You again and welcome you here to the park. I was remarking a few minutes ago, much like it was for the soldiers 150 years ago who were in the oberlin campaign that started in 1864, it has been a long road to petersburg. We started this 150th event for 3, atparks on may spotsylvania courthouse. We have moved south ever since. T has been quite a feat it is the first time three parks within a process of these commemorations have shared programming where we have tried to make a continual program of the oberlin campaign rather than look at it as the wilderness, spill something you spotsylvania, that this was one continual process for the soldiers 150 years ago. For some of you in the audience we have senior faces before. We know you have been on the road with us, and we appreciate that. [applause] this morning i would like to introduce to you the superintendent of Petersburg National battlefield, lewis rogers. In 1984,an his career a park ranger. He took his first herman it position at tho
What i tried to do was to fit that response into the broader context of slave rebellions. Those that actually happened and those whoa were rumors. It didnt matter if it actually took place, if there was a ruer they dont need to hear cries of remember fort pillow. They know whats done on the morning of july 30th. They do it. In fact if you look at the numbers of black soldiers who were mass kacremassacred. It falls into line of the numbers that are usually killed in the aftermath of state rebellions in the states and beyond in the caribbean. So its a measured response on the part of confederates on july 30th. Its at least worth about. Great questions, thank you very much. Not to keep on the mahone band wagon but reviewing of the 9th corp archives, it was clear that a lot of stuff did not make it into the official records. It was a great camp by henry thom thomas, who they finally allowed them to bury the dead he got turned around and walked into the confederate lions by mistake and was
A year i felt good about being a black person. It was on april 9th. We. Wkvy celebrated emancipation. We talked about lincoln. We talked about freedom. Thats when i really felt good. The other times was an existence as if we were pushing a barrel up a hill. Thank you everyone. I really enjoyed that. Thank you for your questions and your time. [ applause ] once again, kevin, thank you very much for you spending time with us and i want to again, thank st. Pauls episcopal search for this venue. I think this was the perfect setting for this venue. I want to thank you for taking time out of your day and evening to be with us. We hope that you were fulfilled tonight. That you were stimulated somewhat tonight by kevins words. We encourage you to continue learning about petersberg, the american civil war, and where weve come over the last 150 years as a nation but again, thank you all very much for your time with us this evening. [ applause ] with live could havage of the house here on cspan 3
Said, quote, the whites retreated into the niggers. Others were called having to, quote, fix bayonets to stop them. This was a desperate moment for the men in the 4th division, but for the other three divisions, there was now an added element of an enraged enemy that was likely to treat them as accomplices in citing foreign slaves in selection. George kilmer noted, quote, it has been properly asserted that white men fell back into the greater in order to keep whites from confederate vengeance. The 36th massachusetts, quote, mix them up so they, the confederates, didnt show white men any mercy at all. A few days into the battle, charles j. Mills of the 56th massachusetts, spoke for many when he confided to his mother, quote, they cannot be trusted for anything and are, in short, a hideous mistake, i fear. He, of course, was referring to the black division. The three white divisions had spent the morning holding precariously to earthworks in and around the crater. But now their black com
Watching recalled, they made two attacks and they fell like autumn leaves. The georgians leave us some of our best accounts of their anger at the sight of armed black men, such as james verderi of the 48th georgia infantry sharing with his dear sister the day after the battle, the prisoners came leaping over our breastworks by 50 but our men took none, for they, he underlined this part, were niggers. Burnsides ninth army corps. As fast as they came over, the bayonet was plunged through their hearts. The muzzle of our gun was put on their temple and their brains blown out. Others are knocked in the head with the butts of their gun. Few would succeed in getting to the rear safe. Dorsey binian, also the 48th georgian, someone who ought to know about beating black bodies since he had been over he was an overseer before the war began, told his dear sister, mary, just 11 days afterwards, when we got to the works it was filled with negroes and yanks crying out no quarter. When a handtohand co