- 2 years ago
Battle of Bull Run Documentary
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00:00As a rebel army musters just a day's march from Washington, President Lincoln moves to
00:19crush the rebellion at the Battle of Bull Run.
00:23Lincoln's attitude is, we're going to win this conflict, we'll do whatever it takes.
00:29It's a decision that will change the nation forever.
00:35Most think it will be over in a matter of hours.
00:39You have a politician saying he'd be happy to drink all the blood spilled in this little war.
00:44They're wrong.
00:46The South couldn't believe the North was really serious, the North couldn't believe the South was really serious.
00:51As 60,000 soldiers clash near the town of Manassas,
00:55raw recruits from Wisconsin will collide with untested volunteers from Virginia
01:02over a key piece of high ground.
01:06Ultimately, the Battle of Bull Run is the fight for Henry Hill.
01:11Their fight plunges an unprepared nation into a war of unimaginable violence.
01:17They'd sent their young men off to fight this battle, but the United States had never experienced anything like this.
01:23It will claim over half a million lives and destroy the nation as it once was.
01:30Nobody could anticipate the absolute annihilation of an entire society that would start at Manassas.
01:46The Battle of Bull Run
01:51Massachusetts, Virginia
02:11The men of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry are part of a large Union force sent into Northern Virginia.
02:18They've come to find a rebel army believed to be mustering a day's march from Washington, D.C.
02:26It marks the first time since war was declared three months ago that the capital was threatened by rebel troops.
02:37We got men on our left and our right flanks, and a big bunch of them coming up the middle.
02:42Artillery?
02:43The trees are too thick to tell.
02:45Did you get a glimpse of them?
02:48What do they look like?
02:50They look like us. They're wearing gray.
02:54Spread the word. We're going to move forward.
02:57Hey, tell them to hold their fire. Those could be our men.
03:14When the Civil War erupts, there is no standard uniform North or South.
03:19We often think of the Union soldier wearing blue and the Confederate soldier clad in gray.
03:25But that first slugfest, the soldiers showed up in their militia uniforms.
03:30Unlike most of the Union army that is dressed in blue, these men wear the gray of the state militia.
03:38Just like the majority of rebels.
03:43There.
03:54So, consider this. You got a line of men in gray and a line of men in gray facing each other.
04:02Friends? Foes? Who are they?
04:05Do we shoot or don't we?
04:09Who's out there?
04:14Who are you?
04:17Who are you?
04:19We are Massachusetts men.
04:35In the White House, President Abraham Lincoln endures another sleepless night.
04:40After a bloody clash with rebels claimed dozens of his men three days earlier,
04:45he knows the real battle is about to begin.
04:49Well, the greatest pressure Lincoln and everybody in the North faced in 1861
04:53was this incredibly fast-paced rebellion that had turned into a confederacy of 11 states.
05:00Following South Carolina's secession from the Union in December of 1860,
05:05six other southern states follow suit.
05:07Then, in the wake of a rebel attack on Fort Sumter, a Union base in South Carolina,
05:13four more states join the confederacy and declare war on the United States.
05:19Their greatest advantage was the size of the land they possessed at the beginning of the rebellion.
05:25There's no other rebellion I can point to where they begin with 750,000 square miles of territory.
05:31It's extraordinary.
05:32Lincoln's facing incredible pressure to put the rebellion down and save the nation.
05:38Lincoln said the Union was the best hope for democracy in the world.
05:42Democracy was a fragile experiment, and it would only work if people accepted the results of elections.
05:49And he understood that other countries of the world did not have democracy
05:53and were perhaps rooting for the United States to fail.
05:56And that could not be allowed to happen.
05:57And so what they needed to do was demonstrate that they were capable of putting that rebellion down.
06:03And for Lincoln, that meant sending armies into the field.
06:07Like many, Lincoln believes a decisive military victory will end the crisis.
06:14It was assumed that even though the southern states had left the Union,
06:18the majority of the people in the South really were loyal to the Union.
06:22That was just a few troublemakers.
06:24You discredit them, you win the war.
06:29Lincoln's hoping to achieve that victory near Manassas, Virginia,
06:33a small town just 25 miles south of Washington, D.C.
06:38A large rebel force is gathered there to protect a key rail line
06:42that allows them to move soldiers and supplies through the state.
06:46It's not only a rail junction, but it also protects the rail line
06:49south down to Richmond.
06:51So it's a key communication facility with the capital.
06:54The Union doesn't like any of that.
06:56They don't like a force so close to Washington.
06:58They don't like not having access to those railroads.
07:01They also don't like the Confederates having those transportation facilities.
07:07Thousands of Union soldiers are now encamped near the Bull Run,
07:11a creek that flows to the north of Manassas.
07:14They expect to clash with a large rebel army in the morning.
07:18Many are 90-day volunteers,
07:21men who enlisted following the rebel attack on Fort Sumter in April.
07:26The idea was they'd be gone for 90 days.
07:29They would, in that time, whip the rebels,
07:31and then they would come back home as heroes.
07:34It was kind of an easy, little risk,
07:37lot of reward for going to join the Union Army.
07:38As their first major battle looms, many are too excited to sleep.
07:45Some, like William Collins, a watchmaker from Wisconsin, write home.
07:54He misses his wife, Kate, but is committed to defending the Union.
08:00Collins felt that he had to do something.
08:02In battle, and the possibility of being seriously wounded or being killed,
08:05by serving his country, he was defending his family.
08:10And the sense was widespread that their families could not have
08:13the kind of upbringing they had had if the government was allowed to fall.
08:22The U.S. Army is the largest military force in the world,
08:25and the U.S. Army is the largest military force in the world,
08:28and the U.S. Army is the largest military force in the world,
08:30and the U.S. Army is the largest military force in the world,
08:33and the U.S. Army is the largest military force in the world,
08:36and so Union soldiers felt this strong sense that there was an obligation to serve.
08:45As dawn approaches, prominent citizens like Judge Daniel McCook
08:50arrive from Washington to watch the battle.
08:55There was considerable confidence that they would beat the rebels.
08:57This was going to be the great battle that would end the rebellion,
09:00and who would want to miss that?
09:03That's why all the politicians came out there.
09:05They were certain they were going to go watch a victory.
09:08Daniel McCook's also here to check on his young son, Charles,
09:12a private serving with the 2nd Ohio Infantry.
09:16Charles McCook was 17 years old, and he decided his obligation to the family,
09:22to his community, to the country, was to join the Union Army.
09:28Charles.
09:34You're looking well.
09:36The private's wife must be agreeing with you.
09:38How's mother?
09:40She still can't believe you turned down that commission.
09:43It's not too late for me to put in a word.
09:46Father, we've talked about this many times.
09:50I appreciate the offer, but you know my thoughts on that.
09:53I'll make my own way.
09:54Of course you will, Charles.
09:56Of course you will.
09:59I'd better get going.
10:01I don't have to tell you how important this day is to our nation.
10:06Washington will be watching.
10:08The whole country will be watching.
10:11And I know you won't let us down.
10:15Now go and show them what a McCook can do.
10:18Charles McCook and the 2nd Ohio are part of a massive, three-pronged attack
10:22designed to crush the Rebel force.
10:25After leaving camp near Centerville, McCook and the others will put pressure
10:29on both the left and right sides of the Confederate line,
10:32while a third force will try to sneak behind the left flank of the Rebels
10:36and then destroy it.
10:39McCook and the others will try to push the Confederate line
10:42and sneak behind the left flank of the Rebels and then destroy it.
10:50The men are to move out at any moment.
10:54Bet you wish you took that commission your daddy offered you now.
10:58You'd be riding on a horse, giving orders.
11:01I'd miss all this.
11:03And besides, it was with a Massachusetts regiment,
11:07and I'm not going to trust my life to a bunch of fishermen.
11:10Ohio!
11:12Fall in!
11:15I joined with the Ohio.
11:17I'm damn well going to fight with the Ohio.
11:20You really think they'll fight?
11:22I don't know.
11:24My pop says they don't have the stomach for it,
11:26thinks the whole rebellion will be over by lunch.
11:28But like most Americans,
11:30Charles' father has no conception of the wave of violence
11:34about to be unleashed by the Battle of Bull Run.
11:36The expectation by soldiers North and South,
11:40one fight, we're done.
11:42A boxing match that's only going to go one round, not 15,
11:46and whoever the victor is, it's complete.
11:51Nobody could anticipate the bloodshed.
11:55No one could anticipate the destruction that would start at Manassas.
12:07The Battle of Bull Run, the first clash of the Civil War,
12:11and an event that will forever change the nation,
12:14is about to begin.
12:17Many Southerners were fighting to liberate themselves
12:20from what they believed to be an oppressive government.
12:23They were doing what the Founding Fathers were doing in the 17th century.
12:26They were fighting for freedom.
12:28They were fighting for freedom.
12:30They were fighting for freedom.
12:32They were fighting for freedom.
12:34They were doing what the Founding Fathers were doing in 1776,
12:37revolting, establishing their own government
12:40to restore the principles of the American Revolution,
12:43which they believed a government under Abraham Lincoln in the North
12:46was going to pervert,
12:48so they had an obligation to defend their homes.
12:51The rebel states have turned to Jefferson Davis
12:54to lead their fight for independence.
12:59One reason he was selected
13:00was because of his military knowledge,
13:03his military understanding.
13:06Davis himself had fought in the Mexican War.
13:09He had studied war,
13:11and so he was very much controlling
13:14what was happening in the field.
13:21Davis knows a massive battle is looming
13:26and has amassed thousands of troops in Northern Virginia.
13:28Among them is John Opie.
13:32I bet I'd take down 50 Yankees with one of these.
13:37John Opie was a young man in Stanton, Virginia.
13:41His family lived in a small estate called Selma,
13:45and when the war came,
13:47he signed up with the 5th Virginia Infantry.
13:51But the 5th Virginia has a major problem.
13:55While most of the rebels are dead,
13:57while most of the rebels are wearing gray,
13:59these men are going into battle
14:01dressed like the majority of Union troops.
14:04The state of Virginia equipped its militiamen
14:07in a standard regular blue uniform,
14:10which was the United States Army uniform.
14:13The only thing that really was different
14:15was that you would have a Virginia belt buckle,
14:18but otherwise, it's a standard U.S. Army blue uniform.
14:22Gentlemen, fall in!
14:27By order of General Jackson,
14:30everyone is to wear a strip of white cloth
14:33around his arm or his hat
14:35to identify himself to another.
14:39Hold your tongues, men.
14:43If challenged,
14:45y'all are to report yourself as follows.
14:48Au honus.
14:52Silence!
14:57Now, get to it.
14:59We've got fun to do.
15:04Fall out!
15:06Before the battle,
15:08the Confederate high command developed a watchword.
15:10If you approached somebody
15:12and you didn't know who they were,
15:14you were to place your right arm on your left breast,
15:16hold out your weapon,
15:18and say, our homes.
15:20So that was the effort
15:22to try to alleviate these kinds of problems.
15:24That don't make no sense.
15:27If we're busy beating our breasts,
15:29the other fella's gonna have plenty of time
15:31to blow our brains out.
15:33Don't you fret, William.
15:35Them Yankees are gonna quit,
15:37just like they did Assunta.
15:44Hours later,
15:46Union Private Charles McCook
15:48and the 2nd Ohio Infantry
15:50have reached the area
15:51of the rebel defenses.
16:11The real fight now rages
16:13a mile to the northwest.
16:15There, Union troops,
16:17sent to sneak behind the Confederate lines,
16:19have clashed with the rebel forces
16:21atop Matthews Hill.
16:23Rebel Private John Opie
16:25and the men of the 5th Virginia Infantry
16:27are racing up the back slope of Henry Hill,
16:29a piece of high ground
16:31that's about to play a pivotal role
16:33in the battle.
16:35Up the hill, boys!
16:37Forward now! On the double, quick!
16:42Man, take cover in this grass here!
16:48They've been ordered by their commander
16:49to hide in the tall grass
16:51and wait to be called into action.
16:56There were a couple reasons for this.
16:58One was, he didn't want them
17:00to be visible to the enemy,
17:02and secondly, there was shell fire
17:04that was coming in,
17:06and he didn't want to create an easy target
17:08for the enemy artillerymen.
17:10And so they're down on the ground.
17:12They were safe for the moment,
17:14and they were prepared when the action began.
17:20John, for heaven's sake, get down!
17:27Why are we here?
17:29We should be out there, fighting.
17:36So many of these men were concerned
17:38that there would be one battle,
17:40it would be over, and they'd miss it.
17:42And then they would be chastised
17:44and laughed at for the rest of their life.
17:46Well, where were you on the big day?
17:48The morning does not go well
17:50for the rebel troops
17:52fighting to the north of Matthews Hill.
17:55Faced with superior numbers,
17:57the Confederates are now fleeing back
17:59to the high ground of Henry Hill.
18:02The situation's really desperate.
18:04The Confederate army's being pushed back.
18:06It's already lost the area around Matthews Hill.
18:12The fight for Matthews Hill
18:14is a decisive Union victory.
18:15Get back!
18:17They're coming!
18:19As terrified rebel troops race back
18:21towards John Obey
18:23and the men of the 5th Virginia,
18:25it looks like the Confederate line
18:27is about to crack.
18:29Stand on that!
18:31Hold your positions!
18:33That's an order!
18:46In the War Department's telegraph room,
18:48President Abraham Lincoln
18:50follows developments on the battlefield.
18:58Confident Union generals tell him
19:00that victory is imminent.
19:04Abraham Lincoln is convinced the day is his.
19:07The Union is excited.
19:09They are winning the Battle of Manassas
19:11as far as they are concerned.
19:16Atop Henry Hill,
19:18the Confederate army is in real trouble.
19:22The Confederate army's being pushed back.
19:24They are now running around Henry Hill
19:26like a bunch of ants
19:28that's had its hive disturbed.
19:30There's no real order.
19:32There's just chaos.
19:34It doesn't look good at all for the Confederates.
19:36I mean, this battle's gonna be lost.
19:38If it is,
19:40the dream of an independent South
19:42is all but over.
19:45As the line is collapsing,
19:47John Opie witnesses the birth of a legend.
19:50Into this chaos
19:52comes Jackson.
19:55Just months earlier,
19:57he was a little-known instructor
19:59at a military college.
20:01General Thomas Jonathan Jackson
20:03now commands the 1st Virginia Brigade.
20:05He's about to become
20:07one of the most famous men in America.
20:09Jackson is on his horse.
20:11So he can see
20:13out over top of the hill
20:15where the Union army is,
20:17what it's doing.
20:19As terrified rebels prepare to flee,
20:21Jackson bravely rides along the summit,
20:23almost daring Yankee gunners
20:25to cut him down.
20:28Another rebel general
20:30trying to rally his men
20:32sees Jackson's act of incredible courage.
20:34He points,
20:36and he says,
20:38there stands Jackson
20:40like a stone wall.
20:42Let us go to his assistance.
20:43A legend is born.
20:46Were it not for Stonewall Jackson's
20:48coolness under fire,
20:50the battle,
20:52and perhaps the entire Civil War,
20:54could have ended then and there.
20:56As Jackson holds his ground,
20:58more Confederate troops
21:00start to reform behind him.
21:03As rebels begin to gather
21:05atop Henry Hill,
21:07Union Private William Collins
21:09and the men of the 2nd Wisconsin
21:11have been ordered to march
21:13to the top of the hill.
21:44See whether ours or theirs.
21:51He's a rab.
21:53Told you they'd run.
21:55Got it right to the back.
21:58You men,
22:00you leave that man be.
22:02Fall in.
22:04Going into battle,
22:06the biggest problem both armies face
22:08is the psychological aspects
22:10of experiencing a battle
22:12in which soldiers are dying.
22:14What that actually really meant
22:16in terms of the scenes you would see,
22:18the emotions you would feel,
22:20that was something
22:22that they just weren't ready for.
22:26Near the banks of the Bull Run,
22:28Charles McCook has been ordered
22:30to lead his men
22:31to help at a Union field hospital.
22:34You sure your daddy
22:36didn't have something to do with this?
22:39But he pulled some strings
22:41so that his son didn't end up
22:43in front of a rebel cannon.
22:45You don't know my father.
22:47If he had his way,
22:49I'd be sent in with the first charge.
22:52I swear,
22:54I think having a son wounded in battle
22:56would be the best thing
22:58that ever happened to his career
22:59in Washington.
23:07Hold, men!
23:09Hold to the tree line!
23:12As the Union prepares
23:14to launch another assault on the rebels,
23:16the 2nd Wisconsin makes their way
23:18towards the base of Henry Hill,
23:20where the next attack will soon begin.
23:23We're going to cut through this field,
23:25through those trees,
23:27and then we muster at a farm
23:29on the other side.
23:31Captain, we don't know
23:33who or what is on the other side
23:35over there.
23:37The enemies retreated.
23:39You can see for yourself.
23:41Given that soldiers
23:43and their officers
23:45are inexperienced altogether,
23:47it's not so cut and dry.
23:49Okay, I give you an order
23:51and you obey that order.
23:53Maybe it's I give you that order
23:54and you obey it.
24:02Wait, couldn't they be lying...
24:04You know, I don't have time for this.
24:06Collins, let's go.
24:08Company F, forward!
24:17William Collins and the men
24:19of the 2nd Wisconsin
24:21have no idea that the rebel line
24:22has been destroyed
24:24and that the Confederates
24:26are about to launch a counterattack
24:28that will set the course
24:30of American history
24:32for years to come.
24:46The Battle of Bull Run,
24:48the first major clash
24:50of the Civil War has begun.
24:52In the first line of defense,
24:54Union troops believe
24:56the day is theirs.
24:59They've no idea that the rebels
25:01are about to launch
25:03an attack of their own.
25:10There you go, man!
25:12By the trees!
25:14The trees!
25:22The trees!
25:28Collins!
25:33Get up!
25:35Get up!
25:44Collins!
25:47Get up!
25:50Get up!
25:53Get up!
25:59Soldiers hated being
26:01under artillery fire
26:03because what you're waiting for
26:05is to go into battle
26:07to prove your manhood,
26:09to prove you're a soldier,
26:11to defend your country,
26:13and you're not being given
26:15the opportunity to fight back
26:17when you're under artillery fire.
26:19At a nearby field hospital,
26:20Daniel continued
26:22helping with the wounded.
26:25Like several prominent
26:27Union citizens,
26:29his father, Daniel,
26:31came to picnic and watched
26:33the battle many felt
26:35would be over in minutes.
26:37Shocked by the ferocity
26:39of the fighting,
26:41he now helps Union doctors
26:43deal with the wave
26:45of injured and dying young men.
26:47Civil War takes place
26:49facing bones shattered
26:51by rifled muskets
26:53and high-powered artillery.
26:55For many patients,
26:57there was only one option.
26:59Oftentimes, the solution
27:01for a person who's injured
27:03in an extremity in a leg
27:05was amputation.
27:07Limbs were stacked up
27:09like corn outside the hospital.
27:19Following their retreat
27:21from Matthews Hill
27:23in late morning,
27:25rebel forces have regrouped
27:27on the high ground of Henry Hill.
27:29Thousands are ready for the fight.
27:31We know on July the 21st
27:33by mid-afternoon,
27:35just based on the movements
27:37of the troops,
27:39that there is going to be
27:41a massive collision on Henry Hill.
27:45John Opie and the 5th
27:46Virginia Infantry
27:48have been sent forward.
27:53Their orders,
27:55hold the ground at any cost.
27:58The dream of a free South
28:00will live or die
28:02on these slopes.
28:04Fortunately for the Confederates here,
28:06they're in the position of defense.
28:08They're in the position of holding.
28:10And so, unfortunately for the Federals,
28:12they have to come up, up the hill.
28:14Despite this obstacle,
28:16hundreds of Yankee troops
28:18are ordered to drive the rebels
28:20from Henry Hill.
28:27John Opie must hold off
28:29a wave of gray-clad Union troops.
28:43Overwhelmed by Union forces,
28:45Opie and the 5th Virginia
28:47must abandon their position
28:49and race for safety.
29:14You have soldiers
29:16who are completely inexperienced
29:18engaged in a savage battle.
29:22And you have soldiers
29:24on both sides wearing blue.
29:26You have soldiers on both sides
29:28wearing gray.
29:30I can't think of a more
29:32dysfunctional way
29:34to try to fight a battle.
29:44It's very hard to imagine
29:46the ferocity of the fight.
29:48You have people wounded
29:50and picking up other guns
29:52while they are still wounded.
29:54You have people gurgling blood.
29:56You have people carrying
29:58their dying and dead friends
30:00off the battlefield.
30:02I'll hold!
30:04I'll hold!
30:06I'll hold!
30:08I'll hold!
30:10I'll hold!
30:11I'll hold!
30:13I'll hold!
30:22In Washington,
30:24President Abraham Lincoln
30:26awaits news from the battlefield.
30:29After receiving positive reports
30:31earlier in the day,
30:33the telegraph has fallen silent.
30:35He's beginning to fear the worst.
30:5025 miles away,
30:52the fight is still too close to call.
30:58It now centers on Union cannons
31:00placed near the top of Henry Hill.
31:02In a bold attempt
31:04to drive the rebels from the field,
31:06the Union has moved
31:08two batteries of cannons
31:10onto the forward slopes of the hill.
31:12The savage fight to control them
31:14now rages on.
31:18Ultimately,
31:20the Battle of Bull Run
31:22and the fight for Henry Hill
31:24will devolve into a battle
31:26around these very cannons here.
31:27This struggle,
31:29just back and forth,
31:31back and forth,
31:33wave after wave,
31:35attack after attack,
31:37really what we're talking about
31:39is the high ground.
31:41Who's going to hold the high ground?
31:43But the guns were the focal point
31:45on the high ground.
31:47Keep your heads down!
31:49As they are seized again by the rebels,
31:51the 2nd Wisconsin is ordered
31:53to take them back.
31:55William Collins is about to be thrown
31:57into a battle of violence
31:59that's about to sweep across
32:01an unsuspecting nation.
32:12Near the banks of the Bull Run,
32:14America's being given
32:16its first taste of the violence
32:18that's about to engulf the nation.
32:22A battle that many felt
32:24would be over by noon
32:25on the 10th hour of carnage.
32:30The fight now centers
32:32on one key objective,
32:35the cannons that control
32:37the battlefield's high ground.
32:39All right, move forward!
32:41Keep your heads down along the fence!
32:47Forward, forward!
32:50Hold it, hold!
32:52When the 2nd Wisconsin arrives
32:53on the scene,
32:55the guns are in the possession
32:57of the Confederates.
33:00Union soldier William Collins
33:02and the men of the 2nd Wisconsin
33:04have orders to take them back.
33:06Affix bayonets!
33:11I can't do it.
33:15I can't do it.
33:17I can't do it.
33:19Breathe!
33:21Breathe!
33:24Forward!
33:28They have to come up the hill
33:30over all this open ground.
33:32They're extremely vulnerable.
33:34They can easily be shot.
33:36They are susceptible
33:37to Confederate artillery fire.
33:53Hold it!
34:23Hold it!
34:41Still hoping to get into the fight,
34:43Union Private Charles McCook
34:45remains stuck at the field hospital,
34:47dealing with the steady flow
34:49of Federal wounded.
34:54His father, Daniel,
34:56a prominent judge,
34:58does what he can as well.
35:06Save your breath, son.
35:12Take a sip.
35:14You've done your country
35:16a great service.
35:20I know you want to help,
35:21Father,
35:23but perhaps it would be best
35:25if we take care of our own first.
35:27Look at the buttons.
35:29He's a damn rebel.
35:34Charles.
35:37Just be careful,
35:39all right?
35:47Come on, men!
35:52All right, spin it!
35:54Near the summit of Henry Hill,
35:56William Collins and the 2nd Wisconsin
35:58have reclaimed a vitally important Union gun.
36:02With it,
36:04they hope to turn the tide of the battle,
36:06drive the rebels from the field,
36:08and end the rebellion.
36:17But the rebels have one last card to play.
36:22They've moved fresh troops
36:24up the backside of Henry Hill
36:26and alongside the 5th Virginia Infantry.
36:28They're about to be unleashed
36:30on the unsuspecting Yankees.
36:32Forward, men!
36:34That's the line!
36:45Faced with a wave of fresh rebel troops,
36:47Collins and the exhausted Yankees
36:49run for their lives.
36:52The Union troops are hit with a panic.
36:54The retreat from Bull Run
36:56becomes a rout from Bull Run.
36:59Those troops abandoned their cannons
37:01and their supplies and ran pell-mell
37:03towards the Union defenses
37:05in Centerville, Virginia.
37:07Let's go!
37:09Sent to get more water
37:11for the Union field hospital,
37:14Union Private Charles McCook
37:16has no idea that the Union line
37:18has been shattered
37:20and that rebel troops
37:22are now racing towards him.
37:24The First Major Battle
37:26of the American Civil War
37:28is upon us.
37:29that rebel troops are now racing towards him.
37:51The first major battle of the American Civil War
37:53is now 11 hours old.
37:56For Union troops, the unthinkable has happened.
37:59After almost driving the rebels from the field
38:01earlier in the day, Yankee soldiers now
38:04flee in the face of a savage rebel counterattack.
38:08When the Union army start retreating,
38:10the Confederates begin trying to organize some kind of pursuit.
38:16And what they do is they send across some cavalry,
38:20and their advance carries them toward where the hospital is,
38:23where Charles McCook is.
38:29Charles!
38:50Surrender!
38:52Charles!
38:53Surrender!
38:55Surrender now, boy!
38:57Charles!
39:00Charles!
39:13Help!
39:15Help!
39:16Daniel McCook immediately came to his wounded son.
39:19Help!
39:20Doctor!
39:21Just seeing it happen himself personally,
39:23it's a really horrible, horrible scene to contemplate.
39:28As Daniel McCook tries to save his wounded son,
39:33a wave of rebels drive the Yankees from the field.
39:37The day is theirs.
39:41John Opie and the 5th Virginians
39:42had recaptured the battery.
39:45It had been a hard-fought battle on Henry Hill,
39:48and what they undoubtedly felt was a strong sense of relief
39:51that they had won the battle.
39:53♪♪
39:58There was a great deal of confidence and belief
40:01that, for the Confederates,
40:03this is the beginning of a new nation.
40:06This is the new dawn for a new South.
40:09♪♪
40:17Later that day, President Abraham Lincoln
40:20learns of the catastrophic defeat of his troops.
40:24♪♪
40:26He's stunned that the South has taken on
40:28the best the United States could muster and triumphed.
40:33The outcome at Bull Run was shocking
40:35to Northern public opinion.
40:37It was shocking to the political leadership in Washington.
40:39The real consequence of that first battle
40:42is that I think both sides quickly discovered
40:46this war is not going to end in 90 days.
40:48It's going to be a very difficult haul.
40:52♪♪
40:55But Lincoln has no intention of backing down.
40:58♪♪
41:00Lincoln's response is, we're not going to quit.
41:04The South had sort of thought that one defeat
41:07would lead the North to think it wouldn't be worth it,
41:10but to Lincoln, this war is worth it.
41:13After the defeat, what does he do?
41:15He stays up all night, and he starts drafting a memo
41:17for what to do next.
41:19This is a man who never gives up.
41:20Lincoln was dedicated first and foremost
41:23to the absolute, guaranteed preservation of the Union,
41:27and if that meant continued sacrifice,
41:30continued killing, continued war, that would happen.
41:34♪♪
41:39The rebels have won the day,
41:41but the cost has been tremendous.
41:43♪♪
41:463,600 men were killed or wounded,
41:50making it the deadliest day in the nation's history so far.
41:53♪♪
41:55Among the victims is John Obey's close friend.
41:59♪♪
42:01The United States had never experienced
42:02anything like this.
42:04They'd sent their young men off to fight this battle.
42:07They understood there would be losses,
42:09but of this scale, this was not what Americans had anticipated.
42:13♪♪
42:18As the sun sets on the battlefield,
42:21it sets as well on the old America.
42:23♪♪
42:28♪♪
42:34The Battle of Bull Run marks the beginning
42:35of the greatest struggle in the nation's history.
42:38♪♪
42:40By the time it's over, 600,000 men will be dead,
42:45a nation will be torn apart,
42:47and a new one born.
42:49♪♪
42:56The day after Bull Run, at 2.30 a.m.,
42:59Charles McCook dies from his wounds.
43:02♪♪
43:05Like so many fathers in the Civil War,
43:08Daniel McCook must bury his own son.
43:10♪♪
43:14Soon after, he enlists in the Union Army
43:16and is killed in action in 1863.
43:19♪♪
43:24William Collins survives the war
43:26and returns to Wisconsin to run a jewelry shop
43:29with his wife, Kate.
43:31♪♪
43:37John Opie joins the Confederate cavalry
43:39and fights at the Battle of Gettysburg.
43:42In 1865, with the war finally over,
43:45he returns home to Virginia.
43:47♪♪
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