initially jefferson davis said we'll not give up a single inch of our soil. well, that's impractical. and it didn't work out that way either. so, you allow the enemy to penetrate, but then you -- in circumstance of your choosing when the enemy is lost or has made a mistake or can be numbered or you can attack the enemy's fractions with your mast, you attack, the offense. go on the offense. davis believed in that strategy i think, and this is gravely oversimplified, davis said we will outwill the united states. we will exist. every day we exist we're winning. the united states is losing every day we survive. and the longer we exist, the more regular we will seem to the rest of the world and even to our enemies. and if all else fails, we will just abandon conventional modern war, take to the hills, and be guerrillas. davis is anticipating post-modern warfare. imagine. good old boys as vietcong or i.r.a. or other post-modern forms of warfare. and this is what davis anticipates as a last resort at least. meanwhile, he believes he can outlast the union will. lee i

>> what thomas jackson thought of jefferson davis in 1862. jackson had a low opinion of davis. there are a number of episodes that make that abundantly clear. jackson's world view was that thing were supposed to run according to the manual. and davis not only had accepted way out of channels complaints about jackson during the romney campaign, that not only did not go through jackson which is the way the about book's supposed to be but he might have forgiven that, they went right straight to the secretary of war, the secular leader of the war effort. and snacks also is said to have been -- this is not quite so well documented -- disgusted with davis' unwilling to pur soof after first pa nasa. but there is a documented episode in the aftermath of the seven days when jefferson davis rode down past the battlefields to malverne hill hill on the morning of july 2 and came into the room where lee was for a conference with the leading commanders, jackson was present. he immediately stood up, stiffly at attention and then promptly left the room and there were evidences that he just did

after february 18, 1861, when jefferson davis arrives in montgomery, alabama to be sworn in as president, there was no further possibility of compromise at all. because davis was committed to confederate independence. lincoln is committed to reuniting the union. there is no basis for compromise between the two. >> i would think that any compromise, as you can imagine, would really only be temporary, would only delay, i think, the issue. i think simply, and maybe again, it's simplistic, but simply because the slavery issue was such a moral issue to both sides, it wasn't simply political, it was moral. and sooner or later, it was going to have to be dealt with. so any compromise would be temporary. >> i'm going to take my turn down the line before i hand off to craig. just remember that lincoln, in a sense, does define the parameters of compromise that he's willing to live with, which is basically the language of this shadow amendment, which is that slavery be perpetuated. not extended, but perpetuated. enforcement of the fugitive slave act which he declares at the first inaugural. you can

initially jefferson davis said we'll not give up a single inch of our soil. well, that's impractical. and it didn't work out that way either. so, you allow the enemy to penetrate, but then you -- in circumstance of your choosing when the enemy is lost or has made a mistake or can be numbered or you can attack the enemy's fractions with your mast, you attack, the offense. go on the offense.

as a foot note, and i lore came away thinking he had convinced jefferson davis about this, and that davis was considering sending james longstreet to replace jackson in the valley. if it had, longstreet would still be approaching winchester from the south today slowly i'm pretty sure. dick yewell, almost unbelieve pli excentric, he called on the 13th of may, ten days before the on fall against front royal, he called him that enthusiastic if a matt tick in a letter. and he said our army has no head at all, though there is room for one or two. he called him that may speaking to another confederate officer a crazy as a march hair, a crazy man. when he received orders he didn't like, he said that this is damn foolishness. his road to damascus experience was actually on the road to republic in this instance and he called aside the colonel from lynchburg who was the man he had talked to before, and he said do you remember when i called jackson and old woman? well, i take it all back. he had been converted. charles s. winer on the other happened, his very able commander, he suited jackson perfec

>> what jack so th thason thoug jefferson davis. jackson had a low opinion of caves. davis. jackson's world view was that thing wills were supposed to run according to the manual and davis not only had accepted way out of channels complaints about jackson during the romney campaign, it not only condition go through jackson, which is the way the book is supposed to be, but he might have for given that, they didn't go through his superior, they went right straight to the secretary of war. the secular leader of the war effort. and jackson also is said to have been -- this is not quite so well documented disgusted with davis' unwillingness to pursue after first manassas. but there is an adequately documented episode in the after math of the seven days when jefferson davis rode down past the battlefields on i think the morning of july 2 and came into the room where lee was for a conference with the leading commanders, jackson was present. he immediately stood up, stiffly at attention and promptly left the room. and there were evidence that's didn't want to be around davis. he nev

he was very close friends with jefferson davis. was actually living with the davis family at the time while he attended medical school. and he was thinking about family ties. he was thinking about his brother living on a plantation worked by slaves back in maryland and what a civil war over slavery and union would mean to the family fortunes. he also, you know, you mentioned the question of jobs for officers in the nay navy. people were thinking about those careerist questions very much, too. and he was discussing this with his wife in sort of a careerist way. his wife was in philadelphia. she wasn't just philadelphiaen, she was great granddaughter of benjamin franklin. you don't get many more philadelphiaen than that. you might think she would try to persuade him to stay with the union. she basically said, well, you know, honey, i'm ready to support whatever career choice you make. if it's a good idea to go with this new outfit of the confederacy, i'll be with you on that. all of these human factors it were coming into play i thin

and to go and try jefferson davis for a war crime was just a whole other can of worms maybe. i don't know. just decided that it wasn't -- it was too difficult maybe. or didn't have enough evidence of it, you know? something. >> there's a whole host of reasons we'll talk about later in the course of why davis is not tried. because they have -- there's many things they want to try him for, including this treason for leading the confederacy. but one of the things they add to this list, they never bring charges against him is what happens to union prisoners. so do you think that davis is culpable? >> i think yes and no. just because you also had this getting off and having lack of food for the citizens let alone for soldiers and the prisoners. because their supplies are getting short by the end of the war and it's very hard. they're trying to ration it out for everyone. because. >> -- bit's really hard because it's -- because of the supplies they had, but they could have done better. like the river in the middle of the camp and trying to keep that cleaner and directed somewhere e

to go and try jefferson davis for a war crime is just a whole another can of worms, maybe. i don't know. they just decided it was too difficult, maybe. didn't have enough evidence of it, you know. >> yeah. there's a whole host of reasons we'll talk about later in the course of why davis is not tried. because they have -- there's many things they want to try him for, including treason for leading the confederacy. but one of the things they add to this list that they never bring charges against him is what happens to union prisoners? so do you think davis is culpable? >> i think yes and no just because you also had the south getting cut off and having lack of food and everything else for their citizens let alone soldiers, and the prisoners. because their supplies are getting short by the end of the war, and it's very hard. and they're trying to also ration them out for everyone. because at the same time, they don't want their soldiers to die or just their civilians to die, let alone they're trying to also keep the war crimes down and everything. it's really hard because with

. >> in this one, jefferson davis got his plantation back, after all, and most southerners, white southerners got pardons for any treason they commended -- either by ignoring it. >> we have just a few minutes left with emory thomas and we'll go to richmond. on the phone is shannon. hi there, what's your comment or question? >> i have several comment, well, just a brief comment. i think that today considering i'm a person of color from virginia, and i think that frederick douglas being nominated number three is actually pretty good enrichment even after 150 years. i just have a question. i know that jennifer was concerned as a person of color, as well, but i'm from virginia, and i do understand the culture. it doesn't mean you can completely accept it, but in regards to general lee being the great emancipator. i understand he was the emancipator from what he inherited from custas. wasn't that done, and he was just following it through, would you consider that as the emancipator who freed all of the slaves that were held by the rebels. >> no. some of that was tongue and cheek. i will point out

belief that he would have to fight a climatic battle of annihilation sooner rather than later and jefferson davis could not stand in the way and lee worked to make sure he did not by cajoling davis. he saved richmond, "monitor" armada on may 15th and then he came to command on june 1st. this person who had commanded maybe 200 troops all of a sudden commands 92,000, fought for seven days second manassas, or second bull run, sharpsburg/antietam, and then fredericksburg. i think he saved the confederacy. he transformed war and warfare. without robert e. lee, factor him out of the equation, and the war was over in the summer of 1862. despite all of his best efforts, mcclellan would have captured richmond. and i think lee was an effective emancipator. about lee's personality and personhood, i close with stuff that somebody will get. lee once wrote his daughter that i am always wanting something, i am always missing something, which is certainly true. robert lee sought something indeed. i'm always wanting something, he decreed, but he tried really hard like the rolling stones' bard and found you get wh

think ultimately this was a decision by confederate secretary of the navy and then endorsed by jefferson davis s h up to contest the union fleet's effort to capture island number t ten. this was in late march. that lessened the opposition to faragate. another example of what lincoln was trying to get his canwa to y against con ffederate defenses thin out those defensestime. and so clearly i think simultaneous advance by the upper river fleet union eecialln was of material aid to farages ever. >> i was struck by the similarity by tactics used at island ten and running at night and et cetera and use of the mortar rounds. >> that's right. the union fleet was learning these tactics of running the ford. the commander of the union fleet at island number ten charles davis who had replaced andrew was reluctant to allow them to go and henry, the cored and sai it. he did. general john pope, who was the army commander there investing island number ten said he needed a second gun bo. but agreed to allow "uss pittsburgh." these are built at the end of 1861 and early 1862 that captured ft. henry and held wi

war he was one of a group of young proteges of the very, very active, engaged secretary of war jefferson davis. because geoff davis hjeff davis bit of confidence in young captain mcclellan in the 1850s he was part of a handpicked group that he sent to the crimea in the siege of sebastopol. mcclellan established a reputation then as being very, very intelligent in his approach to dealing with british and french engineers and sent some excellent reports back to the united states war department. picked up a lot of life experiences while he was over there in some bad neighborhoods. when he got back, though, he looked at what the army had to offer him. kind of a stultified period in our history. unless you were particularly fond of chasing comanches along the rio grande. that didn't really offer quite so much to a young man on the way up as did an offer from the illinois central railroad. as you know, railroad construction and expansion was a dot-com boom. he submitted his resignation to the army to begin his engineering career and within a year he was moved up to the position of vice president wit

this was a decision by confederate secretary of the navy steven mallory and then endorsed by jefferson davis. so those six vessels had been sent up to contest the union fleet's effort to capture island number 10 near new madrid, missouri. this is in late march. that lessened the opposition to farragut at the fleet below. so it's another example, i think, of what lincoln was trying to get all his commander toss do was to move time up tapiously against confederate defenses so they would have to thin out those defenses rather than just one at a time. and so clearly, i think, the simultaneous advance by the upper river fleet, union fleerkts and especially at island number 10, was of a material aid to farragut's effort, no question about it. >> i was struck also by the similarity, at least in my mind, of the tactics used at the island 10, the carondolet running at night, et cetera, and use of the mortar rounds. >> that's right. now, the union fleet was learning these tactics of running the fort. actually the commander of the union fleet at island number ten, charles davis, who had replaced andrew

unbelievable secretary of war benjamin and not much more efficient at this kind of thing superior jefferson davis. and without going into the merits of the case from those people's perspective, there are two points i want to make for you. number one, that mute any was more broadly based than is generally known, number one. number two, it seems to be a beautiful illustration of his complete lack of standing before the valley campaign. number one, it is well-known that william w.loring, of no particular talent. he was imbedded tolliver who owed by the same denomination for his net merits. i've always b hindsight after the war when jackson had become absolutely legendary. he had been his sworn enemy wrote a whole chapter hemming jackson's glory. the reflective glow of the hero now to whom he had been so opposed during the war. in addition to them, everybody knows about loring and tolliver. in addition to them the original document sent off had the signatures of if not every, virtually every field officer of all the regimens under them. the very first one on that list, if it matters, the first one ph

she was also the dress maker for the wife of jefferson davis who asked her to go south with them when the confederacy moved to richmond. she chose not to. she interviewed basically for a position as mrs. lincoln's dress maker, and the two became much more than client and entrepreneur. they really became friends. and equal friendship to be sure, but they became friends. she was really mary lincoln's closest confidant all that time in the white house. >> some of the other artifacts in the mary lincoln section. the watch. >> we talk about mary lincoln and her philanthropy, because she was an active supporter to raise money for wounded soldier, she visited hospitals. and that watch was actually won by her husband for giving the money as a contribution to a sanitary fair. so up with talks about her philanthropy, but one of the organizers of the fair said i need you to give money. >> anything else about mary lincoln's bookshelf? what's notable? >> i think a wonderful piece on the bookshelf references elizabeth keckly as well. it shows her friendship. mrs. keckly established the contraband a

after the execution of this confederate soldier, jefferson davis called off the execution order issued by the confederate congress. and he urged local commanders not to execute or enslave u.s. ct soldiers. so there was the hint there might be an eye for an eye warfare because of the capture of black soldiers. but although it looked like there would be both sides showed restraint. now, these problems eventually bring the

and after the execution of this confederate soldier, jefferson davis called off the execution order issued by the confederate congress. and he urged local confederate commanders not to execute or enslave usct soldiers. so there was the hint that there might be an eye for an eye warfare because of the capture of black soldiers. but although it looked like there would be both sides showed restraint. now, these problems eventually bring the dick's hill cartel to an end. and the final nail in the coffin is in april 1864 when a confederate force under general that thnathaniel forest. when the garrison tried to surrender, his soldiers broke into a frenzy, killing those who threw up their arms. because the garrison was a mix of white and black soldiers. and it's not exactly clear how many soldiers at this garrison were killed when they tried to surrender, but a massacre definitely occurred. and about 170 african-american soldiers, it is believed, were killed in the act of surrendering. so when this news reached the war department later on that month, general ulysses grant who is now the general i

these are surveillance pictures from outside cardinal bank on jefferson davis highway. employees told police the suspects tried to enter the bank on january 21, but all the doors were locked. that's when one of the men pulled out his gun and demanded one of the workers to let him in. the employee refused, and the men left empty-handed. >> no, no. not going do that. >> i guess you should check -- >> check the hours. >>> 6:37. 50 degrees. ahead this morning, the vote on the hill that federal workers will be watching closely. will [ male announcer ]y. this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ >>> musician john legend surprised students at d.c.'s duke ellington school of the arts yesterday. after this surprise, the student got to have a jam session with the singer. he was there to launch a new program called what's going on now, which honors the late

woodrow wilson who was a son of the south who remembered seeing jefferson davis in chains being led past him at the end of the war nevertheless developed something of a hero worship for lincoln. richard nixon as a 12-year-old was given a portrait of lincoln that he hung over his bed. nixon also justified what would late be seen as abuses of power by comparing america in the vietnam era to the country during the civil war. so over and over again, lincoln is always there if you want to cite him to justify the expansion of presidential power, particularly in war time. >> sreenivasan: why do you think it is that people keep coming back to lincoln to study and to write and rewrite? >> it's a great question. he's not washington or jefferson. about whom scholars obviously continue to write but who seem more remote. lincoln seems more accessible to us. in many ways lincoln is one of us. a number of reasons for that. first of all he had a sense of humor which does more than anything to humanize people. he had an unhappy marriage. which makes him somehow accessible. he had children. he experienced

that colonel davis resigned voluntarily over the guantanamo things but actually lost his job simply for writing an op ed in the wall street journal for that he was fired from thomas jefferson's library an irony that i still can't get over what's going on is an attempt to tell people to be quiet and when they aren't quiet to punish them however the government finds available and the goal is not necessarily just to shut up colonel davis but to send a message to everyone else that this is what's going to happen to you if you speak out the easiest book to censor is the one that's never written just last question for you i guess i'm wondering peter i mean you felt the effects of this firsthand what do you think this does to the u.s. as a country to us as a society when these rules or are made more stringent rather than expanding on my point i'm embarrassed for my employer the department of state the department of state human rights around the world is constantly claiming territory for itself that bloggers in china and twitters in libya should all have the freedom to do that when at the same time it stomps on its own employees trying to exercise those very basic rights it sends a