Mr. White is the coauthor of a season of slaughter the battle of Spotsylvania Court house, may 821, 1864. This talk was part of a symposium hosted by the emerging civil war blog. Our first speaker today is a man for whom i hold the utmost respect. Three years ago this again, in fact, we sat on the back porch of a little building next to the stone lodge action shrine and we were thinking, you know, what can we do to help people become more invested in these stories of the civil war . That is were the emerging civil war blog first came to be. Since then, over the past three to a, we have expanded publishing series that we will talk about this afternoon. Of course, the symposium and a number of speaking engagements, as well. We are continuing our outreach to help people become invested in these very important and engaging stories. Historian ander former licensed battlefield guide at gettysburg here he is one of those men who you could drop him on any battlefield, take off the blindfold, a
The war of 1812, and Henry Kissinger on international affairs. For more information about this weekends 48 Hour Television schedule, visit us online at booktv. Org. You are watching booktv. Starting now, Todd Brewster recounts when president clinton announced his plans to free the slaves in july at of 1862 and the signing of the emancipation proclamation january 1, 1863. The author reports that contrary to popular belief lincoln struggled with his decision and spent a great deal of time crafting the document as he battled selfdoubt and depression. This is about one hour. Hello and welcome. I am sure that todd will be happy to sign them after the talk as well. Ive like to let you know about a new book on robert ely coming out as well and cspan is also here tonight filming for their booktv program. And so id like to welcome a member of the history and faculty at the United States military academy at west point. A longtime journalist who has worked as an editor at time life and is a produ
Casualties in getting to the same place. They maintain great hope lee would triumph. Certain that lee and his men would somehow inflict a fatal blow to the norths willingness to fight. In the union army that june, soldiers saw the spires of richmond just eight miles away. Union soldiers, too, gained hope from that. But recognized, too, how hard those last eight miles would be. A pennsylvania soldier wrote of the moment, in the prospects, theres a magic influence in the expression as it passes from lip to lip. Eight miles from richmond, boys. Only eight miles from richmond. What treasure, what a restored peaceful happy in the United Country and the a free government can pay for the precious blood that must be shed in the inexpressible sufferings that must be endured before this short distance can be accomplished. That pennsylvanian could not likely have imagined just how painful the answer to that question would be. We hope that you will join us, the staff here at fredericksburg and pos
The casualties were astounding, a stouinstounding to soldiers, generals and those left back home. Amidst the staggering losses at cole harbor, for every soldier killed, wounded or captured, there was a family. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters that also felt the loss. The loss of the men that fell at cole harbor in the spring of 1864 reverb rasreverberated thr kmunlts a communities across the north and south. The battlegrounds left indelible kbag impacts on the living left behind. So, too, were the believes of the men who fought that bloody spring. Indeed, in spite of so many lost lives, those believes and ideas about nation, government and home became even more deeply enslie enshrined in the hearts and minds of those left to fight on tonight to reflect upon and learn from today. Writing soon after the war with a perspective on hindsight. Sally putnam came to believe that in its own unique way, cole harbor had been a landmark event in the 1866 Campaign Across Central
Been going on for some three years. Massive casualties and losses. Tremendous disaffection in the north with the war. It looked like it would go on forever. Abraham lincoln, of course, is up for reelection. Its important to have battlefield victories for the north and its important to win battles in virginia. Virginia is still the preserve of robert e. Lee and the storied army of Northern Virginia. So lincoln brings east his best general, thats going to be ulysses s. Grant, the general who won all the battles in the west. And he gives grant a basically a twopart requirement. First, to bring organization, to bring continuity to the union war effort. And secondly, to defeat the army of Northern Virginia. And grant goes about making it possible to carry out that charge with a vengeance. First he puts together a program, unlike any that the war has yet seen. He realized that up to this point, battles would last a couple of days, and then the armies would pull apart for months. Grant would