landmark book from the '60s and the second title in the presence of my enemies. he just finished a the sequel to that but i will not read the title is not out yet but the third is what cost to the civil war. this afternoon he has the of last slot of the day we have been here a long time but will explore how we are allowed to engage with those at war. [applause] >> thinks to all of villi help the ticket vantage of all of the coffee in the back i have been here 27 in

years and i began well before this building began and i will always be very grateful for allowing that to be created also sustaining that if you don't believe anything i say today you can go see for yourself. [laughter] but i did want to try to show the importance of war in the valley now the valley experienced national trauma from beginning to end with tens of thousands of soldiers through fields and towns berndt on the

battlefield hundreds of miles away people trying to escape slavery courthouses and town squares with rallies in all of these happened just over the mountain in the valley so here is the thing these changes will profoundly on likely many americans of both sides did not have unconditional surrender without enormous territory fully mobilized with uncompensated destruction of the most powerful system of slavery and accompanied of the colonization of the free people just made possible a few years before the valley embodied all of these changes and helped the changes take place is what

the american history. so within this course from the first battles even those victories from robert e. lee with the largest army ever assembled with the valley playing a major role further to elevate and the great invasion of pennsylvania and they still did not destroy that army they watched each other throughout the fall and people in the north and south believed that would be the culmination and finally of the warrant at his right pick up the story today. people of the united states

had reason to be hopeful we're so much of the considerable -- confederacy was overrun the they could not sustain much water the ports with a coast the confederacy that was cut off from the east. . . they needed to admit that the south could be conquered and renowned lincoln in the present until election of 1864. if the confederate army could hold on to the spring and

summer, many in about south felt that northern voters that they had sacrificed enough of their sons and brothers and fathers with negotiated peace. as a result, the fate of slavery might still be determined in 1864. 3 million people still labored in slavery beyond the reach of the united states army in 1864. while slavery had unraveled everywhere, and slave people had a chance to cease freedom the institution remains intact in most of the south and still help feed the confederate army and civilian population. while the policies of lincoln had made a slavery a central purpose of the war, only war, war itself would determine how and when the nation's history of slavery might end. in 1864 freedom for black americans might yet be truncated or compromised or slewed or even halted.

even though people like to imagine that gettysburg was the turning point of the war and it's all downhill from there it's just not the case. more men died after gettysburg than before and as much remained at stake as before. this is not a decline in the story. everyone awaited the culminating battle between grant and lee. grant was momentous victory on expert in chattanooga in 62 and 63, arrived in virginia in march as joe told you to take over command of all united states forces and travel with the armies at potomac. he would try to do what no union general had been able to do in three years of desperate fighting. he wanted to destroy the army of northern virginia. for his part, he welcome the chance to confront grants and culminating battle while the confederate army still strong. in fact, the two armies needed is for the reasons to fight as

soon as possible that spring. lee and his staff had struggled throughout the long winter to feed an army of their soldiers, had watched desertion and demoralization demoted the rakes and by spring, however, most of the men had left their units to visit home had returned and lee commanded a veteran army of over 65000 men. the army of northern virginia had rally lost over the preceding three years and both officers and soldiers had persuaded themselves that even the defeat at gettysburg have any temporary setback. the confederate command structure was stable, experienced and competent. with the united states was also ready for a final class. it had amassed an even larger army then at least. hundred 20000 men in virginia and can draw on virtually unlimited supplies of food and arms. railroads brought to grants army the bounty of the north, boxcars, placards, loaded with thousands of ships and votes and barges really traveled on the harbors and rivers up the virginia coast. everyone from abraham lincoln to the privates on the field had

confidence that grant, given his record and researches would soon be able to defeat lee. >> you can find the rest of the history program on her website c-span .org, now on c-span two on to today's white house briefing with administrator scott pruitt and shawn spicer. [inaudible conversations] good afternoon, everyone. eta admission pruitt is here