That is the lack of conservation ethic and the culture of our society. All parts of it are important. I received a germination of this kind of ethic in this country. Ive been talking for almost 35 years around the country, every up manyd somebody comes of them are teachers. They have a strong ethical concept. High school kids coming up whose parents are more sensitive teaching them. I see the germination of an ethic that will say that if we intruding someplace, what are the consequences . Had any ordinary commonsense in the politics of would not have practically destroyed the everglades by diverting the water and so forth. Destroyed halfve the wetlands of the country, areidizing crops that already in surplus to the wetlands and drain grow more. We would not have polluted the rivers and so forth. A society outelop thehe young folks here, society that demands to know and asks the question, what are the consequences of our actions and if they are negative, we just will not do it. Compared how do americans compare this to come compared to the others around the world . In my reading, social, cultural, history, and the people who have that i know a respectind of have for nature. Native people. The land does not belong to us. It belongs to future generations. Otherot know enough about parts of the world. It is interesting to note that socialist countries of the world have been far worse in their treatment of the environment in the capitalist countries have been. Both have been bad. But the socialist countries have done much worse. Take a generation with a reverse this. America is often described as dowaway and disposable you see that changing . Things that develop incrementally, half the things municipalities, according to the best of physics, i think half of them feel the next five years. We will stop the throw a business and everyone will have the backyard and back porch and basement filled with trash. I think there is a developing this is not sound policy. There are all kinds of people who manufacture things to sell. So it will last long. And it that is changing will have to change and it will change in the next 15 or 20 years. An outdoorsman . Hiking and camping . L of the outdoors and i love to fish, yes. When you have been out in the wilderness in the past 20 years, what of you seen . Things getting worse before they get better . Course, if you are talking wildernesses,ed which we have society involved in fighting for mom more willing to more wilderness, america, mostin of the large sections, the only large sections of actual america left in the country by the federal land. Most are million square miles. Ofional parks, refuges, all them are being degraded. All of them. The National Forest is the worst situation. Managed at the top irresponsibly in my view. The chief Service Levels that we it not managing this right, is a disaster. The Parks Service is losing ground. Wildlife refuges are losing ground. These areas, which are the last lands, quite a bit like they were, degraded day by day and year by year. Tragedy. Reat once they are gone, commercialized, overdeveloped as parks,doing in our polluting the grand canyon or sending 50,000 flights down to the grand canyon, we are taking this magnificent heritage. It has gotten much worse in the past 20 years and i would like to see leadership. The level that says, stop wasting 400 million per year losing money selling timber off forests. Stop selling the last stanza of , losing moneyrest every year and shipping it all to the pacific rim, if the president would step forward and to stop thisice nonsense until the park service to be a whole lot tougher on management, we do not need evolving campsites in the parks. That is for the private sector. Kate these in their natural condition keep the parks in the natural condition. We are losing ground, tragically, very rapidly. We do not have much leadership ,t the top selling the service the fish and wildlife service, to do a better job of protecting the integrity of those resources that almost no other country in the world, no industrial country the world has anything comparable. We are it slowly go down the drain. There is not any question about that. In the natural condition, in time saying ok, you have to apply for the opportunity to go in. , twourse, that is true already in alaska. Too many people into the wilderness area, you pretty soon do not have a wilderness area. What are things people will buttoday that are the same, what would be different about this earth day . In terms of activities, you know, the wonderful and Creative Ideas that bubble up on college campuses, Great Schools and high schools, those kids had a lot more idea then we folks get. I knew it had more than i did. You will see all of this doubling and some of it will be dramatic and funny and humorous. Out the one, where was it west someplace where somebody had a sign that said, i eat garbage, what are you doing for the environment . But, there will be lots of interesting activities, but there will also be things weve never seen before. There will be satellite broadcast around the world. Entertainer in the country seems to want to be on a program. They have grabbed the issue. Business and industry are jumping into the issue. Fascinatingo be a area. All of the issues, there are new issues, but all of the old issues are here and will be here for some time to come. Host your bio talks about the things you have done. Earth day, you are the original sponsor of the legislation setting aside the appalachian trail. First to reduce legislation introducing fuel efficiency. What accomplishment are you most proud of . Sen. Nelson i think in terms of its impact, as a political matter, has had a greater impact than anything else, im very happy about some other matters such as was able to put the Apostle Islands of the state of wisconsin, those beautiful islands off the north shore of wisconsin into the park system. The river i grew up on, one of the beautiful rivers on the midwest. It finally joins into the mississippi river. Im happy about that because those are two resources i would say that earth day, i was happiest with that. This is American History tv on cspan3, for each weekend we feature 48 hours of programs exploring our nations past. Every saturday night American History tv takes you to College Classrooms for lectures in history. Why do you all know who Lizzie Borden is . The deepest cause what we will find the meaning of the resolution was in this transformation that took place in the minds of the american people. We are going to talk about both sides of the story these stories here. Well also talk about the tools and techniques of power that were practiced by enslaved people. History professors lead discussions on topics ranging from the American Revolution to september 11. Lectures in history on cspan3. Every saturday on American History tv. Lectures in history is available as a podcast. Find it where you listen to podcast. Cspans washington journal, live every day with news that impacts you. Coming up this morning, we will talk with North Carolina my theit Congress Moment about federal and state level response to the coronavirus pandemic. And a discussion of how the coronavirus is impacting the Government Workforce with eric katz. Foundationsitage will be on to talk about voting by mail. Also National PhotoHome Institute ceo Amber Mcreynolds discusses efforts to expand vote i mail and absent deep balloting for the november general election amid concerns of coronavirus. Watching cspans washington journal, live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Join the discussion. Sunday at 3 00 p. M. Eastern, study for the u. S. History exam. Jason stacy and ellington, coauthors of fabric of a explain how this years exam is structured differently, provides strategies for response answers, and demonstrate how to analyze historical documents. On American History tv, a drew gruber talks about the 1862 battle of williamsburg in virginia and why it was overshadowed that year by larger and bloodier battles. We will also hear why williamsburgs colonial history has long obscured its civil war story. Mr. Gruber is executive director of civil war trails. This was part of the emerging civil war blog symposium. Mr. Orrison good afternoon. I get the privilege of introducing a really good friend. Drew and i have been arguing over the past two days, what i should do in this introduction. So im going to fulfill a promise and just read what you sent me. [laughter] mr. Orrison it is kind of funny, actually. Drew gruber has lived a life not nearly as exciting or interesting as those who fought in the battle of williamsburg. He is the executive director of civil war trails, lives in williamsburg with his wife kate, their two cats, he enjoys reading, oysters, brown liquor , and some peace and quiet. Drew gruber. [applause] mr. Gruber at this time, i am going to introduce my coauthor, doug crenshaw, who is going to come up and lecture about williamsburg today. [laughter] mr. Gruber i sat down last night to review notes, and i couldnt help but think about how ryan ended his presentation yesterday. And it caused me to rewrite the whole thing. Thanks, ryan. Forgotten battles is intriguing, and i was going to open with a quote and then i thought about it, we have a morbid fascination with body count, only big, bloody battles are important. Then Richard Lewis yesterday said something last night, where he said, you know, the guy who falls from dysentery, that is his forgotten battle and certainly his familys forgotten battle. And the one guy who was out on picket one night by himself on a cold day who is shot down, that is probably his most important battle. So, im going to open with a quote from not a historian, just a guy who fought at the battle of williamsburg. This guy gets hit in the shoulder with a sixpound ball. His friend next to him says, it is just a flesher, and he gets up and keeps going. Yet edwin brown will go want to fight for the remainder of the war. And in his diary years after, he says this. The battle of williamsburg has received less importance and history than it has merited. And wouldnt you believe that is not just the case with edwin brown . When you go back and look at the diaries of the men who fought at williamsburg, they did not forget, so why have we . That is a good question and that is one of the things i intend to go over today, but what a miserable honor to have, an awful accolade, a forgotten battle. It is almost like, all of you guys who fought that day, you are not nearly as cool as chancellorsville. But, why . Why have we forgotten about williamsburg . When you think about williamsburg, what is the first thing that comes to mind . Rockefeller. I have forgotten this is an academic room. [laughter] mr. Gruber the juxtaposition of the British Empire in the transatlantic marketplace. Geez. You guys are awake. [laughter] washington, breaches, the American Revolution. Nobody things about civil war at williamsburg. But think about williamsburgs actual colonial history when George Washington marches down gloucester street in 1781 on his way to yorktown, there is just one single business open in williamsburg. Just one. Not a bustling town. But still, our public memory commands Colonial Williamsburg, jamestown, and of course, yorktown. It is also forgotten during the period because in a few short weeks after the battle of williamsburg, we have this massive clash around richmond. And the newspapers who were just getting ready to write about williamsburg switch. Ok, we will write about seven days instead. The failures of scholarship over the last 150 years. It is only within last few years we have gotten decent books about the battle of williamsburg, the importance of the peninsula campaign. So why not write about williamsburg . In fact, when you go back through the books, some of the best books from our favorite historians, one in particular, has six pages about the battle of williamsburg. Six pages. Thats it. Maybe it is not a sexy topic. Maybe it is not nearly as interesting. Maybe it would not sell. Maybe the publisher said no. So it will be my goal here in the next three and a half hours of my lecture. [laughter] sorry, steve. To make you realize that civil war williamsburg is the historic triangles most important period. How many of you have been to the battlefield . Yeah. Let me back up. How many have been to Busch Gardens . [laughter] yes, you have been to the battlefield, the robert e. Lee log flume. How about for the diehards . How many of you have actually been to fort mcgruder . I dont mean the hotel, i mean the actual fort. Ok. How many have been to Colonial Williamsburg . Ah, lovely. And they say history is dying. You were on the civil war too, becausehere that is the building at the college of william and mary. So our goal here is to make you realize this is an exciting, sexy topic, and you will want to buy the book doug and i are working on, and you will want to bid on the walking tour that is in the back. But i am also going to do it through the lens of personal stories, because for the guys who fought there, this battle was immensely confusing. And since we are not standing on the battlefield today where i can point and say, there is where first massachusetts was, im not going to talk about heavy battlefield maneuvers. It doesnt pair well with a heavy, big lunch either. I hope to end by talking about why we have not preserved it. One thing i have not heard yet, so you are on point the next couple of speakers, is that these are forgotten battles, but what we have not asked ourselves as a community is, what can we do to fix it . So, off we go. Why here . When i arrived in williamsburg to work at Colonial Williamsburg, articles said it was illconceived, poorly planned. Then of course, you have all of these people who will bench their careers on backseat generaling 150 years after the fact. He was slow, he didnt know the terrain, he shouldve gone to the right. You werent there. [laughter] lets think about this. The battle of williamsburg happens because williamsburg is at the narrowest point of the peninsula, and these are smart people, and they studied history to predict their future. Chief powhatan of the algonquin confederacy at the time, before white folks arrived on the peninsula, has already determined this is a strategic place. They moved the capital from williamsburg to richmond during the American Revolution because this is a strategic place. Washington will go past williamsburg on his way to yorktown because it is a strategic place. And the british again in 18131814 during the Chesapeake Campaign will come to williamsburg because it is an historic place. Thus, when the confederacy is born, they will look to williamsburg to build a defensive line, because it is a strategic place. Benjamin from the college of william and mary in 1861 is given two regiments of soldiers to construct a line of earthworks at the narrowest and highest point of the peninsula. Benjamin newells soldiers are not necessarily excited about digging earthworks. So, benjamin and the local commanders go to big plantation owners and say, lend us your slaves to dig your earthworks. And the local plantation owners say, no. They get very few slaves to help dig the earthworks at williamsburg. So robert e. Lee sends engineers down to williamsburg with this order. The civil officers will notify ablebodied, free negroes that they are able to assist and that failure to attend will be visited by penalty. So this line of 14 earthworks at williamsburg at the narrowest point of the peninsula is dug mostly by free africanamerican men pressed into confederate service. These earthworks come in a variety of different sizes and shapes. They have connecting earthworks. Between them are swamps, creeks, slashings, everything you could possibly think of or imagine that you would eventually see at the petersburg front is seen here at the small line at williamsburg. The central work, fort mcgruder, oversees the intersection of two roads, the road from hampton, virginia, and the road from yorktown, virginia. So lets say you have 130,000 men, blue uniforms, and your objective is uniform, you might land your boats at fortress monroe. There is one road you must go down to travel east to west on the virginia peninsula. You know that today as the duke of gloucester street, which is why earthworks show up at williamsburg. Of those earthworks, there are seven left. Virginia Transportation Department of transportation moved one earthwork for the widening of interstate 64. Let me tell you, i had the honor to go out there with the archaeologists from william and mary, and that earthwork told me more about the American Civil War in williamsburg then i could have imagined. It was perfectly intact. Archaeological layer was all there. It was beautiful. There are seven left today. You could write a report on it if you wanted to today. But there are seven left today. So in the spring of 1862, this premonition of Union Soldiers getting to the peninsula comes to fruition. Of course, a large army will land at fort monroe. And begin their to yorktown. March many of you know what then happens at yorktown, he prepares, both armies critically aware that once lines at yorktown break, it will be a race to richmond, because you two deep, navigable rivers on either side of the virginia peninsula. Both sides hedge their bets, and the confederate artillery will open may 3, 1862, to distract the union army as Confederate Forces pull out of yorktown , almost silently. Of course, this befuddles george b. , but he doesnt wait. And i quote, about 2 00 a. M. On the fourth, firing ceased, and between that our troops entered the works and a message was received announcing our flag flies over yorktown. By sunrise, about 2. 5 after they realized the confederates are gone, two and a half hours, George Mcclel