lee at the battle of antietam. even last year at the symposium when an email was sent out there was aopics, caveat left in the email that allowed us to quote " think outside the box." the topic i'm proposing, robert e. lee at antietam, i thought that was going to be a very straightforward presentation about a great defense of the civil war. looking into it, there is a bit more to robert e. lee's defensed and what we have thought. as human beings, we are always products of the past. as history buffs, people who love to study the american civil war, we are always reading and looking again to what historians before us had said. what i'm going to ask you to do now is for the next 45 minutes, forget everything you have ever heard about battle of antietam. not everything because i have to go from square one. [laughter] kevin: but close to everything. we will look into exactly why robert e. lee make one of the most controversial decisions of his entire military career and what is his plan? what is his idea, what is he thi

creek and the antietam creek itself. lee follows this movement of union troops to the west side of the creek on the afternoon of september 16. he knows how long it will take for union troops to get reinforcement over there. it is telling -- look at what james longstreet writes in 1896. what you can see up there on the screen. joseph hooker believes his movement so far from support and extremely venturesome and he was right. if jackson could have been put into the fight, poker's command could have been -- hooker's command could have been crushed. perhaps this is james longstreet recognizing a good what if. as we always like to discuss and debate 34 years after the fact. it is clear there were some intentions in the confederate high command that they were thinking about this. as you will see in just a moment. i've done a very poor job of making maps. i know ed alexander from last year when it comes to these. but i just want to show you some of the movements of the confederate army on the morning of the 17th. here are the p

he would be wounded at antietam. i am not sure that the story is quite recognize how limiting his active aggression -- act of aggression putting his men so close to the confederate line was for the union army. some of his fellow officers in the army certainly recognize that. said i should fear his prudence that the own to be done is pitch in and fight. those words when you and i are at may 1.iguratively after the battle of antietam he spent weeks in washington recovering. it was at this time with full access to powerbrokers that he laid the foundation politically for his future rise to commander of the army of the potomac. he did not engage in any conversations are discussions about philosophy or policy. he confined himself to topics of dilatory topics. of the as the quality peers in commanders with whom he served. once back in the field he continued his ways under burnside. a november 18 when his campaign was rumbling towards a river and had arrived at that river he to burnsideter not suggesting a different policy b

looking at antietam who kevin will talk about tomorrow, antietam is a perfect example robert e. lee used interior lines -- lines where interior can move quickly from right to left. if an enemy has exterior lines, it is going to take longer to that long arc. it is a big deal to napoleon, jomini. these are the things they would have learned about at west point if they went to the class with dennis monahan. great defenses are not always successful. look at the bloody lane. the confederates held but then they gave way. -- burnside hill . they are enough of docs -- they are another locks -- they are unorthodox defenses. some are merchants and some are politicians. these are guys who are learning on the fly. one of these men is william barksdale. he is a tennessee native fighting with mississippians in fredericksburg. he is going to put up what we observe as a delaying action and a great defense. he uses the river and then he uses the city streets -- puts men and houses. he is thinking outside the box. he is inside the city -- where do you find the high ground? the high ground of seco

we are here as part of our ongoing commemoration of the 150th of the antietam national cemetery. our theme is remembering the fallen, the service and sacrifice of the american soldier. the story is much broader than the story of antietam, it is broader than maryland, it is broader than the civil war. it is the story of american servicemen and women, who served together, who fought and died in conflict across the globe for 150 years. there are 5000 veterans buried at antietam national cemetery from the spanish-american war, the boxer rebellion, world war i, world war ii, and korea. our goal is to learn their story and honor all of them. of our the last night three-part series, are commemoration is one week away. if i look panicked, bear with me, we are one week away. we have had a great couple of , a professor talk to us about sacred ground, we were informed about world war i and this evening we will look at world war ii. there are world war ii veterans buried in our national cemetery. award-winnings an professor, author, and military historian. the university of missouri and earn

the day before the battle, joseph hooker's troops across the antietam creek. the confederates knew they were there. jackson was up on the hill watching it happen and stayed there all night, exposing himself and his horse again and they survived to fight the battle of antietam. it was not a success, he had to turn around and go back to virginia. here are jackson stood in the middle of the water as their entire corps crossed to safety. this is where they spent the next few months, this part of berkeley county which is down west virginia. bunker hill was the primary spot of where they changed. this was a good time for little sorrel. lots of grain, not much work. he became plump and happy which was a good thing because they were about to fight a cold battle, the battle of fredericksburg in december of 1862. jackson and little sorrel were up on the hill as the union troops were crossing on pontoon bridges. the hill was named dead horse hill for a good reason, it was hard on the horses, primarily artillery horses, but others as well. after pleasant winter quarters,

the story is much broader than the story of antietam -- it is broader than maryland and the civil war, it is the story of american servicemen and women who served together, who fought and who died in conflict across the globe for 150 years. there are 5000 veterans buried at antietam from the spanish-american war, the boxer rebellion, world war i, world war ii, and korea. our goal is to learn their story and remember all of them. this is the last night of our three-part series, so if i look a little panicked, bear with me because we are one week away. we have had a great couple of ground, andsacred now this evening we are going to look at world war ii. there are 70 world war ii veterans buried in our cemetery. an award-winning professor, author, and military historian. even native of st. louis who attended the university of st. louis. after a brief stint in advertising and sports broadcasting he found his love as a literary and academic career, earning his ma from the university of missouri, his phd from university of tennessee. he is an author of numerous books, i can't read them all

we are here as part of our ongoing commemoration of the 150th of the antietam national cemetery. our theme is remembering the fallen, the service and sacrifice of the american soldier. the story is much broader than just the story of antietam, it is broader than maryland, it is broader than the civil war. it is the story of american servicemen and women, who served together, who fought and died in conflict across the globe for 150 years. there are 5000 veterans buried at antietam national cemetery from the spanish-american war, the boxer rebellion, world war i, world war ii, and korea. our goal is to learn their story and honor and remember all of them. this is the last night of our three-part series, are commemoration is one week away. if i look panicked, bear with me, we are one week away. we have had a great couple of talks, a professor talk to us about sacred ground, we were informed about world war i and this evening we will look at world war ii. there are 72 world war ii veterans buried in our national cemetery. john mcmanus is an award-winning professor, author, and milita

sometime i have never been to antietam -- somehow i have never been to antietam. she brought me away, and it reminded me of little bighorn. there is a haunting, compelling, powerful place. it reminded me of -- i began my very happy engagement with the national park service in 1980 when i went to little bighorn for a week over christmas vacation and lived in the ranger quarters which were uninhabited in december at that time to do research in the library there. and over the years i have learned way, way, way more from my park service colleagues than anything i have imparted. going out today, it reminded me of one of the reasons i love public history so much. you don't go into public history to go wealthy. and you don't go into it necessarily to gain status in academia because there are still some who sort of turn up their nose at public history. you go into it because you absolutely love the places that you are. you take seriously the stewardship that comes with it. and that has been true virtually everyone in the park service that i met, and it makes it even more

antietam was victory enough. he realizes and not only does he have one more chance with the team in place, he also realizes to give the mx patient proclamation teeth, he needs to have another victory. -- the emancipation proclamation teeth, he needs to have another victory. lincoln has burnside and the armies of potomac and virginia. he has tennessee with the army in the cumberland and ulysses s. grant. he pushes all of them to "engage in hard, tough, fighting that will hurt somebody." all three a men will undertake campaigns in december 1862, which is unusual by 19th century standards. this is why. it is the political imperative of lincoln pushing his troops forward. what will happen in december 1862? first, december 13, 1862, burnside crossed the river two days before in the army of the potomac holes itself against fredericksburg. it has been called robert e lee's easiest victory. in one portion of the field, they break the line. for all intents and purposes, it is a one-sided fight. it is a complete disaster f

national cohosted this 90 minute event as part of the lecture series marking the 150th anniversary of antietam national cemetery. professor mcmanus is the author of numerous world war ii books, including "the deadly

pollak talks about confederate general robert e lee's defensive positioning at the 1862 battle of antietam and takee used it to defensive. the battle was the bloodiest day in american history. ended as a union strategic victory. this part of

[indiscernible] >> the antietam battlefield guide and -- name came up. the guy says, he hates mcclellan , so what does he do? he writes a book about him. which biography would use it is to read? george: that is a difficult question. is the question reasonable or best? i like his biography. it is very hostile toward mcclellan. there is no reason that you can write a biography that is hostile toward somebody. -- wrote a biography, and he hates his guts. [laughter] nevertor said you should do a biography of somebody that you despise. he only said i could not write a biography about herbert hoover or jefferson davis. that is what he said. sometimes when there is a certain amount of prejudice and evolved, i mean -- involved, i make my read the biography on stanton. bill does the research. and -- does the research. even his research is excellent. and sears' neweset volume is even more hostile toward mcclellan. he has gotten even more hostile over the years, not less. even -- read them together, they are the best. and read some of the articles, too, because mar

opportunity to get to know you at ante tell battlefield -- antietam battlefield cemetery, a statue of a lone soldier stands on a pillar looking out across the graves of his fallen comrades. he's a private and he's nicknamed old isaac. it is indescribed on the pillar he stands above, quote, not for themselves but for their country. whether you spend a few years in your youth in the u.s. army, ladies and gentlemen, or grow gray in the service to our beloved nation and its constitution, rest assured you will always look back on the sacrifices of war, the demands of sergeants, and the frustrations of unpredictable deployments as the best years of your young lives. and even those of us denied the opportunity by our ranks to beside you ally every day, nonetheless we join your fellow citizens in humble awe of your willingness to besi every sign a blank check, payable to the american people. a blank check payable with your lives. toe defend our revolutionary ideas, enshrined in our declaration of independence and constitution, putting freedom above all else. if you want to know where i see mo

in looking at antietam, who kevin will talk about tomorrow. that is a perfect example. robert e. lee using interior lines to move quickly from right to left. lines,nemy has exterior it will take a lot longer -- interior lines versus exterior lines. a big deal for napoleon. these are things they would've learned at west point if they went to the class in their senior year. some of those great defenses are not always successful. the confederates held. the confederates held. then they gave way. they finally take it. they hold on those great defenses. those are unorthodox defenses. keep in mind, not all of these officers went to west point. some are officers. some are merchants. they are fighting with mississippians and fredericksburg 12 miles away. actionsl have delaying and defense along the riverfront. use the river as the first line of defense. uses the city streets. houses. in puts them on the second story of those houses. he's in the city where he finds the high ground. the high ground are those second, third story homes. that is what he is doing. he is thinking outside the box

weeks aftersix antietam, you can see the gloom return to their letters and diaries. withthose who are upset the way mcclellan withered away those weeks. were ready toey express there are regretting mcclellan was gone. this campaign is one example of that. seriously andthem we need to take them seriously probably the broadest swath of four -- of thoughts in the civil war north. this should be far and a limited way. he's not somebody that we should that around as the brunt of our jokes. mcclellan represents that broad street in the north. >> george mcclellan walks into a bar. >> i'm fromons? chesapeake virginia. was it ever reported to him that his battles -- his battles found? thatbeen battle plans had been found? >> some of the other maryland campaign scholars in the audience can weigh in on this as well. his assumption-- in his masterworks on the campaign is when judge stewart figures out there was an , he pieces together this must be special order 191 and that gets conveyed to lee soli knows mcclellan has his plans. stephen sears has a new article out in the civil

later in 1862, he replaced the mortally wounded general israel richardson, commanding a division, at antietam. he took that division into battle in the futile series of charges that took place at fredericksburg that december, 1862. and later, about two months before gettysburg was the battle of chancellorsville, where his division carried out a what was , considered a brilliant rearguard action, helping the army get away to safety at the battle of chancellorsville. so come june 10, about 21 days before the battle of gettysburg, he becomes commander of the second corps. so that is june 10. only in command of the second corps for about three weeks when the battle starts on july 1. what made hancock superb? well i like to break it down , into three things. excuse me, i keep pressing the wrong button. i like to break it down into four things, three of which were most important during the first day's engagement. tactical facility, a fast eye, all right, an ability to read a battlefield instantly, which the french would say, which i am probably going to all butcher, but literally translated as the

. >> with the civil war, i first think of great armies clashing at gettysburg, shiloh, and antietam,s the story these miniature vessels tell. when war between the states breaks out in 1861, union general winfield scott creates the anaconda plan. the idea -- blockade southern ports, take control of the mississippi, and, like a huge snake, squeeze the south into submission. the union builds a navy of more than 600 ships. >> they would commandeer boats from people -- ferry boats, paddle-wheelers, anything that floated and they could put a gun on it. >> larry's father, william, made models of many of them. there's the c.s.s. gaines, a wooden side-wheel confederate gunboat built in mobile, alabama. there's the u.s.s. vicksburg and the c.s.s. alabama -- a massive propeller-driven ship built in secrecy in england for the confederacy. all are made precisely to scale. 1 inch here translates to 8 feet on the real vessel. where did this all begin? did dad buy a book on ship building? >> i don't remember anybody ever teaching him how to do this. it's just something you have to be born with. >> w

laughter] this is a handwritten letter from stonewall jackson, female cooper, after the battle of antietam, recommending hood for promotion to major general. how would you like to be sitting in a room, it is dark and they are downstairs and you are going, should i pick up that? you are going, whoa. things onave got cool our wall, the cpa -- how would you like to have your recommendation for promotion from stonewall jackson? [laughter] and right beside it, recommendation for hood's promotion side by james long street. anyway, tons of things in there. general,te, brigadier major general, lieutenant general. , that is a whole different presentation. >> we will take questions tomorrow at the roundtable. [applause] >> ok, just a couple of things. the tour to the popular cemetery, you will meet outside the rotunda if you are going on that. cars have to be moved out of the slot by -- this lot by 5:45 p.m. the meet and greet at the reception is at 5:30 p.m. at the rotunda. we will see you tonight. [chatter] announcer: this concludes today's live coverage of the historical park civil war symposium

as examples, the easter national cohosted this hour-long event, marking the 150th anniversary of antietam national cemetery. >> it is my great pleasure to introduce our speaker this evening. edward linenthal is professor of history at indiana university in bloomington. he served as editor of the procedures journal of american history from 2005 to 2016. dr. linenthal is well-known for his studies of historical memory and the memorialize asian, particularly -- memorialization particularly the modern ground. he has a number of books like sacred ground, americans and their battlefield. the struggle to create america's