>> and beginning monday december 26th we'll take a look at national security and defense issues including challenges facing president elect's trump leader ahead. and then on tuesday, december 27th, it's trade and job issues examining how congress and the trump administration could change trade laws. and energy and environmental policy and discuss how energy and climate issues have been impacted by the new congress and the trump administration. thursday december 29th we'll talk about immigration and how president elect trump and the new congress might change policy and on friday december 30th we'll look at the future of the affordable care act and how they will repeal and replace the aca and the key players to watch in

the months ahead. watch beginning monday december 26th at 7:00 a.m. eastern. sunday, january 1st, indepth will feature a live discussion of the presidency of barrack obama and taking your phone calls, tweets and book questions during the program. our panel includes the white house correspondent from american urban radio networks. how race still enslaves the american soul. and author of barrack obama the story. watch live from noon to 3:00 p.m. eastern on cspan 2. next on the civil war, author edward alexander talks about the

engagements around petersburg virginia in the spring of 1865. mr. alexander focuses on a federal assault on april 2nd which finally broke through the confederate line. after this attack confederate general robert e. lee retreated west and one week later surrendered his army ending the civil war. this hour long talk was part of the symposium posted by the emerging civil war blog. >> well, there is something to the saying best for last. a great line-up for you today and of the many books we talked about. i have never seen a more solid piece of writing come across my desk than when the first draft of dawn of victory appeared in my inbox. there's a lot of back and forth as we develop a manuscript and

it was pristine. i have never said that about a m manuscript before. i get paid to help deconstruct writing. i had never seen more magnificent and more readable. it was a fantastic telling of a story that was often overlooked. people forget about petersburg. so overlooked and does such a magnificent job of doing justice. and he will share with us and it is the breaking point and i'd like to introduce you to my

friend. >> thank you very much chris for that very kind introduction and to all my colleagues for putting on a fantastic symposium that i hope everyone has really enjoyed so far. it's a very honorable privilege to be able to talk to this group and once more thanks to all of you. we would not be here just talking to an empty room -- well we might be here talking to an empty room. it's great to have such a wonderful one out here. and this is the greatest attack and it's the most well executed and has tremendous implications on a very poorly understood campaign. and i'll try to stress the word

campaign here because petersburg should not not be viewed as a siege. çymç

within the scope of the fortifications.u! instead, they're going to be maneuvering. the calgary has the courthouse supporuyng them he spent core, andrew -- in order to provide them support and connection with ford newlyp arrived the divisio. all leading up to march 29th an the finals push for theç plank road. charles griffin advance four federal brigades moved are forced back after about two hours ofzv fighting into the eah works along the wide oak road.ç

lee in response to this new offensive that grant is launching against the city's supply line is going to bring george picketsb division of the first core down from richmond to southern land station on the south side and called up the calgary whoç has been to the southwest of petersburg, feeling the soldiers are hungry at this point. the horse have no food available for them.÷ú they're just bringing the calgary in action here in late march. . in additionym to happened to brg lee into action. lee is going to have to take troopsym -- the road and transf them down to the wide oak road to meet the threat posed by the federal fifth corps under çzv

warren. . it rains very heavily and unfortunately forssheraton who is chafing like a hound on a leash, as grant's staff officer horse porter will ÷úbriet. he wants to get going, unfortunately that range is notv cooperate. in doing so warren is going to have inzv his division left ym

exposed. and they never just÷ú sit there and sidelines. what does robert e. lee intend fortification around richmond in 1862 when he's being called grammy lee. what's his intention for those. re springboard.ntion for those. they're a springboard to attack. last resort of the last you need, but the idea is toç move forward from these earthç work. make a slight rearrangement, south carolinians to strike at exposed zvymflank. she's looking for additional reinforcement to try to push --

the federals completely you have r off their one÷ú position on t plank roadçç but this bar represents the ego ofp joshua cha chanderlan as single handedly, he managed to drive all three federal bring÷ú gads back into s own entrenchment. but what happened here is that the fifth core now is÷ú isolate tickets, who on march 31st perhaps the most successful day you'll experience in the american civil ÷úwar.

trying to kostrike. picket and lee were able to push across chamberlai÷úchamberlain'm phil sheridan is quite embarrassed. sheridan, perhaps at its worst day of american se]u&1 war. and he's not too happy about that. he needs to get his revenge on that ticket and he tells grant÷

that if -- excuse me, if i am cut off from the rest of the federal, then surely picket is cut offym for the rest of his a no man of this man should ever be allowed to returnv: to it. he ha no choice to fallym back the famous position was the there on their left flank. ursuit. warren is finally in positionç:

assist. warren that the angle here in the confederate flying located further to the east. and so ÷úwarren, using that fauy recognizant is going to move into position to strike the angle head÷ú on. meanwhile all day long still sheridan calgary is pending the his name is located right now. $oit's been a good hall recentl of the local chad population and fished out of the rivers. and he gave himselfç a fish fr. and rumors of having a few barbecues and fish fries oí: my

own here, i can choose to except these rumors, no virginia celebration, no bountiful harvest goesym without copious amounts of booze being consumed. something i take it other officers may have been drunk at the time. he'sym certainly not present wi his men and though the federal attack is going to miss their mark, they're able to turn and actually works ouv for the best, able to get around the confederate and mop them htup. too slowç ever since the startf the over land ççcampaign.

but you rarely have the perfect situation. here on the victory who is con strantly dragging their feet -- constantly dragging their ÷úfee. most important confederate continue to shift, continue to extend their lineç further and further. and they simply don't have the manpower to do so. when you listenzv -- of her victory at five forks does what he hasn't done since july 30ñút from all the sandbox, great job. congratulate themselves about sheridan'sym victory. grant proudly walks, scribble down dispatches, passes themç t

and then not to mention, general assault all alongç the zvççu. >> large scale assault. íqhor general john park commanding the federal tone does

launch a veryç daring assault d there's goingç to be some -- ending the come pain. it's not the decisive assault oa 1865. that a curs here along the fish hook. six core easter here and in this photographzv and most accountin you see this almost in every theater. attribute this they'lhç hunker and --ko and --

of succeeding work --ymzv -- of there at the height. now, there's a series of slidesç we're not going to be really talking a lot about the context and the impact. instead i want to2í focus on t understand how the core has really developed a way to successful p÷ú÷úbash.

-- might be familiar with going the previous december, look how different these tactics çare. >> worth mentioning,ç and this will be important later. recipient there along the sunkeç road. and that they get toç miss bloodshed that impacts the other. but here at the station,ç and even moreover looked babel than the break through, the sixth

corps for some nice tactics in orderç to take this shed that confederate and all these maps are oriented to give perspective of the attackers. soç it's not north almost all e way upside down. but november 7th at ymdusk, the same unit that spearheads hernb assauód at this point the confederates lose contact that their only way back across the river ubon tomb ridge. and as the federals continue to press their assault confederates

try to get back over the river and the federals cut them off, forcing those confederates who are unable to make it across the river by swimming top surrender and two union brigades capture louisianians and hoax÷ú north carolinians. >> the courthouse, a talk, actually deliveredç earlier he by chris, using one of my favorites on, i guess, interpretative tools the human ç map, it always brings the peopls in. >> bringing that formation, because the confederate had accident tally less their line and wasç able to move these forces in as way down, compared

for the moment for assault. when they do assault÷ú using th probation, specific instructions for the first line expand the break through and for others support and÷ú behind. now, as chris mentioned, they don't have the support, ultimately the attack is notç going to succeed true objective, they are ability. one fin1lú battle here to look t before we get to the break through, that's harbor, known for june 3÷úrd and the failure those attacks two days earlier june first two federal brigades are able to utilize the regime later known as bloody run to temporarily pierce the confederate earthsworks, or reserved, push them out. so keep these things in mind,

compact formation, useç of the rescreen, use of darkness, overwhelming the spear rority,÷ all will be on display when writes the commander sixth core and theym masterpiece stuck in 1865. now, after harbor÷ú and a brief stay in petersburg, had a relative vacation to everyone else. the washington to the÷ú raid an they certainly have a bloody autumn of that year in the valley, but they're able to establish upon their sheridan, sheridan really wanted the sixth core instead of the fifth corps in the final against, the bomb was notym located in position t provide that they haven't had a run during thezv previous and

first slide i have showed. march 25th, 1865 after lee's failed desperate brmaj out attempt, her issue consensus are weakening themselves by shiftinç units. the federal picket line and responds in theb affirmative an the orders at hands. eet.

>>÷ú what does accomplish is th picket lines are pushed forward for the federals. they take the con federal picket lines,zv it's almost like a box cold in the way and reface it the other way around and so now they can use it for theirzv own benefit. other events are going toym significantly reduce con federal blt to withstand an assault and we saw this there on that previous myslide. two-and-a-half bli gads are set down to the plank çroad.

forced to simply spread themselves out, six to ten paces in between soldiers there along theç line, soldiers of the swedish lieutenant colonel. he had two benjamins underç hiv command. the other two to candace, all in commandç of ambrose. here we have confederate defense, about÷ú 2,800 soldiers and they're going to be manning over miles of fortification. now, because of the gained 5 front of the the gained union line, while the confederates are sending their strength elsewhere, unionht officers just on the left thomas

hide on the right are going to gozv out -- >> they had a view and÷ú photograph taken of the confederate. but you only see so far or so accurately from the signal uówer 145 feet up in the air. but they notice a few things wn within the confederate workç earths, we'll zoom in on one such example. we have here, this is of theç union the rose obstructions meant flock on an attack in force in movingç forward. the road leading out or inzv through those obstructions. because of the gained ground

that the pickets are able toç push out, most hide and most importantly lou wis addison grant are able tou! get out her and discover the location of the wagon roads to the confederatehm obstruction. if you are to go there to the battlefield in october 2012, you'llym look out into very den force. reserved by the civil war in the lá'u four years cleared by the civil war trust show the battlefield as the soldiers would have seen it, ogç those trees. that's where lewis addison grant

is going to go of the sixth corps. and÷ú going out there into old man's land scouting, able to determine that arthur is theç avenue of ÷úçapproach. one other thing to komention. and the defenses, youym have th creek, a drop of water landing here that goes into a whole creek. it'sht going to end up in the chesapeake bay. it goes all the way down the hill to wind up in the sounds

north carolina. of the creek flowing into the confederate, they construct a dam out inym front and impound e waters making it impassable here along a decent stretch of her line for the union soldye m to cross. there are reports that they have also constructed tunnels, mimes near battleht 45 and pass them full of gun powder and threatened to ignite fuse should batter 45 ever be attackedm he on. you know, archeologist have found the tunnels, found theç mimes proof that they packed with gun powder and would have been detonated. propaganda is good enough.zv no one is ever attacking toward the 4 from its front.

the swamp on the other hand, going out of theym confederate earth works cannot be impound.ht arthur swamp are taking arthur swampç right here on from the confederate march 25th the picket lines are çlocated. after march 25th investigating the ground. and confederateç perspective jt above their own earth works. the new picks constructed just aboutkozvçç but in between th

fortifications and the rightful. they're able to form in no man's lav+hu)u$ a single for the attack is given they can simply construction and their own fortification. they are staged and ready to go. and lookv: how right stacks hav met --ym they're lined up most with a single front, -- so the can deploy the side.

behind them next, wave is being sent forward intoç thisym assault -- who is going to be assault -- who is going to be thata we had with us some of william÷ henry penrose commanding the all new jersey brigade. nmg nj brigade, fantastic war. i know at least three monuments within a 15-minute drive of where we are right÷ú now. they're prouzed in bravery. then you have the 40th new jersey infantry. and they're already up there in

numbers. they're of 1861. they're draftees of late 1864. and withç their attitudes. with their desertion. they get penrose all sorts of grief. he is going to putç the 40th n jersey right up front as four long hoax. thev: veterans follow in their wake. all of thq#q are going to have a number of things in their way simply before they get to fight with the confederates from hand to hand. first that they need to passñú through are the rightful. and small little fox holes constructed, it can be primitive fighting position, but the pickets are mainlyht to serve a the eyes and ears anticipating an assault. and this assault is scheduled to

ultimately kicks off at 4:40 until light enough to be able the see the general direction which you're going. but the idea is to forward those 14,000 men out in front of the earth works, ready the attack before theyc+n be seen and they don't take as much fire from the enemy, particularly here from the picket. once you pass the picket, next obstacle to overç come is the tame your branches out in front of the earth works, right brigade commander to swat a number of acts of men there in the front race. double triple now and ask them -- even sending specialized pioneered attachments to clear all theseym ÷úçymobstructions.

>> confederates lack in infantry, theyg# certainly have more than enough artillery to make things for the sixth core should they not press forward continuing all the way to earthç works. she goes ahead and instructs the commanders to have their men remove thatç tiny from underneh without that capture unable to fire. you're not suppose to fire. you're suppose toç use the col feel once you get through all of these obstructions. once you get through the obstruction, you have, of course, the ditch itself, which canu! range to about 12 to 20 ft

from bottom to the top. these are some of the earth works we preserve at the historical park. we also offer a concrete exhibit to really show the scope, the scale, the size here of the earth works that areç going to have to be over come. and how you over come that, well, you find whatever you can, some of the÷ú pioneers when the chalk through it and take some of that and throw it in to the ditch, hoping that they can bridge their wayym across. others they're going to boost each other up and over the top. some take them out and dig themsel[ to climb up to the top. however you can that 20 feet. because it's been so rainy, about 3 feetç of water there inside that ditch. that is what he has his men going into on the morning of april 2nd.÷ú they're suppose to attack

altogether that unified guiding along newest grant brigade. along newest grant brigade. hea so he's going to be the one going through the ravine, everyone else guiding else on the position, hoping that÷ú he strike and 30 seconds later, and attack in echelon suppose to do a whole lot of damage. now, i've takenç reports from e soldiers, where they hit, who they past. who they mingled with and tried attack might actually look like. it's not that one way of going in altogether, units areç jumpg over others, they're losing their way in the darkness, they're all arriving piecemeal as the confederate earth works. as the confederate earth works. you believea reach the earth works is captain charles gilbert of the fifp vermont infantry. captain gool has quite the

story. twoç years ç÷úold.ym and over into the pot, burns his leg so badly andç it's unable walk without assistance until after the birthday.÷ú judith, how could she let this # and play with his friends, oh, no, no, no, he can't play with

his friends, you're not well enough. you can't go rurch off with those other boys.ko you're going to get yourself hurt. tries to coddle çymhim. >> 17 years old. real lif wan really wants to show thezv unio army. no way, you're not leaving my site. and what's there under age as privatezv and to the 11th infantry. spend the firs$ú few years in wr and washington çççzvçdefens.

who is relieved by thev: click the fire. before he could catch his breath and that attach that, that's going to plunge right into÷ú hi jaw. >> did not stop the two-year-old, one thing that'sk not going to stop zvcaptain.

rashing away with his sword. he's out numbered at this pointú she's the very first up and over the çzvç÷útop. >> all all this is going on, at least half a dozensnorth carolinians who's watching out in front of the earth works h who is keeping the rest of company hp at bay, gools

sacrifice here and encourages ç a andç in mind and and the fact it's lightmentç. ecover it and settle down

while pushing papers in the first office and patent offsets actually patents a gun clqb'er because he likes going hunting, was stuck in 1865, çbut in 187 patent the gun cleaner when he goes to visit and by all indications, he was the first e one of the he was the first recipients of medal of honor. the last thing he would remember there when he was pulled up over the top and down and falling into theç ditch was sergeant jackson.ç sergeant the first flag upon the confederate that morning for which will receive the medal of honor and post, carries the flag that he wore that morning with him in various rememberzvd8 kan

>> coming right behind and the two are going to be shot and others sergeant william kimberly are going to pour into that first spot that÷ú gooled reache. and confederate çside. william nicholson on the÷ú left put up for adoptionzv by his wiw comes to help out the family. confederate losses here are small in this attack, federalsb lose almost here on april 18th,

within the÷úç÷ú sixth court. >> confederates loading the fire at the rest ofç the fifth vermont, so he rushes towards -- he's on this side and confederate side. he rushes towards that and for theç confederate gunner can ya the lan nard was repeated in the did that this location or one to the north that major william joseph s e;ie is able to seizea

confederate cannon loaded ready to fire and is goingç to turn action and are starting to fall back from his initial point at the vermonters havep broken ÷ú through. rally from thezv counter charge. claims to fire a dozen rounds before he turns it over 17 membersv: the first rhode islan artillery who made this assault carrying lanard. somezv guy had to be bucking th water i'm sure longing across the battlefield and these rhode islanders as they try and rally sperry is going to be another

recipient of the medal of honor vu! 35. >> who is going to be the union soldier and serves for the commander writes the scene here of the break through killing immediately after the break through. it all fallsç apart for the confederate si.

they run, only one confederatez% brigade makes it out. they'll join up and rally and push to the north trying to protect the south side. the last road into petersburg butç it doesn't matter. when the six core are already here onko petersburg in her liv ready to make the final push, a brave stand byç 300 mississippians at fort greg prevents the james from cake walking into÷ú it. immediately upon receiving news of the break throughç the most cig nif kent attack of the american civil kowar.

>> abandon that city and richmond as well. davis, atatimes on telegraph wire, i mean, had a little heads up -- i've beenç talking for months. i can't hold this line. what do you mean you need a little more advanced warning. but the disconnect between lee andzv david, richmond is going be evacuated. the government gets on the railroad, heads west. lee is able to at least get his army, what's left of it, after the break through out of petersburg and he's going to be headed towards the west trying to get to the railroad zvthere, get down into north carolina, link up with joe johnson, battle out with sherman and herman battle grant. there's all sorts ofym what ifs about this time period.

if there have been supplies at the htcourthouse. grant is the one in the driver seat fwr hereç from here to th next seven days because of the sixth core victory, because this assault was so well designed, so well executed. initiative firmly within their draft but now sevenç days late in the final ÷úç÷úv:surrender.

on eastern or southeastern front. they doç get fort within the graph. it's simply federal defense is maç hoen well design. you have john brown gordon's entire second core, folks are to one another. they canç support one another. on western front, confederates are too stretched out to have any sort of defense. and so they're all day longzv stuck in 1865 from that first charge, that morning through the confederates are starting to evacuate. you've goth4$ááát of the blood d similar to the bloody angle and intensity, though not inside. they're certainly not in memoryú very bloody fight happened there. if you see any photographs of ç.

>> it's a bit of inside. and someone historian went out. this is a wonderful ÷úbook. what, you don't mention the ninth quarter. i go back and i said, the subtitle clearly said it's a book about the break through, book about the break through, that'sa not in there. other questions for mr. ÷úzvçy!

alexander. we have a great account÷ú from private john walters who's situated just to the north of the break through who works about divine that occurs onç h front. outside of that, not a whole lot, the con fed gunners are not going to begin to pound the federals until÷ú after the sign gone for the assault found that. and it wasn't over night bombardment from the federals into the confederate oru! mostl just psychological.

but hadu! they known that right was forming these men and compact with the confederate si. having known what's happening, they)u&d have been pounding those men over night for some. -- the confederatesu! do not start shoot into the sixth court until the signal sound. at that point, it's 5 andç 7 minutes before the federals are to the wall itself. they'll take their most damage rtillery. they lose -- and it's just very brief, small other casualties, probably at least 800 occurring that's because of the confederate batteries that are located there. but simply without any -- without adequatep infantry supports ones that the federals get, they're immediately seizing, there's no one there really top protect.

the confederates! one last÷ú question -- >> one last question. this attack has it written all over it. what role did he come up to play through. >> henry upton was in 1865 is going to be participating what davis referred toç yesterday, e battle at selma, alabama. it goes to everything in the war. he starts in command of the battery. heç serves as infantry command in the sixth corps, then he serves as theç calgary during e final campaign. he's not present at the break through. though it does, as you mentioned, has his footprint all over it. theht sixth corps recognize thi they write out to the war about the similaritities and pays national tribune, they're going to be glowinghabout their

success, no, we really showed we were the one who could attack and it's can passym their men. they move to make position seized from the confederate picketym linezv but all leading to that final ÷úmoment. [ applause ]ç÷ú >> when the brooklynç bridge w

open, they were still running at capacity. in the 1880 and '90s,ytk the mid 18 t 0s the city of brooklyn had reached 1 million people. >> then at 8:00, on lexington ÷ú history. >> and that's the real sort of interestingym thing there are people who arezv under privil ç privileged -- then sunday afternoon atzv 4 clk on real america. >> a cautious congress cutbacks and tangle of local andç administrative problems against

the greatest enemies may be slow. this was the finest, the land 4 linden johnson on the first of december, 1966. >> the film the presidentç 196 documents the final month of the year of president linden b johnson. his meeting with mexico's president at cooperative d8 project. awarding medal of honor for marine and celebrating the holidays with his family at his texas ranch. at 8:00 on theç presidency, william hazel, arthuthor of madç president. and she buffered access to the president as he recovered from a massive strokep in 1919. for complete schedule, go to cspan.org. >> join us on tuesday, january 3zvrd for live coverage of