October 24, 2024 • 37 mins
What if the final phase of the American Civil War wasn't just about military victories, but about redefining the nation's very soul? Join us as we promise to unravel the gripping narrative of battles, enduring human spirit, and a quest for liberty and equality that shaped the United States forever. You'll hear how President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address reframed the war, and witness General Ulysses S. Grant's relentless campaigns that split the Confederacy both geographically and psychologically. We'll uncover the harrowing reality of General William Tecumseh Sherman's march to the sea, a campaign that aimed to break the South's will by targeting its economy and infrastructure.
In our second segment, we tackle the transformative impact of African American soldiers, showcasing how their increased involvement marked a significant ideological shift in the war's objectives. From the grim Overland Campaign and the prolonged Siege of Petersburg to the Confederacy's surrender at Appomattox, you'll gain profound insights into the relentless drive toward Union victory. We'll also ponder the immense human suffering and endurance during these final stages, and explore the nation's struggle to rebuild through Reconstruction, all while reflecting on the lasting legacy of the Civil War on American history. This is a journey through a pivotal era, shedding light on the transformative events that redefined a nation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Double Helix Blueprint of
Nations.
When we last left off, theUnion had just emerged from the
fiery crucible of Gettysburg.
It was a turning point, nodoubt about it, but it was far
from the end.
The war still had plenty oflife left in it, grim, bloody
(00:21):
life.
The year of 1863 was not yetover and 1864 was still to come.
We are entering the final phaseof the American Civil War, and
the conflict will become morerelentless, more all-consuming
and more brutal than ever before.
This episode is aptly titled Inat the Death, a phrase that
(00:45):
captures the inevitable,grinding finality of what's to
come.
We're going to dive into thecampaigns that brought the
Confederacy to its knees UlyssesS Grant's unforgiving crushing
of the Confederacy in the Westand the Overland Campaign,
william Tecumseh Sherman'sdevastating march to the sea and
(01:05):
the increasing role of AfricanAmerican soldiers in a war that
was fundamentally about theirfreedom.
But let's not forget thepersonal toll, the homes
destroyed, the lives lost andthe very fabric of a nation
stretched to its very breakingpoint.
The war has now reached a stagewhere every ounce of strength,
(01:26):
every scrap of willpower, isbeing tested.
So, as we step into the finalyears of the war, prepare
yourself for a tale of grit anddetermination.
The war may be nearing its end,but the road to that end is
paved with hardship and loss.
It's a path that will reshapethe nation forever.
(01:47):
This is part nine of ourjourney through the American
Civil War.
Welcome to Double HelixBlueprint of Nations, season 2,
episode 2.9, in at the Death.
(02:15):
As the echoes of the cannons atGettysburg faded, the Union and
Confederate armies began toregroup, both physically and
mentally, from the devastatingtoll the battle had exacted.
The South, still reeling fromthe twin blows of Gettysburg and
the fall of Becksburg, faced anincreasingly grim reality.
(02:35):
The hope that a decisivevictory on northern soil might
force a negotiated peace wasshattered.
Lee's army, once seeminglyinvincible, was now retreating
back to Virginia, battered andbruised.
Meanwhile, in the North, theUnion was grappling with its own
challenges.
Despite the significantvictories, the war was far from
(02:56):
over.
The public, while buoyed by thenews of Gettysburg, was growing
weary of the conflict's lengthand cost.
President Lincoln, who had beenunder immense pressure to
deliver a decisive blow againstthe Confederacy, saw Gettysburg
as a turning point, but he knewthat the war was entering a new,
even more grueling phase.
(03:18):
In the wake of Gettysburg,lincoln took the opportunity to
solidify the Union's war aims.
His primary concern was toensure that the sacrifices made
on the battlefield were not invain.
He understood that the Unionneeded not just military
victories but also a clear andresolute political message to
sustain the war effort andredefine the nation's future.
(03:40):
This understanding culminatedin one of the most famous
speeches in American history,lincoln's Gettysburg Address,
delivered on November 19, 1863,at the dedication of the
Soldiers' National Cemetery inGettysburg.
Lincoln's address was brief,just over two minutes long, but
(04:01):
its impact was profound.
Standing on the hallowed groundwhere thousands have fought and
died, lincoln redefined thepurpose of the war.
He invoked the principles ofequality laid out in the
Declaration of Independence andframed the conflict as a test of
whether a nation founded onsuch principles could endure.
(04:23):
Four score and seven years ago,lincoln began referencing the 87
years since the Declaration ofIndependence.
Our fathers brought forth inthis continent a new nation
conceived in liberty anddedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.
(04:43):
This was no ordinary dedicationspeech.
Lincoln was making it clearthat the war was not just about
preserving the Union, but aboutensuring that the United States
lived up to its founding ideals.
Lincoln's words were a call toaction, a reminder that the
(05:06):
struggle was about more thanjust territory or even the
institution of slavery.
It was about the survival of anation conceived in liberty and
dedicated to equality.
He continued that this nation,under God, shall have a new
birth of freedom and thatgovernment of the people by the
people for the people shall notperish from the earth.
(05:28):
With these words, lincolnsought to inspire the Union to
continue the fight, to see thewar through its conclusion and
to emerge not just victoriousbut transformed.
The Gettysburg Address was metwith mixed reactions at the time
.
Some Northerners were deeplymoved by Lincoln's eloquence and
(05:49):
vision, while others dismissedit as overly idealistic or too
short to be meaningful.
However, as time passed, thespeech became one of the most
revered documents in Americanhistory, encapsulating the moral
and political stakes of theCivil War.
While Lincoln was redefining thewar's purpose, the military
(06:10):
efforts continued unabated.
In the Western theater, unionforces under General Ulysses S
Grant were tightening their gripon the Confederacy.
After the fall of Vicksburg,grant had cemented his
reputation of one of the Union'smost capable commanders, and
his star was rising rapidly.
The Western victories werecrucial to the Union's overall
(06:33):
strategy, as they cut off keysupply lines to the Confederacy
and divided the southern states.
Grant's success in the Westwere not only strategic
victories but also psychologicalblows to the Confederacy.
The loss of Vicksburg, alongwith the defeat at Gettysburg,
demoralized the South and raisedserious doubts about the
(06:54):
sustainability of theConfederate war effort.
With the Mississippi Riverfirmly in Union hands, the
Confederacy was effectivelysplit in two, isolating Texas
and Louisiana and Arkansas fromthe rest of the southern states.
As the Union began to shift itsfocus to the South's heartland,
lincoln and his generalsrealized that the war would have
(07:16):
to be pursued with renewedvigor.
The era of limited war was over.
What was needed now was totalwar, a strategy that would bring
the full weight of the Union'sresources to bear on the
Confederacy, attacking not justits armies but its economy, its
infrastructure and its will tofight.
(07:36):
General William TecumsehSherman, one of Grant's closest
allies, would become thearchitect of this brutal new
strategy.
But before Sherman could launchhis infamous march to the sea,
the Union would need to secureits hold on the southern states
through a series of fiercebattles and relentless campaigns
.
The war was entering its mostdestructive phase, and one that
(08:01):
would leave a lasting scar onthe South and ultimately lead to
the Confederacy's downfall.
As the Union shifted itsstrategy in the later half of
1863, the focus moved to takingadvantage of the momentum gained
from the victories atGettysburg and Vicksburg.
The Union leadership knew thatmerely holding onto these gains
(08:22):
wouldn't be enough.
They needed to press theConfederacy on all fronts,
stretch its resources thin andultimately break its will to
fight In the Western theater.
General Ulysses S Grant wasquickly becoming the Union's
most important military leader.
His successes at Fort Donelson,shiloh and Vicksburg had proven
(08:43):
his capability, and now, as heprepared to take command of all
Union forces in the West, thepressure was on to deliver even
more decisive blows.
The Union's goal was cleardominate the Mississippi Valley
and secure complete control overthe Western states.
But the Confederacy, thoughweakened, was far from defeated.
(09:06):
In fact, 1863 saw the Southrallying its forces for a
significant counterattack inTennessee.
General Braxton Bragg,commanding the Confederate Army
of Tennessee, sought torecapture Chattanooga, a vital
rail hub and gateway to the DeepSouth.
If the Confederacy could retakeChattanooga, it would not only
(09:27):
strike a blow to Union morale,but also regain control of a
critical supply line.
The Battle of Chickamauga,fought in September 1863, was
one of the bloodiest battles ofthe war and a stark reminder
that the Confederacy still hadsome fight left in it.
Despite being outnumbered,bragg's forces managed to break
(09:49):
through Union lines, inflictingsignificant casualties and
forcing the Union army toretreat to Chattanooga.
The battle was a rareConfederate victory in the West
and it temporarily reversed theUnion's momentum.
However, the victory atChickamauga came at a steep cost
.
The Confederate forces wereunable to capitalize on their
(10:11):
success.
Bragg, despite his tacticalvictory, failed to follow up
with a decisive strike.
The Union army, though battered, regrouped and entrenched
itself in Chattanooga, settingthe stage for a siege.
The Confederates surrounded thecity, cutting off supply lines
and hoping to starve the Unionforces into surrender.
(10:31):
But the siege of Chattanoogawould not go as Bragg planned.
Lincoln and his militaryadvisors recognized the
strategic importance of holdingChattanooga.
If the Union lost the city, itwould be a severe setback,
potentially undoing all theprogress made in the Western
theater.
Lincoln decided to sendreinforcements, placing Grant in
(10:53):
overall command of thesituation.
Grant, as we've seen, is neverone to shy away from a challenge
, and he acted swiftly.
He arrived in Chattanooga inlate October and immediately
began reorganizing thebeleaguered Union forces.
One of his first priorities wasto open a supply line, famously
known as the Cracker Line, tobring much-needed provisions to
(11:16):
the starving troops.
This daring operation was asuccess and significantly
boosted Union morale within thebeleaguered city and
significantly boosted Unionmorale within the Liger city.
By November, grant was ready togo on the offensive.
The battles that followed theBattle of Lookout Mountain and
the Battle of Missionary Ridgewere some of the most dramatic
(11:36):
of the war.
Lookout Mountain, often calledthe Battle Above the Clouds, saw
Union forces scaling the steep,fog-covered slopes of the
mountain, driving theConfederates back.
It was a spectacular victory,made all the more so by the
sight of Union flags wavingtriumphantly above the clouds.
The decisive blow, however,came at Missionary Ridge.
(11:58):
Grant ordered a frontal assaulton the Confederate positions, a
move that many of hissubordinates thought was doomed
to fail.
But the Union troops, driven bya mixture of desperation and
determination, broke through theConfederate lines in what can
only be described as amiraculous turn of events.
The Confederate forces wererouted and Bragg's army was
(12:21):
forced to retreat, abandoningChattanooga to the Union.
The victories at LookoutMountain and Missionary Ridge
effectively shattered theConfederate hold on Tennessee
and opened the door forSherman's Atlanta campaign the
following year.
These battles demonstrated thegrowing superiority of Union
forces, both in terms of numbersand leadership.
(12:43):
They also marked the beginningof the end for the Confederacy
in the Western Theater.
With Chattanooga firmly in Unionhands, the stage was now set
for the next phase of the war.
The Union now had a clear pathto the heart of the Confederacy
and Grant, who had provenhimself time and again, was
about to be promoted to thehighest command.
(13:04):
No-transcript, but as we know,the war was not over in the East
.
Lee's army of Northern Virginiawas still a formidable force
and the Confederacy had not yetlost its will to fight.
The battles of 1864 would besome of the most brutal and
(13:28):
bloody of the war, as both sidesprepared for what they knew
would be a long and gruelingstruggle, what they knew would
be a long and grueling struggle.
Now you might recall that beforeGrant was given command of all
Union armies, the Union wareffort had been something of a
revolving door of commanders,each with their own strategy
McClellan, burnside, hooker,meade none of whom could quite
(13:51):
deliver that decisive blow.
The war dragged on, withConfederates proving remarkably
resilient despite theirdwindling resources.
President Lincoln, desperatefor a general who could get the
job done, turned to Grant, theman who had already proven
himself in the Western theaterwith victories at Vicksburg,
chattanooga and so many others.
(14:11):
Grant's reputation was built onhis tenacity and his
willingness to engage the enemyaggressively.
When Lincoln promoted Grant tolieutenant general in March 1864
, giving him command of allUnion armies, it was with the
hope that Grant would bring thatsame relentless energy to the
Eastern Theater, where the war'soutcome would ultimately be
(14:33):
decided.
Grant wasted no time inlaunching what would come to be
known as the Overland Campaign,a relentless, brutal series of
battles aimed at wearing downRobert E Lee's army of Northern
Virginia.
The campaign kicked off inearly May 1864, and it was
unlike anything the war had seenup to that point.
(14:55):
Grant's strategy wasstraightforward Engage Lee's
army continuously, inflictmaximum damage and do not
retreat, regardless of the cost.
He knew that the Union had theadvantage in numbers and
resources, and he intended touse that advantage to grind the
Confederates down.
Unlike previous Unioncommanders who had been cautious
(15:19):
, often withdrawn after takingcasualties, grant's approach was
to press forward, even if itmeant staggering losses.
This strategy would come todefine the Overland Campaign.
The first major clash came atthe Battle of the Wilderness,
fought in the dense thickets ofnorthern Virginia.
The terrain was so thick withunderbrush that soldiers could
(15:42):
barely see a few feet ahead, andthe battle quickly devolved
into a chaotic close-quarterscombat.
Fires ignited by the musketsand the artillery swept through
the dry forest, trapping andburning alive the wounded who
couldn't escape.
It was a horrific scene,emblematic of the brutal nature
of this campaign.
Despite suffering heavycasualties, grant refused to
(16:06):
retreat after the wilderness, astark contrast to his
predecessors.
Instead, he pressed on movinghis forces south in an attempt
to outflank Lee.
What followed was the Battle ofSpotsylvania Courthouse, a
two-week bloodbath where some ofthe war's most intense fighting
took place, particularly at asection of the battlefield known
(16:29):
as the Bloody Angle.
For twenty hours, union andConfederate soldiers fought
hand-to-hand in a torrentialdownpour.
The fighting was so fierce thatthe dead and wounded formed a
literal barrier between the twosides.
Again, despite staggeringlosses, grant did not pull back.
His men dubbed him the Butcher,but he knew that his strategy
(16:52):
was working.
Lee's army was being bled dryand no hope of replenishing its
ranks as the Union could.
The war of attrition that Grantwas waging was taking its toll
on the Confederacy, and thecampaign continued with battles
at North Anna and Cold Harbor,each one adding to the mounting
(17:12):
casualties on both sides.
Cold Harbor, in particular wasa disaster for the Union.
Grant ordered a frontal assaultagainst well-entrenched
Confederate positions, resultingin over 7,000 Union casualties
in less than an hour.
Many Union soldiers knew theassault was futile before it
even began and some even pinnedtheir names on their addresses
(17:35):
in their uniforms so theirbodies could be identified
afterwards.
They knew they were going todie.
Despite the blunder at CoalHarbor, grant pushed on.
His goal was Petersburg, avital rail hub that, if captured
, could cut off Richmond fromthe rest of the Confederacy.
The siege of Petersburg beganon June 1864 and would last
(17:58):
nearly 10 months, effectivelyturning the war into a grinding
stalemate of the trenches,foreshadowing the trench warfare
of World War I.
Throughout the OverlandCampaign, grant's rise as the
Supreme Union commander wassolidified.
He was different from those whohad come before him.
He understood that the CivilWar was a total war and that
(18:21):
would require total commitmentto victory, no matter the cost.
Grant's willingness to bearthat cost and his understanding
that the North's resources wouldeventually overwhelm the South
was what ultimately set himapart and put the Union on the
path to victory.
By the end of 1864, grant hadLee's army pinned down in
(18:43):
Petersburg and the Confederacy'sdays were numbered.
The relentless OverlandCampaign had succeeded in its
grim objective.
It had worn down Lee's forcesand paved the way for the
Union's final push towardsvictory.
By the later half of 1864, theUnion's strategy took a decisive
and brutal turn under theleadership of General William
(19:06):
Tecumseh Sherman.
Known for his intense,no-nonsense demeanor, sherman
was not one to mince words oractions.
He believed that to bring theConfederacy to its knees, the
North needed to wage war notjust against Southern armies,
but against the very will of theSouthern people to continue the
fight.
This was the essence of totalwar.
(19:28):
Sherman's idea of total warwasn't merely about winning
battles.
It was about breaking the backof the Confederate war effort by
destroying its infrastructure,economy and morale.
If you wanted to understandwhat Sherman had in mind, all
you had to do was look at thesmoldering ruins he left behind
(19:49):
in his wake.
His infamous March to the Sea,which began in November 1864
after the capture of Atlanta,was the embodiment of this
philosophy.
Sherman's army, numberingaround 60,000 men, cut a swath
through Georgia from Atlanta toSavannah, leaving a trail of
(20:09):
destruction that stretched formiles.
They destroyed railroads,burned crops and laid waste to
anything that could potentiallyaid the Confederate war effort.
This was psychological warfareaimed at breaking the will of
the Southern people.
Sherman's march wasn't aboutchasing Confederate soldiers,
(20:29):
although they did engage inskirmishes along the way.
It was about making the Southfeel the full weight of the war.
His troops destroyed everythingin their path, sparing only
civilian homes that were notdeemed to have military value.
Warehouses, factories,railroads and even fields were
set ablaze.
(20:50):
To the Confederates it feltlike the apocalypse.
The impact of this march wasprofound.
It cut off the Confederacy fromits resources and demonstrated
that the Union could penetratedeep into Southern territory at
will.
Southern morale, alreadyflagging, took a nosedive.
The psychological toll on theSouth was immense.
(21:13):
Many who had supported the warfrom a distance now felt this
horror up close and personal.
Sherman himself was unapologeticabout the harshness of his
methods.
He famously remarked War iscruelty.
There is no use in trying toreform it.
The crueler it is, the soonerit will be over.
(21:35):
His march to the sea was a grimapplication of this philosophy.
Sherman wanted to end the warby making his continuation
unbearable for the South.
But Sherman's tactics alsosparked intense debate.
Some Northerners applauded hismethods as necessary to end the
war.
Others recoiled at thedevastation and the suffering it
(22:04):
inflicted on civilians.
And yet there was no denyingthe effectiveness of Sherman's
campaign.
By the time his forces reachedHavana in December 1864, the
Confederacy was reeling.
Sherman's march was not justabout destruction.
It was about a strategic shiftin how wars could be fought.
It demonstrated that the Northwas willing to do whatever it
(22:24):
took to end the conflict, nomatter how brutal the march to
the sea was, the grim,relentless hammer that shattered
the Southern war effort.
As the Union armies pressed onfrom multiple fronts, the
Confederacy's ability to sustainits resistance was crumbling.
Sherman's total war strategyhad shown that the days of
(22:45):
chivalrous, gentlemanly combatwere well over.
The Civil War had entered itsfinal, ruthless phase, one that
would leave the South scarredfor generations.
With Sherman wreaking havoc inGeorgia, all eyes turned back to
Virginia, where Grant waspreparing to deliver the final
blow to the heart of theConfederacy.
(23:06):
It was finally time for thelast desperate struggle of the
war that had already claimed toomany lives.
As the Civil War trudged intoits later years, the conflict
dynamics shifted in more waysthan one.
Perhaps one of the mostsignificant developments, and
certainly one of the mostinspiring, was the increasing
(23:28):
role of African Americansoldiers in the Union Army.
This shift not only bolsteredthe Union's manpower, but also
symbolized a profound moral andideological transformation in
the war effort.
Now let's step back for amoment.
In the early days of the war,african Americans were largely
excluded from military service.
(23:49):
Despite the fact that freeblack men had volunteered in
droves, eager to fight for theUnion and for the freedom of
their enslaved brethren, theLincoln administration was
initially reluctant to acceptthem.
The war, in the eyes of manynorthern leaders, was a conflict
to preserve the Union, not acrusade to end slavery.
(24:09):
This cautious approachreflected deep-seated racial
prejudice that permeated eventhe free states.
However, as the war dragged onand casualties mounted, the
Union's need for soldiers becamemore desperate.
Moreover, the moral tide wasbeginning to turn, especially
after the EmancipationProclamation in 1863, which, as
(24:33):
we learned, declared that allslaves in Confederate-held
territories were to be set free.
By the end of the war, nearly200,000 black men had served in
the Union forces, making uproughly 10% of the entire army.
These soldiers came from boththe North and the South,
including many who had escapedfrom bondage and been freed by
(24:56):
advancing Union troops.
They were eager to fight notonly for the Union, but for
their own freedom and thefreedom of their people.
One of the most famous andemblematic units was the 54
Massachusetts Regiment, famousfor the movie Glory in 1989.
It was one of the firstofficial African American units
(25:17):
in the Union Army.
This regiment was commanded byColonel Robert Gold Shaw, a
white officer from a prominentabolitionist family.
The 54 Massachusetts becamerenowned for their bravery and
determination, particularlyduring the assault on Fort
Wagner in South Carolina on July18, 1863.
(25:38):
Fort Wagner was a heavilyfortified Confederate position
guarding the approach toCharleston.
The 54 Massachusetts was chosento lead the assault, a
dangerous and almost certainlydeadly task.
As the soldiers advanced underheavy fire, they faced
insurmountable odds.
Despite their courage, theattack was a failure and the
(26:02):
regiment suffered devastatingcasualties.
Nearly half of the 600 men whocharged the fort were killed,
wounded or captured.
Colonel Shaw himself was killedin the assault and his body was
buried in a mass gravealongside his men, an act that
was intended as an insult by theConfederates but which became a
(26:22):
symbol of his solidarity withhis troops.
The bravery of the 54thMassachusetts at Fort Wagner did
not go unnoticed.
News of their valor spreadacross the North, inspiring
further enlistment and changingpublic perceptions of African
American soldiers, it becameclear that these men were not
just fighting for their ownfreedom.
(26:43):
They were fighting to save theUnion itself.
But the story of AfricanAmerican soldiers in the Civil
War wasn't just one ofbattlefield heroics.
These soldiers faced intensediscrimination within the Union
Army.
They were often paid less thantheir white counterparts,
received inferior equipment andwere frequently assigned to
(27:03):
menial labor rather than combatroles.
Despite these injustices, theyfought with remarkable
determination and provedthemselves time and again.
One particularly poignantexample of their struggles was
the battle for equal pay.
Initially, african Americansoldiers were paid only $10 per
(27:24):
month, with $3 deducted forclothing, while white soldiers
received $13 per month with nosuch deduction.
This disparity sparked outrageamongst the troops and their
supporters.
The soldiers of the 54Massachusetts, among others,
refused to accept any pay ratherthan submit to this inequality.
Their protests eventually ledto a change in policy and in
(27:47):
1864, congress granted equal payto all soldiers, regardless of
race.
The contribution of AfricanAmerican soldiers to the Union
victory cannot be overstated.
They fought in nearly everymajor campaign from 1863 onward,
and their presence on thebattlefield had a significant
impact on the war's outcome.
(28:08):
Beyond their militarycontributions, the soldiers also
played a crucial role inreshaping the war's meaning.
In reshaping the war's meaning,they turned it into a fight for
universal liberty, forcing thenation to confront its own
contradictions and paving theway for the eventual abolition
of slavery.
Their legacy is profound andshould be remembered.
(28:28):
Their courage and sacrifice,and the sacrifice of African
American soldiers in the CivilWar, lay the groundwork for the
long ongoing struggle for civilrights in the United States.
In thework for the long ongoingstruggle for civil rights in
the United States, in the battlefor the soul of the nation,
these soldiers stood as apowerful testament to the ideals
of freedom and equality theUnited States at its best
(28:50):
strives to uphold.
But now let us turn to thefinal phases of the war, with
the siege of Petersburg and theroad to Appomattox.
It is now time for the end.
Petersburg was no ordinary city.
It was a lifeline to Richmond,the Confederate capital, and if
it fell, richmond would soonfollow.
(29:10):
The Union, under the relentlesscommand of Ulysses Grant,
understood this all too well.
Grant, now in full control ofthe Union armies, wasn't
interested in flashy victoriesor quick wins.
His strategy was clear Wear theenemy down inch by bloody inch
until they had nothing left togive.
It was a war of attrition, andthe trenches of Petersburg were
(29:34):
where this brutal reality playedout.
Petersburg were where thisbrutal reality played out.
Starting in June 1864, grant'sforces dug in for what would
become a nearly 10-month siege.
The conditions were horrendousmuddy trenches that stretched
for miles, the sea spreadinglike wildfire and the constant
thud of artillery pounding theearth.
This was not the romanticizedwar of gallant charges and
(29:58):
heroic last stands.
This was warfare at its mostbrutal and unforgiving end.
The siege was punctuated byseveral key battles, but none
more infamous than the Battle ofthe Crater on July 30, 1864.
In a bold and some would sayreckless move, union forces
(30:18):
tunneled beneath the Confederatelines and detonated a massive
mine, creating a crater that wasas deadly as it was
awe-inspiring.
The explosion obliteratednearly 300 Confederate soldiers
instantly, and the Union troopswere supposed to charge through
the breach and overrun theConfederate defenses.
But as often happens in war,things did not go according to
(30:42):
plan.
Instead of bypassing the crater, union soldiers charged
directly into the crater,turning what should have been a
breakthrough into a deadly trap.
Confederate troops, recoveringfrom the initial shock, quickly
turned their crater into akilling field.
It was a humiliating setbackfor the Union and another
(31:04):
reminder that even withoverwhelming force, victory was
never guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the Confederate armywas slowly crumbling.
Least forces were outnumbered,outgunned and out of time.
Lee's forces were outnumbered,outgunned and out of time.
The southern railroads, alreadystretched thin, were being
systematically dismantled byUnion forces, making it nearly
(31:25):
impossible to move troops andsupplies.
Desertions increased asConfederate soldiers, many of
whom were starving and poorlyequipped, lost hope in their
cause.
By March 1865, lee knew hecouldn't hold out much longer.
In a final, desperate bid tobreak the siege, he launched an
attack on Union forces at FortSteadman on March 25th.
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Initially, the Confederates hadmade some gains, but the Union
quickly regrouped andcounterattacked, forcing Lee to
retreat once again.
The failed assault was the lastgasp of a dying army.
With Petersburg on the brink ofcollapse, lee made the difficult
decision to evacuate the cityand retreat westwards, hoping to
(32:09):
join forces with what remainedof the Confederate Army of North
Carolina.
But Grant was relentless.
He wasn't about to let Lee slipaway.
The Union Army pursued theConfederates with dogged
determination, cutting off theirescape routes and forcing them
into a series of increasinglyhopeless skirmishes.
On April 2, 1865, the Unionforces finally broke through the
(32:35):
Confederate lines at Petersburg.
Richmond, the heart of theConfederacy, was evacuated that
very night and Union troopsentered the city the next day.
The fall of Richmond was adeath blow to the Confederacy.
The once proud capital was nowa smoldering ruin and the
Confederacy's days were numbered.
(32:58):
As Lee's army retreated westward, it was clear to everyone that
the war was at an end.
The Confederate forces, nowreduced to a shadow of their
former strength, were exhausted,starving and demoralized.
The final act of this tragicdrama was about to unfold at a
small village in Virginia calledAppomattox Courthouse.
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By April 9, 1865, lee knew itwas over.
His men were surrounded,outnumbered and without supplies
.
There would be no last stand,no heroic escape.
In a quiet meeting at the homeof Wilmer McLean, ulysses S
Grant and Robert E Lee sat downto negotiate the terms of
(33:41):
surrender.
The meeting was brief andrespectful.
Grant, ever the pragmatist,offered generous terms to the
defeated Confederate forces.
There would be no retribution,no trials for treason.
Lee's men were allowed toreturn home with their horses
and personal belongings, andthey were given rations to help
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them on their way.
It was a dignified end to abrutal war.
The surrender at Appomattoxeffectively brought the Civil
War to a close.
While a few Confederate forcescontinued to resist in the far
reaches of the South.
The war was, for all practicalpurposes, over.
The Union had been preserved,but the cause had been
(34:26):
tremendous.
The nation had been torn apartand put back together again, but
it was forever changed.
The siege of Petersburg and theroad to Appomattox were the
final bloody chapters in a warthat had tested the very soul of
America.
The war had revealed the depthsof human suffering and the
heights of human endurance.
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As the nation moved forward, itwould have to grapple with the
legacy of this conflict thelives lost, the families
shattered and the deep woundsthat would take generations to
heal.
Loss, the families shatteredand the deep wounds that would
take generations to heal.
Next time, on Double Helix,we'll look at what came after
the guns fell silent thestruggle to rebuild the nation,
(35:08):
the challenges of reconstructionand the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln.
Thank you for listening.
We'll see you soon.
Hoorah, hoorah.
The village lads and lassiessay when roses, they will strew
(35:31):
the way, and we'll all feel gay.
When Johnny comes marching home, when Johnny comes marching
home, when Johnny comes marchinghome.
Welcome back to Double Helix Blueprint of
Nations.
When we last left off, theUnion had just emerged from the
fiery crucible of Gettysburg.
It was a turning point, nodoubt about it, but it was far
from the end.
The war still had plenty oflife left in it, grim, bloody
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life.
The year of 1863 was not yetover and 1864 was still to come.
We are entering the final phaseof the American Civil War, and
the conflict will become morerelentless, more all-consuming
and more brutal than ever before.
This episode is aptly titled Inat the Death, a phrase that
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captures the inevitable,grinding finality of what's to
come.
We're going to dive into thecampaigns that brought the
Confederacy to its knees UlyssesS Grant's unforgiving crushing
of the Confederacy in the Westand the Overland Campaign,
william Tecumseh Sherman'sdevastating march to the sea and
(01:05):
the increasing role of AfricanAmerican soldiers in a war that
was fundamentally about theirfreedom.
But let's not forget thepersonal toll, the homes
destroyed, the lives lost andthe very fabric of a nation
stretched to its very breakingpoint.
The war has now reached a stagewhere every ounce of strength,
(01:26):
every scrap of willpower, isbeing tested.
So, as we step into the finalyears of the war, prepare
yourself for a tale of grit anddetermination.
The war may be nearing its end,but the road to that end is
paved with hardship and loss.
It's a path that will reshapethe nation forever.
(01:47):
This is part nine of ourjourney through the American
Civil War.
Welcome to Double HelixBlueprint of Nations, season 2,
episode 2.9, in at the Death.
(02:15):
As the echoes of the cannons atGettysburg faded, the Union and
Confederate armies began toregroup, both physically and
mentally, from the devastatingtoll the battle had exacted.
The South, still reeling fromthe twin blows of Gettysburg and
the fall of Becksburg, faced anincreasingly grim reality.
(02:35):
The hope that a decisivevictory on northern soil might
force a negotiated peace wasshattered.
Lee's army, once seeminglyinvincible, was now retreating
back to Virginia, battered andbruised.
Meanwhile, in the North, theUnion was grappling with its own
challenges.
Despite the significantvictories, the war was far from
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over.
The public, while buoyed by thenews of Gettysburg, was growing
weary of the conflict's lengthand cost.
President Lincoln, who had beenunder immense pressure to
deliver a decisive blow againstthe Confederacy, saw Gettysburg
as a turning point, but he knewthat the war was entering a new,
even more grueling phase.
(03:18):
In the wake of Gettysburg,lincoln took the opportunity to
solidify the Union's war aims.
His primary concern was toensure that the sacrifices made
on the battlefield were not invain.
He understood that the Unionneeded not just military
victories but also a clear andresolute political message to
sustain the war effort andredefine the nation's future.
(03:40):
This understanding culminatedin one of the most famous
speeches in American history,lincoln's Gettysburg Address,
delivered on November 19, 1863,at the dedication of the
Soldiers' National Cemetery inGettysburg.
Lincoln's address was brief,just over two minutes long, but
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its impact was profound.
Standing on the hallowed groundwhere thousands have fought and
died, lincoln redefined thepurpose of the war.
He invoked the principles ofequality laid out in the
Declaration of Independence andframed the conflict as a test of
whether a nation founded onsuch principles could endure.
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Four score and seven years ago,lincoln began referencing the 87
years since the Declaration ofIndependence.
Our fathers brought forth inthis continent a new nation
conceived in liberty anddedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.
(04:43):
This was no ordinary dedicationspeech.
Lincoln was making it clearthat the war was not just about
preserving the Union, but aboutensuring that the United States
lived up to its founding ideals.
Lincoln's words were a call toaction, a reminder that the
(05:06):
struggle was about more thanjust territory or even the
institution of slavery.
It was about the survival of anation conceived in liberty and
dedicated to equality.
He continued that this nation,under God, shall have a new
birth of freedom and thatgovernment of the people by the
people for the people shall notperish from the earth.
(05:28):
With these words, lincolnsought to inspire the Union to
continue the fight, to see thewar through its conclusion and
to emerge not just victoriousbut transformed.
The Gettysburg Address was metwith mixed reactions at the time
.
Some Northerners were deeplymoved by Lincoln's eloquence and
(05:49):
vision, while others dismissedit as overly idealistic or too
short to be meaningful.
However, as time passed, thespeech became one of the most
revered documents in Americanhistory, encapsulating the moral
and political stakes of theCivil War.
While Lincoln was redefining thewar's purpose, the military
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efforts continued unabated.
In the Western theater, unionforces under General Ulysses S
Grant were tightening their gripon the Confederacy.
After the fall of Vicksburg,grant had cemented his
reputation of one of the Union'smost capable commanders, and
his star was rising rapidly.
The Western victories werecrucial to the Union's overall
(06:33):
strategy, as they cut off keysupply lines to the Confederacy
and divided the southern states.
Grant's success in the Westwere not only strategic
victories but also psychologicalblows to the Confederacy.
The loss of Vicksburg, alongwith the defeat at Gettysburg,
demoralized the South and raisedserious doubts about the
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sustainability of theConfederate war effort.
With the Mississippi Riverfirmly in Union hands, the
Confederacy was effectivelysplit in two, isolating Texas
and Louisiana and Arkansas fromthe rest of the southern states.
As the Union began to shift itsfocus to the South's heartland,
lincoln and his generalsrealized that the war would have
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to be pursued with renewedvigor.
The era of limited war was over.
What was needed now was totalwar, a strategy that would bring
the full weight of the Union'sresources to bear on the
Confederacy, attacking not justits armies but its economy, its
infrastructure and its will tofight.
(07:36):
General William TecumsehSherman, one of Grant's closest
allies, would become thearchitect of this brutal new
strategy.
But before Sherman could launchhis infamous march to the sea,
the Union would need to secureits hold on the southern states
through a series of fiercebattles and relentless campaigns
.
The war was entering its mostdestructive phase, and one that
(08:01):
would leave a lasting scar onthe South and ultimately lead to
the Confederacy's downfall.
As the Union shifted itsstrategy in the later half of
1863, the focus moved to takingadvantage of the momentum gained
from the victories atGettysburg and Vicksburg.
The Union leadership knew thatmerely holding onto these gains
(08:22):
wouldn't be enough.
They needed to press theConfederacy on all fronts,
stretch its resources thin andultimately break its will to
fight In the Western theater.
General Ulysses S Grant wasquickly becoming the Union's
most important military leader.
His successes at Fort Donelson,shiloh and Vicksburg had proven
(08:43):
his capability, and now, as heprepared to take command of all
Union forces in the West, thepressure was on to deliver even
more decisive blows.
The Union's goal was cleardominate the Mississippi Valley
and secure complete control overthe Western states.
But the Confederacy, thoughweakened, was far from defeated.
(09:06):
In fact, 1863 saw the Southrallying its forces for a
significant counterattack inTennessee.
General Braxton Bragg,commanding the Confederate Army
of Tennessee, sought torecapture Chattanooga, a vital
rail hub and gateway to the DeepSouth.
If the Confederacy could retakeChattanooga, it would not only
(09:27):
strike a blow to Union morale,but also regain control of a
critical supply line.
The Battle of Chickamauga,fought in September 1863, was
one of the bloodiest battles ofthe war and a stark reminder
that the Confederacy still hadsome fight left in it.
Despite being outnumbered,bragg's forces managed to break
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through Union lines, inflictingsignificant casualties and
forcing the Union army toretreat to Chattanooga.
The battle was a rareConfederate victory in the West
and it temporarily reversed theUnion's momentum.
However, the victory atChickamauga came at a steep cost
.
The Confederate forces wereunable to capitalize on their
(10:11):
success.
Bragg, despite his tacticalvictory, failed to follow up
with a decisive strike.
The Union army, though battered, regrouped and entrenched
itself in Chattanooga, settingthe stage for a siege.
The Confederates surrounded thecity, cutting off supply lines
and hoping to starve the Unionforces into surrender.
(10:31):
But the siege of Chattanoogawould not go as Bragg planned.
Lincoln and his militaryadvisors recognized the
strategic importance of holdingChattanooga.
If the Union lost the city, itwould be a severe setback,
potentially undoing all theprogress made in the Western
theater.
Lincoln decided to sendreinforcements, placing Grant in
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overall command of thesituation.
Grant, as we've seen, is neverone to shy away from a challenge
, and he acted swiftly.
He arrived in Chattanooga inlate October and immediately
began reorganizing thebeleaguered Union forces.
One of his first priorities wasto open a supply line, famously
known as the Cracker Line, tobring much-needed provisions to
(11:16):
the starving troops.
This daring operation was asuccess and significantly
boosted Union morale within thebeleaguered city and
significantly boosted Unionmorale within the Liger city.
By November, grant was ready togo on the offensive.
The battles that followed theBattle of Lookout Mountain and
the Battle of Missionary Ridgewere some of the most dramatic
(11:36):
of the war.
Lookout Mountain, often calledthe Battle Above the Clouds, saw
Union forces scaling the steep,fog-covered slopes of the
mountain, driving theConfederates back.
It was a spectacular victory,made all the more so by the
sight of Union flags wavingtriumphantly above the clouds.
The decisive blow, however,came at Missionary Ridge.
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Grant ordered a frontal assaulton the Confederate positions, a
move that many of hissubordinates thought was doomed
to fail.
But the Union troops, driven bya mixture of desperation and
determination, broke through theConfederate lines in what can
only be described as amiraculous turn of events.
The Confederate forces wererouted and Bragg's army was
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forced to retreat, abandoningChattanooga to the Union.
The victories at LookoutMountain and Missionary Ridge
effectively shattered theConfederate hold on Tennessee
and opened the door forSherman's Atlanta campaign the
following year.
These battles demonstrated thegrowing superiority of Union
forces, both in terms of numbersand leadership.
(12:43):
They also marked the beginningof the end for the Confederacy
in the Western Theater.
With Chattanooga firmly in Unionhands, the stage was now set
for the next phase of the war.
The Union now had a clear pathto the heart of the Confederacy
and Grant, who had provenhimself time and again, was
about to be promoted to thehighest command.
(13:04):
No-transcript, but as we know,the war was not over in the East
.
Lee's army of Northern Virginiawas still a formidable force
and the Confederacy had not yetlost its will to fight.
The battles of 1864 would besome of the most brutal and
(13:28):
bloody of the war, as both sidesprepared for what they knew
would be a long and gruelingstruggle, what they knew would
be a long and grueling struggle.
Now you might recall that beforeGrant was given command of all
Union armies, the Union wareffort had been something of a
revolving door of commanders,each with their own strategy
McClellan, burnside, hooker,meade none of whom could quite
(13:51):
deliver that decisive blow.
The war dragged on, withConfederates proving remarkably
resilient despite theirdwindling resources.
President Lincoln, desperatefor a general who could get the
job done, turned to Grant, theman who had already proven
himself in the Western theaterwith victories at Vicksburg,
chattanooga and so many others.
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Grant's reputation was built onhis tenacity and his
willingness to engage the enemyaggressively.
When Lincoln promoted Grant tolieutenant general in March 1864
, giving him command of allUnion armies, it was with the
hope that Grant would bring thatsame relentless energy to the
Eastern Theater, where the war'soutcome would ultimately be
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decided.
Grant wasted no time inlaunching what would come to be
known as the Overland Campaign,a relentless, brutal series of
battles aimed at wearing downRobert E Lee's army of Northern
Virginia.
The campaign kicked off inearly May 1864, and it was
unlike anything the war had seenup to that point.
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Grant's strategy wasstraightforward Engage Lee's
army continuously, inflictmaximum damage and do not
retreat, regardless of the cost.
He knew that the Union had theadvantage in numbers and
resources, and he intended touse that advantage to grind the
Confederates down.
Unlike previous Unioncommanders who had been cautious
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, often withdrawn after takingcasualties, grant's approach was
to press forward, even if itmeant staggering losses.
This strategy would come todefine the Overland Campaign.
The first major clash came atthe Battle of the Wilderness,
fought in the dense thickets ofnorthern Virginia.
The terrain was so thick withunderbrush that soldiers could
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barely see a few feet ahead, andthe battle quickly devolved
into a chaotic close-quarterscombat.
Fires ignited by the musketsand the artillery swept through
the dry forest, trapping andburning alive the wounded who
couldn't escape.
It was a horrific scene,emblematic of the brutal nature
of this campaign.
Despite suffering heavycasualties, grant refused to
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retreat after the wilderness, astark contrast to his
predecessors.
Instead, he pressed on movinghis forces south in an attempt
to outflank Lee.
What followed was the Battle ofSpotsylvania Courthouse, a
two-week bloodbath where some ofthe war's most intense fighting
took place, particularly at asection of the battlefield known
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as the Bloody Angle.
For twenty hours, union andConfederate soldiers fought
hand-to-hand in a torrentialdownpour.
The fighting was so fierce thatthe dead and wounded formed a
literal barrier between the twosides.
Again, despite staggeringlosses, grant did not pull back.
His men dubbed him the Butcher,but he knew that his strategy
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was working.
Lee's army was being bled dryand no hope of replenishing its
ranks as the Union could.
The war of attrition that Grantwas waging was taking its toll
on the Confederacy, and thecampaign continued with battles
at North Anna and Cold Harbor,each one adding to the mounting
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casualties on both sides.
Cold Harbor, in particular wasa disaster for the Union.
Grant ordered a frontal assaultagainst well-entrenched
Confederate positions, resultingin over 7,000 Union casualties
in less than an hour.
Many Union soldiers knew theassault was futile before it
even began and some even pinnedtheir names on their addresses
(17:35):
in their uniforms so theirbodies could be identified
afterwards.
They knew they were going todie.
Despite the blunder at CoalHarbor, grant pushed on.
His goal was Petersburg, avital rail hub that, if captured
, could cut off Richmond fromthe rest of the Confederacy.
The siege of Petersburg beganon June 1864 and would last
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nearly 10 months, effectivelyturning the war into a grinding
stalemate of the trenches,foreshadowing the trench warfare
of World War I.
Throughout the OverlandCampaign, grant's rise as the
Supreme Union commander wassolidified.
He was different from those whohad come before him.
He understood that the CivilWar was a total war and that
(18:21):
would require total commitmentto victory, no matter the cost.
Grant's willingness to bearthat cost and his understanding
that the North's resources wouldeventually overwhelm the South
was what ultimately set himapart and put the Union on the
path to victory.
By the end of 1864, grant hadLee's army pinned down in
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Petersburg and the Confederacy'sdays were numbered.
The relentless OverlandCampaign had succeeded in its
grim objective.
It had worn down Lee's forcesand paved the way for the
Union's final push towardsvictory.
By the later half of 1864, theUnion's strategy took a decisive
and brutal turn under theleadership of General William
(19:06):
Tecumseh Sherman.
Known for his intense,no-nonsense demeanor, sherman
was not one to mince words oractions.
He believed that to bring theConfederacy to its knees, the
North needed to wage war notjust against Southern armies,
but against the very will of theSouthern people to continue the
fight.
This was the essence of totalwar.
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Sherman's idea of total warwasn't merely about winning
battles.
It was about breaking the backof the Confederate war effort by
destroying its infrastructure,economy and morale.
If you wanted to understandwhat Sherman had in mind, all
you had to do was look at thesmoldering ruins he left behind
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in his wake.
His infamous March to the Sea,which began in November 1864
after the capture of Atlanta,was the embodiment of this
philosophy.
Sherman's army, numberingaround 60,000 men, cut a swath
through Georgia from Atlanta toSavannah, leaving a trail of
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destruction that stretched formiles.
They destroyed railroads,burned crops and laid waste to
anything that could potentiallyaid the Confederate war effort.
This was psychological warfareaimed at breaking the will of
the Southern people.
Sherman's march wasn't aboutchasing Confederate soldiers,
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although they did engage inskirmishes along the way.
It was about making the Southfeel the full weight of the war.
His troops destroyed everythingin their path, sparing only
civilian homes that were notdeemed to have military value.
Warehouses, factories,railroads and even fields were
set ablaze.
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To the Confederates it feltlike the apocalypse.
The impact of this march wasprofound.
It cut off the Confederacy fromits resources and demonstrated
that the Union could penetratedeep into Southern territory at
will.
Southern morale, alreadyflagging, took a nosedive.
The psychological toll on theSouth was immense.
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Many who had supported the warfrom a distance now felt this
horror up close and personal.
Sherman himself was unapologeticabout the harshness of his
methods.
He famously remarked War iscruelty.
There is no use in trying toreform it.
The crueler it is, the soonerit will be over.
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His march to the sea was a grimapplication of this philosophy.
Sherman wanted to end the warby making his continuation
unbearable for the South.
But Sherman's tactics alsosparked intense debate.
Some Northerners applauded hismethods as necessary to end the
war.
Others recoiled at thedevastation and the suffering it
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inflicted on civilians.
And yet there was no denyingthe effectiveness of Sherman's
campaign.
By the time his forces reachedHavana in December 1864, the
Confederacy was reeling.
Sherman's march was not justabout destruction.
It was about a strategic shiftin how wars could be fought.
It demonstrated that the Northwas willing to do whatever it
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took to end the conflict, nomatter how brutal the march to
the sea was, the grim,relentless hammer that shattered
the Southern war effort.
As the Union armies pressed onfrom multiple fronts, the
Confederacy's ability to sustainits resistance was crumbling.
Sherman's total war strategyhad shown that the days of
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chivalrous, gentlemanly combatwere well over.
The Civil War had entered itsfinal, ruthless phase, one that
would leave the South scarredfor generations.
With Sherman wreaking havoc inGeorgia, all eyes turned back to
Virginia, where Grant waspreparing to deliver the final
blow to the heart of theConfederacy.
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It was finally time for thelast desperate struggle of the
war that had already claimed toomany lives.
As the Civil War trudged intoits later years, the conflict
dynamics shifted in more waysthan one.
Perhaps one of the mostsignificant developments, and
certainly one of the mostinspiring, was the increasing
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role of African Americansoldiers in the Union Army.
This shift not only bolsteredthe Union's manpower, but also
symbolized a profound moral andideological transformation in
the war effort.
Now let's step back for amoment.
In the early days of the war,african Americans were largely
excluded from military service.
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Despite the fact that freeblack men had volunteered in
droves, eager to fight for theUnion and for the freedom of
their enslaved brethren, theLincoln administration was
initially reluctant to acceptthem.
The war, in the eyes of manynorthern leaders, was a conflict
to preserve the Union, not acrusade to end slavery.
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This cautious approachreflected deep-seated racial
prejudice that permeated eventhe free states.
However, as the war dragged onand casualties mounted, the
Union's need for soldiers becamemore desperate.
Moreover, the moral tide wasbeginning to turn, especially
after the EmancipationProclamation in 1863, which, as
(24:33):
we learned, declared that allslaves in Confederate-held
territories were to be set free.
By the end of the war, nearly200,000 black men had served in
the Union forces, making uproughly 10% of the entire army.
These soldiers came from boththe North and the South,
including many who had escapedfrom bondage and been freed by
(24:56):
advancing Union troops.
They were eager to fight notonly for the Union, but for
their own freedom and thefreedom of their people.
One of the most famous andemblematic units was the 54
Massachusetts Regiment, famousfor the movie Glory in 1989.
It was one of the firstofficial African American units
(25:17):
in the Union Army.
This regiment was commanded byColonel Robert Gold Shaw, a
white officer from a prominentabolitionist family.
The 54 Massachusetts becamerenowned for their bravery and
determination, particularlyduring the assault on Fort
Wagner in South Carolina on July18, 1863.
(25:38):
Fort Wagner was a heavilyfortified Confederate position
guarding the approach toCharleston.
The 54 Massachusetts was chosento lead the assault, a
dangerous and almost certainlydeadly task.
As the soldiers advanced underheavy fire, they faced
insurmountable odds.
Despite their courage, theattack was a failure and the
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regiment suffered devastatingcasualties.
Nearly half of the 600 men whocharged the fort were killed,
wounded or captured.
Colonel Shaw himself was killedin the assault and his body was
buried in a mass gravealongside his men, an act that
was intended as an insult by theConfederates but which became a
(26:22):
symbol of his solidarity withhis troops.
The bravery of the 54thMassachusetts at Fort Wagner did
not go unnoticed.
News of their valor spreadacross the North, inspiring
further enlistment and changingpublic perceptions of African
American soldiers, it becameclear that these men were not
just fighting for their ownfreedom.
(26:43):
They were fighting to save theUnion itself.
But the story of AfricanAmerican soldiers in the Civil
War wasn't just one ofbattlefield heroics.
These soldiers faced intensediscrimination within the Union
Army.
They were often paid less thantheir white counterparts,
received inferior equipment andwere frequently assigned to
(27:03):
menial labor rather than combatroles.
Despite these injustices, theyfought with remarkable
determination and provedthemselves time and again.
One particularly poignantexample of their struggles was
the battle for equal pay.
Initially, african Americansoldiers were paid only $10 per
(27:24):
month, with $3 deducted forclothing, while white soldiers
received $13 per month with nosuch deduction.
This disparity sparked outrageamongst the troops and their
supporters.
The soldiers of the 54Massachusetts, among others,
refused to accept any pay ratherthan submit to this inequality.
Their protests eventually ledto a change in policy and in
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1864, congress granted equal payto all soldiers, regardless of
race.
The contribution of AfricanAmerican soldiers to the Union
victory cannot be overstated.
They fought in nearly everymajor campaign from 1863 onward,
and their presence on thebattlefield had a significant
impact on the war's outcome.
(28:08):
Beyond their militarycontributions, the soldiers also
played a crucial role inreshaping the war's meaning.
In reshaping the war's meaning,they turned it into a fight for
universal liberty, forcing thenation to confront its own
contradictions and paving theway for the eventual abolition
of slavery.
Their legacy is profound andshould be remembered.
(28:28):
Their courage and sacrifice,and the sacrifice of African
American soldiers in the CivilWar, lay the groundwork for the
long ongoing struggle for civilrights in the United States.
In thework for the long ongoingstruggle for civil rights in
the United States, in the battlefor the soul of the nation,
these soldiers stood as apowerful testament to the ideals
of freedom and equality theUnited States at its best
(28:50):
strives to uphold.
But now let us turn to thefinal phases of the war, with
the siege of Petersburg and theroad to Appomattox.
It is now time for the end.
Petersburg was no ordinary city.
It was a lifeline to Richmond,the Confederate capital, and if
it fell, richmond would soonfollow.
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The Union, under the relentlesscommand of Ulysses Grant,
understood this all too well.
Grant, now in full control ofthe Union armies, wasn't
interested in flashy victoriesor quick wins.
His strategy was clear Wear theenemy down inch by bloody inch
until they had nothing left togive.
It was a war of attrition, andthe trenches of Petersburg were
(29:34):
where this brutal reality playedout.
Petersburg were where thisbrutal reality played out.
Starting in June 1864, grant'sforces dug in for what would
become a nearly 10-month siege.
The conditions were horrendousmuddy trenches that stretched
for miles, the sea spreadinglike wildfire and the constant
thud of artillery pounding theearth.
This was not the romanticizedwar of gallant charges and
(29:58):
heroic last stands.
This was warfare at its mostbrutal and unforgiving end.
The siege was punctuated byseveral key battles, but none
more infamous than the Battle ofthe Crater on July 30, 1864.
In a bold and some would sayreckless move, union forces
(30:18):
tunneled beneath the Confederatelines and detonated a massive
mine, creating a crater that wasas deadly as it was
awe-inspiring.
The explosion obliteratednearly 300 Confederate soldiers
instantly, and the Union troopswere supposed to charge through
the breach and overrun theConfederate defenses.
But as often happens in war,things did not go according to
(30:42):
plan.
Instead of bypassing the crater, union soldiers charged
directly into the crater,turning what should have been a
breakthrough into a deadly trap.
Confederate troops, recoveringfrom the initial shock, quickly
turned their crater into akilling field.
It was a humiliating setbackfor the Union and another
(31:04):
reminder that even withoverwhelming force, victory was
never guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the Confederate armywas slowly crumbling.
Least forces were outnumbered,outgunned and out of time.
Lee's forces were outnumbered,outgunned and out of time.
The southern railroads, alreadystretched thin, were being
systematically dismantled byUnion forces, making it nearly
(31:25):
impossible to move troops andsupplies.
Desertions increased asConfederate soldiers, many of
whom were starving and poorlyequipped, lost hope in their
cause.
By March 1865, lee knew hecouldn't hold out much longer.
In a final, desperate bid tobreak the siege, he launched an
attack on Union forces at FortSteadman on March 25th.
(31:48):
Initially, the Confederates hadmade some gains, but the Union
quickly regrouped andcounterattacked, forcing Lee to
retreat once again.
The failed assault was the lastgasp of a dying army.
With Petersburg on the brink ofcollapse, lee made the difficult
decision to evacuate the cityand retreat westwards, hoping to
(32:09):
join forces with what remainedof the Confederate Army of North
Carolina.
But Grant was relentless.
He wasn't about to let Lee slipaway.
The Union Army pursued theConfederates with dogged
determination, cutting off theirescape routes and forcing them
into a series of increasinglyhopeless skirmishes.
On April 2, 1865, the Unionforces finally broke through the
(32:35):
Confederate lines at Petersburg.
Richmond, the heart of theConfederacy, was evacuated that
very night and Union troopsentered the city the next day.
The fall of Richmond was adeath blow to the Confederacy.
The once proud capital was nowa smoldering ruin and the
Confederacy's days were numbered.
(32:58):
As Lee's army retreated westward, it was clear to everyone that
the war was at an end.
The Confederate forces, nowreduced to a shadow of their
former strength, were exhausted,starving and demoralized.
The final act of this tragicdrama was about to unfold at a
small village in Virginia calledAppomattox Courthouse.
(33:19):
By April 9, 1865, lee knew itwas over.
His men were surrounded,outnumbered and without supplies
.
There would be no last stand,no heroic escape.
In a quiet meeting at the homeof Wilmer McLean, ulysses S
Grant and Robert E Lee sat downto negotiate the terms of
(33:41):
surrender.
The meeting was brief andrespectful.
Grant, ever the pragmatist,offered generous terms to the
defeated Confederate forces.
There would be no retribution,no trials for treason.
Lee's men were allowed toreturn home with their horses
and personal belongings, andthey were given rations to help
(34:02):
them on their way.
It was a dignified end to abrutal war.
The surrender at Appomattoxeffectively brought the Civil
War to a close.
While a few Confederate forcescontinued to resist in the far
reaches of the South.
The war was, for all practicalpurposes, over.
The Union had been preserved,but the cause had been
(34:26):
tremendous.
The nation had been torn apartand put back together again, but
it was forever changed.
The siege of Petersburg and theroad to Appomattox were the
final bloody chapters in a warthat had tested the very soul of
America.
The war had revealed the depthsof human suffering and the
heights of human endurance.
(34:47):
As the nation moved forward, itwould have to grapple with the
legacy of this conflict thelives lost, the families
shattered and the deep woundsthat would take generations to
heal.
Loss, the families shatteredand the deep wounds that would
take generations to heal.
Next time, on Double Helix,we'll look at what came after
the guns fell silent thestruggle to rebuild the nation,
(35:08):
the challenges of reconstructionand the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln.
Thank you for listening.
We'll see you soon.
Hoorah, hoorah.
The village lads and lassiessay when roses, they will strew
(35:31):
the way, and we'll all feel gay.
When Johnny comes marching home, when Johnny comes marching
home, when Johnny comes marchinghome.
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