Eligible population, dont even meet the basic requirements to get into todays army. 99 of todays recruits have a High School Diploma or equivalent. An era where 79 of High School Students graduate. Thats 21 times lower rate of dropouts than the national average. Overall, todays recruits are healthier, more physically fit than the vast majority of peers and must adhere to zero tolerance policy on drugs and criminal issues. It is actually statistically easy tosh gier to get into coll enlist, not become an officer, but enlist in the army. Life of a soldiers no secret to them. They join knowing they will endure hard times then will endure sacrifice. They will be charged to keep us safe. The few that make the cut to get in, are willing to make that sacrifice, they are not always easy to find. If it was easy to find, we one need an entire command to recruiting. Those that get in, those that make the cut to get in and make the next cut, to get through training and into a unit, they become par
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
Believe that if those black regiments had been allowed to lead the assault, that would have been it. In other words, we can imagine black soldiers marching, charging over blanford hill, right, into petersburg. Thats a very soothing image. I think that tells us more about how we want to remember the war than the battle itself, because anyone who has studied civil war battles, they never go as planned. Right . Theres always something that goes afoul. So is it any surprise that given this massive detonation that no one really can predict what it will do to the landscape and whats beyond it. Remember, its not just that front confederate line they have to deal with. This is a complex sort of maze of bombproofs, traverses. Part of the problem is in the 1920s, the crater battlefield was an 18hole golf course. So a lot of that battlefield has been smoothed over in one way or the other. You really are hardpressed to get a sense of what it would have looked like in the 1860s. So would it have ch
Burning of washington during the war of 1812 this thursday from author and historian anthony pitch at an event hosted by the smithsonian associated. Our live coverage starts at 6 45 p. M. Eastern. And more next saturday, august 23rd as we take you live for a Panel Discussion on the events of 200 years ago. Thats live at 1 00 p. M. Eastern here on American History tv on cspan3. Next on the civil war, author cethen levin discussed the role of the u. S. Colored troops in the civil wars battle of the crater and the way their contributions were remembered in the years following the civil war. Organized by Petersburg National battlefield, this is an hour and ten minutes. Im chris bryce, chief of interpretation with Petersburg National battlefield. For those of you who have been with us for the last couple com 150th anniversary of the battle of the crater, thank you, and welcome to those who have not attended the program this evening. I want to, before we get started, thank yous, specifically
Not particularly. Of course, as meade calls the court of inquiry, hes decided whos going to be on the court, and theyre all people who dont like burnside, from the battle of fredericksburg in 1862 and the mud march in 1863, so they already have a negative opinion of burnside. Hes the civil wars worst general. And meades recorder is one of his own Inspector General from his staff. So none of them are going to say, meade, youre to blame, or grant, youre to blame. They heap the blame on burnside and rightfully with ledlie and ferrero. Yes, sir . In the film version of the battle, in the movie they made of cold mountain, its depicted of all the troops black and white kind of pouring into the crater, being trapped there. Thats been told in other stories, too. Is there any truth to that or is that really a problem that people went into the crater and couldnt get out, or is that just a legend . In case people didnt hear, question is did troops, white and black, rush through the crater into th