and it was at work in grant's surrender terms at appomattox. longstreet's letters were hailed by republicans because they represented a best case scenario. that some of the old elite even would see the light and exert benign influence. interestingly, again and again, northern coverage played up longstreet's military stature to amplify his potential political influence. precisely because the general had displayed such firmness and devotion to the south, southern people could safely follow his lead and guidance during reconstruction. interestingly, republican commentary on the longstreet letters often contrasted the honorable comportment of surrendered confederate soldiers with the defiant posture of demagogues, editors and politicians, the very men who criticized longstreet so harshly. the new york tribune, a very popular paper, offered the most memorable defense of longstreet. the following was quoted in many northern papers. he said, "longstreet space the mind of thousands of most sensible, but the poor general was shouted down by a growling,

when he arrives at appomattox court house to surrender, he looks as dignified as if he'd just stepped off the parade ground. >> for this surrender, lee takes it very formally. he takes it very serious, and he puts on his dress uniform and his sword and gets cleaned up, and grant doesn't. grant shows up in his road uniform, and his boots were muddy. grant is the epitome of the soldier who has slogged through this. ♪ [ horse whinnies ] ♪ >> probably the most painful thing that robert e. lee ever had to do in his life was to meet with general grant and surrender his army. >> who will follow me? [ whoops ] >> aagh! >> it was my fault. it was my fault. it is all my fault. [ echoing ] >> as ulysses s. grant rides to wilmer mclean's house in appomattox, he has plenty of time to think about the terms of lee's surrender. under the constitution, lee and his officers could, in fact, be tried for treason, which means they'd be imprisoned and sentenced to hang. so now their fate, and the fate of the union, is in the hands of a man named "unconditional surrender grant." >> hello, general. sfx:

. -- appomattox courthouse. prof. jordan: we're going to pick it up today where we left off on tuesday. and consider the civil war and its eastern campaigns. in 1864. today by do that peering through eyes of this guy. john west bailey. was an unlikely warrior. were most of the more than 2 million men who shouldered muskets and donned union blue between 1861 and 1865. by his own candid admission, naturally timid and drinking, those were his words, racked by a thousand fears and misgivings, tailey sat out the for 16 months of the civil war. his hometown in biddeford perched on the -- river about a score of miles south of portland, maine. i had no inclination, he reflected years later, of the business of war. then again, he could never have anticipated the halting progress of the federal war effort in those first 16 months. ley and so many patriotic loyalty northerners diss like -- disliked it and passed those months bringing their hands and rationalizing defeat. there were glimmers of hope to be sure. in the western the

when he arrives at appomattox court house to surrender, he looks as dignified as if he'd just stepped off the parade ground. >> for this surrender, lee takes it very formally. he takes it very serious, and he puts on his dress uniform and his sword and gets cleaned up, and grant doesn't. grant shows up in his road uniform, and his boots were muddy. grant is the epitome of the soldier who has slogged through this. ♪ [ horse whinnies ] ♪ >> probably the most painful thing that robert e. lee ever had to do in his life was to meet with general grant and surrender his army. >> who will follow me? [ whoops ] >> aagh! >> it was my fault. it was my fault. it is all my fault. [ echoing ] >> as ulysses s. grant rides to wilmer mclean's house in appomattox, he has plenty of time to think about the terms of lee's surrender. under the constitution, lee and his officers could, in fact, be tried for treason, which means they'd be imprisoned and sentenced to hang. so now their fate, and the fate of the union, is in the hands of a man named "unconditional surrender grant." >> hello, general. payin

he was out in appomattox manner, -- he was in an appomattox manor and spoke about his enslaved workforce, and his valet, which traveled with him. he was very different from many slaveholders, because after the war, he kept the formally enslaved groups together and paid them wages for their work. and many of the family members are still in hopewell and remember that history and pass it on to their children. 1860,is an inventory in which speaks about louisa, 12 years old -- and selling her. there are so many stories like this. and these children, not knowing oftentimes that they were being sent to richmond to be sold, would have a note pinned to them for the slave trader to read. because they could not read, they did not know. and it was in getting to in --, whichbeing is close enough for us to walk to understand what that meant -- which is close enough for us to walk too, they began to meant.and what that when they heard references to being sold down south, they know that it was reference to something worse than they had ever heard before. oftentimes, they would be worked until they died.

that federal troops left selma, april 9, 1865, was the same day general lee surrendered to grant at appomattox so selma was rendered to a footnote at the end of the war but had the loss of selma occurred six months or a year earlier, without a doubt the war would have ended sooner. >> from selma, alabama. they told us we wouldn't get here. staffcer: our cities tour it recently traveled to salmon, alabama to learn more about its rich history. learn more about selma and other stuff on our tour, at c-span.org/cities tour. announcer: vietnam war veteran john walker talks about his service as a helicopter mechanic during the war and his struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder. -- theness to wo witness to war foundation conducted the interview. it's about 35 minutes. joe: this is joe galloway historyng an oral interview with command sergeant major johnny walker, u.s. army retired. on monday, september 21st, 3:00

that federal troops left selma, april 9, 1865, was the same day general lee surrendered to grant at appomattox so selma was rendered to a footnote at the end of the war but had the loss of selma occurred six months or a year earlier, without a doubt the war would have ended sooner. cities city stuart taft -- tour staff recently traveled to selma, alabama. you can findor

that federal troops left selma, april 9, 1865, was the same day general lee surrendered to grant at appomattox so selma was rendered to a footnote at the end of the war but had the loss of selma occurred six months or a year earlier, without a doubt the war would have ended sooner. cities city stuart taft -- tour staff recently traveled to selma, alabama. you can find more on c-span.org/ citiestour. american artifacts take us to historic places to learn about history. --mas jefferson travis mcdonald talks about the site's history we go to the current renovation project to show the historic trade of >> what you see behind me is jefferson's most perfect work of art. this is the villa retreat. he started billing this when he was president. -- building this when he was a president. it is not known very much because jefferson kept it a secret. it was lived in privately until 1979. since 1984, it has been a house museum, a private nonprofit project and we have been doing restoration for the last 30 years. it is a long and slow process because we try to do the most authentic process just like jeffers

. -- appomattox courthouse. prof. jordan: we're going to pick it up today where we left off on tuesday. and consider the civil war and its eastern campaigns. in 1864. today by do that peering through eyes of

steve: they meet at appomattox, the civil war comes to end, he ran in 1868 against whom? the rant in 1868 against -- oh, gosh, now you are stopping me. against horace greeley, the newspaperman who died quite quickly. he gave everything he had to the election and then died. but grant's presidency is something i think that is being re-examined. there is an calhoun oncharles ulysses s. grant, and we are looking at grant's, and what has often been seen over the last year and a half as a failure of the presidency. we are seeing as it actually successful. he actually fought for the rights of african-americans. president.il rights for many historians in the late 19th century and 20th century, that is not seen as a positive thing. now we understand that grants presidency is actually revolutionary, and in terms of foreign policy, grant is really putting the united states out there on the world stage as the president. embodiment of the american policy because he traveled the world and represents the united states to the rest of the world. steve: what was his political standing like

last nine months until lee was forced to abandon fortifications commit leading to his surrender at appomattox courthouse. this class is about 70 minutes. prof. jordan: we're going to pick it up today where we left off on tuesday. and consider the civil war and its eastern campaigns. in 1864. i want to do that today by peering through eyes of this guy. john west haley. he was an unlikely warrior. but then again, so are most of the more than 2 million men who shouldered muskets and donned union blue between 1861 and 1865. by his own candid admission, naturally timid and drinking, -- racked-- his words by a thousand fears and misgivings. john west tailey sat out the for 16 months of the civil war. ,n his hometown of bit afford iddeford, about a score and half miles south of portland, maine. i had no inclination, he reflected years later, of the business of war. but then again, he could have never anticipated the halting progress of the federal war effort in those first 16 months. haley and so many patriotic and loyal northerners just like him had passed those months w ringing their hands and rat

steve: they meet at appomattox, the civil war comes to end, he ran in 1868 against whom? prof. semmes: the rant in 1868 against -- oh, gosh, now you are stopping me. he ran against horace greeley, the newspaperman who died quite quickly. he gave everything he had to the election and then died. but grant's presidency is something i think that is being re-examined. there is an out now by charles calhoun on ulysses s. grant, and we are looking at grant's, and what has often been seen over the last year and a half as a failure of the presidency. we are seeing as it actually successful. he actually fought for the rights of african americans. he is a civil rights president. for many historians in the late 19th century and 20th century, that is not seen as a positive thing. now we understand that grant's presidency is actually revolutionary, and in terms of foreign policy, grant is really putting the united states out there on the world stage as the president. and he becomes the embodiment of american policy because he traveled the world and represents the united states to the rest of

this is the tip of the hat to appomattox, grant behaving with dignity. he is rendering. -- he is surrendering. he is surrendering to garfield, who was becoming the leader. puck was on the left, he was the leader. on the right is garfield and all of those tents are tents that depict various scandals during the grant administration. >> let's look at another image from 1880. as you point out in your book, this was the most popular of that eperiod. why? michael: i know this doesn't seem scandalous today but this is a virgin bride who isn't a virgin. on the left, somebody is saying, "wait a minute. this is the baby that this bride virgin bride has given." suggestions of that kind in the 1880's, victorian times were scandalous. the bride is garfield, and the bridesmaids are all members of the republican party, and garfield had said, in effect, yes, there are a lot of scandals, but i don't have scandals. i didn't do anything wrong. in fact, he had done a little thing wrong. he had taken some money, not very much, in one of the scandals, and so the chairman of t

. , away, more than a century century and a half after appomattox, surveying the landscape of horror and mass warruction that the modern has wrecked upon our species, we should pause and examine the leaders in the past who have asn old advocates of war well as the creators of hated enemies targeted for attacks and elimination. the willingness to kill and the desire to urge others in organized armies to kill for a al andare both historical. frederick douglas europe for cover make -- frederick douglass yearned for war, make no mistake. as a poet suggested in a poem about douglass much later, douglass as much as in the northern partisan in the civil war kindled a battle cry of freedom. these are a few lines from the poem. lightning and answered thunder with his thunder back. theest his hand and felt presence of his magic, the current he sent through the land, the spirit of his battle cry. douglass wanted this war, he had no idea where it was going but he welcomed it in 1861 with a combined spirit of relief and rage. himself, ia warrior don't know if he ever owned a firearm. as he discov

anyway, more than a century, a century and a half after appomattox, surveying the landscape of horror and mass destruction that modern war has wrecked upon our species, we pause sometimes, or should pause and examine the leaders in the past, who have been bold advocates of war as well as the creators of hated enemies targeted for attack and elimination. the willingness to kill and the desire to urge others in organized armies to kill for a cause or both primal -- are both primal and historical. by spring of 1861, frederick douglass yearned for war, make no mistake. his long rehearsal as a war propagandist had reached its final stages. paul laurence dunbar suggested in a poem about douglass much later, douglass as much as any northern partisan in the civil war kindled a battle cry of freedom. these are just a few lines from dunbar's poem. "he dared the lightning enlightening's track -- in lightning's track and answered thunder with his thunder back. we test his hand and felt the presence of his magic, the current he sent through the land, the kindling spirit of his battle cry." douglas

the last prisoners were exchanged six weeks after appomattox. probably the greatest time somewhere around 3000 i'm all 437 prisonerssand can be identified as having come through this facility. if you had to have been a prisoner of war in the civil war, this probably was one of exist in.amps to it started in the summer of 1863. during the winter, they were build a substantial law quarters. the spring came in at the southwest quarter of the stockade, and large numbers of prisoners being dumped in late spring, early summer of 1864, this camp had a sense of internal order and discipline. the officers' quarters were above the spring, and they could p control the water supply and keep it pure. they kept their water supply good and clean and pure. i have been a longtime member of the historical society and have been working with this facility for 30 plus years in terms of researching and developing it. part of the grant application where we received the grant to develop the site as an historic k included two things come in large part done by texas a&m

the last prisoners were exchanged may 20 7, 1865, six weeks after appomattox. there were somewhere around 5400 37t all told, prisoners can be identified as having come through this facility. theou happened to be prisoner of war during the civil war, this probably was one of the best camps existing. it started as a camp for officers in the summer of 1863. wereg that winter, they able to build reasonably substantial log quarters. at the southwest corner of the stockade, when large numbers of prisoners started to be dumped in 1864, this camp had a sense of internal order and discipline. officers quarters were above the spring and they could control the water supply. thing is they kept the water supply good and clean and pure. member ofn a longtime the cook county historical society and have been working for 30 pluscility years, in terms of researching and developing it. the part of the grant application where he received the grant to develop the site as a historic park included two seasons of archaeological work done by texas and m university. the lithograph that

leading to his surrender at appomattox courthouse. this class is about 70 minutes. >> good morning. we are going to pick it up today where we left off on tuesday. war insider the civil its eastern campaigns in 1864. i want to do that today by peering through the eyes of this guy. john wes ailey. john west haily. he was an unlikely warrior. so were most of the more than 2 million men shouldered muskets and done union blue between 18 six he won and 18 625. own commission, naturally timid and shrinking -- shrink and -- shrunken. wracked by a thousand fears and misgivings. john actually set out the first 16 months of the civil war. of biddeford, a theing milltown perched on river, about a score of miles south of portland, maine. i had no inclination, here affected you later, for the business -- he reflected years later, for the business of war. he could not have halted the process -- progress of the civil war effort. patriotic loyal northerners dislike him -- just like him had passed those months wringing their hands and rationalizing defeat. -- oh, to besure sure there were glimmers of

she is fatigued beyond language at this point. 1865, sometime after appomattox, she travels home 400 miles. she's 400 miles from mobile at that time. when she canagon get a ride. otherwise, she walks. she can get one very short boat ride. she spends much of the rest of her life trying turn money for herself and for other women left penniless by the war. she becomes a sunday school teacher. this is the ordinariness she returns to. we can say about kate cumming that she clearly suffered from the burnout that other medical workers also experienced. we can surely say this about morgan baldwin and maria oriah tolliver. pensions were not considered a handout, but fair payment for federal service. it with hered support of the washington, d.c. hospital. what we come to understand is that the trauma associated with battlefield events did not affect only soldiers but, as lauren put it so eloquently this morning, and visited many families and children and indeed those who had laid hands in healing on sick and wounded men. these try must did not dissipate because the war ended in 18 to five. aft

not even a year after appomattox. the argumentth was by alfred edward pollard writes that the war is over. the shooting war is over, but this is now what he called a war of ideas. >> how is this different than trump today? trump basically writes off african americans by saying the first african american president was basically an illegal immigrant. he snuck in the country. he is really from kenya. he then went after all the people who come here to get jobs who are mexicans or latin americans as rapists and then he goes after the muslims, and a lot of them live here, they're all terrorists. how was that different than the way it was done right after the civil war by the klan? >> i don't think it is. this is an ancient american strain, and it's a big strain. the american soul as i think of it has room for dr. king, but it also has room for the klan. and any given era is determined by which side wins out. and it's usually a struggle, as you know in your bones. the winning side is about 52 or 53%. >> close call. >> it's a

leading to his surrender at appomattox courthouse. this class is about 70 mes

so it was a century ago at appomattox. so it was last week. and in selma, alabama. really it's all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. and we shall overcome. >> that was part of president lyndon johnson's speech calling for voting rights. an address writ within the help of speechwriter richard goodwin, whose death was announced by his wife of 42 years, doris kearns goodwin with us pulitzer prize-winning author jon meachum, writer . >> he was an american poet at a time when we had poetry in public life, which we miss so much right now. but the great story about that speech is dick goodwin had been a young clerk for felix frankfurter, had investigated the quiz show scandals, had gone to work in the kennedy white house, and at the time johnson, at the time of the terrible events and bloody sunday in selma, in march 7, i think 1965, he wanted to write the big speech for lbj, to lay out the voting rights act. and jack valenti assigned it to another speechwriter. so as goodwin would tell the story, he went out and as the victorians would

the last prisoners were exchanged on may 27, 1865, six weeks after appomattox. probably the greatest time somewhere around 3000. all totaled, 5437 prisoners can be identified as having come through this facility. if you had to have been a prisoner of war in the civil war, this probably was one of the best camps to exist in. it started as a camp for officers in the summer of 1863. during the winter, they were able to build a substantial lag log quarters.er -- blog the spring came in at the southwest quarter of the stockade, and large numbers of prisoners being dumped in late spring, early summer of 1864, this camp had a sense of internal order and discipline. the officers' quarters were above the spring, and they could control the water supply and keep it pure. the primary thing is they kept their water supply good and clean and pure. i have been a longtime member of the smith county historical society and have been working with this facility for 30 plus years in terms of researching and developing it. the part of the grant application where we received the grant