1 00:00:07,851 --> 00:00:10,985 Narrator: After nearly 2 years of fighting and countless dead, 2 00:00:10,987 --> 00:00:14,923 the American civil war is at a stalemate. 3 00:00:14,925 --> 00:00:16,591 [ Shouting, grunting ] 4 00:00:16,593 --> 00:00:18,459 Many people in the north were concerned 5 00:00:18,461 --> 00:00:20,262 they were not winning the war. 6 00:00:20,264 --> 00:00:23,397 Narrator: Desperate for victory, Abraham Lincoln endorses 7 00:00:23,399 --> 00:00:26,334 a bold military maneuver that will send union troops 8 00:00:26,336 --> 00:00:29,070 on a mission unlike any other. 9 00:00:29,072 --> 00:00:30,405 The federal army's literally having 10 00:00:30,407 --> 00:00:33,441 to rewrite the rules of war. 11 00:00:33,443 --> 00:00:35,143 Narrator: At the battle of fredericksburg, 12 00:00:35,145 --> 00:00:37,212 men like second lieutenant John Adams 13 00:00:37,214 --> 00:00:39,413 will be asked to do what no American soldier 14 00:00:39,415 --> 00:00:42,217 has ever done before. 15 00:00:42,219 --> 00:00:45,753 Fredericksburg was a day of many military firsts. 16 00:00:45,755 --> 00:00:47,355 Get down, men! 17 00:00:47,357 --> 00:00:49,157 Narrator: He'll take part in the first river crossing 18 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,361 under enemy fire in American military history. 19 00:00:53,363 --> 00:00:54,963 The idea of putting men on boats 20 00:00:54,965 --> 00:00:56,898 and sending them across the river under fire, 21 00:00:56,900 --> 00:00:58,633 this is a brand-new plan. 22 00:00:58,635 --> 00:01:01,435 So it's very innovative. 23 00:01:01,437 --> 00:01:03,638 Narrator: And he'll battle from house to house 24 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:04,973 as one of the first Americans 25 00:01:04,975 --> 00:01:08,777 to ever experience urban warfare. 26 00:01:08,779 --> 00:01:10,578 The street fighting that takes place in fredericksburg 27 00:01:10,580 --> 00:01:14,515 has never taken place in American warfare before. 28 00:01:14,517 --> 00:01:16,251 Nobody had written a textbook on how to fight 29 00:01:16,253 --> 00:01:17,586 in the city at that point in time. 30 00:01:17,588 --> 00:01:20,455 So this was all new to everybody. 31 00:01:20,457 --> 00:01:22,591 Narrator: The unprecedented tactics lead Adams 32 00:01:22,593 --> 00:01:24,659 into the heart of the biggest battle 33 00:01:24,661 --> 00:01:26,461 of the entire civil war. 34 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:31,465 It was a killing field from beginning to end. 35 00:01:31,467 --> 00:01:32,834 [ Shouting ] 36 00:01:39,209 --> 00:01:42,210 Captions by vitac... www.Vitac.Com 37 00:01:42,212 --> 00:01:45,147 captions paid for by discovery communications 38 00:01:49,486 --> 00:01:51,953 narrator: By the late fall of 1862, 39 00:01:51,955 --> 00:01:55,657 there's no end in sight to a war that's tearing the nation apart. 40 00:02:00,630 --> 00:02:03,365 In September, at the battle of antietam, 41 00:02:03,367 --> 00:02:05,633 the bloodiest day in American history, 42 00:02:05,635 --> 00:02:08,703 union forces manage to stop a rebel invasion of Maryland. 43 00:02:08,705 --> 00:02:10,705 [ Shouting, gunfire ] 44 00:02:10,707 --> 00:02:11,806 Fire! 45 00:02:14,711 --> 00:02:16,311 Narrator: But before they could deliver a death blow 46 00:02:16,313 --> 00:02:18,246 to the army of Robert e. Lee, 47 00:02:18,248 --> 00:02:20,181 union commanders allowed the rebels 48 00:02:20,183 --> 00:02:22,984 to slip back into Virginia. 49 00:02:22,986 --> 00:02:24,852 It wasn't a very decisive victory. 50 00:02:24,854 --> 00:02:30,858 An opportunity to destroy Lee's army had been lost. 51 00:02:30,860 --> 00:02:33,728 Narrator: Now, 2 months later, President Lincoln faces 52 00:02:33,730 --> 00:02:36,397 intense pressure to end the fighting. 53 00:02:36,399 --> 00:02:39,200 For the first time, a worried public is questioning 54 00:02:39,202 --> 00:02:42,537 his ability to win the war. 55 00:02:42,539 --> 00:02:44,472 If you're a person in the north at that point, 56 00:02:44,474 --> 00:02:45,941 looking at the situation, 57 00:02:45,943 --> 00:02:48,343 you would have seen that, despite many battles, 58 00:02:48,345 --> 00:02:49,744 hundreds of thousands of casualties, 59 00:02:49,746 --> 00:02:50,879 that the armies were virtually 60 00:02:50,881 --> 00:02:55,684 where they had been one year earlier, in 1861. 61 00:02:55,686 --> 00:02:57,819 Rable: Well, I think the man at the top is always blamed. 62 00:02:57,821 --> 00:03:01,222 I think people were blaming Lincoln. 63 00:03:01,224 --> 00:03:03,491 Anybody picking up a civil war newspaper 64 00:03:03,493 --> 00:03:07,028 after a battle would see column after column of the dead, 65 00:03:07,030 --> 00:03:08,496 missing and wounded. 66 00:03:08,498 --> 00:03:11,633 Lincoln needs a victory in the worst sort of way. 67 00:03:18,107 --> 00:03:20,208 Narrator: Lincoln's hopes for victory now rest with men 68 00:03:20,210 --> 00:03:22,611 like 21-year-old John Adams. 69 00:03:25,782 --> 00:03:28,116 He's one of the thousands of union soldiers 70 00:03:28,118 --> 00:03:32,254 who have been ordered south, into Virginia. 71 00:03:32,256 --> 00:03:33,722 Mackowski: He's a second lieutenant at this point. 72 00:03:33,724 --> 00:03:36,524 So he's worked his way up a little bit. 73 00:03:36,526 --> 00:03:38,259 He's got the respect of his peers. 74 00:03:38,261 --> 00:03:40,262 He's got the respect of his superiors. 75 00:03:40,264 --> 00:03:41,930 And, uh, he's there to do his duty. 76 00:03:41,932 --> 00:03:44,666 He's there to do his job. 77 00:03:44,668 --> 00:03:47,402 Narrator: Adams and his men are part of a new plan of attack 78 00:03:47,404 --> 00:03:50,605 drawn up by union general ambrose burnside. 79 00:03:50,607 --> 00:03:52,040 Boys doin' well? 80 00:03:53,677 --> 00:03:55,276 After marching thousands of troops 81 00:03:55,278 --> 00:03:57,946 to the north bank of the rappahannock river, 82 00:03:57,948 --> 00:04:01,615 burnside plans for them to cross near the town of fredericksburg, 83 00:04:01,617 --> 00:04:05,886 then push on toward the confederate capitol of Richmond. 84 00:04:05,888 --> 00:04:08,089 The union army's on the banks of the rappahannock river 85 00:04:08,091 --> 00:04:09,491 because burnside is intending 86 00:04:09,493 --> 00:04:11,292 to make a mad dash at Richmond 87 00:04:11,294 --> 00:04:13,561 and capture the confederate capital. 88 00:04:13,563 --> 00:04:15,029 The reason he wants to do that is because 89 00:04:15,031 --> 00:04:17,965 attacking Richmond will force Lee into battle. 90 00:04:17,967 --> 00:04:20,234 And burnside can use his overwhelming numbers 91 00:04:20,236 --> 00:04:22,570 and resources to overwhelm the confederate army. 92 00:04:25,108 --> 00:04:26,808 Narrator: It's a bold plan. 93 00:04:26,810 --> 00:04:29,177 But it's hit a major snag. 94 00:04:29,179 --> 00:04:31,045 Union troops lack critical materials 95 00:04:31,047 --> 00:04:33,781 needed to carry it out. 96 00:04:33,783 --> 00:04:35,450 Burnside realized that, in order to cross 97 00:04:35,452 --> 00:04:36,584 the rappahannock river at fredericksburg, 98 00:04:36,586 --> 00:04:38,319 he was going to need Bridges. 99 00:04:38,321 --> 00:04:40,121 The confederates very inconveniently had destroyed 100 00:04:40,123 --> 00:04:42,057 all the existing Bridges earlier in the war. 101 00:04:42,059 --> 00:04:43,991 So he planned to have Bridges sent to him 102 00:04:43,993 --> 00:04:46,661 from Washington D.C., not... not permanent Bridges 103 00:04:46,663 --> 00:04:48,530 but pontoon Bridges, floating Bridges. 104 00:04:48,532 --> 00:04:50,799 Because of the bureaucratic slowness 105 00:04:50,801 --> 00:04:52,400 that plagues the union army, 106 00:04:52,402 --> 00:04:54,769 those bridging materials don't get sent. 107 00:04:58,074 --> 00:05:00,075 Narrator: Until the bridging material arrives, 108 00:05:00,077 --> 00:05:03,678 the federal troops are stuck on the north bank of the river. 109 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,480 And as each day passes, 110 00:05:05,482 --> 00:05:08,750 the confederates have more time to mount a defense. 111 00:05:10,821 --> 00:05:13,688 They have lost the element of surprise. 112 00:05:18,361 --> 00:05:20,294 Narrator: Near the banks of the rappahannock, 113 00:05:20,296 --> 00:05:23,097 the men of the 17th Mississippi have already started 114 00:05:23,099 --> 00:05:25,600 turning the town into a fortress. 115 00:05:27,370 --> 00:05:28,903 You think they'll get across? 116 00:05:28,905 --> 00:05:31,372 [ Sighs ] I doubt it. 117 00:05:31,374 --> 00:05:34,442 Them yanks don't really have the, uh, stomach for fightin'. 118 00:05:34,444 --> 00:05:37,512 Yeah. They fought like hell in Maryland. 119 00:05:37,514 --> 00:05:39,713 Yeah. Well, Maryland was different, 120 00:05:39,715 --> 00:05:41,316 had their backs against the wall up there. 121 00:05:41,318 --> 00:05:44,853 But, down here, they just don't know what they're fightin' for. 122 00:05:44,855 --> 00:05:48,390 Mackowski: When the confederate army fortify their positions, 123 00:05:48,392 --> 00:05:50,792 they're able to take advantage of hedge rows, 124 00:05:50,794 --> 00:05:53,461 of fences, of stacks of wood. 125 00:05:53,463 --> 00:05:55,463 - You ready? - Let's do it. 126 00:05:55,465 --> 00:05:57,064 Pfanz: Lee was always outnumbered. 127 00:05:57,066 --> 00:05:58,399 Fredericksburg, he'd be outnumbered 128 00:05:58,401 --> 00:06:00,201 by roughly 50 percent. 129 00:06:00,203 --> 00:06:03,338 He had to somehow improve the odds in his favor 130 00:06:03,340 --> 00:06:05,206 and conserve his manpower. 131 00:06:05,208 --> 00:06:07,675 And the way you conserve men is to protect them. 132 00:06:07,677 --> 00:06:09,677 So they essentially took a good position 133 00:06:09,679 --> 00:06:11,012 and made it even stronger. 134 00:06:14,350 --> 00:06:16,951 Narrator: The defensive plan at fredericksburg includes 135 00:06:16,953 --> 00:06:19,086 sending sharpshooters to dig rifle pits 136 00:06:19,088 --> 00:06:21,122 into the riverbank at the edge of town. 137 00:06:23,426 --> 00:06:25,560 Pfanz: Their orders were to watch the river, 138 00:06:25,562 --> 00:06:27,161 report any movements of the enemy, 139 00:06:27,163 --> 00:06:28,496 and, if the enemy did try to cross, 140 00:06:28,498 --> 00:06:30,565 to delay them as long as possible. 141 00:06:34,771 --> 00:06:36,771 Basically, they're acting as the advanced eyes 142 00:06:36,773 --> 00:06:38,339 and ears of the confederate army. 143 00:06:40,844 --> 00:06:42,577 Narrator: One of the men keeping close watch 144 00:06:42,579 --> 00:06:44,846 on the river is Robert Moore, 145 00:06:44,848 --> 00:06:46,247 a 24-year-old private 146 00:06:46,249 --> 00:06:48,216 from Marshall county, Mississippi. 147 00:06:51,187 --> 00:06:52,653 Mackowski: Moore and his colleagues 148 00:06:52,655 --> 00:06:55,790 had a reputation for being excellent shots. 149 00:06:55,792 --> 00:06:57,725 They were known as the confederate hornets 150 00:06:57,727 --> 00:07:00,528 because they could sting from such a distance. 151 00:07:00,530 --> 00:07:02,063 So guys like Moore, 152 00:07:02,065 --> 00:07:03,464 who are down there on the front lines, 153 00:07:03,466 --> 00:07:05,333 are there because they're the ones best equipped 154 00:07:05,335 --> 00:07:07,469 to be that first line of defense. 155 00:07:16,079 --> 00:07:18,012 Narrator: As days of waiting for an attack 156 00:07:18,014 --> 00:07:21,949 turn into weeks, soldiers on both sides start watching 157 00:07:21,951 --> 00:07:24,252 for a different kind of river crossing. 158 00:07:36,766 --> 00:07:38,766 The rappahannock river's only about 400 yards wide 159 00:07:38,768 --> 00:07:40,167 at fredericksburg. 160 00:07:40,169 --> 00:07:42,437 And so soldiers who were posted on either bank 161 00:07:42,439 --> 00:07:44,372 are able to trade with each other. 162 00:07:47,510 --> 00:07:50,511 Rable: They rigged up sailboats to cross the river 163 00:07:50,513 --> 00:07:52,180 to exchange these items. 164 00:07:52,182 --> 00:07:54,182 And when the wind was right, you'd set your boat afloat. 165 00:07:54,184 --> 00:07:55,783 And if you were lucky, uh, it would make it 166 00:07:55,785 --> 00:07:58,119 across the river to the other side. 167 00:07:58,121 --> 00:08:00,588 Rable: Confederates, of course, could supply tobacco, 168 00:08:00,590 --> 00:08:02,456 and the federals could supply coffee. 169 00:08:02,458 --> 00:08:06,260 So there were a lot of coffee and tobacco exchanges. 170 00:08:06,262 --> 00:08:07,862 Hey, reb! 171 00:08:07,864 --> 00:08:10,197 Why don't you ask for money instead of coffee? 172 00:08:10,199 --> 00:08:12,533 You'd buy yourself a real uniform. 173 00:08:12,535 --> 00:08:16,804 No point. Don't need a uniform to shoot hogs! 174 00:08:16,806 --> 00:08:19,740 And they also, shall we say, exchanged words, 175 00:08:19,742 --> 00:08:22,543 or what we would today call trash talk. 176 00:08:22,545 --> 00:08:24,479 Some of the banter back and forth across the river 177 00:08:24,481 --> 00:08:25,947 was very good-natured. 178 00:08:25,949 --> 00:08:28,983 Uh, sometimes it was very, uh, uh, ill-natured. 179 00:08:34,824 --> 00:08:38,626 Well, if y'all are still there next week, 180 00:08:38,628 --> 00:08:40,562 bring more papers. 181 00:08:40,564 --> 00:08:42,029 Papers? 182 00:08:42,031 --> 00:08:44,098 I thought you crackers couldn't read. 183 00:08:44,100 --> 00:08:46,100 Of course we can. 184 00:08:46,102 --> 00:08:48,168 How do you spell manassas again? 185 00:08:48,170 --> 00:08:50,038 Were there two ns? 186 00:09:00,750 --> 00:09:03,517 Narrator: For President Lincoln, news of the union delay 187 00:09:03,519 --> 00:09:06,588 in crossing the rappahannock is agonizing. 188 00:09:06,590 --> 00:09:11,058 Just weeks earlier, on September 22, 1862, 189 00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:13,661 he announced his plans to abolish slavery. 190 00:09:15,732 --> 00:09:17,999 Pfanz: It was at that time that Abraham Lincoln issued 191 00:09:18,001 --> 00:09:20,535 his preliminary emancipation proclamation, 192 00:09:20,537 --> 00:09:23,805 which stated that, come January 1st of 1863, 193 00:09:23,807 --> 00:09:26,474 that all slaves would be freed. 194 00:09:26,476 --> 00:09:28,543 Narrator: Now more than ever, he needs to be seen 195 00:09:28,545 --> 00:09:31,012 as a strong leader who can end the war 196 00:09:31,014 --> 00:09:35,616 and make good on his historic promise. 197 00:09:35,618 --> 00:09:38,219 Mackowski: He's got this huge moral imperative 198 00:09:38,221 --> 00:09:41,756 that he has reframed the entire war with. 199 00:09:41,758 --> 00:09:45,159 If Lincoln doesn't get a win on the battlefield, 200 00:09:45,161 --> 00:09:46,361 the emancipation proclamation 201 00:09:46,363 --> 00:09:48,763 is gonna seem like the last gasp 202 00:09:48,765 --> 00:09:52,099 of the dying union effort. 203 00:09:52,101 --> 00:09:54,369 Narrator: Union soldiers like John Adams 204 00:09:54,371 --> 00:09:56,037 are in full support of Lincoln's fight 205 00:09:56,039 --> 00:09:58,039 against slavery. 206 00:09:58,041 --> 00:10:00,241 Adams comes from an area of Massachusetts 207 00:10:00,243 --> 00:10:02,776 that is very involved with the abolitionist movement. 208 00:10:02,778 --> 00:10:05,913 So he thinks that the whole slavery crusade 209 00:10:05,915 --> 00:10:07,448 is actually a pretty good idea, 210 00:10:07,450 --> 00:10:10,118 "about time." 211 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,319 Pfanz: He would argue that the issue of slavery had been 212 00:10:12,321 --> 00:10:14,388 a canker within the United States. 213 00:10:14,390 --> 00:10:16,724 It had been the source of almost all its troubles, 214 00:10:16,726 --> 00:10:19,393 internal troubles, uh, since the very beginning. 215 00:10:19,395 --> 00:10:21,662 And there was no point in fighting and winning a war 216 00:10:21,664 --> 00:10:24,032 if you're going to leave that canker there. 217 00:10:28,004 --> 00:10:30,738 Narrator: But as Adams is about to discover, 218 00:10:30,740 --> 00:10:34,041 not everyone in the union agrees with his position. 219 00:10:34,043 --> 00:10:36,544 Aren't you supposed to be on picket duty? 220 00:10:38,882 --> 00:10:42,550 I don't think those rebs are goin' anywhere soon. 221 00:10:42,552 --> 00:10:44,318 What the hell are you doin' out here? 222 00:10:46,156 --> 00:10:47,822 Ain't that the sergeant's job? 223 00:10:47,824 --> 00:10:49,356 I thought this would lift your spirits. 224 00:10:49,358 --> 00:10:50,958 It's from your folks. 225 00:10:53,029 --> 00:10:55,997 - I think it might be food. - Give it here. 226 00:11:07,110 --> 00:11:09,243 The emancipation proclamation 227 00:11:09,245 --> 00:11:10,978 was controversial in the country, 228 00:11:10,980 --> 00:11:14,248 and it was especially controversial in the armies. 229 00:11:14,250 --> 00:11:17,251 Narrator: So controversial that some soldiers 230 00:11:17,253 --> 00:11:19,386 are getting clothes sent from home 231 00:11:19,388 --> 00:11:21,556 to help them take a drastic step. 232 00:11:26,796 --> 00:11:28,796 Rable: A number of soldiers would say, 233 00:11:28,798 --> 00:11:30,664 "we came out here to fight for the union, 234 00:11:30,666 --> 00:11:32,667 not to fight for black people." 235 00:11:32,669 --> 00:11:34,268 They said it less politely than that, 236 00:11:34,270 --> 00:11:36,070 but you... you get the point. 237 00:11:40,009 --> 00:11:42,376 You in a better mood? 238 00:11:53,089 --> 00:11:55,356 Hey, Nelson! 239 00:11:55,358 --> 00:11:57,892 Nelson! 240 00:11:57,894 --> 00:11:59,894 It's desertion. 241 00:11:59,896 --> 00:12:01,695 You'll be hanged or shot. 242 00:12:01,697 --> 00:12:03,965 Maybe. But if I stay here 243 00:12:03,967 --> 00:12:06,901 and try and cross that river tomorrow, I'm a dead man. 244 00:12:06,903 --> 00:12:08,903 - That's for sure. - You don't know that. 245 00:12:08,905 --> 00:12:11,172 You wanna die for the slaves? 246 00:12:11,174 --> 00:12:13,440 Be my guest. 247 00:12:13,442 --> 00:12:15,409 But not me. 248 00:12:18,314 --> 00:12:19,647 Most of these guys had signed up 249 00:12:19,649 --> 00:12:21,649 because they're off to preserve the union. 250 00:12:21,651 --> 00:12:23,050 That was the original call. 251 00:12:23,052 --> 00:12:26,254 So the emancipation proclamation is, 252 00:12:26,256 --> 00:12:29,056 in some ways, a big bait and switch for these guys. 253 00:12:29,058 --> 00:12:33,060 Suddenly reframing the war as a war against slavery 254 00:12:33,062 --> 00:12:35,663 is not what these guys had signed up for. 255 00:12:37,667 --> 00:12:40,534 Narrator: Though facing division, after days of waiting, 256 00:12:40,536 --> 00:12:42,536 they finally receive the equipment needed 257 00:12:42,538 --> 00:12:46,007 for bridging the rappahannock. 258 00:12:46,009 --> 00:12:49,343 The attack on fredericksburg can finally begin. 259 00:12:51,614 --> 00:12:54,182 In the early hours of December 11th, 260 00:12:54,184 --> 00:12:57,084 union engineers put the plan into action, 261 00:12:57,086 --> 00:12:58,685 making their way to the riverbank 262 00:12:58,687 --> 00:13:01,555 under the cover of darkness. 263 00:13:01,557 --> 00:13:03,891 Under ideal conditions, engineers can put together 264 00:13:03,893 --> 00:13:05,693 a bridge in just a couple of hours. 265 00:13:05,695 --> 00:13:07,428 But, unfortunately, the engineers 266 00:13:07,430 --> 00:13:10,364 are not gonna be working under ideal conditions. 267 00:13:10,366 --> 00:13:11,832 Narrator: On the opposite bank, 268 00:13:11,834 --> 00:13:14,969 confederate troops have had plenty of time to dig in. 269 00:13:14,971 --> 00:13:16,804 They're ready for an attack. 270 00:13:18,908 --> 00:13:20,908 Lee had directed that if the federals 271 00:13:20,910 --> 00:13:22,643 started crossing at any point along the river, 272 00:13:22,645 --> 00:13:23,978 the troops in that sector were supposed to fire 273 00:13:23,980 --> 00:13:26,847 two signal shots to alert the rest of the army. 274 00:13:26,849 --> 00:13:29,650 [ Two gunshots ] 275 00:13:29,652 --> 00:13:31,986 That's the signal. 276 00:13:31,988 --> 00:13:33,320 Moore and his colleagues 277 00:13:33,322 --> 00:13:35,923 all recognized that Cannon boom 278 00:13:35,925 --> 00:13:39,293 as the signal to open up on these engineers. 279 00:13:39,295 --> 00:13:41,528 Narrator: The fierce battle that's about to unfold 280 00:13:41,530 --> 00:13:43,998 will make history... 281 00:13:46,269 --> 00:13:48,068 Not only as the largest troop engagement 282 00:13:48,070 --> 00:13:50,671 of the entire civil war, 283 00:13:50,673 --> 00:13:52,539 but as an astounding leap 284 00:13:52,541 --> 00:13:55,243 in the evolution of American warfare itself. 285 00:14:04,821 --> 00:14:07,621 Narrator: In early December 1862, 286 00:14:07,623 --> 00:14:09,356 general Robert e. Lee is desperate to repel 287 00:14:09,358 --> 00:14:12,026 a daring union advance on fredericksburg 288 00:14:12,028 --> 00:14:14,528 that could threaten the confederate capital. 289 00:14:19,969 --> 00:14:22,169 He's counting on men like Robert Moore, 290 00:14:22,171 --> 00:14:24,438 a rebel sharpshooter from Mississippi, 291 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:29,043 to hold off the union troops for as long as possible. 292 00:14:29,045 --> 00:14:31,511 Mackowski: They've been ordered to delay the union crossing. 293 00:14:31,513 --> 00:14:33,380 That's important because half of 294 00:14:33,382 --> 00:14:35,716 the confederate army is there in fredericksburg. 295 00:14:35,718 --> 00:14:37,184 But the other half is stretched out 296 00:14:37,186 --> 00:14:40,320 for some 25 miles to the south. 297 00:14:40,322 --> 00:14:43,256 So if Moore and the rest of the sharpshooters 298 00:14:43,258 --> 00:14:45,259 can delay the union crossing, 299 00:14:45,261 --> 00:14:48,195 Robert e. Lee has the time to consolidate his army 300 00:14:48,197 --> 00:14:51,598 and better defend the city of fredericksburg. 301 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:53,934 Pfanz: As soon as it was light enough to see their targets, 302 00:14:53,936 --> 00:14:56,069 the mississippians opened fire on the engineers. 303 00:14:56,071 --> 00:15:00,107 [ Gunfire, shouting ] 304 00:15:02,077 --> 00:15:05,545 They take heavy casualties. There's also casualties 305 00:15:05,547 --> 00:15:08,582 among the infantry supporting the engineers. 306 00:15:12,355 --> 00:15:15,690 And, of course, this is extremely discouraging. 307 00:15:18,161 --> 00:15:20,361 Narrator: As dawn breaks on the rappahannock, 308 00:15:20,363 --> 00:15:23,364 the effort to bridge the river has failed. 309 00:15:25,435 --> 00:15:28,902 The 17th Mississippi are able to put up such effective fire 310 00:15:28,904 --> 00:15:31,972 that the engineers refuse to go back out. 311 00:15:31,974 --> 00:15:34,441 And so, suddenly, the union high command 312 00:15:34,443 --> 00:15:37,244 is faced with this problem. 313 00:15:37,246 --> 00:15:39,146 Narrator: Union general burnside must now 314 00:15:39,148 --> 00:15:41,115 make a difficult decision... 315 00:15:41,117 --> 00:15:44,384 Abandon the attack or find a bold new way 316 00:15:44,386 --> 00:15:47,121 to cross the river. 317 00:15:47,123 --> 00:15:48,589 Pfanz: Burnside, now becoming desperate, 318 00:15:48,591 --> 00:15:51,492 resorts to a very unusual and dangerous alternative. 319 00:15:51,494 --> 00:15:53,193 And that is to send troops 320 00:15:53,195 --> 00:15:55,863 across the river in those pontoon boats. 321 00:15:55,865 --> 00:15:58,532 Rable: The plan is to send these troops over in the boats, 322 00:15:58,534 --> 00:16:01,535 clear out the town as best as you can, 323 00:16:01,537 --> 00:16:03,137 build the pontoon Bridges 324 00:16:03,139 --> 00:16:05,106 and then cross the rest of your troops. 325 00:16:07,643 --> 00:16:09,276 Narrator: Adams and his men volunteer 326 00:16:09,278 --> 00:16:11,078 to get in one of the first boats 327 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,581 to try and make the dangerous crossing. 328 00:16:17,887 --> 00:16:19,220 Get down, men. 329 00:16:22,358 --> 00:16:24,157 Mackowski: The fact that these men are getting in these boats 330 00:16:24,159 --> 00:16:26,894 and going across the river under fire is incredible 331 00:16:26,896 --> 00:16:28,229 because it has never happened 332 00:16:28,231 --> 00:16:30,364 in American military history before. 333 00:16:30,366 --> 00:16:33,300 This plan is brand-new. It's unprecedented. 334 00:16:35,771 --> 00:16:38,305 Stay down! 335 00:16:38,307 --> 00:16:40,607 If you were a man in one of those boats, 336 00:16:40,609 --> 00:16:41,842 your adrenaline would have been running high. 337 00:16:41,844 --> 00:16:42,910 Your heart's pounding. 338 00:16:42,912 --> 00:16:44,445 Bullets are now whizzing around you, 339 00:16:44,447 --> 00:16:46,713 striking the water beside you, 340 00:16:46,715 --> 00:16:48,748 striking the boats that you're in, 341 00:16:48,750 --> 00:16:50,785 striking people who are in the boat with you. 342 00:16:53,589 --> 00:16:57,090 [ Men shouting ] 343 00:16:57,092 --> 00:16:58,458 Faster! Faster! 344 00:16:58,460 --> 00:17:00,127 Men! Come on! 345 00:17:10,139 --> 00:17:11,472 [ Shouts ] 346 00:17:15,077 --> 00:17:18,746 [ Gunfire continues ] 347 00:17:18,748 --> 00:17:20,814 When Adams is in that boat, 348 00:17:20,816 --> 00:17:24,685 he and soldiers just like him are looking across the far bank. 349 00:17:24,687 --> 00:17:25,820 And, at 400 yards, 350 00:17:25,822 --> 00:17:29,356 that's probably seeming like an eternity. 351 00:17:29,358 --> 00:17:33,527 It had to be absolutely terrifying and confusing. 352 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:39,433 Look it. They're still comin' across. 353 00:17:39,435 --> 00:17:43,070 Damn Yankees. Stupid as they look. 354 00:17:45,308 --> 00:17:47,174 Return fire! 355 00:17:50,646 --> 00:17:52,580 They're getting close! 356 00:17:52,582 --> 00:17:55,115 Fall back, boys! Pull the tail! 357 00:17:55,117 --> 00:17:56,584 Pfanz: The Mississippi troops, when they saw 358 00:17:56,586 --> 00:17:58,119 the union troops coming across the river, 359 00:17:58,121 --> 00:18:00,988 fell back to the town of fredericksburg. 360 00:18:00,990 --> 00:18:02,423 Charlie, come on! 361 00:18:04,794 --> 00:18:07,294 And that's really where they're going to make their stand. 362 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,567 Forward! 363 00:18:15,137 --> 00:18:17,004 Narrator: John Adams and his comrades 364 00:18:17,006 --> 00:18:18,606 have just taken part in the first 365 00:18:18,608 --> 00:18:22,676 opposed river crossing in the nation's history. 366 00:18:22,678 --> 00:18:25,946 But their fight has barely begun. 367 00:18:25,948 --> 00:18:27,548 Move, men! Move! Getting across the river 368 00:18:27,550 --> 00:18:29,283 was just the very first step. 369 00:18:29,285 --> 00:18:30,751 Now that they're across the river, 370 00:18:30,753 --> 00:18:32,820 their job is to push the confederates back 371 00:18:32,822 --> 00:18:35,422 from the water's edge far enough that the engineers 372 00:18:35,424 --> 00:18:38,092 can complete their work in constructing those Bridges. 373 00:18:38,094 --> 00:18:40,227 If they can't flush the defenders out, 374 00:18:40,229 --> 00:18:43,497 it means burnside's crossing is gonna be further delayed, 375 00:18:43,499 --> 00:18:45,832 if not stymied altogether. 376 00:18:45,834 --> 00:18:47,902 Stay low! Stay low! 377 00:18:47,904 --> 00:18:49,370 Mackowski: When Adams and his colleagues 378 00:18:49,372 --> 00:18:50,904 get to the far side of the river, 379 00:18:50,906 --> 00:18:53,506 they're given the black flag order, 380 00:18:53,508 --> 00:18:55,576 which means they don't have to take prisoners. 381 00:18:55,578 --> 00:18:57,244 They don't have to show mercy. 382 00:18:57,246 --> 00:19:00,781 Imagine if you've been shot at for the last 400 yards. 383 00:19:00,783 --> 00:19:04,050 You're probably not feeling very compassionate. 384 00:19:04,052 --> 00:19:06,453 Go, go, go. 385 00:19:06,455 --> 00:19:08,522 Damn Yankees made it across! Come on! 386 00:19:08,524 --> 00:19:11,525 - Come on! - Robert! 387 00:19:11,527 --> 00:19:14,128 The confederates who have been doing the sharpshooting 388 00:19:14,130 --> 00:19:17,598 suddenly find themselves facing a very angry, 389 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:21,068 very determined, very aggressive federal force. 390 00:19:21,070 --> 00:19:22,736 Fixed bayonets! 391 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:32,413 [ Gunfire ] 392 00:19:32,415 --> 00:19:34,682 Narrator: John Adams, alongside a few hundred 393 00:19:34,684 --> 00:19:36,016 other union troops, 394 00:19:36,018 --> 00:19:38,018 has just participated in the first river 395 00:19:38,020 --> 00:19:41,522 crossing under fire in American military history. 396 00:19:44,026 --> 00:19:45,492 When Adams and his colleagues 397 00:19:45,494 --> 00:19:46,961 get to the far side of the river, 398 00:19:46,963 --> 00:19:49,096 first thing they do is form up into companies 399 00:19:49,098 --> 00:19:51,432 so that they've got some cohesion to make their attack. 400 00:19:58,573 --> 00:20:00,840 Narrator: Joined by several other regiments, 401 00:20:00,842 --> 00:20:03,310 he must now enter the town of fredericksburg, 402 00:20:03,312 --> 00:20:06,680 where he'll face another unprecedented challenge. 403 00:20:10,453 --> 00:20:12,452 They're not really sure where the enemy is. 404 00:20:12,454 --> 00:20:15,856 They're certainly not sure how strong the enemy is. 405 00:20:15,858 --> 00:20:19,727 And so they face a very difficult situation. 406 00:20:22,064 --> 00:20:24,864 Narrator: After delaying the yankee crossing for hours, 407 00:20:24,866 --> 00:20:27,734 rebel sharpshooters like private Robert Moore 408 00:20:27,736 --> 00:20:30,237 have fallen back into fredericksburg. 409 00:20:33,809 --> 00:20:37,143 Moore and his colleagues are hunkering down behind woodpiles. 410 00:20:37,145 --> 00:20:41,348 They're hiding in backyards, taking advantage of fence lines 411 00:20:41,350 --> 00:20:45,753 and contesting, literally, every foot on those streets. 412 00:20:49,091 --> 00:20:51,291 And they're gonna be fighting street by street, 413 00:20:51,293 --> 00:20:53,794 block by block, house by house. 414 00:20:57,299 --> 00:20:59,466 Not yet. 415 00:21:07,243 --> 00:21:09,776 Now! [ Gunfire ] 416 00:21:09,778 --> 00:21:11,712 Take cover, men! 417 00:21:18,721 --> 00:21:22,589 Pfanz: They come under this blistering fire. 418 00:21:22,591 --> 00:21:24,725 Everywhere they turned, bullets were coming at them... 419 00:21:24,727 --> 00:21:27,394 From the front, from the side, from the rear. 420 00:21:27,396 --> 00:21:29,663 One person said it was like getting a barrel load of bullets 421 00:21:29,665 --> 00:21:30,997 thrown at him. 422 00:21:30,999 --> 00:21:34,735 [ Gunfire continues ] 423 00:21:34,737 --> 00:21:36,804 The street fighting that takes place in fredericksburg 424 00:21:36,806 --> 00:21:40,474 has never taken place in American warfare before. 425 00:21:40,476 --> 00:21:42,543 Nobody had written a textbook on how to fight 426 00:21:42,545 --> 00:21:43,877 in a city at that point in time. 427 00:21:43,879 --> 00:21:45,345 So this was all new to everybody. 428 00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:47,348 They do not have training, uh, 429 00:21:47,350 --> 00:21:50,350 for what we would today call urban warfare, 430 00:21:50,352 --> 00:21:51,819 no training at all. 431 00:21:51,821 --> 00:21:53,153 Forward! 432 00:21:55,090 --> 00:21:57,891 Forward! 433 00:21:57,893 --> 00:21:59,493 Fall back. 434 00:21:59,495 --> 00:22:00,961 Fall back! Fall back! 435 00:22:00,963 --> 00:22:02,429 Oh! 436 00:22:02,431 --> 00:22:04,097 Confederates might get driven from one house, 437 00:22:04,099 --> 00:22:05,565 and they scramble to the next. 438 00:22:05,567 --> 00:22:07,434 Or they'd line up behind a hedge row 439 00:22:07,436 --> 00:22:09,703 and set traps and ambushes. 440 00:22:09,705 --> 00:22:12,840 And so it's really warfare on the fly. 441 00:22:12,842 --> 00:22:16,210 [ Shouting, gunfire ] 442 00:22:19,782 --> 00:22:21,382 It's all clear! 443 00:22:24,386 --> 00:22:26,520 Moore and his colleagues have to fall back 444 00:22:26,522 --> 00:22:29,456 under this unrelenting pressure as more and more federals 445 00:22:29,458 --> 00:22:31,392 are starting to come across the river. 446 00:22:35,464 --> 00:22:36,997 They're right behind us! 447 00:22:39,468 --> 00:22:42,202 But they're able to keep making defensive stands. 448 00:22:42,204 --> 00:22:43,537 [ Gunfire continues ] 449 00:22:43,539 --> 00:22:46,072 So they're able to really delay 450 00:22:46,074 --> 00:22:48,175 that federal advance significantly. 451 00:22:50,546 --> 00:22:52,012 Don't miss. 452 00:22:54,950 --> 00:22:56,617 [ Gunfire continues ] 453 00:22:56,619 --> 00:22:58,318 [ Hammer clicks ] 454 00:23:03,759 --> 00:23:04,992 Adams! 455 00:23:07,496 --> 00:23:09,763 We need to get in that house. Yes, sir. 456 00:23:09,765 --> 00:23:11,831 The federals quickly realize 457 00:23:11,833 --> 00:23:14,501 that the traditional mode of battle isn't gonna work. 458 00:23:14,503 --> 00:23:16,503 They can't stay together as a unit. 459 00:23:16,505 --> 00:23:20,574 And so they really break down into ones and twos. 460 00:23:20,576 --> 00:23:22,643 You and you, you come with me. 461 00:23:29,118 --> 00:23:31,285 [ Gunfire ] 462 00:23:35,123 --> 00:23:37,257 [ Gunfire continues ] 463 00:23:41,464 --> 00:23:44,197 It's up to Adams and his colleagues 464 00:23:44,199 --> 00:23:45,465 to establish a beachhead 465 00:23:45,467 --> 00:23:47,066 so more federals can get over. 466 00:23:47,068 --> 00:23:49,002 - Come on. - Fire! Fire! 467 00:23:49,004 --> 00:23:50,103 [ Gunshot ] 468 00:23:55,611 --> 00:23:57,411 The only way they're gonna do that 469 00:23:57,413 --> 00:23:59,345 is literally to go room by room 470 00:23:59,347 --> 00:24:02,282 through these houses to ferret out the confederates. 471 00:24:02,284 --> 00:24:03,350 Go, go! 472 00:24:09,424 --> 00:24:10,624 Hey, get in the house. 473 00:24:10,626 --> 00:24:12,058 Move, move. 474 00:24:12,060 --> 00:24:13,560 They're going to be rushing into buildings, 475 00:24:13,562 --> 00:24:15,629 killing or disabling anybody they find there. 476 00:24:17,233 --> 00:24:18,332 [ Grunts ] 477 00:24:20,169 --> 00:24:22,769 This experience was something that no other soldier in america 478 00:24:22,771 --> 00:24:24,605 had really experienced before. 479 00:24:29,445 --> 00:24:31,444 Narrator: While the battle in town rages, 480 00:24:31,446 --> 00:24:33,246 on nearby marye's heights, 481 00:24:33,248 --> 00:24:35,315 a Ridge overlooking fredericksburg, 482 00:24:35,317 --> 00:24:37,184 the confederates are working to strengthen 483 00:24:37,186 --> 00:24:39,920 an already imposing defensive position. 484 00:24:42,257 --> 00:24:44,524 Lee is now massing his troops on the heights 485 00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:47,127 behind the town to make a coherent defense 486 00:24:47,129 --> 00:24:51,064 when burnside does finally cross his main army. 487 00:24:51,066 --> 00:24:52,599 So it allows the confederate army 488 00:24:52,601 --> 00:24:56,503 to really fortify and get ready for any federal incursion. 489 00:25:00,209 --> 00:25:03,076 Narrator: Within a few hours, the growing union force 490 00:25:03,078 --> 00:25:06,012 has occupied large sections of the town. 491 00:25:06,014 --> 00:25:07,281 Once they're in those buildings, 492 00:25:07,283 --> 00:25:08,615 they can't really go any farther. 493 00:25:08,617 --> 00:25:10,817 So the best that the 19th Massachusetts can do 494 00:25:10,819 --> 00:25:13,620 is to hold its ground. 495 00:25:13,622 --> 00:25:15,555 Narrator: For Adams and his men, 496 00:25:15,557 --> 00:25:20,961 it's been a remarkable day of military firsts. 497 00:25:20,963 --> 00:25:22,495 Well, the 19th Massachusetts 498 00:25:22,497 --> 00:25:25,499 had to cross the river that day under fire. 499 00:25:25,501 --> 00:25:27,434 They had to push into town. 500 00:25:27,436 --> 00:25:29,169 They had to engage in street fighting, 501 00:25:29,171 --> 00:25:30,971 for which they had not been trained. 502 00:25:30,973 --> 00:25:33,106 And I think you... If you rate the performance 503 00:25:33,108 --> 00:25:35,175 of the 19th Massachusetts that day, 504 00:25:35,177 --> 00:25:38,378 you would say they earned their a. 505 00:25:38,380 --> 00:25:40,981 Narrator: As daylight fades on December 11th, 506 00:25:40,983 --> 00:25:42,449 the mississippians slip away 507 00:25:42,451 --> 00:25:44,851 to the safety of the high ground. 508 00:25:44,853 --> 00:25:47,320 Though in retreat, the small troop of rebels 509 00:25:47,322 --> 00:25:49,523 has achieved a huge objective. 510 00:25:51,726 --> 00:25:54,127 Rable: They not only achieved the objective, 511 00:25:54,129 --> 00:25:56,596 they went beyond the objective. 512 00:25:56,598 --> 00:25:59,866 They were able to hold off the federal crossing longer 513 00:25:59,868 --> 00:26:01,801 than anybody could have reasonably expected. 514 00:26:01,803 --> 00:26:04,404 The crossing was supposed to have been made roughly at dawn. 515 00:26:04,406 --> 00:26:06,406 And it wasn't made by the entire army 516 00:26:06,408 --> 00:26:07,540 until dawn the following day. 517 00:26:07,542 --> 00:26:09,276 So, uh, in its effects, 518 00:26:09,278 --> 00:26:12,812 the mississippians' resistance, uh, cost burnside a full day. 519 00:26:12,814 --> 00:26:14,948 And that becomes absolutely crucial 520 00:26:14,950 --> 00:26:18,218 as the rest of the battle unfolds. 521 00:26:18,220 --> 00:26:20,687 Now Lee is gonna be at full strength 522 00:26:20,689 --> 00:26:23,423 when the federals make their assaults. 523 00:26:23,425 --> 00:26:25,425 That's possible because the sharpshooters 524 00:26:25,427 --> 00:26:27,728 had bought that day's worth of delay. 525 00:26:30,965 --> 00:26:35,302 Narrator: By nightfall, the union foothold is secure. 526 00:26:36,905 --> 00:26:38,905 The federal army's in the city 527 00:26:38,907 --> 00:26:40,841 as occupiers, waiting. 528 00:26:40,843 --> 00:26:44,310 And I can imagine the tension just building for those guys, 529 00:26:44,312 --> 00:26:46,513 waiting to figure out what's gonna happen next. 530 00:26:49,918 --> 00:26:51,685 Pfanz: Crossing the river had been tough. 531 00:26:51,687 --> 00:26:53,387 Seizing the town had been even tougher. 532 00:26:53,389 --> 00:26:55,121 But the toughest task lay ahead. 533 00:26:55,123 --> 00:26:57,824 That was seizing the heights beyond the town. 534 00:26:59,995 --> 00:27:03,130 Narrator: The men know they must now drive a large 535 00:27:03,132 --> 00:27:05,666 rebel army from a heavily reinforced position 536 00:27:05,668 --> 00:27:07,868 that lies to the west of the town. 537 00:27:13,075 --> 00:27:14,541 Pfanz: In order to do that, they're going to have 538 00:27:14,543 --> 00:27:16,342 to move across an open plain, 539 00:27:16,344 --> 00:27:18,278 300 or 400 yards wide, 540 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,614 without any cover whatsoever and attack 541 00:27:20,616 --> 00:27:22,883 perhaps the strongest natural defense position 542 00:27:22,885 --> 00:27:24,951 that Robert e. Lee would ever hold during the war. 543 00:27:24,953 --> 00:27:27,487 Someone's gotta go get him off those heights. 544 00:27:27,489 --> 00:27:32,425 It's guys like Adams thinking, "eh, that's gonna be me." 545 00:27:32,427 --> 00:27:34,694 Pfanz: I do think there was, in the backs of... 546 00:27:34,696 --> 00:27:37,363 Of most of their minds, this idea that, uh, 547 00:27:37,365 --> 00:27:38,965 that "tomorrow, we're going to have a big battle. 548 00:27:38,967 --> 00:27:43,035 "And... and it doesn't look good for us. 549 00:27:43,037 --> 00:27:44,370 "Many of us are going to die. 550 00:27:44,372 --> 00:27:46,506 This might be my last day on earth." 551 00:27:55,751 --> 00:27:57,884 Narrator: The battle of fredericksburg, 552 00:27:57,886 --> 00:27:59,686 the largest engagement of soldiers 553 00:27:59,688 --> 00:28:01,688 in the civil war, continues. 554 00:28:03,224 --> 00:28:05,092 After thousands of federal troops 555 00:28:05,094 --> 00:28:06,893 have crossed the rappahannock, 556 00:28:06,895 --> 00:28:09,295 the assault on the main confederate force 557 00:28:09,297 --> 00:28:12,165 is set to begin. 558 00:28:12,167 --> 00:28:15,568 If union troops can prevail, they can push south, 559 00:28:15,570 --> 00:28:17,771 seize the rebel capital of Richmond 560 00:28:17,773 --> 00:28:21,274 and perhaps finally bring the war to an end. 561 00:28:24,445 --> 00:28:26,246 The union has planned a two-pronged strike 562 00:28:26,248 --> 00:28:28,582 to crack the confederate line. 563 00:28:28,584 --> 00:28:31,584 As some troops hit the rebel right, John Adams 564 00:28:31,586 --> 00:28:33,519 and others will attack a section of the line 565 00:28:33,521 --> 00:28:36,456 called marye's heights. 566 00:28:36,458 --> 00:28:37,991 The majority of federal troops, at this point, 567 00:28:37,993 --> 00:28:40,060 are not very optimistic about their chances. 568 00:28:40,062 --> 00:28:42,595 They recognize how strong that position is 569 00:28:42,597 --> 00:28:44,664 the confederates have atop marye's heights. 570 00:28:44,666 --> 00:28:46,533 [ Men shouting, clamoring ] 571 00:28:46,535 --> 00:28:48,668 Union troops have to charge across several hundred yards 572 00:28:48,670 --> 00:28:51,538 of open ground just to reach the confederate position. 573 00:28:51,540 --> 00:28:53,874 Once there, they're going to encounter confederates 574 00:28:53,876 --> 00:28:56,810 who were posted very strongly in massed ranks 575 00:28:56,812 --> 00:29:00,079 behind a stone wall. 576 00:29:00,081 --> 00:29:02,081 If you survived all that, 577 00:29:02,083 --> 00:29:03,683 then you had the confederate artillery, 578 00:29:03,685 --> 00:29:06,953 which was on the high ground behind the stone wall. 579 00:29:06,955 --> 00:29:08,421 Those guns were able to fire down 580 00:29:08,423 --> 00:29:09,756 over the heads of their own men 581 00:29:09,758 --> 00:29:11,357 and scour the ground in front of them. 582 00:29:11,359 --> 00:29:15,562 So any way you look at it, it was a killing ground. 583 00:29:15,564 --> 00:29:17,564 Narrator: One of the rebels steeling himself for the fight 584 00:29:17,566 --> 00:29:20,700 to come is Richard kirkland, 585 00:29:20,702 --> 00:29:24,037 a 19-year-old sergeant from south Carolina. 586 00:29:24,039 --> 00:29:25,438 It's time. 587 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,374 We're gonna go closer to that rock wall. 588 00:29:27,376 --> 00:29:28,909 Come on. 589 00:29:32,381 --> 00:29:34,981 What kirkland will do before the day is out 590 00:29:34,983 --> 00:29:37,583 will long be remembered as one of the most remarkable 591 00:29:37,585 --> 00:29:39,686 acts of the entire civil war. 592 00:29:45,794 --> 00:29:47,661 The first union assault on the heights 593 00:29:47,663 --> 00:29:50,063 begins just before noon. 594 00:29:50,065 --> 00:29:52,432 [ Gunfire ] 595 00:29:58,273 --> 00:30:00,406 And because they couldn't stretch their lines 596 00:30:00,408 --> 00:30:02,208 out over a great distance, 597 00:30:02,210 --> 00:30:04,143 they had to go in in waves of attack, 598 00:30:04,145 --> 00:30:06,046 almost like waves coming up a beach. 599 00:30:08,216 --> 00:30:10,750 Narrator: When Adams and the men of the 19th Massachusetts 600 00:30:10,752 --> 00:30:13,687 join the battle, several desperate charges 601 00:30:13,689 --> 00:30:15,055 have already failed. 602 00:30:17,292 --> 00:30:18,958 Rable: Did they have any reason to believe 603 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,627 that their attacks would be successful? 604 00:30:21,629 --> 00:30:22,829 Well, there was a rumor 605 00:30:22,831 --> 00:30:24,698 that some troops had been pulled out 606 00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:26,032 of the confederate line, 607 00:30:26,034 --> 00:30:28,701 perhaps that they were weakening the line. 608 00:30:28,703 --> 00:30:30,403 Those rumors proved to be false. 609 00:30:32,173 --> 00:30:35,175 Mackowski: By the time Adams and the 19th Massachusetts begin 610 00:30:35,177 --> 00:30:36,743 to advance up that field, 611 00:30:36,745 --> 00:30:38,044 they're having to navigate 612 00:30:38,046 --> 00:30:41,915 across this landscape of scattered bodies. 613 00:30:41,917 --> 00:30:44,250 Survivors are clinging to their pant legs saying, 614 00:30:44,252 --> 00:30:46,820 "don't go. Don't go. It's a suicide mission." 615 00:30:48,790 --> 00:30:51,324 It's a very demoralizing scene to go into, 616 00:30:51,326 --> 00:30:52,659 knowing that you are now going to be 617 00:30:52,661 --> 00:30:54,628 the one sent into that meat grinder. 618 00:30:56,864 --> 00:30:59,933 [ Gunfire, explosions ] 619 00:31:07,876 --> 00:31:09,876 Forward, men! 620 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:15,748 The storm of fire and lead 621 00:31:15,750 --> 00:31:18,018 that they have to face is incredible. 622 00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:22,022 [ Men shouting, screaming ] 623 00:31:27,362 --> 00:31:28,894 As they move forward, 624 00:31:28,896 --> 00:31:32,498 they're going to simply be massacred by that fire, 625 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:36,436 so much so that they're actually going to fall back. 626 00:31:36,438 --> 00:31:38,571 Once they reform, they're going to move forward yet again. 627 00:31:38,573 --> 00:31:40,440 Narrator: Amid the smoke and chaos, 628 00:31:40,442 --> 00:31:41,775 the men of the 19th 629 00:31:41,777 --> 00:31:44,711 try to keep track of their regimental flags. 630 00:31:44,713 --> 00:31:47,113 [ Shouting, explosions ] 631 00:31:47,115 --> 00:31:48,782 Battle flags were especially important 632 00:31:48,784 --> 00:31:51,117 because that was a visual cue for the men, 633 00:31:51,119 --> 00:31:52,986 so they could see where their unit was, 634 00:31:52,988 --> 00:31:55,455 so they knew whether to advance, whether to retreat, 635 00:31:55,457 --> 00:31:57,624 where they were supposed to be. 636 00:32:00,862 --> 00:32:03,930 Rable: Perhaps even more so, it was a source of identity, 637 00:32:03,932 --> 00:32:06,333 a source of pride. 638 00:32:12,340 --> 00:32:13,873 Flags had bullet holes in them. 639 00:32:13,875 --> 00:32:16,609 Flags had blood on them. 640 00:32:16,611 --> 00:32:19,412 Those flags represented sacrifice. 641 00:32:19,414 --> 00:32:21,948 And they were extremely important to the men. 642 00:32:29,624 --> 00:32:31,557 Narrator: As the day grinds on, 643 00:32:31,559 --> 00:32:35,595 not a single union soldier reaches the stone wall. 644 00:32:35,597 --> 00:32:39,298 Despite the loss of thousands of troops, yankee commanders 645 00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:42,235 keep throwing fresh regiments at marye's heights. 646 00:32:42,237 --> 00:32:45,372 [ Gunfire continues ] 647 00:32:45,374 --> 00:32:47,841 That's the seventh time they've come already. 648 00:32:47,843 --> 00:32:48,975 [ Men shouting ] 649 00:32:48,977 --> 00:32:50,777 Rable: The reason that burnside continues 650 00:32:50,779 --> 00:32:52,711 to order the troops to attack 651 00:32:52,713 --> 00:32:55,915 is that he believes some progress is being made. 652 00:32:55,917 --> 00:32:58,251 This is, of course, a classic mistake 653 00:32:58,253 --> 00:32:59,919 of reinforcing failure. 654 00:32:59,921 --> 00:33:02,789 The confederates have some 40 to 45 artillery pieces 655 00:33:02,791 --> 00:33:04,723 on the top of marye's heights. 656 00:33:04,725 --> 00:33:07,126 They've got the field in front of them covered so well 657 00:33:07,128 --> 00:33:09,395 that the chief of confederate artillery says that, 658 00:33:09,397 --> 00:33:11,931 "when I open on that field with these Cannon, 659 00:33:11,933 --> 00:33:15,335 a chicken couldn't live on it." 660 00:33:15,337 --> 00:33:17,070 Narrator: For the union troops, 661 00:33:17,072 --> 00:33:19,538 it's looking like a lost cause. 662 00:33:19,540 --> 00:33:22,275 [ Gunfire continues ] 663 00:33:22,277 --> 00:33:25,011 Color bearer after color bearer goes down. 664 00:33:25,013 --> 00:33:26,946 A total of eight color bearers 665 00:33:26,948 --> 00:33:30,216 are shot as the unit is trying to advance. 666 00:33:32,787 --> 00:33:35,655 [ Men shouting, screaming ] 667 00:33:43,432 --> 00:33:45,965 As one of these men fell, he handed the flag 668 00:33:45,967 --> 00:33:47,167 to lieutenant Adams 669 00:33:47,169 --> 00:33:49,302 and urged him not to let that flag fall. 670 00:33:51,973 --> 00:33:54,808 Come on, men! [ Screaming ] 671 00:34:05,186 --> 00:34:06,586 As he's leading these men forward 672 00:34:06,588 --> 00:34:10,723 with this one flag, another color bearer falls, 673 00:34:10,725 --> 00:34:13,726 the man who's carrying the second regimental flag. 674 00:34:13,728 --> 00:34:15,728 [ Gunfire, shouting continue ] 675 00:34:15,730 --> 00:34:18,264 Adams reaches out and grabs that flag as well. 676 00:34:21,269 --> 00:34:23,269 Rable: When Adams grabs the flags, 677 00:34:23,271 --> 00:34:25,305 he automatically becomes a target. 678 00:34:27,809 --> 00:34:31,544 You were at the utmost focus of jeopardy. 679 00:34:31,546 --> 00:34:35,948 It is the most dangerous place to be on the battlefield. 680 00:34:35,950 --> 00:34:37,484 Anybody who had the bravery 681 00:34:37,486 --> 00:34:39,819 to hold a battle flag was a hero. 682 00:34:39,821 --> 00:34:41,488 [ Men shouting ] 683 00:34:41,490 --> 00:34:43,622 For Adams to have not only taken one, 684 00:34:43,624 --> 00:34:46,425 but both flags, shows remarkable bravery. 685 00:34:46,427 --> 00:34:48,695 [ Gunfire continues ] 686 00:34:52,300 --> 00:34:54,434 Mackowski: Everyone in the 19th who's still alive 687 00:34:54,436 --> 00:34:56,969 at that point is depending on those flags 688 00:34:56,971 --> 00:34:58,471 to get them through. 689 00:35:03,578 --> 00:35:05,378 It's up to Adams. 690 00:35:05,380 --> 00:35:07,913 And he sees the opportunity to get to safety. 691 00:35:07,915 --> 00:35:09,816 He leads those men to cover. 692 00:35:16,725 --> 00:35:19,459 And then, remarkably, for the first time all day, 693 00:35:19,461 --> 00:35:21,394 they're able to return fire. 694 00:35:30,939 --> 00:35:32,672 Narrator: Despite Adams' bravery, 695 00:35:32,674 --> 00:35:34,873 his men simply don't have the firepower 696 00:35:34,875 --> 00:35:37,877 to knock out the fortified rebel position. 697 00:35:37,879 --> 00:35:39,678 Pfanz: There's no way they can retreat without being shot. 698 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,147 There's no way they can go forward without being shot. 699 00:35:41,149 --> 00:35:43,149 They best they can possibly do is hold their ground. 700 00:35:43,151 --> 00:35:45,017 And that's what they do. 701 00:35:45,019 --> 00:35:48,288 Narrator: Pinned down behind the fence, 702 00:35:48,290 --> 00:35:50,356 Adams and the others are surrounded by countless 703 00:35:50,358 --> 00:35:52,625 wounded union soldiers... [ Screaming ] 704 00:35:52,627 --> 00:35:55,428 and can do nothing to relieve their misery. 705 00:35:55,430 --> 00:35:57,162 [ Gunfire ] 706 00:35:57,164 --> 00:35:59,566 [ Explosion ] 707 00:35:59,568 --> 00:36:02,035 They have no idea that their cries for mercy 708 00:36:02,037 --> 00:36:06,038 will soon be answered by an unlikely hero... 709 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:07,640 [ Hammer clicks ] 710 00:36:07,642 --> 00:36:09,509 And that they're about to witness 711 00:36:09,511 --> 00:36:11,644 one of the most courageous and selfless acts 712 00:36:11,646 --> 00:36:13,413 of the civil war. 713 00:36:19,220 --> 00:36:22,889 Narrator: As December 13, 1862 draws to a close, 714 00:36:22,891 --> 00:36:26,492 some 8,000 union soldiers lay dead or dying 715 00:36:26,494 --> 00:36:30,897 on the killing fields in front of marye's heights. 716 00:36:30,899 --> 00:36:32,898 Pfanz: I think it's almost unimaginable for us today 717 00:36:32,900 --> 00:36:34,901 to picture what that scene of battle 718 00:36:34,903 --> 00:36:36,903 must have looked like. 719 00:36:36,905 --> 00:36:39,038 Many of them were disfigured, having parts of their bodies 720 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:40,939 blown off by artillery fire. 721 00:36:40,941 --> 00:36:43,242 Uh, there were literally entrails scattered 722 00:36:43,244 --> 00:36:45,378 across the ground, dead horses 723 00:36:45,380 --> 00:36:48,648 adding their stench, uh, to the horrid scene. 724 00:36:48,650 --> 00:36:51,184 -Somebody help me! [ Clamoring, shouting ] 725 00:36:51,186 --> 00:36:52,919 Man: Help me. 726 00:36:52,921 --> 00:36:55,388 Narrator: By nightfall, Adams and the men 727 00:36:55,390 --> 00:36:57,456 of the 19th Massachusetts remain 728 00:36:57,458 --> 00:37:00,860 trapped amid the battlefield carnage. 729 00:37:00,862 --> 00:37:03,595 - Water! - Don't move. 730 00:37:03,597 --> 00:37:06,499 [ Hammer clicks ] [ Men grunting ] 731 00:37:08,803 --> 00:37:10,803 [ Panting ] 732 00:37:10,805 --> 00:37:14,140 [ Bullets whizzing ] 733 00:37:18,145 --> 00:37:21,547 You had the horrible cries of the wounded 734 00:37:21,549 --> 00:37:23,549 and the dying all through the night. 735 00:37:23,551 --> 00:37:25,618 [ Men groaning ] Help! 736 00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:27,219 Were crying out for water, 737 00:37:27,221 --> 00:37:28,621 were crying out for their mother, 738 00:37:28,623 --> 00:37:30,690 were crying out for somebody to help them in some way. 739 00:37:30,692 --> 00:37:32,291 [ Grunting, groaning ] 740 00:37:32,293 --> 00:37:34,226 Man: Water! Man: Ugh. 741 00:37:34,228 --> 00:37:37,296 Mackowski: It's haunting to be out there. 742 00:37:37,298 --> 00:37:39,432 Regardless of what side you're on. 743 00:37:39,434 --> 00:37:41,767 If you're a confederate, and you're having to hear this, 744 00:37:41,769 --> 00:37:43,635 it's chilling. 745 00:37:43,637 --> 00:37:46,171 [ Groaning continues ] 746 00:37:46,173 --> 00:37:48,708 If you're a federal soldier trapped out on that field, 747 00:37:48,710 --> 00:37:52,311 it's gotta be terrifying. 748 00:37:52,313 --> 00:37:54,847 Narrator: The misery seems endless. 749 00:37:54,849 --> 00:37:56,516 [ Groaning continues ] 750 00:37:56,518 --> 00:37:59,118 until something remarkable happens. 751 00:37:59,120 --> 00:38:00,452 [ Groaning ] 752 00:38:00,454 --> 00:38:03,255 We gotta do somethin' for those men. 753 00:38:03,257 --> 00:38:05,057 Richard kirkland is a sergeant 754 00:38:05,059 --> 00:38:06,459 from the second south Carolina. 755 00:38:06,461 --> 00:38:09,195 And he hears the sounds of the cries of the wounded. 756 00:38:09,197 --> 00:38:12,398 And he's moved by this. 757 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:14,867 Give me a canteen. 758 00:38:14,869 --> 00:38:16,402 What? 759 00:38:16,404 --> 00:38:19,272 I said, give me a canteen. 760 00:38:19,274 --> 00:38:21,807 Where you goin'? 761 00:38:21,809 --> 00:38:24,944 Pfanz: So he gathers some canteens from his buddies. 762 00:38:24,946 --> 00:38:26,145 And then, at the risk of his own life, 763 00:38:26,147 --> 00:38:29,081 he stepped over the stone wall, 764 00:38:29,083 --> 00:38:30,817 dashed to the very first union soldier 765 00:38:30,819 --> 00:38:33,152 he could find... 766 00:38:33,154 --> 00:38:36,288 [ Men groaning ] 767 00:38:36,290 --> 00:38:37,757 Rable: The federals were confused. 768 00:38:37,759 --> 00:38:40,225 They wondered what this guy was doin' comin' over the wall. 769 00:38:40,227 --> 00:38:41,994 [ Panting ] 770 00:38:43,164 --> 00:38:45,031 It was not uncommon for soldiers 771 00:38:45,033 --> 00:38:49,301 to rifle through the bodies of wounded men, 772 00:38:49,303 --> 00:38:51,304 taking their money, taking their shoes, 773 00:38:51,306 --> 00:38:52,838 taking personal effects. 774 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:54,773 So it could be that kirkland's going out there 775 00:38:54,775 --> 00:38:58,644 to try to basically go through these bodies and steal. 776 00:38:58,646 --> 00:39:00,212 Bodies aren't even cold yet. 777 00:39:00,214 --> 00:39:02,482 He wants to turn out our pockets? 778 00:39:11,992 --> 00:39:15,795 [ Men groaning ] 779 00:39:15,797 --> 00:39:18,197 Once they realized he was bringing water 780 00:39:18,199 --> 00:39:20,800 to their comrades, they obviously did not... 781 00:39:20,802 --> 00:39:22,168 Did not fire at him. 782 00:39:25,540 --> 00:39:26,939 Narrator: It is one of the most poignant 783 00:39:26,941 --> 00:39:31,343 and enduring moments of the entire civil war, 784 00:39:31,345 --> 00:39:33,745 an unlikely hero responding 785 00:39:33,747 --> 00:39:38,350 to the desperate cries of fallen enemies, 786 00:39:38,352 --> 00:39:40,552 a young man now remembered 787 00:39:40,554 --> 00:39:44,356 as the angel of marye's heights. 788 00:39:44,358 --> 00:39:46,959 Mackowski: He goes from soldier to wounded soldier, 789 00:39:46,961 --> 00:39:49,328 administering acts of mercy, 790 00:39:49,330 --> 00:39:51,431 moved by his compassion. 791 00:39:55,970 --> 00:39:58,771 Kirkland, I think, embodies the compassion 792 00:39:58,773 --> 00:40:00,706 that was really inside of each of these men, 793 00:40:00,708 --> 00:40:02,575 but just was often covered up in the... 794 00:40:02,577 --> 00:40:04,010 In the gloom of war. 795 00:40:06,915 --> 00:40:08,781 [ Gasps, coughs ] 796 00:40:11,853 --> 00:40:13,652 Rable: The best part of human nature 797 00:40:13,654 --> 00:40:16,655 overcame his fear of danger. 798 00:40:16,657 --> 00:40:17,824 Thank you. 799 00:40:19,660 --> 00:40:21,260 And I think he well deserves the title, 800 00:40:21,262 --> 00:40:22,962 "the angel of marye's heights." 801 00:40:26,066 --> 00:40:27,733 Narrator: Robert kirkland's act of mercy 802 00:40:27,735 --> 00:40:29,669 is perhaps the only gratifying moment 803 00:40:29,671 --> 00:40:32,171 for the federal troops at fredericksburg. 804 00:40:35,943 --> 00:40:40,212 The attack has been an abysmal failure. 805 00:40:40,214 --> 00:40:43,549 Mackowski: This is gonna be the single most lopsided defeat 806 00:40:43,551 --> 00:40:45,551 that the army of the potomac's gonna suffer 807 00:40:45,553 --> 00:40:47,286 through the entire war. 808 00:40:47,288 --> 00:40:50,556 Some 13,000 federal casualties 809 00:40:50,558 --> 00:40:52,158 scattered across that field compared 810 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:54,427 to only 5,000 confederate casualties. 811 00:40:59,033 --> 00:41:01,767 Narrator: For Abraham Lincoln, the defeat marks 812 00:41:01,769 --> 00:41:05,037 the low point of an already crisis-filled presidency. 813 00:41:06,975 --> 00:41:10,710 Mackowski: This is the worst point of the war for Lincoln. 814 00:41:10,712 --> 00:41:12,245 He's issued the emancipation proclamation 815 00:41:12,247 --> 00:41:15,581 and has had no battlefield success to back it up. 816 00:41:15,583 --> 00:41:17,583 Public opinion is starting to turn 817 00:41:17,585 --> 00:41:20,919 against the entire idea of emancipation 818 00:41:20,921 --> 00:41:23,589 and the way he's prosecuting the war. 819 00:41:23,591 --> 00:41:25,725 He had placed it all in line with burnside to win 820 00:41:25,727 --> 00:41:27,526 that victory for him. 821 00:41:27,528 --> 00:41:28,794 And it backfired. 822 00:41:28,796 --> 00:41:31,330 He'd gotten a huge defeat instead. 823 00:41:31,332 --> 00:41:32,732 In fact, uh, Lincoln said, 824 00:41:32,734 --> 00:41:35,301 "if there was a worst place than hell, I am in it." 825 00:41:40,808 --> 00:41:42,508 Narrator: On December 15th, 826 00:41:42,510 --> 00:41:44,543 the shattered remains of the union army 827 00:41:44,545 --> 00:41:47,647 are given the order to retreat across the rappahannock. 828 00:41:49,817 --> 00:41:53,419 Incredibly, John Adams has survived. 829 00:41:55,489 --> 00:41:58,957 He has failed to drive the rebels from marye's heights. 830 00:41:58,959 --> 00:42:01,627 But alongside the survivors of the 19th, 831 00:42:01,629 --> 00:42:04,597 he has succeeded in making history. 832 00:42:06,166 --> 00:42:08,500 Adams may have just experienced 833 00:42:08,502 --> 00:42:12,171 the most remarkable 72 hours of anyone's life. 834 00:42:12,173 --> 00:42:14,640 He has gone through unprecedented experiences 835 00:42:14,642 --> 00:42:17,109 in this war. 836 00:42:17,111 --> 00:42:19,178 He goes across the river in that boat, 837 00:42:19,180 --> 00:42:21,647 something that had never happened before. 838 00:42:21,649 --> 00:42:23,783 He participates in that street fighting, 839 00:42:23,785 --> 00:42:27,253 something that had never happened before. 840 00:42:27,255 --> 00:42:28,987 Pfanz: John Adams did something that I have 841 00:42:28,989 --> 00:42:31,323 never heard of any other soldier doing on any other battlefield. 842 00:42:31,325 --> 00:42:35,628 And that is, uh, he rescued not only one flag but two flags. 843 00:42:38,399 --> 00:42:41,600 Mackowski: And to be able to live through everything 844 00:42:41,602 --> 00:42:45,871 that he went through is absolutely incredible. 845 00:42:49,077 --> 00:42:51,744 Narrator: Confederate private Robert Moore continues to fight 846 00:42:51,746 --> 00:42:54,480 with the 17th Mississippi. 847 00:42:54,482 --> 00:42:56,949 He dies at the battle of chickamauga. 848 00:42:59,754 --> 00:43:02,622 During the same battle, Richard kirkland, 849 00:43:02,624 --> 00:43:05,491 the angel of marye's heights, 850 00:43:05,493 --> 00:43:07,626 is killed while trying to cover the retreat 851 00:43:07,628 --> 00:43:09,395 of two of his friends. 852 00:43:12,433 --> 00:43:14,700 In July of 1863, 853 00:43:14,702 --> 00:43:16,502 at the battle of gettysburg, 854 00:43:16,504 --> 00:43:19,839 John Adams is shot three times. 855 00:43:19,841 --> 00:43:21,440 He survives. 856 00:43:21,442 --> 00:43:24,309 In 1865, he returns to Massachusetts, 857 00:43:24,311 --> 00:43:27,780 where he becomes a postmaster for a nation reborn 858 00:43:27,782 --> 00:43:30,683 from the ashes of the civil war.