History That Doesn't Suck - 59: Stone’s River, Suspending Habeas Corpus, Vicksburg, & Stonewall’s Death at Chancellorsville

Episode Date: March 2, 2020

“Grant is my man and I am his the rest of the war.” This is the story of hard fighting—on the battlefield and in the courts. President Abraham Lincoln is making the controversial decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. While the Constitution does permit this to be done “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion” that threaten “the public Safety,” is the executive branch the one to do it? Is it prudent? Meanwhile, battles rage across the nation. Stone’s River claims a higher percentage of combatants than any other battle has or will. Ulysses S. Grant is laying siege to Vicksburg, which is the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Can he do it, effectively cutting the CSA in two? Finally, friendly fire is laying low one of the Confederacy’s most talented generals at Chancellorsville. The war will never be the same. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did it take to survive an ancient siege? Why was the cult of Dionysus behind so many slave revolts in ancient Rome? What's the tragic history and mythology behind Japan's most haunted ancient forest? We're Jen and Jenny from Ancient History Fangirl. Join us to explore ancient history and mythology from a fun, sometimes tipsy, perspective. Find us at ancienthistoryfangirl.com or wherever you get your podcasts. From the creators of the popular science show with millions of YouTube subscribers comes the MinuteEarth podcast. Every episode of the show dives deep into a science question you

might not even know you had, but once you hear the answer, you'll want to share it with everyone you know. Why do rivers curve? Why did the T-Rex have such tiny arms? And why do so many more kids need glasses now than they used to? Spoiler alert, it isn't screen time. Our team of scientists digs into the research and breaks it down into a short, entertaining explanation, jam-packed with science facts and terrible puns. Subscribe to MinuteEarth wherever you like to listen. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research,

with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a 7-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. It's December 30th, 1862.

Union General William Rosecrans and his force of 42,000 are hunkering down near Stones River, roughly two miles northwest of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Only a few hundred yards away, Confederate General Braxton Bragg is positioned with his 38,000 men. Both sides know battle will come in the morning. As the men prepare for bed, Union musicians play the very northern and federal songs of Yankee Doodle and Hail Columbia. Well, the Rebs, who are close enough to hear this, can't stand for these Yankee heirs. Their musicians respond in kind with Dixie and the Southern Rites tune celebrating what we might call the first unofficial CSA banner, the Bonnie Blue Flag. But then the musical combat takes a different turn.

Some musicians, and it's unclear whom, begin playing Home Sweet Home. Musicians from the other side join in. Harmony and their common ground, not as Union or Confederate soldiers melt back for a brief, shared American moment as countless numbers of the combined 80,000 boys in blue, gray, and butternut sing the old tune in unison. There's no place like home There's no place like home If only it could last.

Both commanding generals had conceived similar plans for their respective left lines to hit the opposing army's right lines. But it's the heavily bearded and even more heavily eyebrowed Braxton Bragg's Confederates who strike first. Moving at dawn on December 31st, 13,000 Rebs get the better of William Rosecrans, aka Old Rosie, and his still-breakfasting men. The young, well-kept, trim-bearded Union commander has no choice but to forgo his own offensive as the Confederates take ground. The Union right-folds so quickly, its battle lines resemble the shape of the letter U within hours.

Yeah, the boys in blue over here have fallen back three miles, all the way to the Nashville turnpike that runs down to Murfreesboro. It's a bad look for the Federals. But old Rosie's a fighter. Charging about the battlefield with the wet blood of his dead, decapitated by a cannonball staff officer still on him, he rallies on. Union artillery blasts the Confederates, and old Rosie's men hold out along the turnpike as they benefit from the wooded terrain. The Union center holds as well, but suffers so many casualties in this small area, men come to call it the quote-unquote slaughter pen. Meanwhile, the Confederates experience their own devastating losses in the Round Forest, which soon comes to be known as Hell's Half Acre. The sight of death is overwhelming by evening. In the words of Tennessee infantryman Sam Watkins,

I cannot remember now of ever seeing more dead men and horses and captured cannon all jumbled together than that scene of blood and carnage on the Wilkinson Turnpike. The ground was literally covered with blue coats dead. The next day, New Year's Day, 1863, things stay relatively quiet as both sides attend to their wounded. Old Rosie does make one crucial movement, though. That night, he gets forces in his left wing positioned on a ridge east of Stones River. It's now January 2nd.

Seeing the Union forces on the ridge, Braxton Bragg knows he's in trouble. Their artillery could do some serious damage to him, so he orders John Breckenridge to clear the Union forces from the hill. John protests. He sees Union artillery on the other side of the river. He tells Braxton he'll get blasted for sure, making diagrams in the dirt. He details the ways in which this plan will fail, but his commander insists. Sir, Braxton replies, my information is different. I have given the order to attack the enemy in your front and expect it to be obeyed. And so, John Breckenridge attacks.

He moves out at 4pm. They see some success at first, until they're greeted by 57 hidden Union cannons. John loses 1,500 men in a single hour. The next morning, Braxton sees that old Rosie is only getting more reinforcements. Damn. Braxton gets it. He's lost. It's a win at the Union, which is quite demoralized by a fresh loss itself at Fredericksburg, desperately needed.

But don't let that fool you into thinking the suffering isn't severe on both sides. With well over 20,000 of the 80,000 men who participated in this engagement dead, wounded, or missing, no single battle in the entire war has or will result in a higher casualty ratio than the Battle of Stones River. Well, if that got your blood pumping, this episode might just counter your cardio for today, because we aren't going to slow down much. We have more battles to witness. The first is a war of words, mostly in Washington City, where U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is having it out with the courts and the Democrats over his controversial decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Once we've digested this struggle between civil liberties and security,

we'll zig back out west, where General Ulysses S. Grant has his eye on the last Confederate Mississippi River stronghold of Vicksburg. Can he finally take it and cut the CSA in half? We'll find out. Then we'll zag east once more, this time to Virginia, where one of the Confederacy's most valued, beloved, and quirky generals will meet his end at Chancellorsville. We haven't got a minute to waste, so let's head back to 1861 and follow the years-long process of Lincoln's multiple suspensions of the writ of habeas corpus. Rewind. Before we get to any suspending,

let's get one thing straight. What the hell is a writ of habeas corpus? Great question. Glad you asked. Starting with the good old classical Latin part, habeas corpus translates as, you have the body. So in the event of an arrest, the writ, that is the court order, requires the jailer to bring an arrested person physically, that is to bring their body, before the court to justify the arrest. In short, it protects us from unlawful or wrongful imprisonment. I'll give you a concrete example. Say your neighbor, who we'll just call Mr. Heisenberg, gets arrested and thrown in jail. His lawyer, and I'm just spitballing here, say we call him Saul Goodman, can get the court to

issue a writ of habeas corpus requiring the jailer to bring Mr. Heisenberg before a judge and legally justify his imprisonment. If it can't be justified as a constitutional legal detention, Mr. Heisenberg goes free. That's the writ of habeas corpus, and the Lincoln administration finds it necessary to suspend this long-standing personal freedom inherited from English law a few times throughout the war. The first time is in the state of Maryland, April 1861. That's right, at the very start of the Civil War, just after the fall of Fort Sumter. As you likely recall from episode 46, we have speculation that Maryland will secede, pro-Confederate mobs attacking the boys in blue as they pass through Baltimore, and still more Confederate sympathizers looking to demo the railroad connecting the cities a seed. Pro-Confederate mobs attacking the boys in blue as they pass through Baltimore. And still more Confederate sympathizers looking to demo the railroad connecting the cities of Annapolis, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

It's chaos. Lincoln needs to tamp down the rebellion here immediately. So on April 27th, the Illinois rail splitter suspends the writ of habeas corpus along the rail line. He informs General Winfield Scott that he may arrest and detain without resort to the ordinary processes and forms of law such individuals as he might deem dangerous to the public safety. I know, that does not sound like liberty loving America at first blush, but the Founding Fathers actually put a caveat in the Constitution permitting such a suspension in very specific circumstances. It's found in Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2. I quote, The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

Close quote. As we can see from the wording of Lincoln's directive, he's keenly aware of the Constitution's exact language. But that doesn't mean everyone agrees with Lincoln's decision to pull this constitutional emergency break. It's still controversial, and when the deep-pocketed secessionist John Merriman gets arrested a few weeks later, he has his lawyer petition, despite the president's suspension, for a writ of habeas corpus. This gives U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who happens to be serving as Baltimore's federal court senior judge at the time, the chance to fight back. The octogenarian Chief Justice points out that the Constitution's clause permitting this suspension is found in Article 1, which details the powers

of Congress. He therefore argues in his May 28th ruling that it is unconstitutional for the president, whose powers are found in Article 2 of the Constitution, to be the one making this call. But Lincoln won't back down. He simply ignores the Chief Justice's take while constitutional lawyers and Attorney General Edward Bates mount counter-arguments. For instance, does it really matter which article of the Constitution permits the suspension of habeas corpus? This yet untested constitutional clause doesn't stipulate who can invoke it. Furthermore, Congress isn't in session. Even if it were, lawyers ask how the slow-moving, deliberative legislative body that is Congress ever could act with the speed needed in an emergency situation. Lincoln himself puts forward these and other salient defenses while

addressing Congress on the 4th of July. Are all laws but one to go unexecuted and the government itself go to pieces lest that one be violated? The gangly, bearded president asks this august body. He further argues, I decided that we have a case of rebellion and that the public safety does require the qualified suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, which I authorize to be made. Now it is insisted that Congress, not the executive, is vested with this power, but the Constitution itself is silent as to which or who is to exercise the power. And as the provision plainly was made for a dangerous emergency, I cannot bring myself to believe that the framers of that instrument intended that in every case the danger should run its course until

Congress could be called together, the very assembling of which might be prevented, as was intended in this case, by the rebellion. Lincoln's got some solid logic. It doesn't mean that everyone stops worrying about the potential precedents being set, but frankly, the threats to the republic are such that many congressmen support him, approving of this suspension and others, including a general suspension across the nation in September 1862 after the fact. The March 3, 1863 Habeas Corpus Suspension Act then removes all question of legality. It states that, quote, The President of the United States, whenever in his

judgment the public safety may require it, is authorized to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in any case throughout the United States. Close quote. Lincoln calls for a second nationwide suspension of the writ of habeas corpus half a year later in September 1863. Many citizens are arrested, including some opposed to the 1863 draft we learned about in the last episode, as well as members of the press. One noteworthy case is that of the Star-Spangled Banner's author Francis Scott Key's grandson, Frank Key Howard. Ironically enough, he's held between 1861 and 1862 in Fort McHenry. You know, the same fort where, after a British bombardment in 1814, his poet grandfather saw the stars and stripes still flying over the land of the free and the home of the brave,

and was inspired to write the future national anthem. Frank has less than nice things to say about Honest Abe after this. You can read it for free online if you'd like. It's titled, 14 Months in American Bastilles. But the most difficult case for the Illinois rail splitter has to be that of Ohio's former Democratic congressman, Clement Vallandigham, in summer 1863. Big-eyed, strong-jawed, and neck-bearded, Clement kind of looks like a more handsome version of Henry David Thoreau. He's staunchly in the peace-slash-copperhead faction of the Democratic Party, meaning that he ardently opposes the war. This cost him the support of the war Democrats and his congressional seat in the 1862 election. Then the Emancipation Proclamation takes effect with the new year. Knowing that war

Democrats care about preserving the Union but not ending slavery, Clement latches onto the opportunity to erode their support for the war by depicting the conflict as an abolitionist crusade. On January 14, 1863, the lame duck congressman gives a fiery speech along these lines in the House of Representatives. He even threatens that Northwestern states might leave the Union if the war continues. I will not ask whether the Northwest can consent to separation from the South. Never. Nature forbids. We are only a part of the great valley of the Mississippi. We cannot, ought not, will not separate from the South.

And if you of the East, to have found this war against the South and for the Negro, gratifying your hate or profitable to your purse, will continue it till a separation be forced between the slaveholding and your non-slaveholding states, then believe me and accept it. As you did not the other solemn warnings of years past, the day which divides the North from the South, that selfsame day decrees eternal divorce between the West and the East.

Yeah, that's Clement Vlandingham. Fast forward to April 1863. Clement's out of Congress and back home. Meanwhile, the Department of the Ohio has a new commander, our old buddy Ambrose Burnside. Yes, he's been sent out west after that debacle at Fredericksburg we heard about in episode 56. He issues a general order, number 38, which proclaims that, quote, it must be distinctly understood that treason expressed or implied will not be tolerated in this department. Close quote. Well, Clement sees an opportunity in this First Amendment defying order. In a well-advertised public speech at Mount Vernon, Ohio, yeah, note the state, not Virginia, Clement goes off on the Lincoln administration. According to the charges, he calls the president quote-unquote King Lincoln and says that the war is,

among other things, quote, wicked, cruel, and unnecessary, not being waged for the preservation of the union, a war for the purpose of crushing out liberty and erecting despotism, a war for the freedom of the blacks and the enslavement of the whites. Close quote. Yeah, that will do it. Within days, Ambrose has Clement arrested, which has been due by breaking down Clement's door and taking him from his family in the night. He's swiftly convicted of, quote, having expressed sympathy, close quote, for the Confederacy and sentenced to imprisonment through the end of the war. Meanwhile, he also applies for a writ of habeas corpus, knowing full well he won't get it with Lincoln's suspension.

Oh, Ambrose. Always meaning well, not always doing well. Clement just became the martyr he hoped to be, and Lincoln's left with the mess. The arrest makes sense on paper, so he doesn't want to undermine Ambrose, who has little going for him other than his facial hair. Yet his entire cabinet agrees that was a bad call. What should the president do? Lincoln makes the best of a terrible situation.

He supports Ambrose in public while commuting Clement's sentence to banishment into the Confederacy. Union troops pass the former congressman off to the thick-bearded Confederate general we met in today's opening, Braxton Bragg, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee on May 25th. Lincoln fans love the move, and Clements' reputation suffers when he then flees to Canada. But his war-opposing Copperhead Democrats stand with him, even nominating the in-exile politician for governor of Ohio in 1863. While he loses, Clements impacted the political fabric of the Union. He's ensured the Copperheads are here to stay and that the war Democrats won't break off to create a new party with more centrist Republicans. Americans

traditionally place a high premium on liberty, but there's nothing like war, particularly a civil war, that can press a society into sacrificing some liberties for greater security. Hell, even the Confederacy that calls Lincoln a central governance tyrant permits Jefferson Davis to suspend the writ of habeas corpus a few times. It's a true challenge, but although the arrests and suppressed newspapers weren't always handled perfectly, and how could they be, I am ultimately impressed with Lincoln's balance of liberty and security amid civil war. He holds back when he thinks he can, as he tells one woman who wants him to suppress the anti-war Chicago Times,

I fear you do not fully comprehend the danger of abridging the liberties of the people. Nothing but the very sternest necessity can ever justify it. A government had better go to the very extreme of toleration than to do ought that could be construed into an interference with or to jeopardize in any degree the common rights of its citizens. Well said, Mr. President. That's good advice amid war or peace. But peace is a ways out. Right now we need to head back west,

where General Ulysses Grant is taking another crack at vital-to-the-Confederacy Vicksburg. Ready to see how he does? We want to book it, so let's take a train that way. Here we go. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you. I'm Sean Piles, and I host NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast. On our show, we help listeners like you make the most of your finances. I sit down with NerdWallet's team of nerds, personal finance experts in credit cards, banking, investing, and more. We answer your real-world

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NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. During the Civil War, Vicksburg, Mississippi is known as the Gibraltar of the West. And that metaphor holds up a little. This Confederate stronghold sits on bluffs overlooking the mighty Mississippi on its west side. But that's where the similarities end. Vicksburg doesn't boast sweeping views of the Moroccan coast or quaint but disappointing fish-and-chip stands. More seriously, Vicksburg is a crucial trade post serving as the last main connection between the Confederacy's western states like Texas and Arkansas and the rest of the CSA.

If it's lost, the Union will control the entire Mississippi and cut the Confederacy in two. Union troops have tried unsuccessfully to take the Confederate stronghold, but in March 1863, Ulysses develops a risky new plan to crack that nut that is Vicksburg once and for all. Remember how, in episode 56, Ulysses called off his attack on Vicksburg when Confederate cavalry commander Nathan Bedford Forrest cut his supply lines? Well, the cigar loving general has figured out a way around that. He'll just attack the Confederate stronghold without supply lines. Don't adjust your earbuds. I said without supply lines. Alright, let me dial that back just a little bit. Ulysses plans to have one supply line for ammunition and have his men live off of land

for their rations. If you think that sounds reckless to the point of stupidity, you're not the only one. Even Ulysses acknowledges the risk when he orders one of his officers. Impress upon the cavalry. They must live as far as possible off the country through which they pass and destroy corn, wheat, crops, and everything that can be made use of by the enemy in prolonging the war. Without supply or communication lines to hold him down, Ulysses plans to double time it to Vicksburg. Let me give you the details. The Union army currently sits near Milliken's Bend, 30 miles northwest of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. Ulysses will march his men due south on the Louisiana side of the river all the way down

to Bruinsburg, a small town 30-ish miles south of Vicksburg. From there, Ulysses plans to cross the river, take out any Confederate armies in the area south and east of Vicksburg, then attack the city from the east. Oh, and he plans to have gunboats take out river defenses on Vicksburg's west side. This crazy, bold plan has to work. Ulysses has no safety net, and he knows it. He tells his good friend Tecumseh Sherman, the country is already disheartened over the lack of success on the part of our armies. The problem for us is to move forward to a decisive victory, or our cause is lost. If he can't take Vicksburg this time, Ulysses has no doubt it will cost him his job. Kump understands this, so he keeps his reservations to himself.

He loyally writes to Ulysses, Whatever plan of action you may adopt will receive from me the same zealous cooperation and energetic support as though conceived by myself. The keys to making this Vicksburg campaign work will be speed and speed. So now that Ulysses has his plan mapped out and his officers on board, he's ready to make his move. On the night of April 16th, Ulysses puts his plan into action. Admiral David Porter, whom we met in episode 50, quietly steams a flotilla of seven gunboats and three transports downriver from Milliken's Bend. David hopes to move with the Sixknot River current and avoid detection by the 37 guns lining the bluffs at Vicksburg. Yeah, even under the cover of darkness, that's not going to work. Just after 10.30pm, Confederate watchmen see the Union flotilla and fire warning shots to get the attention of the officers living it up at a nearby party.

It doesn't take long for the Rebel artillerymen to jump into action. While some soldiers load cannons, others set fire to abandoned buildings to light up the river and expose the Union boats. Pretty soon, all hell breaks loose on the Union flotilla. The Union army still stationed at Mill King's Bend can see and hear the incessant gunfire. In fact, Ulysses' family is visiting him, and the whole Grant clan stands on the deck of a steamship watching the rebel rockets rain down on the Union gunboats. War Department staffer Charles Dana watches too, and he reports, quote, For an hour and a half the cannonade was terrific, raging incessantly along the line of about four miles extent. I counted 525 discharges.

The Union gunboats return fire, but keep moving as fast as they can. Luckily for David Porter and his crewmen, the Confederate cannon fire isn't very accurate. The rebel artillerists have a hard time hitting the Union boats because they are sailing so close to the shore. David says, We suffered most from the musketry fire. The soldiers lined the levee and fired into our portholes, for we were not more than 20 yards from the shore. All seven gunboats and two of the three transports make it past the Vicksburg defenses. The flotilla puts in at New Carthage, a few miles downriver, to make repairs and tend to the wounded men.

This crucial part of Ulysses' plan is a success, and the Confederates know it. Hugh Moss, who manned a cannon on the Vicksburg Bluffs, writes, their object, I think, is going below to cross troops and try and get in the rear of Vicksburg. You nailed it, Hugh. John Pemberton, the Confederate general in charge of defending Vicksburg, figures this out too. He wires Richmond, saying that all trans-Mississippi supplies are now cut off. On April 22nd, six more transport boats steam past the Vicksburg defenses and five make it through unscathed. But now the Confederates know what Ulysses is up to. I mean, the gunboats made a pretty spectacular run past Vicksburg's defenses, and it's not like Ulysses can hide the thousands of men who have marched down to a river crossing 30 miles south of Vicksburg.

But Ulysses has a plan to distract rebel troops while he gets his men into position. The blue-eyed general has been inventive and daring so far in this campaign, but now he's taking a page straight out of the rebel playbook. Last winter, Confederate cavalryman Nathan Bedford Forrest and his crew tore up railways, supply lines, and telegraph wires, forcing Ulysses to call off his attack on Vicksburg. Now Ulysses wants to give the Confederates a taste of their own medicine. So he orders Ben Grierson and his 1700-man force to ride around Mississippi and raise hell. You'd never guess that Ben hated horses as a kid and made a living as a music teacher before the war. Rocking a sideswept hairstyle and full beard that

would make any hipster proud, Ben and his guys spend the last part of April and first part of May on a 600 mile raiding spree. They tear up 50 miles of railroad and supply lines, kill 100 rebel soldiers, and capture 500 more, and burn dozens of rail cars and supply depots. Tecumseh is so impressed by Ben's performance, he calls this cavalry operation, quote, the most brilliant expedition of the war, close quote. While Tecumseh might be waxing hyperbolic there, Ben's raid does serve its purpose. It pulls the focus off of federal troops crossing the Mississippi River and prevents supplies and reinforcements from reaching Confederate General John Pemberton's defensive force at Vicksburg. So, on April 30th, Ulysses leads 23,000 men into Mississippi unopposed. Between Ben Grierson's raid and a few other feigning movements made by the Union Army,

Ulysses is pretty sure he's got the Confederate high command completely confused. He writes to his plans, Created great confusion about Vicksburg and doubts about our real design. Well, let's give rebel officers some credit. They may be spread thin trying to defend their supply lines, Vicksburg, and the Mississippi capital at Jackson, but they know that General Grant is ultimately gunning for Vicksburg. What John Pemberton and his army don't know is where the attack will come from, and that has John doubting himself and running scared. Now I already told you that the keys to Ulysses' plan are speed and speed,

so the blue-clad general does not sit around in the Mississippi swamps. On May 1st, only one day after crossing the river, the Union army moves northeast from Bruinsburg to Port Gibson. Sergeant Osborne Oldroyd, who keeps a detailed journal of this entire campaign, tells us, quote, After crossing the great Mississippi, we bade farewell to Louisiana and its alligators, and are now inhaling the fragrance of delightful odors of Mississippi flowers. Close quote. But this is definitely not a Magnolia Blossom sightseeing trip. By the time Osborne's unit gets to Port Gibson, Union General James McPherson's men have already forced the 6,000-strong Confederate army there to retreat. As Ulysses' federal troops move across the state of Mississippi, there are four more of these small skirmishes or battles.

Quick aside, can I just point out how crazy it is that battles we'd call huge engagements in the Revolutionary War get relegated to skirmish status during the Civil War? I mean, 23,000 Union guys versus 6,000 Confederate troops? That's on par with Yorktown. Anyway, back to Ulysses and his men. From Port Gibson, the Union army moves northeast. Along the way, the Union brigades that were making those feigns around Vicksburg join back up with Ulysses, bringing his strength up to 40,000 men. Now these guys should be heading straight north if they want to get to Vicksburg. And I can't believe I'm going to say this again,

but they need to move quickly if this plan is going to work. So what's Ulysses thinking marching his men northeast towards Jackson instead of double timing it to Vicksburg? He's thinking that he needs to knock out the small confeder Confederate armies near Vicksburg before he turns his full attention to that vital city. If he went straight for it, he could end up trapped between two rebel armies, the one at Vicksburg and the other 40 miles due east of Jackson, with no supply lines or way to retreat. Ulysses isn't going to let that happen, so he plans to neutralize the enemy threat and then hit Vicksburg without having to watch his back. On May 12th, the Union army passes through Raymond, Mississippi, a sleepy farm town 15 miles southwest of Jackson. A single brigade of about 3,200 Confederates ambush General James McPherson's Union lines to slow them down and buy more time to build defenses at Jackson. Even though the

rebels are badly outnumbered, their ambush scares the hell out of Union troops. One soldier says, quote, all at once the woods ring with the shrill rebel yell and a deafening din of musketry. Close quote. The boys in blue start to scatter under the attack, but Union General John Logan pulls them together. The dark-haired, dark-eyed Illinoisan with an olive complexion has earned the awesome nickname Black Jack from his men, along with their respect. As Confederates rain bullets down on them,

Black Jack rides through their lines, wearing a cloak to conceal rain bullets down on them, Blackjack rides through their lines wearing a cloak to conceal his rank. Smart move, Blackjack. He shouts, for God's sake, men, don't disgrace your country. Thanks to Jack Black's motivational speech, and you know, the three to one ratio, Union troops beat back the rebels and continue their march toward Jackson. It's at this point that communication between the Confederate generals breaks down. Here's the thing. General John Pemberton has direct explicit orders from President Jefferson Davis himself to hold Vicksburg at all costs. But General Joseph Johnston, who is in overall command of the Western Theater, thinks holding Vicksburg comes at the cost of too many men. Joe just wants to retreat,

but he doesn't directly tell this to John. Instead, the Western commander orders John Pemberton to attack the Union army on the road between Jackson and Vicksburg, claiming that he'll send reinforcements. Joe Johnston also orders the army at Jackson to hold the city while he evacuates 25 miles north to Canton, Mississippi. These orders would be messy enough, but John Pemberton doesn't follow them. Against the advice of his war council, he decides to disobey Joe Johnston's orders and not attack the Federals on the road, instead heading southeast to attack the Union supply lines. I guess John didn't get the memo that Ulysses ditched his supply lines.

Anyway, John Pemberton sends a note to his commander, Joe, asking for reinforcements to implement his new plan. The northern-born confederate writes, quote, the object is to cut off the enemy's communications and to force him to attack me, as I do not consider my force sufficient to justify an attack on the enemy in position or to attempt to cut my way to Jackson. Close quote. What John can't know is that Joe Johnston has no intention of backing him up. This is about to get ugly. Early on May 14th, it starts to rain. By dawn, the showers have turned into a downpour and the roads leading into Jackson are basically mud pits. This slows down Union troops marching east to the Mississippi capital, but only a little.

At 9 a.m., Confederate skirmishers meet General James McPherson's 7th Corps on the main road west of Jackson. Now, the rebels were prepared for this attack, and their defenses are pretty strong. What they weren't expecting was a two-pronged Union attack. While James McPherson's men pummel the west side of Jackson, Tecumseh Sherman approaches the south side of the city. Amid the thundering rainstorm, Tecumseh's artillerymen batter the paper-thin defense works on this side of the city and send the rebels stationed there flying. One soldier describes the scene, quote, it rained and thundered fearfully during the battle. The shocks of thunder intermingled with the shocks from the gun so that we could not tell the one from the other. Close quote.

By 2 p.m., the 6,000 Confederates give way and retreat north to Canton to join Joe Johnston. As soon as Jackson falls into Union hands, Ulysses issues new orders to his generals, John McLernan and James McPherson. Johnston designs to get north of us and cross the Black River and beat us into Vicksburg. We must not allow them to do this. Turn all your forces toward Bolton Station and make all dispatch in getting there. Let me give you a picture of this. If you were to cut the road between Jackson and Vicksburg into thirds, Bolton and the Big Black River would sit almost exactly on those cuts. So Ulysses wants

his men to block any rebel troops who might be headed to reinforce their defensive positions on the Big Black River. While Ulysses and most of his men head west to intercept Confederate forces, Tecumseh gets a different assignment. Ulysses orders most of his men head west to intercept Confederate forces, Tecumseh gets a different assignment. Ulysses orders his friend to stay in Jackson and destroy it as a railroad center and manufacturing city of military supplies. Tecumseh and his men get to work burning factories and warehouses and destroying rail lines. Tecumseh's soldiers have a special recipe for this. They start a bonfire with wooden rail ties, then heap metal rails on the fire.

When the rail gets red in the middle, a few men would pick them up and bend them around a tree trunk, making the rail tie into a useless U-shape. These destroyed rail ties come to be known as Sherman neckties. But Tecumseh's men soon get drunk on stolen whiskey and rum, and the destruction gets out of hand. Instead of just burning factories, they burn houses and businesses. The out-of-control fires spread to the public stables, a church, and even hospitals. Sylvanius Kidwalader, a reporter attached to Tecumseh's army, tells us,

quote, the streets were filled with people who were carrying away all the stolen goods they could stagger under without the slightest attempt at concealment and without let or hindrance from citizens or soldiers, close quote. As a means of penance and apology, Tecumseh offers army rations to anyone who had their place of work burned. He tells them to meet at the Pearl River, where we could feed them till they could find employment or seek refuge in some more peaceful land. Many Jacksonians take Tecumseh up on his offer and he distributes over 200,000 rations. But that does little to assuage the anger of the people.

When Tecumseh and his men leave town the next day, they leave behind Confederates who swear to hate Tecumseh Sherman until their dying day. Damn. This destruction. This devastation. This is total war. It's now May 15th. Let's get back on the road to Vicksburg, where Ulysses S. Grant is marching double time in hopes of cutting off any rebel reinforcements that might be headed there. Now, John Pemberton still wants to cut Ulysses' non-existent supply lines, and Joe Johnston has about 6,000 men sitting north of Jackson. Furthermore, 10,000 Confederate reinforcements are on their way to help. Okay, let's do a little math. Don't worry, you won't need a calculator. John has 10,000 men

stationed at Vicksburg and another 23,000 with him on the road. Combine that with Joe's 6,000 and you have almost 40,000 gray-clad soldiers ready to fight. If these guys could meet up at Big Black River, they'd have one-to-one odds with Ulysses' combined boys in blue. That's better odds than any Confederate general has seen in a long time. But Joe and John don't combine forces. And to make matters worse, Joe sends those 10,000 reinforcements away and marches his 6,000 men all the way up to Canton. John Pemberton is on his own with only 23,000 men. This plays right into Ulysses' hands.

Remember how he thought the Confederates would converge at the Big Black River and he wanted to head them off? Now, instead of facing a dug-in army, about 29,000 federal troops will face John Pemberton's forces strung out on the roads west of Bolton. As is becoming typical in this campaign, Ulysses moves with lightning speed and so do his generals. On May 16th, Union Generals James McPherson and John McLaren meet up and attack John Pemberton's forces. Normally, political appointed general John McLaren fights aggressively in the name of self-promotion, as you heard in episode 56. But not today. The Confederates are lined up along a 140-foot ridge known as Champion's Hill. In this mostly flat, wooded terrain, this hill is one of the most difficult spots to attack.

So, as James McPherson charges into the Confederate left flank, John McLaren should be assaulting the right. But he doesn't. What the hell, John? Do you have somewhere better to be? As it is, James McPherson and crew overwhelm the Confederate left and John Pemberton orders his army to retreat, having suffered 3,800 casualties. But Ulysses is pissed. If John McLaren had done his part, they could have trapped the whole Confederate army and forced Vicksburg to surrender without firing another shot. Had McLaren come up with reasonable promptness, I cannot see how Pemberton could have escaped with any organized force. Ulysses doesn't stew in his anger for long, though. He has to take Vicksburg. He orders his men to pursue Confederate General John Pemberton's men as they retreat toward it. Until John orders his men to turn and fight,

that is. The rebels take up a defensive position on the east banks of the Big Black River. On May 17th, Union troops blast their way through the exhausted, demoralized Confederate troops in just a few hours. John's men retreat across the river, but not before Union troops take nearly 1,700 of them as prisoners of war. General John Pemberton takes this loss personally. He tells his aides as they retreat to Vicksburg, quote, just 30 years ago, I began my military career by receiving my cadetship at the U.S. Military Academy. And today, the same date, that career has ended in disaster and Close quote. John really doesn't want to go down as the guy who lost Vicksburg.

That night, his battle-weary, shredded army limps back into the crucial Confederate stronghold. One Vicksburg resident describes the exhausted men as they walk by her home. Quote, Juan, hollow-dyed, ragged, foot sore, blood, and men limped unarmed, humanity in the last throes of endurance. Close quote. these guys are in rough shape, but so are the Union soldiers pursuing them. In the last 17 days, Ulysses' men have marched nearly 200 miles, fought five battles,

four in the last six days alone, inflicted over 6,000 casualties, suffered 4,300 casualties, including 700 dead, and done it all without steady rations. And now they have to attack the Confederates in their strongest position. On May 18th, Tecumseh and his men catch up with Ulysses. His entire army now sits ready to pounce on Vicksburg. BFFs Kump and Ulysses talk about their plans to attack the city, and Tecumseh admits to his old friend, quote,

Until this moment, I never thought your expedition a success. I never could see the end clearly, until now. But this is a campaign. This is a success if we never take the town. Close quote. That is high praise, and Ulysses is grateful for it, but he's determined to take Vicksburg.

He responds to Kump, The enemy has been much demoralized by his defeats at Champion's Hill and the Big Black, and I believe he would not make much effort to hold Vicksburg. Well, Ulysses had to get something wrong on this campaign, and this is it. John Pemberton has no intention of giving up Vicksburg, and he has 10,000 fresh

troops who've been improving the already epic defense works around the city for the past week. With the river on the west side, Confederate Army engineers have built earthen walls, moats, rifle pits, and placed artillery in a crescent shape around the northeast and south sides of the city. Even facing these fortifications, Ulysses isn't going to pause for a minute. Speed has been on his side for the past month, and he's not going to slow down now. At 2 p.m. on May 19th, Ulysses orders a full frontal assault on Vicksburg. Tecumseh's army attacks the north end, James McPherson targets the center, and John McLaren tries to redeem himself by assaulting the south defenses.

Meanwhile, David Porter's gunboats cannonade the city from the river. But John Pemberton's gray-clad soldiers don't bat an eye at the Union's show of strength. As soon as the Federals get within firing range, the rebels shoot them down. All along the six-mile front line, Union soldiers are cut down without mercy. Tecumseh reports that, quote, the heads of columns were swept away as chaff thrown from the hand on a windy day, close quote. The survivors try to take cover from the withering enemy barrage in the trees, tall grasses, and undergrowth. One Illinois company gets caught in a cane break and their CO tells us that rebel bullets cut down the stocks one by one until the men are almost buried in the dismembered stocks. But at least these guys have a place to hide. For soldiers who rushed the Confederate parapets and lived through it, they find themselves trapped in six-foot deep trenches. With no way to scale the earthen works and no way to

run to safety, these poor boys in blue have to hide out under the incessantly firing enemy guns until dark. Confederate engineer Sam Lockett reports that, quote, These miserable men were compelled to huddle in the ditches below the fortifications for nearly quote, Close quote. Oof. I think it's fair to say today's attack didn't go according to Ulysses' plan. Union commanders count over 900 casualties. As dark falls, Confederate spirits lift. They finally won a battle.

They held the larger Union army at bay through sheer determination and, let's face it, damn good defenses. But Ulysses isn't going to give up after one day of trying to breach the Rebel lines. For a few days, Union scouts and spies try to find a weak spot in the Confederate defenses. There's got to be at least one, right? Good news, Ulysses. There are three, maybe even four weak spots. That's good enough for the risk-taking, determined Union general. Early on May 22nd, Union cannons blast away at Vicksburg and its impregnable defenses for almost two hours. The Confederates don't fire back at all.

Then at 10 a.m., the three generals under Ulysses' command strike the rebel lines all at once. But this attack turns into a bloodbath within minutes. Union troops fight with everything they've got at any weak spot they can find on the Rebel lines. But as soon as Confederates see a weak spot, they shore it up with men and guns. Union Corporal Thomas Higgins manages to make it onto a Confederate rampart and is urging his fellow soldiers to follow suit when rough hands grab him and shove him into a fort atop the wall. Thomas is staring straight into the face of several Texan soldiers.

He gives a few details about what happens next, but he doesn't tell us exactly what they said. I imagine it goes something like this. What's your name, Yankee? Thomas Higgins, 99th Illinois. How did you make it past our sharpshooters? Are you wearing a breastplate? The Confederate soldiers frisked Thomas for any sign of protective gear.

You know, like the iron stove door that Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, straps to his chest in Back to the Future Part 3. But Thomas hasn't gotten that creative today. Boys, I ain't wearing no breastplate. If I own such an apparatus, I can assure you I would have worn it on another part of my body. The Texan captain detaining Thomas doesn't believe him. I've never known my men to fire at a man that close and miss him before. Well, I guess Thomas is just that lucky, but he's still taken prisoner by the Texans. The brutal battle for Vicksburg continues for several more hours. Union General John McLaren should be doing his part,

but the self-serving general is up to his old tricks. He claims that his troops have successfully taken two forts and are fighting for a third, so the other two generals should renew their attacks. But that's a lie, and probably an attempt to keep the heaviest fighting away from his men. When Ulysses hears about John McLaren's duplicitous ploy, one of his aides says Ulysses gets a grim, glowering look of disappointment and disgust, close quote. And so the second attempt to take Vicksburg fails. There will be no more direct attacks on the fortified city. In fact, Ulysses only has one option left, to lay siege to Vicksburg. It's ugly and Ulysses knows it, but there's nothing else he can do.

He orders the siege to begin immediately. Ulysses calls in reinforcements to attack Vicksburg and keep an eye on any movements Confederate General Joe Johnston might make. But Joe isn't moving his base in Canton. John Pemberton and his 30,000-man army must hold Vicksburg on their own. It's not long before life in Vicksburg becomes very bleak. Union shells and bullets fly into the city 24-7, and many of the 3,000 residents move into makeshift bomb shelters.

These are basically caves dug into hillsides, and yes, they are as bad as they sound. Vicksburg resident Dora Miller remembers that, These are basically caves dug into hillsides, and yes, they are as bad as they sound. Vicksburg resident Dora Miller remembers that, quote, At all those caves, I could see from my front porch people were sitting, eating their poor suppers, at the cave doors, ready to plunge in again. As the first shells flew, they dived, and not a human was visible. Close quote. And sure, these shelters save lives, but they can be dangerous if a shell hits the ground above them.

One night, 13-year-old Lucy Bell lays sleeping on a rug in her family's cave when a shell hits. She recalls later, quote, Suddenly, a shell came down on top of the hill and exploded. This caused a large piece of earth to slide from the side of the archway in a solid piece, catching me under it.

Mother reached me first and, with the assistance of Dr. Lord, succeeded in getting my head out first. The blood was gushing from my nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, but no bones broken. Close quote. The deadly siege goes on for weeks. Ulysses wires his boss, General-in-Chief Henry Halleck, and says, John Pemberton knows this is true. He sends a message to Joe Johnston begging for help.

John writes, The men credit and are encouraged by a report that you are near with a large force. An army doctor tells his journal, We certainly are in a critical situation, but we can hold out until Johnston arrives and attacks Yankees in the rear. But Joe Johnston arrives and attacks Yankees in the rear. Close quote. But Joe Johnston isn't coming, and by the first week of July 1863, John Pemberton, along with every resident and soldier in Vicksburg, finally realizes it.

At 10 a.m. on July 3rd, two men ride out from Vicksburg and into the Union camp under a white flag. They deliver a letter from John Pemberton, which Ulysses reads immediately. Quote, I have the honor to propose to you an armistice, with a view to arranging terms for the capitulation of Vicksburg. Close quote. Yeah, the Confederate commander is trying to put as positive a spin on this situation as possible, but it's gotta suck. He's tried for months to hold Vicksburg. Nonetheless, John Pemberton will go down in history as the general who lost the

Gibraltar of the West. Ulysses responds to John's letter with his characteristic coolness. The useless effusion of blood you propose stopping by this course can be ended at any time you may choose by the unconditional surrender of the city and garrison. I can assure you will be treated with all the respect due to prisoners of war. Oof, that's cold. Unconditional Surrender Grant came by his nickname, honestly. But Ulysses backs off these initial harsh terms in an exchange of letters with John Pemberton that night. The Union commander offers, as soon as rolls can be made out of the paroles signed by officers and men, you'll be allowed to march out of your lines, the officers taking with them Paroled? Leaving with sidearms? John, it doesn't get better than this. Just take the offer and run.

Nearing dawn on July 4, 1863, disgraced John finally accepts these terms. Ulysses can hardly contain his relief. He tells his 12-year-old son, Fred, who's been with him during this whole siege, well, I'm glad Vicksburg will surrender. Union soldiers march into Vicksburg as white flags appear over every fort on the ramparts surrounding the city. Osborne Old Royd can hardly contain his joy. Our division marched into the city in triumph, and there took command and completed the long-desired event, raising the Star Spangled Banner over the courthouse cupola. While Union soldiers celebrate, and the paroled Confederate soldiers,

including First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's half-brother, David Todd, drain out of the city, Vicksburg's beleaguered, half-starved residents come out of hiding. Federal soldiers try to make amends. They share rations and break into food speculators' warehouses, sharing the goods with anyone and everyone. One Louisiana soldier recalls that Yankees would bring out food and shout, Here, Rebs, help yourselves. You are naked and starving and need them. This same soldier surmises, quote, What a strange spectacle of war between those who were recently deadly foes. Close quote. The fall of Vicksburg effectively

cuts the Confederacy in two with no way to transfer food, supplies, or men from west to east. And President Lincoln couldn't be happier about this military victory. When Navy Secretary Gideon Neptune Wells shows Lincoln the telegram announcing the surrender of Vicksburg, the president actually hugs Neptune and exclaims, I cannot in words tell you my joy over this result. It is great news. It is great, Mr. Wells. It is great. Ulysses can see how huge this victory is too. In his memoirs, he writes, the fate of the Confederacy was sealed when Vicksburg fell. More importantly, President Lincoln now clearly sees the value of having someone like General Ulysses Grant on his team. Ulysses has proven himself again and again, and Lincoln won't forget it. He states, Grant isn't shrieking for reinforcements all the time. He takes what troops we can safely

give him and does the best he can with what he's got. Grant is my man and I am his for the rest of the war. You can't get higher praise than that. But we can't stay and celebrate with Lincoln or Ulysses. Like I said at the start of this episode, this is a big day. We've got one more battle to cover. So let's head back east and back to March 1863. It's time to see how Union General Joseph Hooker fares as the newest general of the Army of the Potomac. Here we go. Rewind. Okay, so we have to recall the Battle of Fredericksburg from episode 56 one more time. After poor old Ambrose Burnside got whooped by Robert E. Lee there, Lincoln replaced him with General Joseph Fightin' Joe Hooker. The Federal Army of the Potomac then

spent the winter on the banks of the Rappahannock River in Virginia. But as spring 1863 approaches, these boys in blue are ready to get back into action. Here's the thing. I also mentioned in episode 56 that Fightin' Joe Hooker is an ambitious ladder climbing general. That's why Ambrose dislikes the guy as much as he likes his own sideburns. But I didn't tell you that Fightin' Joe is a master organizer. Within weeks of taking command, the clean-shaven 40-something fires cheating quartermasters, cleans up campsites, reorganizes army corps, and separates the cavalry in a more efficient unit. And he does all this while having a damn good time. Most evenings, you can find a lively poker game, plenty of drinks, and friendly women at Joe's headquarters. The self-righteous soldier and historian Charles Francis Adams Jr. says that Joe's tent is, quote,

a place which no self-respecting man liked to go, and no decent woman could go. It was a combination of barroom and brothel. Close quote. Uh-huh. I guess you could say Joe's a work hard, play hard kind of guy. Anyway, in March 1863, Joe's army of the Potomac is ready to give Bobby Lee's army of Northern Virginia another run for its money. That's not to say that the brilliant military organizer doesn't have his military shortcomings. The first one that Lincoln notices is the general's massive ego. In March, the president visits the army camp on the banks of the Rappahannock River. He asks Joe point blank when the army will take Richmond. Joe promises quick results. In true Illinois rail splitter fashion, Lincoln quips, The hen is the wisest of all the animals' creation because she never cackles until the egg is laid.

And he goes on, What I ask of you now is military success. Joe is pretty sure he's ready to deliver that success. Let me give you a mental image of the battle plan. Joe's army is sitting on the north bank of the Rappahannock River, near Fredericksburg and about 60 miles north of his ultimate target, the CSA capital, Richmond. Aware that he outnumbers Bobby Lee's army of northern Virginia, Joe is going to split his 120,000 strong force into three parts. 10,000 cavalry will head south to cut the Confederate army from Richmond, 40,000 men will march toward Fredericksburg to distract Bobby Lee,

and 70,000 boys in blue will head west about nine miles to Chancellorsville to engage the rebel army. If he can pull off these maneuvers, Joe hopes that he will confuse the rebels into retreat or ruin. The general almost gleefully boasts, my plans are perfect and when I start to carry them out, may God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none. Wow. All right, Joe. Let's do this. Spring rains delay the plan by a few days, but Joe proves his mettle and doesn't allow his perfect plans to get derailed. The cavalry, under the command of George Stoneman, moves out on Monday, April 13th. The rest of the federal troops get into position by April 30th. Joe lines his men up in a dense forest known as the Wilderness with his headquarters at

Chancellorsville. Like I said, Chancellorsville sits about nine miles west of Fredericksburg, and despite what its name implies, it's not a town. It's just a two-story house that sits in a clearing in the woods. The owners occasionally serve drinks and rent out rooms, so you could call it a B&B if you want. But that would be pretty generous. Anyway, as the sun sets on April 30th, Joe has the upper hand. He's got a great position and nearly twice as many men as Bobby Lee. On May 1st, about 50,000 rebels clash

with the Federal Advanced Guard a couple miles east of Chancellorsville. Union troops have the advantage of a good position in a meadow, but Joe orders them to retreat into the woods. Union commanders are pissed, but they obey orders. General Darius Couch would later write, quote, the advantages gained by the successful marches were to culminate in fighting a defensive battle in the nest of thickets. I retired from his presence with the belief that my commanding general was a whipped man. Close quote. It's like fighting Joe has lost his nerve. Maybe he hoped that if he just cut a supply line and got into a good position, the rebels would retreat without firing a shot. I don't think Joe knows Bobby Lee very well,

but Bobby definitely has Joe's number. That night, while Bobby Lee and Stonewall Jackson sit around a campfire and plan a way to fend off the large Union army, Jeb Stewart's cavalry go on a recon mission to find weaknesses in the Union lines. And they find one. The Union lines are stretched out for about five miles with the Chancellorsville house acting as Fighting Joe's headquarters in the center. Jeb reports to Bobby Lee in Stonewall that the Union right flank,

about three miles west of the house, is in the air or vulnerable to attack. At first light on May 2nd, Stonewall leads 30,000 guys through the wilderness's old growth trees, thick underbrush, vines, and new growth saplings. It's a grueling, dangerous march, but the rebels do it without arousing Union suspicions. Between 5.15 and 5.30 p.m., Stonewall has his infantry and artillery in position. He turns to his lead commander, General Robert Rhodes. General, are you ready? Yes, sir.

You can go forward then. With this order, Robert Rhodes unleashes his men on the unsuspecting Yankees. Rebel artilleryman David McIntosh tells us, A bolt from the sky would not have startled the men half so much as the musket shots in the thicket and the sight of their flying comrades, followed by a straggling line of skirmishers and then by a solid wall of gray. Men lost their heads in terror. The road and the woods on both sides were filled with men in one mad flight. The rebel yell added terror in

the situation. Stonewall's forces make quick work of the Union right, and as the sun sets, the old VMI professor doesn't ease up. He wants to push the Yankees out of Chancellorsville and back across the Rappahannock. At 9 p.m., Stonewall and about 18 other generals, aides-de-camp, and scouts ride out to find the best way to continue their attacks. With the 33rd North Carolina Skirmishers in front of them, protecting them from enemy fire, and the 18th North Carolina behind them, Stonewall and his men ride through dark, dense woods with only moonlight to guide them.

And after a half hour or so, they have all the intel they need and start riding back the way they came. A single shot echoes through the trees. The 18th North Carolina Skirmishers get jumpy and start firing, which means they are firing into the back of the 33rd North Carolina and right at their general, Stonewall. Several men in Stonewall's group get hit by friendly fire. Stonewall's aide-de-camp, Joseph Morrison, yells out,

Cease firing! You're firing on your own men! But North Carolina Major John Barry doesn't believe him. This could be a Yankee trick. He yells back, Who gave that order? It's a lie. Pour lie pour it into them boys the soldiers follow orders and open fire again three bullets hit stonewall jackson one hits his right hand breaking two bones another tears through his left forearm entering below the elbow and exiting just above the wrist and the third shatters his humerus three inches below his shoulder.

The desperate, confused firing continues while General A.P. Hill and others try to get Stonewall to safety. By the time Stonewall gets behind his own lines and to a doctor, he's lost a ton of blood and his arms a mangled mess. Dr. Hunt McGuire has no choice but to amputate Stonewall's left arm two inches below the shoulder. While Stonewall Jackson languishes in a field hospital, Bobby Lee, Jeb Stewart, and their soldiers continue pushing the Union lines back. Across May 3rd, 4th, and 5th, Union and Confederate troops battle like crazy for control of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. But Joe never recovers his fighting spirit. Late on May 5th, he orders his entire army to retreat back across the Rappahannock River. Lincoln hears about this decision at 3 p.m. on May 6th.

A telegraph from Joe reports the full retreat of the Army of the Potomac and over 17,000 Union casualties. Noah Brooks, a reporter at the office, watches as Lincoln reads the telegram and turns gray with despair. Had a thunderbolt fallen upon the president, he could not have been more overwhelmed. Noah writes, Lincoln can't believe he's facing yet another loss in Virginia.

He stares blankly ahead and calls out, My God! My God! What will the country say? What will the country say? Though another Union general has left the battlefield to Bobby Lee, it's not all good news for the Confederates. On May 7th, his right-hand man, Stonewall, is not doing well. Even though the amputation went smoothly, Stonewall Jackson's been complaining of pain in his left chest, and he's showing symptoms of pneumonia.

An aide brings Stonewall's wife, Anna Jackson, to visit her husband. For three days, he drifts in and out of consciousness. The deeply religious man quietly sings hymns, prays with his wife, and reads scriptures when he can. But it's clear he's not going to make it. On Sunday, May 10th, at 3.15 p.m., Stonewall startles out of a deep, opium-induced sleep. He calls out, Order AP Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry to the front!

Push up the columns! Hasten the columns! Anna tries to calm her husband, who clearly doesn't know where he is. He relaxes just a bit and sighs. Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees. With that, Thomas Stonewall Jackson lets out his last breath and dies. Bobby Lee is devastated.

This next statement by him is likely apocryphal, but it captures his sentiments in losing his fellow Virginians so well, I'm closing with it anyway. He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right. Doesn't Suck is created and hosted by me, Greg Jackson. Research and writing, Greg Jackson and C.L. Salazar. Production and sound design, Josh Beatty of J.B. Audio Design. Musical score, composed and performed by Greg Jackson and Diana Averill. For a bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted in writing this episode, visit historythatdoesntsuck.com. Join me in two weeks where I'd like to tell you a story. whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. Thank you. Kim R. Kyle Decker. Lawrence Neubauer. Linda Cunningham. Mark Ellis. Matthew Mitchell. Matthew Simmons.

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