>>> PREVIOUSLY ON "LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND"
>> ON THE 12th OF APRIL 1861, CONFEDERATE ARTILLERY OPENS FIRE
ON FT. SUMTER. >> AS SOON AS SUMMIT SUMTER IS
FIRED ON, VIRGINIA SAYS SEEDS AND THE WAR IS ON.
>> LINCOLN IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR 5,000 VOLUNTEERS.
>> THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF EXCITEMENT ACTUALLY AT THIS
POINT ON BOTH SIDES BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE ANTICIPATED THIS FOR
SO LONG. SOME PEOPLE WERE ITCHING FOR A
FIGHT. >> THEY THINK WAR IS A GLORIOUS
THING AND LET’S GO AND DO IT. >> BUT IN THE SPRING, LINCOLN’S
OVEREAGER YOUNG FRIEND FROM SPRINGFIELD, ELMER ELLSWORTH, A
SHORT BUT VERY DASHING COMMANDER OF A DRILL TEAM WOULD GO WITH
THE LINCOLN BOYS TO THE ROOF OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND LOOK OUT
WITH A TELESCOPE. AND OVER THE RIVER THEY SAW A
CONFEDERATE FLAG FLYING FROM THE TOP OF A HOTEL.
AND ELLSWORTH, FOR ONE, WAS OFFENDED.
>> ELLSWORTH LED A BAND ACROSS THE RIVER TO TEAR DOWN THE
CONFEDERATE FLAG. >> AS HE WAS WALKING DOWN THE
STAIRS, THE OWNER OF THE INN TOOK HIS SHOTGUN AND SHOT HIM IN
THE CHEST. HE FELL DOWN THE LAST FEW STEPS,
CLUTCHING AND WRAPPED IN THIS INCREASINGLY BLOCK‐SOAKED FLAG.
LINCOLN LOVED THIS YOUNG MAN SO THE WAR CAME HOME REALLY FAST
FOR LINCOLN.
>> WITH THE FIRST CANNON FIRED AT FT. SUMTER IN APRIL 1861, THE
COUNTRY THRUST INTO CIVIL WAR. AND THE FATE OF THE UNITED
STATES AND DEMOCRACY ITSELF ARE IN ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S HANDS.
>> WHEN THE HOSTILITIES START IN APRIL OF 1861, THE UNITED STATES
STANDING ARMY IS LESS THAN 2,000 MEN.
BUT THE CONFEDERACY DOESN’T HAVE AN ARMY AT ALL.
>> THE HOPE ON THE SIDE OF THE LINCOLN ADMINISTRATION IS THEY
CAN BRING A BUNCH OF TROOPS TO WASHINGTON AND DISPLAY THE
MILITARY POWER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE
CONFEDERATES WILL BACK DOWN. >> THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ENLISTING
ARE JUST FOR 90 DAYS. >> THERE WERE VERY FEW PEOPLE IN
THE NORTH WHO THOUGHT THE WAR WOULD BE MORE THAN 90 DAYS.
>> JULY 1861 IT IS CLEAR THAT SO‐CALLED CONFEDERATE FORCES ARE
GOING TO FIND A PLACE TO ENGAGE AMERICAN FORCES WHO ARE TRYING
TO TAKE BACK THE NEW CONFEDERATE CAPITAL OF RICHMOND.
BUT LINCOLN MAKES A STRATEGIC MISTAKE AT THE BEGINNING.
>> THE GENERAL OF THE ARMY TOLD LINCOLN, HE SAID, MR. PRESIDENT,
OUR TROOPS NEED A LOT MORE TRAINING AND THEY’RE PRETTY
GREEN. >> LINCOLN’S REPLY IS "THE OTHER
SIDE IS GREEN TOO. YOU ARE ALL GREEN ALIKE."
LINCOLN WAS DETERMINED IT SHOULD GO AHEAD.
AND SO OFF THEY GO INTO VIRGINIA.
>> CONFEDERATE FORCES ARE EXPECTED TO ENGAGE THE UNITED
STATES ARMY AT A TOWN CALLED MANASSAS, NOT TOO FAR FROM
WASHINGTON. SO LOTS OF PEOPLE FROM
WASHINGTON TOOK CARRIAGES AND PICNIC LUNCHES AND WENT OUT AND
SETTLED ON THE SLOPES ABOVE WHAT CLEARLY WAS EMERGING AS THE
FIELD OF ACTION TO WATCH THE WAR BEGIN AND END IN THE SAME DAY.
AND IN FACT IN THE MORNING, THE AMERICAN ARMY DID REALLY WELL,
PUSHING BACK THESE REBELS. >> THE GENERAL IN COMMAND, IRVIN
McDOWELL NEARLY SUCCEEDS IN FLANKING THE CONFEDERATE FORCE
THERE’S. McDOWELL’S ARMY COMES DOWN TO A
STREAM KNOWN AS BULL RUN, ALMOST A LADDER OF WATER COURSES THAT
HE WOULD HAVE TO CROSS, BUT RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT CONFEDERATE
REENFORMTS COME BACK FROM THE SHENANDOAH ARMY AND PUSH HIM
BACK. >> SUDDENLY THE WHOLE NORTHERN
ARMY FLEECE. TOTAL DISARRAY.
THE OFFICERS ARE NOT ABLE TO KEEP ORDER.
REPORTERS ARE SHOT AT. THE PICNICKERS ARE UPROOTED.
THE BLANKETS AND BASKETS ARE LEFT.
THEY FLEE. THE SOUTH HOLDS THE GROUND AND
WINS THE DAY. THE DEFEATED AMERICAN ARMY HAS
TO WALK ITS WAY BACK TO D. C. BLOOD STAINED, SWEAT‐STAINED IN
TOTAL HUMILIATION. WHEN LINCOLN GETS THE NEWS THAT
THE UNION HAD LOST THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN, HE KNOWS THIS IS A
MUCH BIGGER EVENT THAN HE CALCULATED.
>> FOR THE YOUNG MEN WHO VOLUNTEERED TO EARLY IN THE WAR,
THAT WAS JUST A COMPLETELY DISORIENTING AND HORRIFYING
EXPERIENCE. >> LINCOLN IS CRITICIZED FOR
HAVING ORDERED HIS TROOPS INTO BATTLE BEFORE THEY WERE READY.
>> HORACE GREELEY, THE EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE TELLS
LINCOLN IT’S OVER. WE’VE LOST.
>> AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT HAS TO BE SAID THAT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WAS NOT NEARLY AS SAVVY A MILITARY THINKER AS HE WAS A
POLITICAL ONE. >> SO WHAT DOES HE DO? NOT NEARLY
THINKER AS HE WAS A POLITICAL ONE.
>> SO WHAT DOES HE DO? HE SENDS TO THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS FOR BOOKS, BOOKS ABOUT WAR STRATEGY.
HE DECIDES TO TEACH HIMSELF THE JOB OF COMMANDER IN CHIEF, JUST
AS HE TAUGHT HIMSELF SHAKESPEARE, JUST AS HE TAUGHT
HIMSELF THE LAW. HE’S THE BIGGEST AND MOST
SUCCESSFUL AUTODIDACT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
>> BUT WARS ARE NOT WON FROM BEHIND A DESK.
LINCOLN MUST FIND A SEASONED GENERAL TO ENSURE A UNION
VICTORY. >> AFTER THE DISASTER AT BULL
RUN, GENERAL McDOWELL IS POLITELY RELIEVED.
ANOTHER GENERAL, GEORGE McCLELLAN IS CALLED IN FROM THE
WEST TO TAKE CHARGE, AND NEW PLANS ARE GOING TO BE MADE.
GEORGE BRITON McCLELLAN WHO SEEMED TO BE THE VERY APEX OF A
PROFESSIONAL SOLDIER. >> HE HAD BEEN A HIGH‐RANKING
MEMBER OF HIS CLASS AT WEST POINT.
HE HAD BEEN A SUCCESSFUL OFFICER.
HE SEEMED TO BE A BOY GENIUS. AND McCLELLAN TAKES THE ARMY
THAT HAD BEEN SO DISPIRITED BY THE DEFEAT OF BULL RUN, HE WHIPS
IT INTO SHAPE AND RESTORES THE MORALE IN THE ARMY, BUT THEN HE
FAILS TO USE IT. >> LINCOLN HAS THIS GREAT MOMENT
WHERE HE WRITES McCLELLAN A LETTER AND SAID IF YOU’RE NOT
GOING TO BE USING THE ARMY, I MIGHT JUST BORROW IT.
LIKE YOU’D SAY THAT IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FINISH THAT
SANDWICH, MAYBE I’D JUST HAVE A BITE.
>> BUT McCLEN LAN REFUSES TO SHARE HIS BATTLE PLANS, AND
CONGRESS STARTS TO GET IMPATIENT AND NEWSPAPER EDITORS START TO
GET IMPATIENT. BUT LINCOLN PUTS UP WITH HIS
DELAY AND EVEN PUTS UP WITH SNUBS.
LINCOLN GOES TO McCLELLAN’S HOUSE IN DESPERATION ONE DAY.
McCLELLAN IS OUT. LINCOLN SAYS I’LL WAIT.
HE WAITS AND HE WAITS. AND McCLELLAN COMES HOME, HEARS
FROM HIS VALET THAT LINCOLN IS WAITING, AND HE GOES DIRECTLY
UPSTAIRS WHILE LINCOLN SITS IN HIS PARLOR.
AND THEN HE SENDS HIS SERVANT DOWN TO TELL LINCOLN THAT HE IS
INDISPOSED AND GOING TO BED. LINCOLN JUST GOES BACK TO HIS
CARRIAGE, AND THE SECRETARY SAYS MR. PRESIDENT, HOW CAN YOU STAND
THAT KIND OF DISRESPECT? AND HE SAID "I WOULD HOLD
McCLELLAN’S HORSE IF HE WOULD BRING ME VICTORIES."
>> THE MOST SURPRISING THING TO ME ABOUT LINCOLN IS THAT HE
DIDN’T LOSE IT ALL THE TIME. WHY DIDN’T LINCOLN JUST PICK UP
McCLELLAN, WHO WAS ONE‐THIRD HIS SIZE AND JUST JAM HIM INTO A
PICKLE BARREL? YOU THINK OF ANYBODY BEING UNDER
THAT KIND OF STRAIN BLOWING UP, EXPLODING.
BUT LINCOLN KEEPS STOIC, REASONED CALM.
>> HE HAD AN INCREDIBLY THICK SKIN.
NOT ALL OF OUR PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN LIKE THAT.
>> LINCOLN MANAGED TO SUPPRESS HIS OWN EGO.
HE REFUSED TO QUARREL. HE WAS COMMITTED TO A CAUSE
ABOVE AND BEYOND HIS PARTY AND HIMSELF IN ORDER TO WIN THE WAR.
>>> AS THE PRESSURES OF WAR MOUNT ON PRESIDENT LINCOLN, HE
LOOKS TO HIS YOUNG SONS FOR RELIEF AND COMFORT.
BY THE WINTER OF 1862, HIS OLDEST, ROBERT, IS STUDYING AT
HARVARD. BUT 11‐YEAR‐OLD WILLIE AND
8‐YEAR‐OLD TAD HAVE FREE REIN OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
♪ >> THE THIRD BORN, WILLIE, WHO
IS THEIR FAVORITE AND IS THE ONE MOST LIKE HIS FATHER, HE HAD HIS
FATHER’S TEMPERAMENT, HIS SENSE OF HUMOR, HIS BUILD.
HE CARRIED HIS HEAD AT AN ANGLE THE WAY LINCOLN DID.
HE TALKED LIKE LINCOLN. HE HAD LINCOLN’S SHARPNESS OF
INTELLECT. >> THE LINCOLNS WERE INDULGENT
PARENTS, TO SAY THE LEAST. THEY FOUND THEIR CHILDREN
ENTERTAINING AND THOUGHT OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD TOO.
>> WHEN WILLIE AND TAD GOT INTO THE WHITE HOUSE, THEY WREAKED
HAVOC. >> IT IS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE
HAD YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
IT SEEMS AS IF THEY WERE QUITE RAPSCALLION.
THEY WERE QUITE NOTORIOUS. >> THEIR FAVORITE ACTIVITY WAS
TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE ROPES THAT UNITED THE BELLS THROUGH
WIN IN "DOWNTON ABBEY" STYLE YOU SUMMONED SERVANTS.
SO THEY FOUND WAY TO TIE AND MESS THEM UP SO YOU RANG IN THE
EAST ROOM YOU WOULD WIND UP IN THE KITCHEN.
THEY LOVED MESSING UP THE BELLS. >> IT WAS AMAZING HOW MUCH FREE
PLAY THEY HAD. >> AND TO LINCOLN, HIS CHILDREN
COULD DO NO WRONG, EVEN IF THEY TOTALLY DISRUPTED THE OFFICE.
>> BUT THE FIRST LADY WAS NOT AFFORDED THE SAME COURTESY.
>> MARY WAS KNOWN AS AN OUTSPOKEN FIRST LADY.
WAS A VERY EDUCATED WOMAN IN HER TIME SO SHE LIKED TO GIVE HER
OPINION WHEN IT WAS NOT ALWAYS WELCOME.
WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF LINCOLN PUSHING HER OUT THE DOOR AND
LOCKING IT SO HE CAN CONTINUE HIS MEETINGS.
>> MARY WAS ENORMOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY FRUSTRATED BY HER
HER RELEGATION TO THE TRADITIONAL SPHERE OF A WOMAN IN
THE WHITE HOUSE. I THINK SHE HARBORED DREAMS OF
BEING CLOSE TO THE OFFICE AND MAYBE BEING CALLED UPON TO GIVE
SAGE ADVICE, BUT LINCOLN WAS EXHAUSTED AND PREOCCUPIED BY
WORK AND HE SELDOM RETURNED TO THE FAMILY QUARTERS DURING THE
COURSE OF THE DAY. >> THE FIRST LADY IS NOT ONLY
EXCLUDED FROM POLITICAL CONVERSATIONS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
BUT ALSO CONTINUES TO BE TREATED LIKE AN OUTCAST BY D. C. SOCIETY.
>> MARY IS FROM KENTUCKY. HER BROTHERS ARE FIGHTING FOR
THE CONFEDERACY. >> MARY IS INTENDING TO BE A
GRAND HOSTESS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
BUT THE NEWSPAPERS SAID SHE WAS UNSOPHISTICATED AND RUSTIC.
THAT MUST HAVE DEVASTATED MARY, BECAUSE SHE IS THINKING OF
HERSELF HIGH SOCIETY AND SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN SPRINGFIELD,
BUT SHE FINDS OUT THE ENTRENCHED SOCIETY IN WASHINGTON DOESN’T
LIKE HER AND DO NOT CONSIDER HER UP TO THEIR CALIBER.
>> THAT WAS VIEWED BY THE ABOLITIONISTS AND THE STAUNCH
UNION WOMEN AS A DISGRACE. WASN’T SHE SUSPICIOUS?
>> SHE IS REGARDED AS A TRAITOR, SIGNALING TO THE CONFEDERATES
RIDICULOUS STORIES LIKE THAT, BUT IT WAS FAIRLY WIDELY
BELIEVED. >> HER HALF BROTHER‐IN‐LAW BEN
HELM WAS A CONFEDERATE GENERAL WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION, AND
HIS WIDOW WAS SHELTERED IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE COMMITTEE ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR HELD AN INQUIRY INTO THE
FIRST LADY’S LOYALTY. LINCOLN MADE A PERSONAL
APPEARANCE TO THE COMMITTEE TO SAY SHE IS A BIGGER
ABOLITIONIST, MORE LOYAL, MORE PRO UNION THAN I AM.
AS LONG AS IT’S MY HOUSE AND MY FAMILY’S HOUSE, I’LL DO AS I
PLEASE. >> THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN HER
HEART ABOUT HER SUPPORT OF THE UNION, HER SUPPORT OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, HER SUPPORT OF HER HUSBAND AS LEADER OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY. >> SO SHE WAS DEEPLY WOUNDED, AS
YOU MIGHT EXPECT, BY THAT KIND OF CRITICISM.
>> DESPITE ALL THE ACCUSATIONS, MARY IS DETERMINED TO MAINTAIN
THE DIGNITY OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
IN FEBRUARY 1862, SHE PLANS A BALL.
>> MARY SAW IT AS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE NATION GOING, TO MEET
THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE GREATNESS OF THE UNION, THE
UNITED STATES. MARY THOUGHT THAT THE BALL WAS A
COST‐SAVING OVER MORE EXPENSIVE STATE DINNERS.
AND HERE SHE WAS HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE WITH ICE IN THE SHAPE OF
PALACES AND SHIPS. >> AND, AGAIN, MARY WAS REALLY
CRITICIZED FOR IT. >> ONE OF THE SENATORS HAD
WRITTEN SAYING PERHAPS IF YOU’RE NOT AWARE, THERE IS A WAR GOING
ON. WE ARE AND WE’RE STAYING HOME.
>> MARY IS NOT ONLY CRITICIZED FOR HOSTING A BALL WHILE
SOLDIERS DIE ON THE BATTLEFIELDS, BUT ALSO FOR DOING
SO WHILE HER 11‐YEAR‐OLD SON WILLIE IS SICK.
>> WILLIE HAD BECOME ILL FROM DRINKING WATER IN THE WHITE
HOUSE, WHICH HAS SINKS THAT LEAD DIRECTLY TO THE FOUL WATER FROM
THE POTOMAC WHICH SOLDIERS USE THE RIVER AS A LATRINE UPSPRING
AND ANIMALS DIE. >> BUT AS DIPLOMATS AND
DIGNITARIES MINGLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE PARLOR, WILLIE’S CONDITION
WORSENS. A NIGHT MEANT TO I
>>> IN FEBRUARY 1862, WILLIE LINCOLN, THE FAVORITE AND MOST
PROMISING OF THE LINCOLN BOYS FALLS SICK WITH TYPHOID FEVER.
>> BUT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO.
THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE OF TREATMENT OF THESE DISEASES.
AND AT THE AGE OF 11, AFTER A HIDEOUS BATTLE WITH GREAT PAIN,
HE DIES. >> AND IT’S A TERRIBLE BLOW TO
BOTH HIS PARENTS. >> MARY HAS THE BREAKDOWN.
>> SHE GOES INTO PROFOUND, DEEP MOURNING.
>> SHE TAKES TO HER ROOM. HER ROOM IS DARKENED.
SHE CAN’T BEAR TO SEE HER SON TAD, BECAUSE TAD REMINDS HER OF
WILLIE. LINCOLN IS ALSO TOTALLY
DEVASTATED. HE GOES FROM THE DEATH ROOM TO
HIS SECRETARY’S OFFICE. HE SAYS "MY BOY IS ACTUALLY
GONE. HE’S ACTUALLY GONE," AND HE
BEGINS TO SOB AND HIS SHOULDERS ARE HEAVING.
THERE’S A CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER HE’LL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE
BEREAVEMENT AND HANDLE THE SHIP OF STATE AT THE SAME TIME, AND
HE HAS TO REALLY ROUSE HIMSELF FROM HIS OWN DEPTHS TO GET BACK
IN THE SADDLE AND RUN THE WAR.
>> ONLY WEEKS AFTER WILLIE’S DEATH, A GRIEVING LINCOLN
LAUNCHES THE PENINSULA CAMPAIGN TO CAPTURE THE CONFEDERATE
CAPITAL OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. >> GENERAL McCLELLAN LEADS THE
CAMPAIGN, BUT HE WAS FOREVER TIMID, FOREVER DIGGING IN
TRENCHES. ULTIMATELY, IT’S A DISASTER.
HE’S DRIVEN OFF THE PENINSULA. SO THE SUMMER OF 1862 IS WASTED.
THE CASUALTIES ARE HUGE, AND THE UNION IS RIGHT BACK WHERE IT
STARTED. >> AND LINCOLN FEELS
RESPONSIBLE. THE BURDEN IS ON HIM.
>> HE WOULD GO AND MAKE VISITS TO THE HOSPITALS.
THERE HE WOULD SHAKE HANDS WITH SOLDIERS.
>> AND HE WAS THERE, EXTENDING HIS HAND TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
TOO. SOME OF THEM WOULD SAY "DO YOU
KNOW THAT I’M A REB?" AND HE WOULD SAY "ARE YOU SO REB
YOU CAN’T TAKE MY HAND?" HE WAS A MASTER AT THIS KIND OF
EMPATHY AND SYMPATHY. >> HE LOST TWO SONS.
HE THOUGHT OF THOSE SOLDIERS AS SONS OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS.
>> THE LEVEL OF DESTRUCTION AND THE LEVEL OF THE LOSS OF LIFE ON
TOP OF SUCH A PROFOUND LOSS, THE DEATH OF WILLIE, IT WAS A
TERRIBLE STRAIN ON HIM AND HIS PREDISPOSITION TO DEPRESSION WAS
IGNITED. AND HE WOULD REFER IF THERE WAS
WORSE PLACE THAN HELL, HE WAS IN IT.
AND AT TIMES HE FELT SUICIDAL. >> IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE SOMEBODY
TODAY EXPERIENCING AS MUCH PAIN AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND NOT BEING
HOSPITALIZED. LIKE MEDICATED, HOSPITALIZED.
THIS GUY LOST PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY IN HIS LIFE.
>> BUT THE LINCOLNS WERE NOT UNIQUE.
THIS GREAT LOSS THAT STRUCK THEM, THEY SHARED WITH EVERYBODY
ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. THOUSANDS OF SONS ARE KILLED IN
BATTLE EVERY DAY. >> SO HE HAD TO CONTINUE
SOMEHOW. HE HAD TO SUMMON THE STRENGTH TO
CARRY ON. >> AS THE WEIGHT OF THE WAR AND
PERSONAL TRAGEDIES COMPOUND UPON LINCOLN, BOTH THE UNION AND THE
CONFEDERACY HIT A FINANCIAL CROSSROADS.
>> WARS ARE INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE.
THEY HAVE TO GET WEAPONS. SOLDIERS HAVE TO BE FED.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE YOU KNOW FORMS.
ALL OF THIS COSTS A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
>> HOPING TO CRIPPLE CONFEDERATE FUNDS, LINCOLN IMPOSES
RESTRICTIONS ON SOUTHERN COTTON BEING SHIPPED TO EUROPE.
>> THE ENGLISH DEPENDED ON SOUTHERN COTTON FOR TEXTTEXTILES
THEY WERE REALLY DEPENDENT ON THAT.
>> BUT THE UNION BLOCKADE PREVENTS A LOT OF THOSE PRODUCTS
FROM COMING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. >> THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF
AMERICA OFFERS A NEW TRADE DEAL TO FRANCE AND ENGLAND.
IN EXCHANGE FOR MILITARY AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
>> AND SO THERE WERE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR THE BRITISH TO
RECOGNIZE THE CONFEDERACY. >> THE CONFEDERACY THOUGHT
ENGLAND WOULD GET IN ON THEIR SIDE.
ONCE THEY DID. THAT WOULD HAVE HAD ACCESS TO
CREDIT AND CAPITAL. >> THAT WOULD BE DEVASTATING FOR
THE UNION. >> NOT ONLY WOULD THE FINANCIAL
INVESTMENT HELP CRUSH THE UNION ARMY, BUT FOREIGN RECOGNITION
WOULD ALSO LEGITIMIZE THE CONFEDERACY AS AN AUTONOMOUS
NATION. AND CEMENT
>>> BY THE SUMMER OF 1862, THE CIVIL WAR HAS RAGED FOR OVER A
YEAR, AND THE UNION IS SUFFERING DEFEAT AFTER CRUSHING DEFEAT.
CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES HAVE REACHED WELL OVER 100,000 AND
THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT. >> FROM THE EARLY STAGES OF THE
WAR, ENSLAVED PEOPLE ARE RUNNING AWAY.
THERE ARE BLACK MEN RUSHING TO RECRUITMENT OFFICES IN THE
NORTHERN STATES SAYING SIGN ME UP.
I WANT TO FIGHT AGAINST THESE SLAVE OWNERS, RIGHT?
BUT THE GOVERNMENT TURNS THEM AWAY BECAUSE LINCOLN IS WORRIED
ABOUT MAKING THE WAR TOO TRANSFORMATIVE.
HE SAID AT MANY POINTS THAT IF HE COULD SAVE THE UNION WITHOUT
FREEING ANY SLAVES, HE WOULD DO. SO.
>> BUT HE IS INCREASINGLY FACING PRESSURE FROM THE RADICAL
REPUBLICANS AND THE ABOLITIONISTS IN HIS OWN PARTY
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT SLAVERY. >> IN HIS PAPER, IN HIS PUBLIC
ADDRESSES, WHENEVER HE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY, FREDERICK DOUGLASS
WAS TELLING LINCOLN WE’RE NOT DOING WELL IN THIS WAR AND YOU
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TURN IT AROUND, BUT YOU’RE NOT WILLING
TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU ARE SO WEDDED TO PROTECTING THESE
PEOPLE’S PROPERTY. >> LINCOLN IS FEARFUL THAT IF HE
TAKES DIRECT ACTION AGAINST SLAVERY, IT WILL ALIENATE MANY
NORTHERNERS. BUT BY THE MIDDLE OF 1862,
LINCOLN REALIZES THAT SLAVERY IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FOUNDATION OF
SOUTHERN SOCIETY. IT’S SLAVERY THAT IS KEEPING
THEIR ARMIES IN THE FIELD. AND SO YOU WANT TO WIN, YOU GOT
TO ATTACK SLAVERY. >> HE KNOWS THAT BLACK PEOPLE
ARE HIS LAST CARD TO PLAY. >> THE OTHER ENORMOUS THING IS
ENGLAND NOT GETTING IN THE WAR ON THE SOUTH’S SIDE.
>> THERE IS THIS PRAGMATIC SIDE OF LINCOLN IN TERMS OF THINKING
THE ENGLISH HAD ALREADY ENDED SLAVERY.
THERE WAS A REAL ABOLITIONIST CENTER IN ENGLAND.
>> THEY’RE TRYING TO SORT OF IGNORE THE SLAVERY THAT
UNDERPINS THEIR TRADING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE
CONFEDERACY BECAUSE THEY ARE UNITED IN THE OPPOSITION TO
SLAVERY. >> LINCOLN KNEW IF YOU MAKE
SLAVERY A PART OF THE WAR EQUATION, THEN IT’S VERY
DIFFICULT FOR THE BRITISH TO INTERVENE BECAUSE ENGLAND CAN’T
BE PERCEIVED AS COMING TO THE RESCUE OF A SLAVE EMPIRE.
SO HE TELLS THE CABINET I’M GOING TO ISSUE AN EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION. SECRETARY OF STATE SEWARD SAYS
MR. PRESIDENT, THAT’S GOING TO LOOK LIKE A DESPERATION MOVE.
LET’S WAIT FOR A MILITARY VICTORY AND THEN ISSUE THE
EMANSLAUGHTER PROCLAMATION. PRESIDENT LINCOLN SAYS YOU’RE
RIGHT. SO HE TAKES THE EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION, FILES IT AWAY AND WAITING FOR A VICTORY.
>> IN AUGUST OF SEPTEMBER 862, CONFEDERATE GENERAL ROBERT E.
LEE INVADED MARYLAND. THEY MEET THE UNION ARMY AT
ANTIETAM AND ENGAGE IN THE BLOODIEST ONE‐DAY ENCOUNT MERE
THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN WARFARE. MORE LIVES ARE SHED THAN ON
D‐DAY. >> THERE ARE NEARLY 23,000
CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES. BUT AFTER MONTHS OF DEMORALIZING
LOSSES, THE UNION SUCCEEDS IN HALTING LEE’S INVASION OF
MARYLAND. >> LINCOLN HAD WANTED McCLELLAN
TO JUMP OFF TO A VIGOROUS PURSUIT OF LEE.
McCLELLAN DIDN’T. LINCOLN WANTED AN EXPLANATION.
ONE MORNING, LINCOLN GOT UP TO VISIT McCLELLAN’S ARMY, AND THE
FIRST THING McCLELLAN DID WAS TO PRESENT HIM WITH A LETTER.
IT WAS NOT A LETTER APOLOGIZING OR EXPLAINING WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
IT WAS A LETTER TELLING ABRAHAM LINCOLN HE MUST NOT SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT EMANCIPATING SLAVES, TO MAKE SURE THAT HE HAS A
COMMANDER OF ALL THE ARMIES THAT HE TRUSTS, NAMELY, ME, GEORGE
McCLELLAN. LINCOLN TAKES THE LETTER, FOLDS
IT, PUTS IT BACK INTO HIS COAT POCKET, GOES BACK TO WASHINGTON
AND TELLS HIS CABINET THAT HE IS GOING TO EMANCIPATE THE SLAVES.
HE’S ALSO GOING TO EFFECTIVELY TAKE COMMAND AWAY FROM GEORGE
McCLELLAN. >> SOON AFTER THE BATTLE OF
ANTIETAM, LINCOLN ISSUES THE PRELIMINARY EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION. IT’S A WARNING AND IT BASICALLY
IS SAYING TO THE CONFEDERATE STATES THAT ON JANUARY 1st,
1863, I’M GOING DECLARE THAT SLAVES IN SECEDED STATES AND
PLACES THAT ARE IN REBELLION ARE NOW FREE, BUT THIS WON’T APPLY
TO YOU IF YOU GIVE UP ARMS AND DECIDE TO COME BACK INTO THE
UNITED STATES BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.
>> THE ABOLITIONISTS AND RADICALS REJOICED.
OTHERS LAMENTED AND FEARED. THEY TRIED TO PERSUADE HIM TO
WITHDRAW IT, TO RETRACT IT. HE REMAINED STEADFAST.
>> BUT WHILE EMANCIPATION SOLVES LINCOLN’S MILITARY PROBLEM, IT
CREATES A SERIOUS SOCIAL ONE. >> ONCE ENSLAVED AFRICAN
AMERICANS ARE FREE, THE QUESTION THEN IS WHAT WILL BE THEIR
RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNITED STATES.
>> ATTEND OF JULY 1862, LINCOLN CALLS FIVE VERY PROMINENT
AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN FROM THE LOCAL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
COMMUNITY TO COME TO WHITE HOUSE TO TALK ABOUT COLONIZATION,
WHICH HE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN HIS CAREER.
>> HE SAYS LOOK, YOU’RE THE REASON WE HAVE THIS WAR.
WE CAN NEVER LIVE ON AN EQUAL FOOTING IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHY DON’T YOU CONSIDER MY PLANS FOR COLONIZATION IN CENTRAL
AMERICA OR AFRICA? >> LINCOLN SAID I THINK WHITE
PEOPLE ARE SO GENERALLY PREJUDICED THAT YOU WILL NEVER
FIND SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS HERE. >> AND THEY LEAVE VERY
DISHEARTENED. >> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
ASSUME THAT THE GUY THAT FREED THE SLAVES LIKED BLACK PEOPLE.
PEOPLE ASSUME THAT LINCOLN MUST HAVE BEEN SOMEBODY WHO WANTED
EVERYBODY TO BE TOGETHER, WHO SAW US ALL AS ONE PEOPLE, AND
IT’S NOT TRUE. IT JUST TURNS OUT THAT A GREAT
WAY TO PUT DOWN THE REBELLION IS TO YANK THE ENSLAVED AFRICANS
OUT FROM UNDER HIS ENEMY, HOPING THEY WOULD GO BACK TO AFRICA.
>> WHEN THAT MEETING HAPPENS IN 1862, IT’S TREMENDOUSLY
CONTROVERSIAL. IT GETS A HUGE AMOUNT OF
NATIONAL ATTENTION. >> FREDERICK DOUGLASS IS
OUTRAGED. HE SAYS "MR. LINCOLN, DON’T YOU
GET IT YET? SLAVES ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF THE
WAR. SLAVERY IS THE CAUSE OF THE
WAR." >> BUT LINCOLN IS NOT THERE YET.
>> THE COUNTRY IS ON EDGE AS THE DEADLINE FOR LINCOLN’S
EMANCIPATION THREAT APPROACHES. IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT THE TERMS AND
DETAILS OF THE DECREE WILL BE. THE FUTURE AND THE FREEDOM OF
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS LIE IN THE BALANCE.
>> AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE WAITING TO SEE IF LINCOLN WAS
REALLY GOING TO FOLLOW THROUGH. >> AS THE CLOCK TICKED DOWN, ON
DECEMBER 31st, 1862, YOU CAN CONVEY THE TENSION THE
ABOLITIONISTS AND THE ACTIVISTS HELD WATCH MEETINGS.
>> THERE WERE GROUPS OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE BY CANDLELIGHT WAITING
FOR THE STRIKE OF MIDNIGHT. KNOWING THAT IN THAT MOMENT THAT
WE COULD BE FREE
>>> IN THE 100 DAYS THAT PASS AFTER LINCOLN ISSUES THE
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, NOT ONE CONFEDERATE STATE LAYS DOWN
ARMS AND REJOINS THE CONFEDERATE UNION.
SO AS PROMISED, ON JANUARY 11st,
186 3, ABRAHAM LINCOLN DECLARES ALL SLAVES LIVING IN REBEL
TERRITORY FREE. >> LINCOLN SPENT THE MORNING ON
JANUARY 1st, 1863 SHAKING THE HANDS OF PEOPLE ON A RECEIVING
LINE. AFTER DOING THAT, HE WENT BACK
TO HIS OFFICE AND HIS HAND WAS SHAKING FROM THE EXERTION OF
SPENDING THE ENTIRE DAY SHAKING HANDS, BUT HE DIDN’T WANT HIS
SIGNATURE TO APPEAR TREMULOUS. HE DIDN’T WANT ANYONE TO THINK
THAT HE HAD ANY DOUBTS WHAT HE WAS DOING, SO HE CALMED HIS HAND
BEFORE HE SIGNED THE DOCUMENT. IN THAT MOMENT, THE WAR BECOMES
A WAR TO ABOLISH SLAVERY. >> EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
ALLOWS FOR BLACK MEN TO SERVE IN THE ARMY AND MAKES PLAIN THAT
ANY ENSLAVED PERSON IN THE STATES THAT ARE IN REBELLION ARE
FREE PEOPLE. >> IT ALSO ENDED ANY POSSIBILITY
OF EUROPEAN INTERFERENCE IN THE WAR.
BRITISH PUBLIC OPINION WOULD NEVER HAVE TOLERATED AID TO THE
SOUTH AT THAT POINT. >> THIS IS A PRESIDENTIAL
PROCLAMATION THAT SAYS THE CIVIL WAR COULD NOT BE WON WITHOUT
FREEING ENSLAVED PEOPLE, AND THAT’S PROFOUNDLY SIGNIFICANT.
>> BLACK PEOPLE ARE ELATED. THEY ARE ECSTATIC.
ALTHOUGH BLACK PEOPLE WERE FREEING THEMSELVES BEFORE THE
PROCLAMATION WAS ISSUED, NOW YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES TELLING YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE.
THEY TOOK THAT AND LEFT IN DROVES.
>> BUT THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION IS PROBABLY THE
MOST MISUNDERSTOOD IMPORTANT DOCUMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
PEOPLE SAY LINCOLN FREED ALL THE SLAVES WITH A STROKE OF HIS PEN.
NO, THAT IS NOT CORRECT. THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
DID NOT APPLY TO ABOUT THREE‐QUARTERS OF A MILLION
SLAVES. IN THE FOUR STATES IN THE UNION,
THE BORDER STATES, HE SAYS WE’RE NOT MAKING WAR AGAINST DELAWARE,
MARYLAND, KENTUCKY AND MISSOURI. THIS IS A STRICTLY PRACTICAL WAR
MEASURE. SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY CHASE,
WHO WAS AN ABOLITIONIST SAYS, YOU KNOW, LINCOLN, THERE IS NO
MORAL SENTIMENT IN HERE. IT DOESN’T TALK ABOUT THE RIGHTS
OF MANKIND. SO LINCOLN ADDS THIS ACT
BELIEVED TO BE AN ACT OF JUSTICE BUT BASED ON MILITARY NECESSITY.
THAT’S WHY IT’S BEING ISSUED, TO WIN THE WAR.
>> YOU THINK OF HIM AS A GREAT EMANCIPATOR, BUT THE WAY HE DID
IT AND WHY HE DID IT, PRETTY GRUBBY REASONS.
BUT POLITICS IS A GRUBBY BUSINESS AND HE IS A POLITICIAN.
>> IT’S A VERY PRACTICAL MOVE. IT’S A CALCULATED MOVE.
I DON’T WANT TO SAY IT’S A CYNICAL MOVE, BUT IT’S A MOVE OF
NECESSITY. >> I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THAT
LINCOLN ISSUE THE PROCLAMATION OUT OF A MORAL OBLIGATION.
I CERTAINLY GREW UP BELIEVING THAT THAT’S WHAT HE HAD DONE.
IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO DISCOVER THAT IT WAS OUT OF
MILITARY NECESSITY, BUT I STILL DON’T THINK THAT WE CAN
UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROCLAMATION.
>> THERE IS A VIEW THAT THE PROCLAMATION WAS MERELY
MILITARY, AND I THINK TO THINK THAT IS TO BE INDIFFERENT TO
LINCOLN’S WHOLE ANTI‐SLAVERY LIFE.
YOU CAN’T ACCOMPLISH MORAL GOALS WITHOUT A POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY.
>> SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SO IDEALOGICALLY COMMITTED TO
WHITE SUPREMACY THAT THEY WOULDN’T HAVE MADE THOSE MOVES.
HE SAW A POLITICAL REASON TO DO AN EXTRAORDINARY THING AND HE
DID IT. >> WHILE PRESIDENT LINCOLN
ISSUES HISTORY‐MAKING DECREES, MARY LINCOLN’S STANCE ON FREEDOM
AND EQUALITY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE AS WELL.
>> MARY TODD LINCOLN IS ABLE TO FORM A VERY MEANINGFUL
RELATIONSHIP WITH ELIZABETH KECKLY WHO IS A FORMER SLAVE.
ELIZABETH KECKLY IS A DRESSMAKER, SO SHE OUTFITS HER
IN ELABORATE DRESS, BUT SHE IS ALSO A CONFIDANTE.
>> MARY LEARNS A LOT ABOUT THE LIFE OF FREE BLACK PEOPLE IN
WASHINGTON FROM LIZZIE KECKLY. >> ELIZABETH KECKLY WAS VERY
ACTIVE IN WASHINGTON, D. C.’S AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
AND SHE ALONGS WITH OTHER AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN FOUNDED
THE CONTRABAND RELIEF ASSOCIATION WHICH IS A SOCIETY
OF WOMEN WHO RAISE MONEY, COLLECT FOOD, COLLECT CLOTHING,
TRY TO FIND SHELTER FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE ESCAPING SLAVERY AND
COMING INTO WASHINGTON, D. C. >> AND PRETTY SOON MARY IS
DONATING AND ASKING HER HUSBAND TO DONATE TO THE CAUSE OF
SHELTERING FRIEDEN SLAVED PEOPLE.
>> AND MARY LINCOLN ALLOWED ELIZABETH KECKLY TO USE HER NAME
PUBLICLY WHEN SHE WENT AROUND RAISING MONEY FOR THE
ASSOCIATION. >> SO THERE IS A WAY IN WHICH
MARY TODD LINCOLN COULD COMMISERATE, BOND WITH A FREED
WOMAN OF COLOR ON AN EQUAL PLANE.
SO I THINK SHE IS MORE COMPLEX THAN PEOPLE CUT HER OUT TO BE.
>> AS MARY LINCOLN AND ELIZABETH KECKLY WORK TO FIND A PLAY
ABRAHAM LINCOLN WORK
♪ >>> ON JANUARY 1st, 1863,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN ISSUES THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.
INVITING FREED SLAVES TO JOIN THE UNION ARMY.
>> LINCOLN HAD BEEN OPPOSED TO THIS.
HE HAD SAID TIME AND AGAIN, THAT THE SIGHT OF BLACK MEN IN ARMS
WOULD TURN THOSE WHO ARE FOR US AGAINST US.
BUT HE CHANGED HIS MIND. >> LINCOLN REALIZES HE NEEDED
EVERY SOLDIER YOU CAN GET. AND THE RESERVOIR OF BLACK
MANPOWER COULDN’T BE IGNORED ANYMORE.
>> THAT CHANGE IS CRITICAL. AND IT SHOWS THE EVOLUTION OF
LINCOLN IN TERMS OF HIS THINKING.
AN EVOLUTION THAT WILL CONTINUE ON THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE
WAR. >> THE MAJORITY OF BLACK MEN WHO
SERVED IN THE UNION ARMY WERE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN SLAVED AT
ONE TIME. THEY THINK NOW THEY’RE GOING TO
GET SOME KIND OF RECOGNITION OF THEIR STATUS AS MEN.
BUT WHAT THEY FIND IS NOT WHAT THEY HAD ANTICIPATED.
>> THEY WERE CERTAINLY NOT TREATED EQUALLY.
THEY SERVED ONLY IN SEGREGATED UNITS UNDER WHITE OFFICERS.
THEY RECEIVED LESS PAY THAN WHITE SOLDIERS.
>> THEY HAD OLD, WORN‐OUT MUSKETS.
THEY WERE PUT INTO THE HOTTEST, MOST DANGEROUS PLACES IN THE
SOUTH. INFECTED WITH MOSQUITOES, ON THE
GROUNDS THAT SINCE THEY WERE BLACK, IT WOULDN’T BOTHER THEM.
>> LINCOLN THOUGHT IF THEY WERE ON AN EQUAL LEVEL, THAT WOULD
MAKE THEM WERE LIKELY TO ACCEPT WHITES IN THE ARMY.
>> FREDERICK DOUGLASS, WHO HAD BEEN A REAL THORN IN LINCOLN’S
SIDE, HE GOES TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO COMPLAIN.
DESPITE THEIR ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP, WHEN LINCOLN FOUND
OUT THAT DOUGLASS WAS PRESENT, HE INVITED HIM IN WHILE OTHER
WHITE MEN WAITED. IT’S SOMETHING THAT DOUGLASS
ALWAYS APPRECIATED. >> THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES IN THIS
COUNTRY WHERE A PRESIDENT WOULD OPEN THE DOOR AND SIT DOWN WITH
SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN KICKING HIS BUTT ON THE PUBLIC STAGE.
>> DOUGLASS BEGGED HIM TO PAY BLACK TROOPS THE WAY THAT WHITE
MEN WERE PAID. >> HE WAS THERE TO COMPLAIN THAT
BLACK MEN WERE NOT HAVING THE SAME KINDS OF RIGHTS THAT OTHER
SOLDIERS HAD. LINCOLN SAID, THIS WILL HAPPEN,
BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME. >> DOUGLASS COMES OUT OF THE
MEETING NOT ENTIRELY SATISFIED WITH LINCOLN’S RESPONSE.
BUT HE SAYS TO THE BLACK POPULATION, DESPITE THIS, IT’S
OUR CHANCE TO PROVE OURSELVES. >> AT TENDHE END OF THE WAR, WE
WILL HAVE EARNED CITIZENSHIP. >> THEY STAY, THEY FIGHT,
BECAUSE THEY’RE FIGHTING NOT JUST FOR FREEDOM TODAY, BUT
FREEDOM FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND GENERATIONS TO
COME. >> ARMED BLACK SOLDIERS ON THEIR
BATTLEFIELDS, ELICIT AN EXPLOSIVE REACTION FROM THE
SOUTH. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS
KIND OF IRONIC IS THAT WHITE SOUTHERNERS BY SECEDING MAKE IT
POSSIBLE FOR LINCOLN TO EMANCIPATE BLACK PEOPLE.
WHEN THEY BECOME HIS ENEMY IN WAR, THEY CREATE THE LEGAL
JUSTIFICATION FOR EMANCIPATION. SO THEY PLAYED THEMSELVES, FOR
LACK OF A BETTER PHRASE. >> MANY WHITE SOUTHERNERS HAD
LONG FEARED A FORCE THAT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ENLAIFSLAVE
PEOPLE TO RISE UP AGAINST THEIR OWNERS, IN ORDER TO CLAIM THEIR
FREEDOM OR EXACT RETRIBUTION. >> THE CONFEDERATES RESPOND, WE
WILL CONSIDER THAT HAS A SYMBOL OF THE NORTH’S COMPLICITY IN
SLAVE REBELLION. WE’RE GOING TO TAKE ALL YOUR
BLACK PEOPLE EVERY TIME WE FIND THEM.
AND SO ROBERT E. LEE DECIDES TO TRY THIS BOLD ASSAULT BY COMING
UP THE VALLEY, AROUND MARYLAND AND UP TO GETTYSBURG, STRAIGHT
INTO THE NORTH. AND AS CONFEDERATES ADVANCE INTO
GETTYSBURG. THERE’S A WARNING FOR FREE
BLACKS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. >> CONFEDERATES WERE TAKING FREE
BLACK PEOPLE FROM COMMUNITIES ALONG THEIR MARCHING ROUTE IN AN
EFFORT TO ENSLAVE THEM. >> THIS WAS BEYOND THE LAW OF
WAR. LEE IS MARCHING INTO
PENNSYLVANIA, AND THE NORTH IS PRETTY PANICKING.
>> THE BUILDUP WAS ENORMOUS. >> AS LEE’S MARCH TO GETTYSBURG
CONTINUES TO RAIN TERROR, THE UNION ANXIOUSLY AWAITS THE
CONFRONTATION THAT LIES AHEAD. AND LINCOLN’S UNION ARMY
PREPARES FOR WHAT WILL BE THE BLOODIEST BATTLE INAND THE
DEADLIEST WAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY.