union army against the army of the potomac against the army of northern virginia mainly defeating robert e. lee and the fact is thomas never had an engagement because of the situation. it was demoted in that situation against robert e. lee so we don't really know how well thomas would have done in grants place other than the fact thomas reduced -- was very careful about casualties. >> as bruce canton remarked, of richmond and washington, d.c. or the nerve centers of the war, and so the focus of the war was, the political focus was in many ways on the eastern feeder, but he concluded actually the really decisive fighting was in the west and the south and i quite agree. i think that thomas's victory at national pretty much isolated lead and set up the conditions the would need to his surrender. of course we can't know what thomas would have done with grand's army. evin that being said i think the series of achievement, victories and where thomas prevented armies from being destroyed in many ways for more determinative of the outcome of the war dan the portable still meet that grant and sherman en

they obviously are not going to celebrate a confederate general, even one as great as robert e. lee. 200 acres surrounding it. 300,000 people have been buried at arlington cemetery. as many as 6400 burials each year. c27 each day. i've gotten e-mails from people saying how is it that teddy kennedy can be buried at arlington, and my understanding is one, he is a member of congress, and two, he served in the military for two years in the 50s in your. particularly i think it's any member of congress can be buried at arlington national cemetery. quite frankly who's going to say to the kennedy family know, you can't bury him there. it will be a very special site. the three kennedy brothers reunited for eternity. the extraordinary setting for president kennedy. he is buried along with his wife, jacqueline kennedy onassis, and two children, patrick bouvier kennedy who lived for just a few days and i've been 1963, only a few months before president kennedy was struck down. and then a stillborn daughter, who is never named, and they are all buried on the funeral plot along with the eternal f

namely, defeating robert e. lee, and the fact is thomas never had an engagement because of his situation. against robert e. lee, we don't really know how well thomas would have done in grant's place other than the fact that thomas reduced, was very careful about casualties? >> as bruce remarked, richmond and washington d.c. where the nerve centers of the war, so the focus of the war was -- the political focus was, in many ways, on the eastern feeder. but he concluded that the really decisive fighting was in the west and the south, and i quite agree with that. thomas's victory in nashville pretty much isolated and set up the conditions that would lead to his surrender. we can't know what thomas would have done with grant's army. but even that being said, i think this series of achievements, victories, and battles where thomas prevented union armies from being destroyed, in many ways, are more determined of the outcome of the war than the horrible stalemate that grant and sherman endured in the east. >> in 1862, thoma

at robert e. lee park was a popular pooch playground. now, empty and rarely used, the view from sky eye chopper 13 shows tall, overgrown grass, dead trees, picnic tables broken and falling apart. a building, overgrown with vines and weeds. and trash cans overflowing. all because this bridge, the only easy access to the park's peninsula, has been shut down and blocked for more than a year. after it scored a 3 out of nine on a safety inspection. from below, you can see the bridge is broken, eroding, cracked and failing. maintenance crews can't cross the bridge to clean up. and baltimore city, which owns the park, can't afford to fix the bridge. >> i think it stinks. >> dog owners who frequented the park, now frustrated by what they call a waste. >> i don't understand why the bridge hasn't been fixed. and why that you can leave such open space unavailable for so many people. >> that's why baltimore county is offering to lease the park from the city. they're ready to spend $3 million from park improvement

grant and robert e. lee t fothfors inti in lettba. they called it hallowed ground.hey pointed out the ttarea had two strip ll e and fast food restaurant and it will be bring jobs to the area. >>> governor o'malley wants the state's budget cuts to -- and says they could affect its response to an h1n1 flu outbreak. here in the washington area, the government wants construction on a flu vaccine sped up by a month. health and human services secretary believes the virus could peak in the early fall. the cdc deputy director believes that the spread of the flu will be worse among children. >> when school starts again, there will be the likelihood that those folks that are most likely to get h1n1 the school- age population will be back together and you will start to see an increase. >> reporter: the secretary believes closing schools pre- emptively would not be the answer to stopping a flu outbreak. >>> two northern virginia congressman are holding meetings today and you are vine ited. the first begins at 1:30. it is hosted by gerry connolly and it will be at the green spri

some people think the face of robert e. lee is carved into the back of lincoln's head. it's not.t's just very wavy hair. another myth is that the sculptor cleverly positioned lincoln's fingers to send a message in sign language. supposedly the hands form lincoln's initials "a" and "l" -- also not true. >> let's get that clear, they are myth and nothing more than myths. >> what is true is that this tribute in stone honors a man who stood like a rock against forces that would have torn our nation apart. at the lincoln memorial for were the teen kids news," i'm lauren. >> want to fight asthma? plant a tree! researchers found that kids who live on tree-lined streets have lower rates of asthma. but i guess it doesn't help if you're allergic to tree pollen. ok, this time, i'm gonna do it. i'm going to actually go to school. tell me about some of the stuff you've had to deal with. i just dropped out completely. i just got caught up in it, the whole scene with the alcohol and the drugs. i was arrested. a lot of my friends were really concerned. especially my friend erin. you just have to

the arlington house, robert e. lee's house on the hill, will be closed to the public beginning at noon on saturday. now, the first chance that the public will have to see the -- to see the grave of senator edward kennedy will likely be on sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. when arlington national cemetery opens to the public. the entire kennedy burial area is going to be off limits to the public all day on saturday. back to you, joe, eun. >> all right. thank you, megan. >> thank you. >>> thousands of people in boston are already paying their respects to ted kennedy. people waited in line for hours to pass by knedy's flag-draped coffin at the library. the reverend jesse jackson was among them. kennedy's widow, vicki, says she and the rest of the family are overwhelmed with the support they've received during this very difficult time. >> we're so honored that so many people have come out to pay tribute to my husband. and i just wanted to thank them. that's really the only message here tonight. thank you. >> kennedy will lie in re

grant first faced robert e. lee, modern titans lined the battlefield. on one side, walmart, which plans to build a superstore near the park's entrance. >> you won't be able to see it from the park. >> reporter: on the other side, 250 historians, and actor robert duvall -- a descendant of lee who played him in "gods and generals." >> i certainly believe in capitalism, but i believe in capitalism coupled with sensitivity. >> reporter: the 1864 battle was a draw. preservationists insist the history made here, 30,000 were killed or wounded, is too crucial to give ground. >> this was the beginning of the end for the confederacy. >> reporter: the battle here marked a pivotal point in the civil war. 180,000 troops met here. more americans than in iraq and afghanistan combined. when it was over, general lee never seized the offensive again. developers have been seizing territory at gettysburg and dozens of other historic sites. 30 acres disappear each day. developmented a voe cats say business is already here, and under the current economy, it's needed. >> tour

robert e lee's house will be used by the family beginning at noon on saturday. >> reporter: the entire burial site will be off limits to the public all day tomorrow. the first time the public will be able to see the grave sight will be on sunday morning when arlington opens at 8:00 a.m. on sunday. >>> and the museum just moved the silk screen print to its remembrance gallery. it was made to raise money for the presidential campaign. and the museum just started to display portraits of people > tomorrow morning, trrow morning, ke ey nn bwiedloellwn f to n a'sew f bor'scease and it coo arlington national segat aint :0thategins at >>> s wstay uhit >>> stay with us thr aouheee t f a thend weekend for cagnger for kennedy's fnefu kel.edy's funeral.e aorut hboeie and legacy a and legacy on our website at nbcwashington.com. >>> let's take a look outside right now. we are watching some heavy rain headed this way. >> we have had low clouds here in the nation's capital all morning long. were under a flash flood watch later today. let's go to meteorologist, tom kierein. >> that is right. we had hea

base of the hill there in the shadow of the arlington house, the former home of civil general robert e. lee. the former archbishop of washington, d.c. spoke to the family as the sun was setting there. >> something fitting in having a burial at the dying of the day because we know that the sun will come back again tomorrow. >> vice president and mrs. biden also attended the burial. senator kennedy's grave stone already has been made and will be put in place tomorrow. it will lie on the ground and read edward morea morrow kenne. >>> at the bottom of the hour we will discuss and perhaps debate the legacy of the last liberal lion in the united states senate. and then you heard it here first, investigating the now officially alleged homicide of michael jackson. first, meet karl provin whose beautiful step daughter was kidnapped back in 1991 but who miraculously just returned to the land of the living. shake my hand, man. i got to give you a hug. congratulations. congratulations. >> thank you. >> when i first heard your story back in 1993, i cried. and now i feel almost like that again. how are y

afterwards into an army, army of virginia that they cobbled together to give battle aggressively to robert e. leeing that mcclellan had failed to do and to bring part of a harder, a republican part of borchard east. pope being one of the staunch republican generals in the army. and the army that was cobbled together around him, they were scared of jackson. i mean, they were intimidated badly. and i think that was -- that is a factor in pope's defeat at second manassas. district, they were afraid of jackson. and it was jackson he gave to principally in the second bull run. a very good question. >> we will do one more. >> stonewall jackson and lee worked so well together. what would've happened, you believe, if stonewall jackson hadn't died when he did? >> you know, -- >> thing start to fall apart. >> because jackson after the valley campaign, he came to fight after the seven days of battle around richmond. and as you know, was mediocre, inconsistent. he fought well at fredericksbu fredericksburg, fighting a defensive fight. chance they'll came along. it was a flank march that lee decided upon was

opponents say the area where generals robert e. lee met in battle for the first time is -- work could begin by next month. >>> nasa will try yet again early tomorrow morning to launch the space shuttle discovery. the liftoff planned for early today was scrubbed with minutes to go. nasa will try again at 1:10 a.m. springfield, virginia native is part of that crew. >>> our weather around here couldn't be nicer for the end of august. topper shut on the terrace with your forecast first. hey topper. >> it is nice, it really is. as you mentioned, late august, we expect worse. temperatures are reasonable. here's your forecast first. for tonight, we'll keep it clear to partly cloudy. not quite as cool d. bad. 66 to 72 downtown. and e thth windllwill be est ui teaterur norit now ab. 85 at onre 85 at ti. 88 up manassas manassas and 83 in quantico. only 82 over in annapolis. we will come back and talk about the tropics. something brewing that could affect us on friday and saturday. it could affect the redskin game and it is best shot day. >>> tha

and robert e. leeuse on the hill also known as the arlington house will be closed saturday starting at noon. kennedy's grave will be off-limits to the public until sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. as far as other funeral arrangements including possible mo motorcades or honors, those details are still being worked out. >> thank you. >>> the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. >> mourners paid a spontaneous tribute to senator kennedy in dupont circle. 75 people attended a candlelight vij nil his honor last night. several said they wanted to recognize a man who made it his life's work to champion social causes. one man read some of kennedy's chesspamous speeches. ee >>> stay wit and nbc and nbcnd washington.com for continuing coverage of ted kennedy's life and legacy. we'll take a look at the people who might become his replacement or at least try to in the senate. >>> a man is dead after being shot by police in northeast washington. this happened around 3:30 this morning at a gasoline station in t

robert e. lee was onef sco's engineers, and this whole roster of junior officers who become generals in the u.s. civil war. so you get a little of that on the mexican side, but most of that was later. the three reasons the united states, if you did say it one more, and i'm not sure they did, what it did was one of disorganization and weakness on the mexicans at the second, was the superiority of the united states field artillery which was the best in the world at that time. and look at the devastation it wreaked on both sides when it was over. and the third was these west point graduates who were few and company grade officers, the generals were all incompetent. whether they were politically appointed or not, because the ones that had been in the army were moth-eatenld relics of the war of 1812. really not up to -- they got themselves mired in politics, taylor especially. that sething west point is learned, that politics and military service don't mix. polk didn't understand. he put he interfere wi

that is the form of -- former home of general robert e. lee. up at the house, that is where senator kennedy's burial site will be. to the right, that is where the robert kennedy grave still will be. if you continue looking further to the right, that is where the john kennedy eternal flame will be. senator kennedy said he wanted his final resting place near his brothers, and tomorrow, it will be. jon: order the taurus same today, the people you are talking to? -- what are the tourists saying? >> we talked to a boston couple who got a little choked up. other people say they are here today not to honor one particular person, but to honor our nation's fallen heroes in general. >> it is a really special place. so many people have been buried there, and it is just a place in history to go. >> we're going to come tomorrow, but being as ted kennedy was getting very, we decided to come today because we thought it would be kind of crowded. >> arlington national cemetery will be open tomorrow to the public except for the areas around the grave sites of the

gretchen mefford of grant, nebraska, next to robert e. lee, nebraska. we have 100 years old.ps as large as 30 different people, gretchen does. good bless her. and finally peter and philip bellico of infield, connecticut. both are 101. identical twins. both enjoy playing cards and participating in church activities. happy birthday to one, to all. and now lester, who is just 22 years old, a young fellow. >> actually i turned 23 this year, willard. coming up next, the guide dog's guide, the volunteers who help the puppies grow up to help humans. ain't that cute? >>> this morning on "today's" pets, puppies with a purpose. an organization dedicated to raising guide dogs, and its the volunteers who help keep the day-to-day operations moving forward. our jill rappaport, a major animal lover herself, as we know, met a few of them. >> hi, meredith. we caught up with one amazing family whose lives revolve around their dogs. but not for the reasons you think. they're labs on a mission and making a major difference. >> come on. >> reporter: meet the yokes family. nicole, eric, 1-year-old

and andrews air force base shadow of arlington house, family home of civil war leader general robert e. lee and a hundred feet from his brother and a hundred feet from president kennedy, that's where he wanted to be near his brothers. martha. >> we'll talk to somebody who knows about that coming up. molly henneberg, thank you very much. trace back to you in new york. >> there will be many spectators gathering along constitution avenue to pay respects to senator kennedy. kennedy's motorcade will travel that route over the potomac at arlington national cemetery. caroline shively is live along the procession route in washington. what is the significance of this route? >> part of the significance, trace, it's a similar route to that taken by two of his older brothers. first, john f. kennedy after he was assassinated a few years later, baby kennedy, they, too, drove past the mall with their motorcade. they, too, went past the lincoln memorial and over the memorial bridge to their final resting place of arlington cemetery. of course, he is the only kennedy brother who lived to old age, much less

now there'a manor an enet chen etmeffd of grant, nebraska, next to robert e. lee, nebras. makes dinner for gups as large 0 3 dasrefeif ntpeople, d anfianyna finallynd philip peter a phip elbeind,el co connecticut. both are 101. identical twins. both enjoy playing cards and participating in church activities. happy birthday to one, to all. and now lester, who is just 22 years old, a young fellow. >> actually i turned 23 this year, willard. coming up next, the guide dog's guide, the volunteers who help the puppppie ÑçyÑ,Ñçyçyc geo: uh, you wanted to see me sir? boss: coother thingshad some you can tell people about geico - great claims service and a 97% customer satisfaction rate. show people really trust us. gecko: yeah right, that makes sense. boss: trust is key when talking about geico. you gotta feel it. why don't you and i practice that with a little exercise where i fall backwards and you catch me. gecko: uh no sir, honestly... uh...i don't think...uh... boss: no, no. we can do this. gecko: oh dear. vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance