Host good afternoon. I get the privilege of introducing a good friend. Drew and i have been arguing over the past two days, what i should do in this introduction. I will just read what you sent me. It is best [laughter] it is kind of funny, actually. Gruber as the executive director of civil war trails, lives in williamsburg with his wife kate, their two cats, he enjoys reading, oysters, brown liquor and peace and quiet. Drew gruber. [applause] going tor i am introduce my coauthor, doug crenshaw, who is going to lecture about williamsburg today. [laughter] i sat down last night to review notes, and i couldnt think couldnt help but think about how ryan ended his presentation yesterday. It caused me to rewrite the whole thing. Thanks, ryan. Forgotten battles is a cool thing and i was going to open with a quote and then i thought about it, we have a morbid fascination with body count, only big, bloody battles are important. Then Richard Lewis said last from, the guy who falls dysentery, that is his forgotten battle and certainly his familys forgotten battle. At the one guy on picket one night by himself on a cold day who is shut down, that is probably his most important battle. So i am going to open with a quote from not a historian, just a guy who fought at the battle of williamsburg. This guy gets hit in the shoulder with a sixpound ball. His friend says, it is just a she just day fle just a flesher, and he gets up and goes on fighting. And in his diary years after, he says this. The battle of williamsburg has received less importance and history than it has merited. And that is not just the case with edmund edwin brown. The men who fought it williamsburg did not forget, so why have we . That is one of the things i intend to go over today, but what a miserable honor, an awful accolade, a forgotten battle. It is almost like, all of you who fought that day, you are not near as cool as chancellorsville. Why have we forgotten about williamsburg . What is the first thing that comes to mind . Ockefeller i have forgotten this is an academic room. [laughter] the jax does position the juxtaposition of the British Empire and the transatlantic marketplace you guys are awake. George washington breaches the American Revolution. Nobody things about civil war at williamsburg. But think about williamsburgs colonial history in 1781, on washingtons way to yorktown, there is just one single business open in williamsburg, not a bustling town. But our public memory commands colonial we hims berg jamestownilliamsburg,. And it is also forgotten during that time because in a few short weeks after williamsburg, a massive clash around richmond. And newspapers that were just getting ready to write about williamsburg switch, ok, we will write about seven days instead. The failures of scholarship over the last 150 years, only within last few years have we gotten decent books about the battle of williamsburg, the importance of the peninsula campaign, so why not write about williamsburg . Some of the best books from our favorite historians, one in particular, has six pages about the battle of williamsburg. Six pages, thats it. Maybe it is not a sexy topic . Maybe it is not nearly as interesting . Maybe the publisher said no. So it is my goal in the next three and a half hours of my lecture [laughter] you realize that civil war williamsburg is the historic triangles most important period. How many of you have been to the battlefield . Let me back up. How many have been to Busch Gardens . [laughter] yes, you have been to the battlefield, the robert e lee log flume. How many have been to fort mcgruder . I dont mean the hotel, i mean the actual fort . How many have been to Colonial Williamsburg . Lovely. And they say history is dying. You were on the Civil War Battlefield there too. So our goal here is to make you realize this is an exciting, sexy topic, and you will want to buy the book doug and i are working on, and you will want to bid on the walking tour that is in the back. But i am also going to do it through the lens of personal stories. Because for the guys who fought there, this battle was immensely confusing. And since we are not on the battlefield today where i can point and say, there is where first massachusetts was, im not going to talk about heavy battlefield maneuvers. It doesnt pair well with a heavy lunch either. One thing i have not heard yet, so you are on point the next couple of speakers, is that these are forgotten battles, but we have not asked ourselves as a community, what can we do to fix it . So off we go. Why here . In williamsburg to work at Colonial Williamsburg, articles said it was illconceived, the battle, poorly planned. And you have people who will bench their careers on backseat after the 150 years fact, he was slow, he didnt know the terrain, he shouldve gone to the right. You werent there. [laughter] lets think about this. The battle of williamsburg happens because williamsburg is at the narrowest point of the peninsula, and these are smart people, and they studied history to predict their future. Chief powhatan of the algonquin confederacy at the time, before white folks arrived on the peninsula, has already determined this is a strategic place. They moved the capital from duringsburg to richmond the American Revolution because this is a strategic place. Washington will go past williamsburg on his way to yorktown because it is a strategic place. And the british in 18131814 during the Chesapeake Campaign will come to William Bomer welcome to williamsburg because it is an important place and when the confederacy is born, they will look to williamsburg to build a defensive line because it is a offensive place because it is a strategic place. Soldiersents of constructed earthworks at the highest point of the peninsula. Soldiers arells not necessarily excited about digging earthworks. To big plantation owners and say, lend us your slaves to dig your earthworks. Plantation owners say no, and they get very few slaves to help dig the earthworks at williamsburg. So robert he leesons engineers to williamsburg with this order. The civil officers will notify abelbodied friedman that they ablebodied freeney grows that they are able to participate. So these earthworks at mostly byrg is dog free africanamerican men pressed into confederate service. The earthworks, and a variety of shapes. Yardsare 200 are 200 apart. Between them are swamps, creeks, everything you could possibly think of or imagine that you would see in the petersburg front is seen here at the small line at williamsburg. Work, fort mcgruder, oversees the intersection of two roads, the road from hampton, for genia on the road from yorktown, virginia. 130ets say you have thousand men, blue uniforms, your objective is uniform, you might land your boats at fortress monro. Is one road you must go down, known todays the duke of gloucester street, which is why earthworks show up at williamsburg of those show up at williamsburg williamsburg. One earthworks was removed for the widening of interstate 64. I had an opportunity to go there and that earthworks told me more about the American Civil War at williamsburg then i could have imagined. It was intact. Every article large every archaeological layer was there. It was beautiful. You could write a report on it today. But there are seven left today. So in the spring of 1862, this premonition of Union Soldiers getting to the peninsula comes to fruition. They begin marching to yorktown. Many of you know what then happens at yorktown, he prepares for acs, both armies critically aware that once lines at arktown break, it will be race to richmond because you have two, deep rivers on either side of the virginia peninsula. Both sides hedge their bets, and confederate artillery will open may 3, 1860 two to distract the union army as Confederate Forces pull out of yorktown almost silently. B, but hedles george doesnt wait. About 2 00 a. M. On the fourth, firing ceased in between that our troops entered the works and a message was received announcing our flag flies over yorktown. By sunrise, to end a half hours after they realized the confederates are gone, George Mcclellans flying column is chasing confederates on the two roads that will lead to fort mcgruder. So we set the stage. Why here . The third corps and the fourth roadswill take those two headed toward williamsburg, and the First Division of the first core of the union army will be put on transport boats and flyby both armies on the york river on elfhams landing, truly forgotten battle. While the battle of williamsburg is happening, the Confederate Army is trying to outrace Union Transport boats on the york river, and it is a race. Stoneman, the general in command of this line column, runs up against the confederate rearguard and for 12 miles on may 4, there is constant rearguard action. One of the most incredible places is that whitakers mail. They make a stubborn defense. Confederate mounted troops under jeb stuart and wade hampton occupy a gun battery and for 15 minutes they hold. The stoneman column will crack this within a few short minutes and will drive confederate troops back earthworks at williamsburg, and then they will start to notice confederate infantry fondling infantry fondling into the earthworks exactly as planned. Noticing Union Troopers back off the earthworks may 4, steward and weight had been stuart and wade hampton dont wait, they pitch right in. A nasty fight on may 4, on roads just like this, in a drizzle, for mounted troopers to fight in terrain like this it meets it means the battle is being made in columns, so troopers will ride atop the road and drop horses down on top of the opposite force. Woodsl troopers commented comment it was the only time in the war they used their sabers to a fact. It is a race to see who can push who back into the road, drop on top of them and keep pushing them back. It is a mess of a fight. William payne will lose his jaw to shot from the fourth virginia cavalry, and they will lose their colors. Union artillery will lose one iron gun. And by the end of the day, one of the two brothers on the top right will be dead and buried in the road somewhere near water country, usa today. Are stephen and mosys william from the hampton legion. Stephen is killed. He is 22. His body will remain there until 1866 when it is picked up and brought back to south carolina. That night, a peculiar thing happens. The union army is stacked up on and of these roads, hancocks brigade will sleep within snoring distance of the confederate earthworks. The comment about walking into they comment about walking into and out of each others fires that night as they try to stay warm from the rain. The mcgruder regiment who knew the terrain is pulled out, and sent west toward richmond. The long street division, who didnt know much about terrain here, is a division sent into this line of 14 earthworks to stall the union army for the following day. Then it begins to rain. So the battle of williamsburg begins may 4, late in the afternoon, and all night long there is maneuvering of armies as they prepare. Today this area, whitakers mail, is set to be a new sams club and mixeduse housing. Of you are scholars on the American Revolution, you know about joseph plumb martin, this is where martin loses his wallet to the pennsylvanians as washington marches to yorktown. There is little interest in these sites. Now we get to the main show. At dawn on may 5, cinco demaio union gategrovers is the one closest to fort mcgruder, the central earthwork that commands this road network, and edwin brown with the first and 11th will deploy against jenkins, whose manner and the earthworks trying to hold off the union army. Grover meant grovers men from new england realize you cant take the earthworks and fort mcgruder, it is too heavily defended. They had been meticulously engineered to cover the intersection of this road. So begins a trend for the battle of williamsburg. Each side, all day, will slowly funnel in, one regiment, one brigade at a time as their front is cleared. This is where confusion sets in four men on the field. , to support grover, is going to send in major Charles Wayne wright and his all tillery major Charles Wainwright and his artillery, regular army men deploy cannons, are quickly targeted and flee their guns. Wainwright says it was one of the most a bit one of the most embarrassing episodes of the civil war, and he gets new york volunteers to man the guns. He brings up another section of artillery as he notices the grover left is being turned. By. Gray has not sat idly will cox and his regiments, the ninth and 10th alabama, the 19th mississippi, will not wait in the earthworks. They go down to turn grovers left and head into a place that would be known as the ravine. So the confederate armies beginning to shove the union army away from the earthworks. As the will cox brigade goes into the ravine, hookers next brigade is the new jersey brigade under Francis Patterson. The new jersey brigade has been waiting all night, they can see grovers brigade in the ravine, can see wounded coming back, but cannot see it. Cant see across the top of the ravine and see the whole Confederate Army waiting in columns to go into the ravine. It is a mirror image on both sides of the field, you can see the fighting but see the guys about to go into it, so the new jersey brigade, for regiments, file off to the left of grovers brigade and they slowly descend down into the ravine. Brigade decides that, despite orders to hold the earthworks, there was no fighting in the earthworks. So down they go. Into the ravine. At this point, francis patterning Francis Patterson is feeling pressure, his for regiments are now stacked up against six. It is confusing fight. The rain gets worse. The smoke gets heavier. The ravine is not cleared. It is in it is the only area where you can safely get around the central work at fort mcgruder and flank them on other side. Everybody describes the battle in the ravine, there are briars, mud, bordered by slashing. Regular no form of combat. When you think of Company Commanders taking charge, ignore that. It is not brigadiers or colonels or Company Commanders. We are talking about battle bodies, sections of four or six men, platoons trying to take the situation of in this morass that would be the ravine. Within an hour, pattersons men have turned around and called for reinforcements because they are out of ammunition. I wake you up with this question. [laughter] do we have any mathematicians in the audience . Anybody who is good with math . Try this on for size. Is there somebody good in the room with math . All humanitiess people. Lovely. [laughter] think about this. Brigade is issued 60 rounds of ammunition that morning. There are about 350 guys. They are engaged for an hour. At 60 rounds of ammunition apiece, one of the six brigades that will fight in the space of the ravine, not much larger than the yard behind us, will fire 21,000 rounds of ammunition in an hour. That is 350 rounds of ammunition per minute. That is six rounds second. And that is 1 6 of the force fighting in an area that is only a few hundred yards. Think about this. Thethen think about mechanics behind it, as these are volunteer soldiers fighting in a driving rainstorm with muzzle loading rifles. The math will become important in a few moments. Patterson calls for ,einforcements, because ap hill and we know it is hill because this man and a bright, redshirt has descended from the hill in williamsburg with his brigade, and patterson sees apls brigade come online at the earthworks, and do they wait, no, down into the ravine they go. You see this pattern happening, both armies, once they get clearance, get it. They are not waiting. Patterson calls a third time for reinforcements. The brigade next online waiting to go into the battle is under colonel nelson taylor, the excelsior are gay. One man from the excelsior brigade is beside himself waiting to go into combat, sits down in a rainstorm and makes himself a cup of tea. [laughter] the excelsior brigade is so large that it takes each regiment about one hour to come from column into line. Threeare setting a scene, confederate brigades squaring off against 2. 5 Union Brigades in a space not much bigger than this shooting six rounds per second at each other. There are men who squared off against each other, Thomas Riddell on the top from the eighth new jersey, killed right about where the 7eleven is today. He is 24. Shot dead in the ravine. The newark daily mercury says the dead and the eighth regiment were buried on the battlefield into rose, of which thomas was noted as being in the first row. The man who likely saw thomas fall is this guy, Lucius Cincinnatus lamar the second. [laughter] if you think he has a cool name, if you study williamsburg civil war history, you have this dude, val arrest cincinnatus giles, Cynthia Beverly washington talker coleman. Commands the 19th mississippi after motts shot down, they square off against the eighth new jersey, so these men likely saw each other. Lamar after williamsburg becomes the judge advocate for long streets staff, probably because he married long streets niece, he comes the confederate diplomat to russia, we are investigating collusion, [laughter] and in 1862 he is the first confederate brought back into the house of representatives. We continue to set the scene down in this ravine. Things are confused, white flags go up, people claim they are shooting at their friends, only to rise up and be shot down themselves. One soldier wrote it was pandemonium broke loose. Jersey is along the edge of the ravine, excelsior forming behind them, grovers men patching holes in the line, team gray in the ravine trying to force team blew out and here comes george who canwith his column, see over the ravine but not into it. So he brings his brigade up onto line of the earthworks, and does he wait there . No. Here comes pickett. At this point hooker says the battle had swollen into one of gigantic proportions, williamsburg residents turned out to watch despite the rain, several with field glasses at eastern state lunatic asylum watching the tide of battle go back and forth. As the jersey brigade retires and a new york brigade comes into place, confederates and the ravine sense this shift. Lieutenant meme, adjutant of the virginia, said as we were going up out of the ravine, a tremendous cheer was sent up into the woods. Think about this. It is the rebel yell. And now we have almost 6000 confederates cheering the rebel yell, amplified in this ravine, and the men at the top of the ravine are the excelsior brigade. Of the excelsior brigade, only two regiments had fired their arms before this battle. The 72nd is on the right supported by a machine gun. All 700 ofw york, them, come up into line and split the regimental front into two battalions. There are too big to go into line. So as the jersey brigade forces themselves back, the 72nd is on the right, the 70th will come in and fit where the new jersey brigade was. The rest ofnt meme, the confederate force, will be stopped dead in their tracks by the 70th new york. Flank,refuses his left 70th tog sending the cover his flank, the 70th goes into fight or flight mode, no other way to describe it, because Joseph Hooker at headquarters can clearly discern the only suspect, the only succinct textbook volleys that morning. And anytime the 70th new york in the volley, hooker is back, almost clapping, exclaiming, that is dwight, that is dwight, and the green 70th holds for about 30 minutes against almost two dozen confederate regiments. Dwight says, tell colonel taylor we will all die or hold our position, and the green 70th hold. Wainwright commanding the Union Artillery on the line behind them, notices how close confederates are getting to the green regiment. He orders his battery to veer left and load canister. A dozen regiments are too much for dwights 70th new york. They get a second wind and start aseaming bull run, bull run, they come out of the ravine. The 70th breaks. The new jersey brigade breaks. Grovers guys start to fall back, little by little shoving the union army back over the road, and you see wainwrights guns in the center. Wainwright says this. Ofeld fire until the head the column was within 150 yards. Three rounds to a gun blew the whole thing away. He is talking about triple canister. Liked tohese guys embellish official reports. At one time i give that quote and everybody went, it is powerful, three rounds to a gun blew it all away. However, virginians of a different opinion. This is what we call in the history field a pucker factor. [laughter] Salem Dutcher from the seventh virginia says, and this should show you how confused and close the combat was, a terrific roar and a jar as a hot breath of a furnace warned me of the uncomfortable proximity of the canon. [laughter] they are so close to those union guns that when the seventh virginia lies prone, he feels the gun go over their back. Pucker factor. I could not have done it at all. He comments later that they are prone, told to rise up, fire, leap out of the muzzle, and the great wave that swept over the guns. So wainwrights guns are captured. That is what you see on this map, the confederate counterattack has not stayed in the earthworks, has come through the ravine, has smashed them back, and what was supposed to be a defensive remover a defensive maneuver to buy time now becomes an offense of. Willsummoned heinselman cobble together a band on the road. He puts together drummers. If you have ever heard a snare drum played in the rain, it is the most uninspiring sound you will ever hear. Finally he grabs some brass and cobbles together this band and says, play, play, it is all your damn it,for, play, play Yankee Doodle or any doodle you can think of. The drums were wet and did not give forth any cheerful sounds. [laughter] however, both sides comment what happened next. A hush falls over the field. We are now in our sixth hour of combat. Strikes op the starspangled banner. And like out of a movie, with the rain and the smoke, with the starspangled banner playing in the background, one man from the first asset use its says this. Back across the dismal road to our rear comes a kindred response from 10,000 eager throats. Out of the mist, beneath the acrid smoke, he appears, flourishing a sword in his only arm. Philip carney had arrived. Yes. [laughter] is heinselman. Have you gotten there yet . [laughter] well done. What a moment. How has this not been written about . Are is the thing paintings made of, a confederate ensign waving his battle flag over the confederate caisson, Philip Carney with his one good arm, the starspangled banner, these are the sexy dreams of historians, and yet the battle of williamsburg is still forgotten. Would you buy that painting and hang it in your library . [laughter] is a pause on the battlefield. Both sides comment about the pause. Lets think about these two men, William Keane up top, company b, veth new york, he is in a zoua co. , 20 years old, killed. His commander had 145 men killed in 45 minutes. Convinced civil war battles have to do with body counts, try this on. The 70th new york is the 11th on the list of regiments that take the heaviest casualties. And where . Williamsburg. Men killed, wounded and missing in williamsburg. The 60th new jersey loses more in williamsburg than any other. Jersey,nth, eighth new fifth michigan, should i go on . Thank you. [laughter] well played. Williamsburg is the seventhhighest battle for the proportion of men killed. Seventh. For those of you who are morbidly fascinated by body count, try this one on for size. Tipton Davis Jennings and the 11th virginia, one of the men who gave the rebel yell, said, historians should take note. We happened upon what was apparently an ancient line of earthworks. We learned afterwards that portions of the washington lines of entrenchments were there, discernible. So it is possible we ragged rebels were defending the same works where once the continental rebels fighting the hessians of europe, as we were now some 80 thars later, soon do history repeat itself. Follow me, i am a one armed bitch, shoutsa kirby, and pitches into the confederate line. They have turned, confederates are moving north of yorktown road intent on collapsing the other union column. Right, will catch their he has marched around the rest of the union army, not waiting to get into combat. He catches the confederate right brigadeame time pecks will show down the yorktown road. They are going to slam headlong into this confederate counterattack, and drive the steam right out of the confederate column. They recapture part of their artillery, and it is about this time that some slaves from local plantations go into Union Headquarters and tell the union high command that the confederate left had been abandoned. Information, sumner, in charge of the union army, will depend will dispatch hancock and a lieutenant to go with him and investigate the confederate left. On this section of battlefield, the confederate counterattack has had the steam punched out of it by kearney on their right and the other union corps showing up in front of them. Here are combatants on this section of the battlefield. The 102nd pennsylvania, walked into pittsburgh firehouse just as the 102nd was in listing. He apparently understood music, apparently was captured during the seven days campaign, was wounded, apparently, according to memory, he was exchanged through the p. O. W. System and would fight with the hundred second with the 102nd pennsylvania. Ian fromd alex diffi the fifth michigan are part of the carney attack that will catch the confederate right. Alex is wounded in the chest and hip and recovered. Peter, his father, is discharged thehe winter of 1862, joins eighth michigan calvary, is captured and confined at andersonville, and when andersonville is liberated, he weighs 68 pounds. Alex will pick him up at the train station and carry him home. Carney drives in the confederate right, hancock is assigned to explore the confederate left with the perm asmann we know and love koster, and they show up on the confederate left, which sends long street into a downward spiral. He dispatches a brigade under the command of early to see that he botches up vast bottles up this new union up for it on the left. The hancock brigade sets himself up on an earthwork, seen in this painting. Opposite his four guns is a wheat field with three buildings. Regiments get lost in the ravine and to pop out at this wheat field, the 24th virginia doesnt wait. The open fields into the teeth of the hancock reinforced brigade. They get chewed up and hide behind the barns you see. The fifth North Carolina wheels behind them. Wounded, hiss horse shot, he has brought off the field. Tells skirmishers, take aim at that bastard flag. Describedn soldier the confederate charge, officers bravely leaving them leading them forward as our fire cut them down like grass. Canister opened at 75 yards. Someone heard hancock say, gentlemen, charge, and thus ended the battle at williamsburg. Comment, for 600 yards the entire field was strewn with enemy dead. The North Carolina loses its pink set of colors and 450 men and 20 minutes. The flag of the fifth North Carolina will be captured by the fifth wisconsin, not george custer. A comrade of mine recently found the flag and returned it to North Carolina. 18, likelyston, still buried on the field today. And this beautiful painting by julian scott. That brings me to the aftermath. A drivings, and rainstorm, you have 70,000 young men trying to kill each other. Killed,duces 4000 wounded and missing in one day in 14 hours, and a driving rainstorm. George washington and his continental army, through the entire duration of the American Revolution, will lose 4004 hundred 35 men killed in a, and yet one day at williamsburg 80 years later, volunteer soldiers will do that. Morbidly impressive. The first confederate battle flag of the war is captured here. Seven medals of honor are issued for meritorious actions, including robert rhody, 26 years old from the 40th North Carolina. Other men carry their wounds with them. Little on theng right will be wounded in the right leg and return to action in malvern hill, where he would lose an arm, and he argued to go back into the fight. Mcclellan would telegraph lincoln, hancock was superb today. Kerfuffles. Us to why is the battle of williamsburg forgotten . Colonial williamsburg because of the rockefellers. Williamsburgs memory is a tough one. When the president of the u. S. Drives down the duke of gloucesters three to open Colonial Williamsburg in the 0s, one woman stands on her porch wrapped in a confederate battle flag and says, there will be no yankee president in my town. [laughter] you to thee battlefield and say, you are standing on the excelsior line. This battle sets into motion several weeks if not months of continued combat, so when you flip open official records, you only find a few. Nohave no maps, we have intact landscape, we have no photographs to argue about. Although we know civil war photographers come through town and take pictures, but we know they dont survive. For the combatants this battle is one of the most confusing but will set the pace for them to understand what the rest of the war is about. Today the biggest reason we have not preserved the Williamsburg Battlefield is that the physical evidence is gone, no physical evidence, good maps or photographs. So you must rely on one thing and that is archaeology. Williamsburg region, archaeology is mandated. When i go before a zoning commission, that is my battlefield, dont put in a hotel, they say never fear, we will send archaeologists. And they find nothing. So the 21,000 rounds of ammunition expended by one brigade in one hour has been picked up by other people. And there is one more reason why williamsburg is forgotten, and that is because all of you have not asked for it. You have not called williamsburg and said, tell me your civil war stories, please preserve the battlefield at williamsburg. Get involved. The one thing i have seen today and yesterday about forgotten battles is that there has yet to be a call for action. So i put you on notice. Lets make sure they are no longer forgotten. Thank you. [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] host you have time for a questions. Stand and introduce yourself. Im dave from stafford. You made a brief reference to a machine gun. Could you explain that . Mr. Gruber no. Thank you. [laughter] mr. Gruber mr. Gruber there were one or two guns possibly with the excelsior line. Apparently they were not effective. It is suggested they jammed halfway during the battle. That is what i got, man. For folks at home, im going to recreate his answer. No, and that is all i have for you. Others . In the back. I have warned ted i am going to stop giving him the microphone if he doesnt stand and introduce himself. Williamsburg. S, you mentioned free nebrgroes. How many were there, and they were loyal and were they loyal to the southern cause . They dont have a choice. They are either going to be paid for their work as free men, or if they dont show up, severe because i. E. Sold, local plantation owners, supporters of the confederacy, will not give up their own property to build earthworks to defend their new countries. That is why lee has to impress free men. Were there many of them . Was this a Large Community . Mr. Gruber great question that i cant directly answer. By about 1860 there are one or two pockets of free communities around williamsburg. Those are going to grow in coming years when the union army shows up, but documentation on them is scant. The census taker for that area is not thorough when it comes to freed communities, but you said you are from williamsburg . Lets dig into the archives together and see what we can find. [laughter] and if you dont show up. [laughter] severe consequences. Have time for one more question. Drew, if i were to show up at williamsburg and want to see mosthes, you said for the part things are vanished, but there are couple of places . Mr. Gruber new quarter part, you can play frisbee golf around the earthwork. No fighting took place there because they dont like to charge earthworks. You have quarter path road, which are to earthworks that were not fought over. You can visit those, a great example of the topography. The excelsior line was documented by archaeology up until about three weeks ago, when it was paved over. So that is gone. There is one core area of the battlefield left, and it went up for public sale about three months ago. So time is of the essence. To answer your question directly, there are areas with earthworks, but not within the core battlefield boundaries because the guys, even though this is early in the war, are not fond of charging entrenchments, nor will the Confederate Army use them. The centralr, earthwork, is preserved, but it is gated and access is limited. Please bring your friends and fellow nerds who come to williamsburg, im happy to show you around, but there are only a few acres left on time is ticking. If any of you were at the American Battlefield trust conference in newport news, i stood you on the excelsior line, and that is no longer. Sorry to be a debbie downer. Endn uplifting note to on. Ladies and gentlemen, drew gruber. [applause] about people and events that shaped the civil war and reconstruction, every saturday at 6 00 p. M. Eastern, only on American History tv here on cspan3. American history tv products are now available at the new cspan online store. Go to cspanstore. Org to see what is new for American History tv, and check out all of the cspan product. Products. 100 26 Million People were exposed to russian manipulation attempts in the 2016 election, 20 million on instagram, 10 million tweets on twitter to 6 million followers. We know russia attacked voting systems in all 50 states. We know they targeted this information to specific people and we know 27 percent of voting age americans saw russian misinformation and final weeks leading to the election. That is what we know. What we dont know is what effect, if any, any of this had on the election, on the 2018 midterms, what effect it will have in 2000 20, and not just in the United States but liberal democracies around the world. Easterny night at 8 00 on the communicators, on cspan2. Next on the civil war, author Patrick Breen discusses his book, the land shall be day loosed in blood, a new history of the nat turner revolt. This is part of the Gettysburg CollegeCivil War Institute summer conference. Peter im peter carmichael, a member of the History Department at Gettysburg College and director of the Civil War Institute. It is my pleasure to introduce Patrick Breen, an associate professor in history in history and classics at providence college. He is the father