was he a sleeping giant that was allowed to slumber too long by jefferson davis? >> well, no, i don't think so because lee's experience in the first year of the war had been a succession of failure. after he had helped immobilize the virginia troops and then had joined the confederacy when virginia finally did join the confederacy, he had been sent out to deal with the problem in the western part of virginia which became west virginia where mcclelland actually had overseen successful union occupation of much of that area. then mcclelland was called to washington in july, and lee was sent out to western virginia to try to recover that area. in august of 1861. and every effort he made turned out to be a failure. he came into, came under all kinds of criticism from the richmond newspapers, he was called granny lee, as you suggest. then in november of 1861 jefferson davis sent him to the south atlantic coast to charleston just in time for lee to witness the capture of port royal by the union navy and the occupation of the south carolina and the georgia sea islands by

porter was able to get out of richmond on a train right behind president jefferson davis and his wife and the entire confederate cabinet. and he went all the way into north carolina, actually tried to go back into richmond but turned around and went back to north carolina. he actually met up with many members of his old command in north carolina. but they all told him to go on. war is over. he thought for a moment with some of the fellows he was with maybe we can keep going west and find a confederate army that is still in the field in louisiana or mississippi. what they did was they wandered all the way into georgia and wound up in the beautiful town of madison. the reason he went there was he had an uncle named john watson porter. railroad man and a banker. he showed up at john watson porter's house. this was in may of 1865. john watson porter took him in. no suitor did john porter take a quarter there's an three of his cousins show up, all of whom had ridden in morgan's command and just surrendered on the tenth of may in washington, georgia. these fellows were edward lowe hines, jo

and so john porter was able to get out of richmond on a train right behind president jefferson davis and davis' wife and the entire confederate cabinet. he went all the way into north carolina. actually tried to go back into richmond, but then turned around and went back into north carolina. he actually met up with many members of his only command? north carolina. but they all told him to go on. the war is over for us. he thought with some of the fellas that he was with, maybe he can keep going west and find a confederate army that's still in the field in loosen transmississippi. what they did, they wardennered all the way into georgia and wound out in the beautiful little town of madison, georgia. the reason that he went there was that he had an uncle living there who was name was john watson porter, very wealthy man, railroad man, banker. he shows up at john watson porter's house in may of 1865. and john watson porter took him in and no sooner did john porter take up quarters there than three of his dozens show up. all of whom had ridden in morgan's command with him, and all of who

if you will to south carolina and georgia to build coastal defenses until march of 1862 when jefferson davisneed a military advisers and she chose lee and joined davis. what was critical for the next march, april and may was these two men developed mutual respect and trust for each other, whereas davis had so many problems with johnston, if you ask johnston he would have problems with jefferson davis, johnston withheld information from davis and the relationship was very icy and getting more difficult and then of course he written on may 31st in the seven times faeroe picks and as davis roadway that reasoning on may 31st, leave was with him, and you can make the argument was going to command the army and davis had little choice. there was no support and later to give it to so he turned to lee incident bring to a point you to every command. they expect it may be johnson with returns of that is how he got the job as being the commander of the army of northern virginia. when he joined the army, she realized very quickly that johnson was a bad administrator, so there was the organization of the

if you will to south carolina and georgia to build coastal defenses until march of 1862 when jefferson davisneed a military advisers and she chose lee and joined davis. what was critical for the next march, april and may was these two men developed mutual respect and trust for each other, whereas davis had so many problems with johnston, if you ask johnston he would have problems with jefferson davis, johnston withheld information from davis and the relationship was very icy and getting more difficult and then of course he written on may 31st in the seven times faeroe picks and as davis roadway that reasoning on may 31st, leave was with him, and you can make the argument was going to command the army and davis had little choice. there was no support and later to give it to so he turned to lee incident bring to a point you to every command. they expect it may be johnson with returns of that is how he got the job as being the commander of the army of northern virginia. when he joined the army, she realized very quickly that johnson was a bad administrator, so there was the organization of the

if you will to south carolina and georgia to build coastal defenses until march of 1862 when jefferson davisneed a military advisers and she chose lee and joined davis. what was critical for the next march, april and may was these two men developed mutual respect and trust for each other, whereas davis had so many problems with johnston, if you ask johnston he would have problems with jefferson davis, johnston withheld information from davis and the relationship was very icy and getting more difficult and then of course he written on may 31st in the seven times faeroe picks and as davis roadway that reasoning on may 31st, leave was with him, and you can make the argument was going to command the army and davis had little choice. there was no support and later to give it to so he turned to lee incident bring to a point you to every command. they expect it may be johnson with returns of that is how he got the job as being the commander of the army of northern virginia. when he joined the army, she realized very quickly that johnson was a bad administrator, so there was the organization of the

of eighteen twelve i don't think so i don't recall you know abraham lincoln compromising with jefferson davis or robert e. lee it's a few years but he kept their butts right across the country wasn't a compromise i don't recall f.d.r. compromising with adolph hitler or dwight eisenhower for that matter alternately became president he was he was f.d.r.'s prime general in world war two neither did churchill churchill that was the guy who compromised was neville chamberlain remember he came you probably don't i go most people aren't old enough to remember but the story we all know it never chamberlain came back with me with that words of oh we can have peace in our time we've worked out a compromise you know. it wasn't it was churchill who said no i'm not going to compromise i don't recall l.b.j. compromising over medicare i don't recall reagan compromising about his tax cuts or is spending binge now it's a fact top tax rate from seventy four percent down to twenty eight percent and just said the democrats say if you don't like it tough obama needs to read some different biographies apparently k

bart yn's group pushed to revise textbooks to that the speeches of jefferson davis, the slave-owning president of the confederacy, should be taught along side those of abraham lincoln. but barton's theories don't stop there. i wonder where michele bachmann got the idea that founding fathers tried to abolish slavery? >> some of them did own slaves but 70% of them were abolitionists. so that's why we said we wanted to separate from britain, to end slavery. >> it took a decade and a half for martin luther king, jr. day to become a national holiday. the holiday faced fierce opposition from some in the republican party. but it was eventually sign need law by a republican president, named ronald regan. given how far his party has come, it is sad that rick perry is embracing such an ugly side of it. >>> on saturday, when we march, it will be blacks, it'll be whites, it'll be all stripes. labor leaders, everybody. from a randy wine garden to lee sanders, to martin luther king, jr. iii, you name it. dr. king believed in all races, all kinds marching together. and sunday, even those that don't

attacks on 9/11, but i really do think lincoln was sort of thinking several chess moves ahead of jefferson davisn this situation, and may even with that sort of master stroke has ended up -- i won't say winning the war, but keeping the confederacy from winning the war in the crucial moment. my lincoln is a lincoln who goes from this sort of uncertain and in some ways bumbling guy to by the end of the book a few months into the presidency becoming well on his way to the great leader, the great president that we think of today. >> and was it unfair question -- was it union or slavery? >> for lincoln? >> yeah. >> i think for lincoln, union and slavery were sort of inseparable causes because the reason that the south was succeeding was because of slavery. it was a stand southerners were taking, welcome g -- willing to yield no further to what they called the slave power. this result was decreed by a national election in 1861, and so lincoln recognized that if he were to orchestrate some sort of a compromise, and he played his hands very interesting, candidly and a bit ambivalently during the crisis,

mentioned briefly toward the end of the book a plan or a proposal that was carried to london from jefferson davis in early 1865, right toward the end of the war in exchange for british recognition. the confederacy would promise to abolish slavery. was that a specific plan? >> very specific. a fascinating mission. the man who carried it who himself had been the largest slaveholder in the confederate congress. the fact that he had agreed to undertake this mission when a long way to persuading confederates, members of congress that they had to go along with the plan. obviously a last-ditch plan, but when the british could federates receive the plan and heard about it, he was appalled. in fact, he almost refused to get it amended. >> would not go see it. >> out for so long. he could not believe it. everything he could to sabotage the message until the very last. the prime minister. you could see it coming a mile away. the proposal. no. not about slavery. just to shut them up. >> the u.s. did sign a treaty with britain to suppress the african slave trade. the clinton administration agreed. this was so

mentioned briefly toward the end of the book a plan or proposal that was carried to london from jefferson davis in early 1865. i mean, right toward the end of the war. that in exchange for british recognition, the confederacy would promise to abolish slavery? i mean, was that a very specific plan? is. >> guest: it was very specific, and it's a fascinating mission called the duncan mission after the man who carried it who himself had been the large slave holder in the southern, in the confederate congress. so the fact that he had agreed to undertake this mission went a long way to persuading confederate members of congress. but they had to go along with the plan. it was, obviously, a last ditch plan. >> host: right. >> guest: but when the british confederates, especially the confederate ambassador james mason, received the land and heard about duncan kenner, he was appalled. in fact, he almost refused to -- >> host: right. he wouldn't let kenner go and see the foreign secretary about it. >> guest: no. he'd been out of the south for so long, he just couldn't believe it and did everything he could

and so john porter was able to get out of richmond on a train of left behind president jefferson tayler and davis' wife in the entire confederate cabinet. and he went all the way into north carolina and actually tried to go back into richmond but then turned around and went back into north carolina. he met up with members of the command in north carolina but they all told him to go on, the war is over for us and he fought for a moment with some of the fellows that he was with that maybe we could keep going the west and find a confederate army that is still in the field in louisiana or the trends mississippi. but what they did is they wander all the way into georgia and they wound up in that beautiful little town and the reason he went there and she had an ongoing living there. his name was john watson porter. a railroad man, a banker, and he showed up at john watson porter's house and this is in may of 1865, and john watson porter took him in and no sooner than john porter took up the quarters there three of his cousins show up all of them have been in morgan's command and all of whom had just su

mentioned at the end of the book briefly a plan or proposal that was carried to london from jefferson daifers in early -- davisn early 1865 to the end of the war in exchange for british recognition, the confederacy promised to abolish slavery. was that a specific plan? >> guest: it's very specific and a fascinating mission named after the man who carried it. himself, the largest slave holder in the con confederate congress. the fact he agreed to undertake the mission went a long way to persuading confederate members of congress they had to go along with the plan. it was a lost hitch plan, but when the british confederates and especially the confederate ambassador received the plan and heard about it, he was appalled. in fact, he almost refused to deliver the message. >> host: right. he wouldn't let him see the secretary about it. >> guest: he was out of the south so long, that he doesn't believe it and did everything he could to sabotage the message until the last second where he hinted about it to the prime minister. you could see it coming a mile away this was the proposal, and they said, oh, no, no, it's no