leading the attack,

which I believe will
bring an end to this war.

I have nothing but faith

in the plan brought
forth by our commanders.

And I have no doubt...
That when the time comes,

each and every one
of you will do your duty.

Hardy: I think the biggest
obstacle for the federal soldiers

who were getting ready to
attack on the morning of April 2nd

is their own mind-set.

They knew the fearful cost
that attacking confederate

entrenchments could ensue.

Gould: If there's anything
you want to send off

to your families...

Do it now.

Mark it for mail...

And the sergeant will see to it.

Adelman: If they
can be quiet enough,

if they can use the
cover of darkness,

just maybe... maybe...

They could get
through that abatis,

break through the enemy
lines, make Richmond fall,

and compel Robert
e. Lee to surrender.

It has been an honor

and a privilege to serve
alongside you men.

Good luck.

May god be with each
and every one of you.

Narrator: The
battle of Petersburg

is about to shatter the
silence of a cold April night

and forever change the
course of American history.

Captain Charles gould and
the men of the 5th Vermont

infantry are the
tip of the spear,

the lead regiment in the
impending union assault

that could finally bring
four years of war to an end.

Adelman: It is a
wedge of regiments.

You don't want at
the tip of the wedge

some inexperienced unit.

Rather, you want a unit
that has been baptized by fire,

that has tasted battle before.

And in placing the 5th Vermont
at the front of this wedge,

they were recognizing the
combat ability of that unit.

Take a knee, men.

It's almost time.

Narrator: As the hour
of battle draws near,

the veteran fighters
prepare for the worst

by carrying out a grim task.

Adelman: They are pinning
their names to their uniforms

because they had seen
before that their comrades

could not be identified,

and they didn't want the
same sad fate for themselves.

If you were killed
on a battlefield,

maybe the comrades next to
you would have seen you die

and could give that information
to those folks back at home.

But usually not.

You died by yourself,
you died alone,

you died away from your family.

So they didn't
have that assurance

that you were prepared
to meet your maker.

Narrator: On the rebel line,

captain Nicholson
reassures his men.

He knows a nighttime
attack is almost unheard of.

Relax, men.

I don't think them Yankees
are stupid enough to try again.

Hardy: 37th north
Carolina was a regiment

that had a dangerous reputation.

They have seen a lot of the war.

They have been at antietam,

at fredericksburg,
chancellorsville, gettysburg.

They are some of the hardest-
fighting troops out there.

Narrator: What's about
to unfold near Petersburg

on this cold April night will
be their hardest fight yet.

[ Gunshots ]

Take cover!

Narrator: At 10:00 P.M.,

in advance of the
ground assault to come,

an earth-shaking
bombardment begins.

150 union guns
pound the rebel line.

Hardy: It lasted
about three hours,

and they threw
thousands of shells

into the confederate lines.

Both armies periodically
shelled each other's lines.

So it's not an odd thing

that you have to endure
a three-hour bombardment

in the middle of the night.

Narrator: But what
the union forces

are planning next
is highly unusual.

The men of the 5th
Vermont all know the time

for their daring silent
advance has come.

Any night maneuver is
still highly problematic.

Armies of the civil war

were not really meant
to operate at night.

Narrator: After leaving
the safety of their line,

gould and his men
must now advance

silently in the darkness

across hundreds of
yards of open terrain.

Their orders are to stop
short of the rebel line

and then wait for
the signal to attack.

Trudeau: Once they're out
there, they're on their own.

And they don't know

what the units on either
side of them are doing.

They don't know whether they're
walking into a wall of Cannon

or an empty hole in the line.

I just imagine how
many times these soldiers

had attacked strong
fortifications before like this.

It did not work out
well most of the time.

Y'all look alive now.

Narrator: Out in front
of their main trenches,

the rebels have stationed
forward sentries or pickets.

Wake up, boys.

Adelman: Whenever you have
a strong line of entrenchments,

you don't just rely
on those fortifications

to protect your soldiers.

Rather, you are going to
send out troops in front of them.

They are called pickets.

Hardy: Their job,

once they have detected
federal soldiers coming,

is to fire a few rounds

and then to retreat back toward
the main confederate body.

They are the
early-warning system.

Narrator: In the
darkness, the rebel pickets

haven't spotted the
advancing union soldiers.

Captain gould's men are
making good progress.

They just need to keep quiet.

[ Gunshot ]

At some point,
somebody fires a rifle.

Move!

Down, down!

Narrator: Despite the order
to remove all firing caps,

a careless soldier has put the
entire union force in jeopardy.

The confederates are
pouring shot into darkness,

absolute blackness, because
they can't see anything.

They still don't
know we're here.

Narrator: Gould
knows if they return fire,

all is lost.

Stay down. Stay quiet.

Trudeau: It was important
that there be no suspicion

that 200 yards

off their nose there
were 14,000 guys

laying there, getting
ready to attack.

If the confederate forces know
about the federals out there,

they could use their
artillery to blanket

that area with shrapnel.

They just had to grit
their teeth and bear it,

trying not to give
their position away.

Narrator: After several
agonizing minutes...

The rebel pickets
ease their fire.

What do you think?

It's awfully quiet.

You go get the captain.

Eventually, things quiet down.

There are some
artillery bombardment

going on on the
other places of the line

throughout the night,
but things do quiet down.

There was a shot,
but it's quiet now.

Narrator: Union forces
are now just 200 yards

from the rebel line.

Should be any minute now.

Trudeau: The assault
was delayed 40 minutes.

Affix bayonets.

Imagine standing
up, "get ready,"

and 40 minutes goes by...

Where you're waiting
for something to happen.

[ Gunshot ]

Forward!

Trudeau: Until they
fired a signal gun

from one of the forts

that started everybody
moving forward.

Narrator: The union
assault on the Petersburg line

is finally underway.

Trudeau: You have 14,000
men moving across territory

they've never been on before,

facing an enemy
that knew the ground.

So even though they had
the advantage of numbers,

it was life or death
for both sides.

Narrator: A daring
nighttime attack

on the Petersburg line marks

a watershed moment
in American history.

A massive union charge
that will test men's courage,

threaten the
confederate capital,

and bring victory for the
north within reach has begun.

14,000 soldiers.

It's bigger than pickett's
charge at gettysburg.

With that many
soldiers in that formation,

they were hoping
that they can drive

into the confederate position.

Narrator: As rebel pickets
unleash a barrage of musket fire

on the men of Vermont,

gun smoke and fog obscure
the Petersburg battlefield.

There's not a lot to see.
It's probably what they hear.

[ Gunshots ]

You hear the noise,
you hear the racket

caused by the pickets
firing their rifles.

You hear the thousands of
feet of the federal soldiers.

Fall back!

Narrator: Gould's men overrun
the rebels' forward pickets.

Man: Move that Cannon!

Narrator: But they
face withering fire

from the main
entrenchments beyond.

Ready!

Here they come!

Fire!

The confederate artillery
is opened upon them,

which has a devastating
effect on the troops.

Forward, men!

Stay here and
you'll die! Forward!

Narrator: The rebel gunners
cut down the attackers

with an infamous type
of round called canister.

It would have been
a lead container

filled full of small iron balls,

packed in sawdust.

It created a gigantic
shotgun-type blast.

Their mortal remains
simply disintegrate.

Narrator: Gould faces
the danger head on.

Trudeau: As they
reach a certain point,

gould hears someone yelling,

"veer to the left,
veer to the left."

He thought they meant
him, so he turns his men left.

Man: Forward!

That is going to
separate Charles gould

from the bulk of the force.

Officers, identify yourselves!

Lieutenant Pratt, sir!

Anyone else?

That's it, sir!

That clearly is gonna
be a stressful thing

for some of these men
who are looking around,

saying, "where's
everybody else?"

Narrator: Making the
hellish charge even worse,

the tangle of defensive
structures, or abatis.

When the union
soldiers reach the abatis,

they have no hope of really

keeping their
ranks at this point.

You're going to have men
hacking away at the abatis.

Hardy: The federal army
had actually sent men

and armed them with axes

and ordered them to
go and cut their way,

to chop their way
through the abatis.

Not all of them made it.

Adelman: And the union
soldiers get bogged down, sure.

Some of them have axes.

Some of them are able to
maneuver their way through.

But it is an individual
fight with the abatis.

While you're doing that,
you are being shot at.

Cannonballs are
exploding around you.

It's a horrible scene

to have to try to
continue to move forward

under these circumstances.

Narrator: On the
confederate line,

captain Nicholson
and his men fight on.

There was a persistent
confederate resistance.

Adelman: They saw
this mighty union host,

they knew how thinly
spread they were.

But I don't know if many of them
would have considered it fatal.

Narrator: The main rebel
entrenchment lies just ahead.

But making it there alive
seems almost impossible.

He realizes that
you've got one choice,

and that's to rush it.

Forward!

Adelman: Charles
gould is somehow able

to find a clear way
through the abatis.

No escape!

So he begins to lead a
few of his men forward.

Narrator: What happens
next is one of the greatest

displays of courage
and sacrifice

in the entire civil war.

Adelman: Gould
is this daredevil.

He doesn't wait for the
other men to come up,

he just hops on top of the
works himself and starts

fighting the confederate army.

Trudeau: Gould is thinking,

"get the job done,
finish the mission."

[ Screams ]

[ Shouts ]

[ Groans ]

A bayonet gets him in the face.

Adelman: Gould is
still fighting at this point.

He is able to kill
that particular soldier

with his sword.

That guy goes down.

Yet a third confederate shows up

with a bayonet into the back

that just misses the spine.

[ Screams ]

This man has taken
some incredible hits.

Adelman: This is not the
time for you to hold some

sort of a board
meeting to decide

what is to be done next.

I mean, you've got
gould out of the battle,

lieutenant Pratt
is now in charge

of that company
of the 5th Vermont.

Trudeau: I'm sure
word went back.

"Captain's been killed.
You're in command."

Move forward!

Charge!

Narrator: Lieutenant Pratt

follows the lead
of his fallen captain

and pushes his men forward.

Adelman: Here, you have union
troops swarming over the works.

The southerners fighting
with whatever they had...

Hand spikes, hand
weapons, pistols,

and muskets... All
in this fierce melee.

It must have just been
a really intense moment.

Narrator: At close
range, the rebel cannons

are devastating.

Pratt knows their only hope
is to silence the deadly guns.

Adelman: He sees those
cannons swiveling into position...

Getting ready to fire.

And it could undo everything.

Clearly, the confederates
are about to blow them away.

Narrator: Pratt has just
seconds to somehow

save his men from
total annihilation.

Fire!

Narrator: On a cold
April night in 1865,

union troops face vicious
close-quarter combat

in a pivotal battle that will
shape the nation's future.

At this point, the federals
were not to be denied,

and they just kept coming.

Narrator: Union
lieutenant Pratt and his men

are in a precarious position.

Though they've stormed
the rebel trenches,

they're still vulnerable
to Cannon fire.

Adelman: Pratt would have
been able to see the confederates

loading the cannons nearby.

So Pratt is gonna lead a
small contingent of soldiers

over toward these cannons.

Narrator: Lieutenant
Pratt knows it's do or die.

It's up to him to
silence the cannons.

Adelman: As fate would have it,

Pratt and some of his men arrive

just as there's a confederate
with his hand on the lanyard.

That means the gun is
fully loaded and ready

to fire into the mouths
of the union soldiers.

Just as he's about to pull it,
Pratt is able to cut him down.

Who know how many union soldiers

were saved by just cutting
down that one gunner?

Narrator: The tide
of battle is quickly

turning as Pratt's
men target rebels

with the captured Cannon.

Adelman: Even while
their lines are being broken,

there are still southerners
in there that are gonna stick

to the last, ready to
lay down their lives,

just to hold one more position.

Narrator: Few fight harder than
rebel captain William Nicholson.

But in the end, his brave
efforts aren't enough.

A wave of union soldiers

overrun the trenches
at Petersburg,

killing or capturing
more than 4,000 rebels.

Within hours, the
union victory is secure.

Robert Pratt and the
men of the 5th Vermont

have done what many
thought was impossible.

They've helped to break one
of the toughest rebel positions

in the war.

Everything they
had been fighting for

is now within reach.

Adelman: I think people like
Pratt now can see a little bit

more clearly the end of the war.

They can maybe see getting,

capturing Petersburg
and Richmond.

They don't know
what's on the horizon,

but they know that this is
a consequential moment.

Narrator: Sharing in the moment

is a man seemingly
back from the dead...

5th Vermont infantry
captain Charles gould.

And, incredibly,
gould will survive

the breakthrough at Petersburg.

Narrator: As fighting
continues throughout the day,

the rebels are forced to
abandon the city of Petersburg.

Hardy: When the federal
forces are able to break through

those lines below Petersburg
on April 2nd of 1865,

it really is the last nail

in the coffin for
the confederacy.

Narrator: News of the crippling
defeat soon makes its way

to confederate
general Robert e. Lee.

He has no choice but
to withdraw all his forces

and warn his political
masters that the end is near.

The federals have
breached the line.

The breach is apparent
to Robert e. Lee.

He sends a message
to Richmond saying,

"I'm advising you you've
got to get out of town."

This triggers the exodus

of the confederate
government from Richmond.

The mass of the
confederate government

is gone from Richmond
by about midnight April 2nd.

Once Richmond falls, we
know that the war is over.

Adelman: Although I think
that by early April 1865,

Abraham Lincoln must
have seen the capture

of Richmond,
Virginia, as inevitable.

You can't help but think
how happy he must have been

when finally this long-sought
prize falls to the union.

The breakthrough at Petersburg
is the most consequential attack

of the civil war.

Narrator: On April 9, 1865,

a week after the
breakthrough at Petersburg,

Robert e. Lee and the army
of northern Virginia surrender.

And, effectively, when
his army surrenders,

it marks the end
of the confederacy.

It had taken four years,

four long years for
the United States

government to conquer
the southern states.

In the end, the south did
not form its own confederacy.

Slavery was abolished.

It's hard to point to a
lot of ultimate success

for the south in the civil war.

But after the war, a lot of
southerners did write about

how against the longest odds,

the confederates
had stuck to their post

and done their duty
against an enemy

that was almost
impossible to beat,

you know, to begin with.

Narrator: The war
claimed the lives

of over 600,000 soldiers,

more than the number
of Americans killed

in world war I, world war ii,

the korean war, and
Vietnam combined.

Lincoln gave a speech
towards the end of the war.

He said the heavens
are hung in black.

He realized that the war

had reached into
every household,

had touched every community.

Narrator: Following the
confederate surrender,

Abraham Lincoln
immediately sets to work

rebuilding a nation
for all Americans.

Lincoln wanted to
solidify the union

and make it whole again.

Trudeau: Lincoln
said now is the time

to put animosity aside

and to come
together as a country.

Narrator: But less than two
weeks after securing peace,

Lincoln would be dead...

Cut down by an
assassin's bullet.

Trudeau: It really amplifies
the tragedy of his assassination

the night at Ford's theatre

because he was truly
working towards a reunion

of the country in a way

that would not
destroy the country.

Narrator: After the
war, Charles gould wins

the medal of honor
for the courage

he displayed during the
attack on the rebel line.

Robert Pratt moved
to Minneapolis,

where he would serve
as mayor of the city.

Captain William Nicholson

of the 37th north
Carolina infantry

is one of over 6,000
men killed or wounded

in the breakthrough
at Petersburg.

The American civil war... It
remakes the United States.

It changes who
we are as a nation.

Adelman: The civil
war helps to correct

what people might
call imperfections

with the founding
of this country,

you know, that maybe all
men are in fact created equal

and proves, you know, that
this experiment in democracy

can not only succeed,
but it can make us stronger.

Tests upon that democracy
can make us stronger.

The civil war has to
be one of the, if not the,

ultimate tests of our democracy.

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