To wage war. And watchrtifacts more American History tv next week while congress is in recess. Be an primetime monday through friday at 8 00 p. M. Featuring watergate, 40 years. War,xt on the civil Emmanuel Dabney of Petersburg National battlefield discusses u. S. Colored troops. Ing, unions of tunnel forces blew up a mine to create a gap in the defenses. He discusses while the attack ended in a failure and why the colored troops were unjustly blamed. This part of the Gettysburg CollegeCivil War Institute annual conference. It is about one hour. [applause] a good morning. You, we willrn hear language that we think its repulsive. I will not cut it out and stop we will get started. In june 1860 four, after failing to defeat Robert E Lees army, ulysses as grant ulysses s. Grant and a portion of the army of. Petersburg in 1850 was the second largest city with a population of 18,266 folks. Thead been referred to as rockies city. Forur railroads radiated. The Petersburg Railroad which ran south to weldon, south carolina. The richmond and petersburg connecting the two places. The south side which ran from city point, modernday through petersburg to lynchburg. And north of petersburg. In addition to petersburgs railroads, they contained 4 caught in males. These operations, the discussions we were having about the importance of places will be cranking out supplies and food for the soldiers. Addition to that, the confederacy operated several wartime plants near the city still functioning and the summer of 1864 including the lead saltpetercial for gun power and wagon works. Blockade andto the created greater importance for the Petersburg Railroad because it was a separate company. Withcting petersburg european rain goods through the blockade. Have i should theres petersburg. Great wanted to cut off communications and transportation of goods through petersburg and destroy lees army. Even fully arrived in petersburg, union troops assaulted the city. Sees operations began. E operations began. In the midst of the summer of and heat wave was the constant sharpshooting. And a plan had developed to break this campaign before it lasted much longer. As june 21, colonel pleasant thought mining the calledrate position ingrams battery was a possibility. He later noted the greatest enthusiasm was the Division Commander and the corps commander. Beganth infantry excavating the mine the 26th of june oh stop people remember it started at 12 00 noon. If you are a detail oriented person, they left it for us. The work was completed day and night even and the intense summer heat. The concerns about ventilating the mine were addressed and represented in the images here. Fresh air entered a eight inch would induct wooden duct. The bad air was sent through a chimney shaft. Allow minors to get in and out of the shaft. As the laborers extended the mine, so was the wooden duct system. The mine would reach the 510 point proposed. Extendedries will be under the confederacy position. Gunpowder is supposed to be imagery did the mine, burnside crafted a battle plan. Edward, as you see to usethe colored troops it first. Burnside expected 12,000 pounds of gunpowder to explode. Soldiers would be in double columns to pass through the gap and the enemys online. It was perpendicular to the confederate line and execute this by maneuvering to the north and right of the explosion site and leaving regimen of the left would do the same but in reverse. The remaining regiments would moveesque weekly as possible and front and rapidly as burnside wrote. The white troops of the core and others would soon follow. A was directed to trail his enthusiastic troops but not veterans for this attack. Stills an issue that we do not know all of the details of. Where the u. S. Colored troops tried or not . It depends on who you ask. There was only one drill according to one person. He said Nothing Specific to this battle maneuver. They were as he said, most maneuvers. Simple some recall specialized training. One remembered time after time my regiment went through the imaginary along the lines. Every primateand new his place and what he was expected to do. Not know short, we do if they were trying or not. Because theow confederates figured out what was going on with the mining activity in just five days after the federal had started. This man is on the confederate praised for lucky guessing. Many of you and in this audience, it you know edward alexander. Line on juneng the 30. He is suspected that inspecting the he is inspecting the siege operations and get them closer to the confederates. He is not noticing. He noticed there is intense sharpshooting coming in. He things seriously that the enemy is not going to come if he is above ground but they were coming underground. They were mining us, he later wrote. I always say, it is important to know that this is not farmer joe and he probably would not have guessed this. Alexander, a graduate of west point, third in his class. He knew this sort of world of siege operations which could include minds. Alexander reported to headquarters of counter mining in several places but not in a lee at area elliott area to go deep but need. ,n addition to counter mining constructing another single line just because of the intense amount of sharpshooting and artillery fire. The confederates later stated practically honeycombed the area between the cavalier trench and the back of elliotts salient with the bombproof. What they did not know was it will create an obstacle for the federals. What is definitely planned the young the trenches, move up more artillery. It will be in a horseshoe shape. The confederates are going to have 30 cannons and five mortars to use against any ever treat attack in that particular area. The plan developed by burnside began unraveling almost as soon as headquarters got the plan on june 27, 8000 pounds of gunpowder arrived instead of 12,000. The lead engineer decided that was all they needed. A single fuse are right in segments. In the segments which required slicing. The plans which burnside had instructed were changed by meade. They had a show down about the battle plan. At a military inquiry that a black soldiers were too green for the attack. Testifiedyear, grant that general meade said if you put the colored troops in front we only had that one division and it should prove a failure. It would then be said and very properly that we were shoving to get killedhead because we did not care anything about them. That cannot be said if we put white troops in front. Since a burnside protested this lastminute change, meade stated he would talk to grant about it and it is important to understand technically burnside out ranked meade. Contentious sort of thing since burnside arrived in the spring. Both oft the ranks of them and he can decide. Here is the plan. Meade represents what his opinion is and the postscript version of what burnside feels and grant agrees with meade. However, neither general bother to warn burnside. Meade and another general appeared at burnsides headquarters. He still wanted the plan he had to go for it. He asked meade not to change and final dutchno, the the order is final. They use of the colored troops, meade rejected. He wanted the men to go up probably and get the crest. It does not take into account the other confederate troops to the north, the explosion site and i shall point out the objective here is take the high ground which is to the north, a few hundred yards away from elliotts salience. Meade leave a burnside and figure out what to do. These eligible division includers and it will orlando wilcox, james leslie and Robert Potter on the right. Latere burnsides realization he probably should have selected wilcox or potter, he felt like and they felt like their division had been used up. He selected james. , he had a fondness for alcohol. It had been exhibited most and in the 1864 initial attacks on petersburg on june 17. Of julyhe night and day 29, final preparations were made cannonsde a moving 110 across a twomile front to be used right of the explosion takes place and pin down confederates as the attack moves forward. White troops move into their position and now in front, ferraras troops will be in the back of the attacking column. Pleasant will go in. Did not go off. Volunteer to go back inside to see what had gone wrong. My tours i time on do not have many people say that would be mean. [laughter] ok surely, i get it. And i say, you brave person. They relived the fuse. The gunpowder explodes as represented in this image from harpers weekly. James payne of the colored troops. One of the enemies were in pleasant slumber. Destroying nearly all who was in it at the time. Is whole confederate line 170 feet long and 30 feet in deep. Confederates in the position are going to live to tell the tale. 278 andn a between theand 19 man and confederate will become casualties in the blast. The battle that follows reveal more about personalities and Racial Division that military tactics and objectives. Shells from the federals, 110 cannon and 150 leadrs as of the war began of the division around 5 00 a. M. Supported by Robert Porter potter and wilcoxs men. They are going to respond and will be a weak response at this particular moment from the infantry. Novell intends confederate artillery fire began to develop rapidly. Particularly through the federals and is coming from the right. Part of the army of james will be deployed to cover and push out from north carolinians north of the crater and whatever the gun battery is working through the ranks. That is what is represented here. I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about the white troops. You should have come to kevins talk yesterday. We will focus on the black troops. A. M. The division is order to attack the first brigade and the first regiment colored troops. They began to scream out, no quarter. Some of you know and for those of you did not fort pillow earlier in the year, confederate troops refused to accept surrender. When in the battle finally comes 150 powsed end, about and eight black men. Every body had been killed or mortally wounded. It does not really matter that the black shoes were not there or the white troops were, it became a battle cry with the black troops. One confederate officer screamed to his men as he saw the black rally, they are nothing but niggers. Andas overheard by sergeant another black combatant who talk he thrustofficer and a bayonet into the officers chest. Within that regiment, Albert Wright captures the flag you see here on the left. Thank you for providing debt image. He was wounded himself. Around the crater and seven artillery starting the slow progress of the 39th brigade. As these regiments moved through the remains of elliott salient, donovan abates was shot in the face. It exited near his left ear. Amazingly, bates survived. He has a pretty impressive mustache here already, it is part ofo cover up the his face that has been partially collapsed from the bullet. He will receive a medal of honor. Ran his Decatur Dorsey ahead of theag rest of the men which encourage them to move forward. Following on the heels of c griffith duchess siegfrieds men, thomas recalled a deadly ever treat for eight guns on our right. The firepower forced thomas to admit his first regiment men will be mowed down like grass. Torment thomas ordered the troops back. They had to move through the masses all white troops already there which is also honey,ed honeycombed. It will be met with doom. Here on the left. Colonel, who gets himself all dandied up, he has on the best coat, hat. He will stand on top of earthworks and tried to encourage his men. He will get shot down. Hisrt beauchamp wrote soldiers and their attempt to charge the confederates, there was no flinching on their part. Truecan to shoulder like soldiers ready to face the enemy and it to death on the battlefield. Of ane thing for a moment effective charge in that death valley under a moderate fire jammed with other troops confused and broken up as we were. Officers are going down. Heavy confederate artillery fire. An infantry unit on the confederate side is beginning to move up. Commanded by the only Division Commands ofat lee his day on the south side of the river which is temporarily tried not to be permanent by Brigadier General robert mahone. He will decide up to initially initiallyes and virginians he wants commanded. And currently commanded by a native of petersburg. By his brigade now commanded matthew hall, lieutenant colonel. Virginians, as they get onto the battlefield, are moving toward the battlefield are going to encounter confederates moving backwards. Informed hall data that are busted back thar. Williamst colonel wrote very frankly many years later the report from the men was the first estimation we would have to fight the gross negroes. I never felt more Like Fighting in my life. Our comrades had been slaughtered in the most inhuman and brutal way and black slaves were trampling over their mangled and bleeding forms. We strung every arm with nerves of steel with a herculean task. Mahone gives a rallying speech which amazingly is not filled with any racially charged language just before the virginians attack at 9 00 a. M. Confederate officers actually wrote, they sprang forth from the ravine. Usedmits the bayonet was in a way that you never seem. This was a veteran. Toginians pay a heavy cost capture a few feet of earthworks. The georgians would follow them in. Virginia who was watching recalled they made to a tax and s and ake two attack sale like autumn leaves. The 49th georgia infantry share with his dear sister. Came sident [indiscernible] he underlined this part they were niggers. As soon as they came, the bayonet was sent through their chest. They were hit with the butts of their guns. And someone who ought to know about beating the black bodies since he was an overseer before the war began and told his dear sister mary, just 11 days afterward we got to the work it was filled with negroes and yanks. Not showepend we did much quarter but slated them. Writing to the prim and proper southern women. They want to know what their men are doing on the battlefield and now they are fighting armed black men they are providing very detailed, they put down the slave insurrection. It is perhaps during the time that Sergeant Dorsey of 39 realized the battle was going to disaster. He grabbed the units flat and ran it across fire and planted the flag on top of a union picket line. For that, he would receive a medal of honor. The attack along with the remnants of other confederates on the field at that particular time. Confederates are going to eventually launghing bayonet weapons as they get very close on the tops of their muskets and ease over the rim of the crater. This hand to hand conflict really gets underway. An aspiring and alabama and to say that all black soldiers would have been killed if it were not for general mahone who begged to spare them. One disobeyed mahone is saying he would kill another and deliver leads a guys pocket knife and cut a mans throat. They bash the heads of the negroes skulls. When the black troops cried out they wanted quarter, the response was no quarter this morning, no quarter now. Amazingly, people lacked oliver scott made it off the battlefield. And he lefts old slavery and enlisted in the colored troops promoted to corporal. During the battle, he is a wounded. He is shot in the hip. The bullet exited his butt. What is interesting about the photo is the scott must have obeyed the rules of whomever his owner was. No sign of whip marks across his back. The desire to be free was so great that he observed. He was lucky he managed to get of the field at all. To passet is only going three inches from the spinal column. George former slave was carr. Bullet entering the middle third of the inside of the leg and passed through. S, aborn charles harri native of new york, hit by a ball in the back leg which passed through the tabula and fibila. A tibula and as the confederates went across killing union troops, whites realize how angry the southerners were. Battlete, day after the and remembered many years after the battle, white union troops will start killing black union troops as they readily admit in an effort to preserve white peoples lives. The battle finally ends at about 2 30 in the afternoon. The aftermath is going to be a Court Inquiry and general meade and if you want to know details, we can discuss later. More or less, the blame will be on burnside and it will be some blame for james lately and ferrara who were drinking together during the battle. Ferrara is going to more or less be slapped on the wrist. Furloughes home on a and never returns and ferrara. Federal casualties will be around 3800. The u. S. Colored troops will 410er 957 wounded and either captured or go missing. Seen here represents the flag that will happen on august 1. Who everybody likes to beat up as the idiot in general, truce afterflag of the battle ends. Meade wants him to arrange a localized truce. He does not want to admit defeat. Fielde wounded off of the even though it is 100 bus degrees. All day on july 31 and finally that are picked up on the morning of august 1 and by that point, one of meades Staff Members admits he cannot tell who is naturally african or european except for the quality of their here. In the in between, henry bird wrote his fiancee that the man cried out for water. The response from the if you areas not french him a french, drin your blood, and you will have no more thirst. He said black troops were [indiscernible] remember fort pillow and a great slaughter and he was in february and very rarely infuria ted. He ordered the lives of all remaining troops to be spared. This is much to be regretted. Male more angry is the fe version of edmund ruffin. This woman writing 4 days after the battle and it helps to illustrate our protection of southern ladies is soon is too scarlet ohara. Troops ran shouting no quarter. They were met with so determination by the old masters and what they saw earnestly clambered up for that in spite of the yankees bayonets behind them they ran. She got a dubious story about somebody who was in the ranks who sees his old mississippi master, there are no mississippi troops here. And once immediately to become a slave again. It is unlikely that actually happened. Mrs. Edmiston does touch upon the troop truth. The newspapers respond with their biases. There are statements like cowardice of the nigger. Sat down the niggers their weapons and refused to obey. They said was not for the niggers th