because beauregard was leaving.ne by 8:30. why him? don: if you want to -- anne: i am as flummoxed as anyone else. do you mean why do they set the cotton on fire? >> [indiscernible] sherman, and what he was trying to do. there was all this politics. anne: i think that is right. i think part of the reason hampton gets blamed is, there is a difference in views. sherman says in 1975, i blamed hampton because i knew it would make people more upset. honestly, i do think that if it had made more sense to blame beauregard, sherman would have blamed beauregard. but hampton -- there is a utility in that. megan: and certainly would have been convenient and a circular theme to come back to beauregard, because he either on fort sumter. if there had been a p.r. person in charge of this thing, they would have gone after beauregard. it is hampton who writes a letter to sherman, right? so when anne is talking about this exchange of blame as a mutual -- almost like a literary dual, like an epistolary duel, where they are sending the

opposing this force our confederates -- general pgt beauregard. beauregard very obligingly calls for something that sherman does regularly, and that is to faint on given locations off to the east or off to the west to keep the confederates guessing as to what his objective is. in this case, in entering south carolina and sherman thanks to the northwest towards augusta with his cavalry. charleston is the cradle of secession. wanted for its symbolic value while the city of augusta is also a desirable target. in effect, beauregard opens the road to colombia, the state capital, for sherman. with minimal interference, sherman reaches columbia on february 17, 1865. by this point it is clear to the confederacy's new general in chief, that beauregard is not up to the task of stopping sherman. on february 22, he directs general joseph johnson, who has been living in virtual retirement since his removal from the army of tennessee in july of 1864 -- he appoints johnson to command those troops. he says, concentrate all available forces and drive back sherman.

beauregard was leaving. his first order was don't set the cotton on fire, which was spread among his men and his reason was it would make the city burn. then he left. he was gone by 8:30. why hampton? >> i am as flummoxed. >> i think sherman is and what he was trying to do. he was later involved in politics. >> i think that's right. i think part of the reason that hampton gets blamed is that it becomes this sherman versus hampton feud and that sherman says in 1875 i blamed hampton because i knew it would make people more upset. honestly, i do think that if it had made more sense to blame beauregard, sherman would have blamed beauregard. but there is a utility in that. and certainly it would have been convenient and a nice circular theme to come back to beauregard because he's the one who fired on fort sumter. that actually if there had been a pr person in charge of this whole thing, they would have gone after beauregard. it's hampton who writes the letter to sherman, right? and accuses -- when ann is talking

opposing this force our confederates -- general pgt beauregard. beauregard very obligingly calls for something that sherman does regularly, and that is to faint on given locations off to the east or off to the west to keep the confederates guessing as to what his objective is. in this case, in entering south carolina and sherman thanks to the northwest towards augusta with his cavalry. charleston is the cradle of secession. wanted for its symbolic value while the city of augusta is also a desirable target. in effect, beauregard opens the road to colombia, the state capital, for sherman. with minimal interference, sherman reaches columbia on february 17, 1865. by this point it is clear to the confederacy's new general in chief, that beauregard is not up to the task of stopping sherman. on february 22, he directs general joseph johnson, who has been living in virtual retirement since his removal from the army of tennessee in july of 1864 -- he appoints johnson to command those troops. he says, concentrate all available forces and drive back sherman.

fall he slipped back into his old neighborhood and in between there he had a son he named after beauregard said he is back their late 64 semi question is was there a lot of this is going on where were they would slip into this house and then slip back into d.c.? >> i would say that is fairly unusual. earlier it was easier but then it got harder. but i would say generally speaking to say richmond into washington and those things that got very much more difficult. in sympathies for through? the union? >> but where do the sympathies lie? >> i think he is gone. >> i hope that answers your question. >> host: michael from alabama. >> caller: good afternoon. it is an honor to meet you. i am very interested in children's book writing widow, from the perspective of a professional historian miami studio artist. loving to work at the mgm warner brothers hanna-barbera style. and to make it come alive so with historical fiction and is not a professional historian. and i would really respect political history with those able-bodied white males in the past to make decisions that would cause more fair fro

and it was a wonderful experience, very challenging, people accused of a criminal case jefferson beauregardabama the u.s. attorney in that case we were up against someone with a lot of power and my point is i learned most of what i know working at the naacp derek is in many ways an important reason i did that because after working in the civil rights business and had these other options and he is the one who said you need to go out and litigate, meet the people who are hurting it gives you not only a sense of confidence but a sense of values that this is important >> host: in "lift every voice: turning a civil rights setback into a new vision of social justice," lani guinier talks about selma, alabama, the kiss or context. it is much broader than if you had just seen the movie. there are 100 more chapters the need to be added to what the movie shows. is that a fair statement? >> guest: i enjoyed the movie but it is the top of the cake, the frosting. it didn't have -- they were trying to reach a broad audience. i think they succeeded in doing that but i would like to see something follow up

fall he slipped back into his old neighborhood and in between there he had a son he named after beauregard said he is back their late 64 semi question is was there a lot of this is going on where were they would slip into this house and then slip back into d.c.? >> i would say that is fairly unusual. earlier it was easier but then it got harder. but i would say generally speaking to say richmond into washington and those things that got very much more difficult. in sympathies for through? the union? >> but where do the sympathies lie? >> i think he is gone. >> i hope that answers your question. >> host: michael from alabama. >> caller: good afternoon. it is an honor to meet you. i am very interested in children's book writing widow, from the perspective of a professional historian miami studio artist. loving to work at the mgm warner brothers hanna-barbera style. and to make it come alive so with historical fiction and is not a professional historian. and i would really respect political history with those able-bodied white males in the past to make decisions that would cause more fair fro