0:00:02 > 0:00:08I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America
0:00:08 > 0:00:10with a new travelling companion.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17Published in 1879, my Appleton's General Guide will steer me
0:00:17 > 0:00:20to everything that's novel,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22beautiful,
0:00:22 > 0:00:23memorable,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26or curious in the United States.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27- ALL:- Amen!
0:00:29 > 0:00:33As I cross the continent, I'll discover America's gilded age
0:00:33 > 0:00:37when powerful tycoons launched a railway boom
0:00:37 > 0:00:40that tied the nation together
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and carved out its future as a superpower.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I'm continuing my journey through the Pennsylvania landscape.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24According to Appleton's, I'm passing through "one of the richest
0:01:24 > 0:01:26"agricultural districts in America,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29"which will be apt to remind the tourist of the best farming
0:01:29 > 0:01:32"districts of England."
0:01:32 > 0:01:36I think I'll discover that one part of the Pennsylvania countryside
0:01:36 > 0:01:39had a decisive influence on American history.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It was a field of battle, not of crops.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51I began this journey at the cradle of American independence - Philadelphia.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56I'm continuing through the American Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00before turning south to Baltimore in Maryland.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04I'll take in the nation's capital, Washington DC,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07continue on to Richmond, Virginia,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11ending in Jamestown - the first permanent English settlement
0:02:11 > 0:02:13in North America.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18On this leg, I leave Philadelphia for Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I visit America's oldest short-line railroad in Strasburg
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and finish my journey on the battlefield of Gettysburg.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I'll discover an apparently unchanged community...
0:02:38 > 0:02:41For folks on the outside it might seem to be a very backward
0:02:41 > 0:02:44way of living, but it's a very enjoyable lifestyle.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46INDISTINCT AUCTION CHANT
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Sold. 350.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55..learn about one of the most famous speeches in history...
0:02:55 > 0:02:59It had such an impact because Lincoln did it in such a way that it was open-ended.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He never mentioned slavery, he never mentioned emancipation,
0:03:02 > 0:03:08but it was articulated in a way that any group of people could connect with.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11..and fulfil a long-held dream.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13A memorable moment for me -
0:03:13 > 0:03:19my first trip on the footplate of an American steam locomotive.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:03:23 > 0:03:24RAILROAD CROSSING DINGS
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Describing a part of Pennsylvania, Appleton's tells me that
0:03:43 > 0:03:47"the inhabitants of this district are chiefly of German origin
0:03:47 > 0:03:51"and a dialect of German, known as Pennsylvania Dutch,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54"prevails extensively among them."
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I'm hoping to see the diversity of the United States today
0:03:58 > 0:04:02and to glimpse a simpler way of life that was more widespread
0:04:02 > 0:04:04at the time of my guide.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19- TRAIN ANNOUNCER:- At Lancaster, most doors will open. Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37This delightful railway station belongs to Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41which Appleton's tells me "is pleasantly situated near
0:04:41 > 0:04:43"the Conestoga Creek."
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Having arrived here by electric train, I hope to be transported back
0:04:46 > 0:04:51not just to the age of steam, but to that of the horse and buggy.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05When William Penn founded the state that bears his name, he wanted
0:05:05 > 0:05:10it to be a haven for the religiously oppressed from across the world.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16This rural part of Pennsylvania is known for its Amish population.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The Amish are one of three religious communities here
0:05:19 > 0:05:21who lead a simple life.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The groups were created after divisions
0:05:24 > 0:05:28in the Swiss Anabaptist church in the 16th century.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Persecuted in Europe, many of them emigrated to follow in Penn's footsteps.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38They became known, confusingly, as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I'm meeting Jack Meyer, a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46to learn more about the community and its origins.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- Hello, Jack.- Hello, young man. Nice to see you.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Very good to see you and very nice to be in your barn
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- and to be with your beautiful horses.- Thank you.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01- So, Jack, my guidebook tells me about the Pennsylvania Dutch...- Yes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04..and I'm just wondering, who are the Pennsylvania Dutch?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Well, they're people that came from Holland.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12Some actually came from Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland
0:06:12 > 0:06:16and they compose basically of three groups - Amish, Brethren and Mennonites.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Which of those three are you, by the way?- Brethren.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Might we take a ride in one of your buggies and talk a bit more?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- Sure, we can. No problem.- Great.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28We'll back right out of here...
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Though a few arrived earlier, the largest migration
0:06:32 > 0:06:37of the Pennsylvania Dutch to America occurred in the early 18th century.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The strictest amongst them believe that modern technology will
0:06:41 > 0:06:44undermine their tightknit communities.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48So, since before my Appleton's, the roads of Lancaster County
0:06:48 > 0:06:51have echoed to the sound of horses' hooves.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Jack, how many Pennsylvania Dutch are there, do you think?
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- In the state of Pennsylvania - ten million.- Really?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02That's all sorts and kinds, that's not just horse-and-buggy people.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07- No.- That's folks who dress on the street,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10you know, just the same as you would.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Horse-and-buggy people - and how many of those do you think there?
0:07:12 > 0:07:17Well, in Lancaster County, for instance, there are about
0:07:17 > 0:07:2130,000 Amish, 15,000 horse-and-buggy Mennonites -
0:07:21 > 0:07:25so we're looking at 45,000 that still use a horse and carriage.
0:07:25 > 0:07:31- Do you use a mobile telephone? - People are allowed to do that, a lot depends on your church district.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33The Brethren have them, the Mennonites have them.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36The Amish have them, some of the folks will tell you their district
0:07:36 > 0:07:38doesn't allow them to have them.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41For instance, the district we're in right now
0:07:41 > 0:07:43doesn't allow for a power lawnmower.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46You have to use the old push-type with the reel,
0:07:46 > 0:07:51but that district down the hill there will allow you to use a lawnmower that has a motor.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52Now, that's very interesting, then.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- So, the district is very powerful in that respect.- Right.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59There are about 100 Amish districts in Lancaster County.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Is the number of people leading the traditional life going up or down?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06It's going up. About 85% of the young people stay,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10so the size of, for instance, the Old Order Amish church is doubling
0:08:10 > 0:08:12every 20 to 25 years.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And why is that happening, Jack?
0:08:15 > 0:08:18For folks on the outside it might seem to be a very backward
0:08:18 > 0:08:21way of living, but it's a very enjoyable lifestyle.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25So, is there a moment in life when a young man or a young woman
0:08:25 > 0:08:27makes this decision to stay or to go?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Normally, in their teen years.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33There's a set of rules in the church, let's say.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Nobody is forced to follow those rules.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38You know, it's because you want to.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42You're not forced to join church, but as far as individual liberties
0:08:42 > 0:08:47or choices in religion - a person should have their choice.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51That's where it all began.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Coming from an urban environment,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I couldn't imagine existing in the country.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08And I was amazed to discover that those who are choosing to live
0:09:08 > 0:09:13the Pennsylvania Dutch traditional way of life is on the increase.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17But I shouldn't have been, because really it's not hard to explain
0:09:17 > 0:09:20how some people would choose community,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24neighbourliness, godliness,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27in preference to the globalised rat race.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You might think that such a distinct lifestyle would set
0:09:37 > 0:09:41the Pennsylvania Dutch apart from others around them,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43but that's not what I find.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I've come to the fire station in Strasburg, Pennsylvania,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51where there's an auction going on and it seems to consist
0:09:51 > 0:09:55mainly of the Pennsylvania Dutch selling some of their items.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Very intriguing.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:10:16 > 0:10:20INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANTING
0:10:33 > 0:10:35- Hello.- Oh, hello.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40I'm a stranger in town, this seems to be a rather extraordinary event, does it happen very often?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43We do two sales - one in the spring and one in the fall.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The stuff that is being sold here is mainly home-made items
0:10:46 > 0:10:49that have been prepared by the Pennsylvania Dutch community.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Many of the items, yes. There's wood crafts and there's also quilts.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56So, the fire company does get a bit of the money that they're sold for
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and the rest goes back to the person who made it.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01So, you take all your fire engines out for the day
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- and hand this space over to the sale?- That's correct, yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And who are the buyers mainly, do you think?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09We get buyers from all over the eastern United States.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13We get a lot of people from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15A lot from Pennsylvania and Maryland and Delaware.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19There is shops in New York that do specialise in Amish quilts,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22so they will come down and it's pretty easy to pick them out
0:11:22 > 0:11:25because they buy a lot of quilts, maybe 20 or 30 while they're here.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I've just been looking at the quilts that have been on sale. They're stunning.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34- Yeah, most of them are very, very nice.- So, if a quilt goes for 350,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36any idea how many hours of work that might represent?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It could be hundreds of hours, depending on the amount of stitching that's in it
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and the detail that they decide to put in a quilt.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Sold. 175. 349, 349.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Sold. 350.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Apart from its Amish heritage,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Strasburg holds another interest for me.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14In the early 19th century, the town became prosperous
0:12:14 > 0:12:18because it was on the cross-state wagon trade route.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23But in 1834, the new railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia
0:12:23 > 0:12:27bypassed Strasburg and the town feared decline.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30To save it, a group of local businessmen
0:12:30 > 0:12:33built a branch to the main line.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39It opened in 1837 and it's operated continuously ever since.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45And Strasburg itself is affectionately known as Train Town, USA.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- Hello!- Hello, there.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- Are you Bill?- I am, sir.- I'm Michael.- Hi, Michael.- How do you do?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- Can I help you with the oiling up? - Certainly.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01These two cups actually feed oil down onto the piston rod and the valve stem.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05These are already full, but they need to be set so they don't drop too much oil and waste it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10So, that's what these little knobs do right here. You actually would just open it up to a quarter turn...
0:13:10 > 0:13:13That's moving nice and freely.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- Close it up fully a quarter turn. - Right.- Great.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- This can has a different kind of oil in it...- Right.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26..and this gets poured into the weak spots here on the bottom part of the crosshead.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- Thank you.- It's just a squirt.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32After some light lubrication,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I'm thrilled to join Bill on the footplate.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Whoa! This is hot and this is big.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53HEAVY THUD
0:13:53 > 0:13:55TRAIN BELL DINGS
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Ready to move, Bill?- We are.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08A memorable moment for me on my first trip
0:14:08 > 0:14:11on the footplate of an American steam locomotive.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18By the end of the 1830s,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22the United States had overtaken Europe in rail construction,
0:14:22 > 0:14:28with 3,000 miles built compared to 1,800 across the Atlantic.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33And Pennsylvania was in the vanguard of the railroad revolution,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36with a quarter of all US track.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38Thank you.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Bye, guys.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45With the locomotive securely attached to its carriages,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I'm joining the passengers for the 45 minute trip.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55TRAIN BELL DINGS
0:15:04 > 0:15:06TRAIN CHUFFS
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Pennsylvania has the most wonderful rural landscape,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17but with apologies to Appleton's, it doesn't in any way remind me of England.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33- Hello!- Hello.- I hope you're enjoying the ride.- Yes, we are.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36May I ask you, what made you take the trip today?
0:15:36 > 0:15:39We do this every so many years.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44We come back to Lancaster, tour around and always ride the railroad.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Because you enjoy railroads in particular, or what?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52We enjoy railroads and the countryside
0:15:52 > 0:15:55and seeing the Amish farms.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- Are you keen on railways? - I like the railroad.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02I grew up about half a mile from a double-track rail line
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and I hung around the rail line quite a bit.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18It's not just travelling with a vintage steam locomotive
0:16:18 > 0:16:22in an old observation car like this that makes me feel that I'm
0:16:22 > 0:16:26travelling through history, it's also the look of the countryside,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31with its very traditional architecture of farms, that takes me back in time.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I want to find out more about the history of this splendid line
0:16:50 > 0:16:54from the Strasburg railroad stationmaster, Steve Barrall.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00- Hello, Steve. I'm Michael. - Hi, Michael.- Good to see you.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04To what do we owe the preservation of this magnificent railroad?
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Ever since 1958, it's been our mission to make sure that this railroad is preserved
0:17:09 > 0:17:14as an example of early 20th-century, small-town steam railroading.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17And who was it who got together and saved it?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Well, Strasburg railroad was on the verge of abandonment,
0:17:20 > 0:17:25but in 1958, there was a group of 24 railroad buffs and industrialists
0:17:25 > 0:17:29that came together and decided to save the railroad.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Thank goodness.- Absolutely.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Now, you seem to have a pretty broad collection of rolling stock
0:17:35 > 0:17:40and locomotives and that's a big part of what you do, is it? To restore the old?
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Absolutely. We have a machine shop that's very instrumental in preserving
0:17:44 > 0:17:47not only our own equipment but the other equipment throughout
0:17:47 > 0:17:49other tourist railroads in the United States.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Part of what makes this a great experience is that we seem to be
0:17:52 > 0:17:57- moving through a very traditional rural landscape.- Absolutely.
0:17:57 > 0:18:03We're privileged to have a line that goes through Amish countryside.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Because of that, the Amish really help to preserve not only our line,
0:18:06 > 0:18:12but the landscape around us, as it was, really, in the early 20th century.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17So, you have a very bucolic pastoral view as you go along the Strasburg railroad.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So, we have a beautifully preserved heritage railroad,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23we have a very traditional countryside
0:18:23 > 0:18:25and, if I may say so, you've dressed the part, too.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- HE LAUGHS - Well, thank you.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31We all try to do our part to make this a place that folks can
0:18:31 > 0:18:34have fun and hopefully it's a little bit of a step back in time.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38STEAM TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:18:38 > 0:18:41BELL TOLLS
0:18:41 > 0:18:43HORN TOOTS
0:18:58 > 0:19:03After the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the Strasburg railroad,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07I'm spending the night in the old Lancaster cork works,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12now converted to a hotel, before continuing my journey tomorrow.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- Good evening!- Hi, good evening. Welcome.- Checking in.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20- The name is Portillo.- Perfect. We have you on the top floor.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25- Here are your keys.- Thank you so much.- Have a great evening. - Thank you.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Today, I'm rejoining the Keystone Service that runs down from New York
0:19:49 > 0:19:54as it continues west to the Pennsylvania state capital of Harrisburg.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02My guidebook recommends a place no longer on the passenger rail network.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06So, I must travel the final 40 miles by road.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14My destination is Gettysburg -
0:20:14 > 0:20:18site of the American Civil War's most famous battle.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Appleton's tells me that "a great battle,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33"perhaps the most important of the Civil War, was fought here
0:20:33 > 0:20:38"at Gettysburg on the first, second and third of July, 1863.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41"Between the national forces under General Meade
0:20:41 > 0:20:44"and the Confederate army under General Lee."
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Abraham Lincoln arrived at this station in November, 1863,
0:20:48 > 0:20:54to attend a dedication ceremony to the thousands of Union dead.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59In an address, he defined the Civil War as a fight not just to end
0:20:59 > 0:21:02the rebellion of the Southern slave-owning states,
0:21:02 > 0:21:07but also for the nation to enjoy a new birth of freedom,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11so "that government by the people, of the people, for the people,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13"shall not perish from the earth..."
0:21:13 > 0:21:19and for equality, as promised in the Declaration of Independence.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37I've arranged to meet Peter Carmichael,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41the professor of Civil War Studies from Gettysburg College,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44on the fields where the future of America was forged.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Peter, the Battle of Gettysburg comes roughly at the midpoint
0:21:50 > 0:21:53of the American Civil War, what was the war about?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55The war was ultimately about slavery.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58In 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected in the north,
0:21:58 > 0:22:04his party, the Republican party, was viewed in the South as a threat
0:22:04 > 0:22:09against the southern way of life, which is code words for slavery.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And so, at the beginning of the conflict, the majority of the slave-owning states
0:22:13 > 0:22:16actually declare a separate nation, they leave the Union.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Yes, and that act of leaving the Union is called succession
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and the succession movement, its epicentre, was in the Deep South.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28In April 1861, the war began.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Despite the north's having superior forces, the Union's hopes for
0:22:33 > 0:22:37a quick victory over the Southern Confederate States were dashed.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41The conflict settled into a grinding stalemate.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45How important was the role that the railroads played in the American Civil War?
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Extraordinary. The very nature of warfare itself.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It gave a tremendous advantage to the side on the defence,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and that side was the Confederacy.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Because the political aim of the Confederacy is independence.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04They don't need to conquer the North, they just simply need to outlast the North.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07The more territory that those northern armies gain,
0:23:07 > 0:23:13the more extended, the more vulnerable that those armies were to Confederate raiders.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Those long railroad lines - which of course brought equipment,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19they brought troops - they became more extended, and so that,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22of course, left it vulnerable to Confederate cavalry to come in
0:23:22 > 0:23:27and slash and attack - and that, actually, slowed down the Union.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34In the spring of 1863, the Confederate general Robert E Lee
0:23:34 > 0:23:39made successful advances through Virginia into Pennsylvania.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45On Lee's advance north, he encountered the Union's army here at Gettysburg.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50Despite warnings that the line was too strong, Lee ordered an attack.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55RE Lee decided to strike the very centre of the Union line.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59He did that by orchestrating a massive artillery bombardment -
0:23:59 > 0:24:04a bombardment of more than 120 guns, a bombardment that lasted an hour-and-a-half.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08That bombardment had modest success and knocked out some of the Union batteries
0:24:08 > 0:24:10and then came the infantry.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Nearly 14,000 Virginia soldiers, North Carolina soldiers,
0:24:15 > 0:24:20struck the Union line and they actually broke the Union position.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24But, anticipating just such an assault on the position,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Union troops had been conserving ammunition.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33The infantry held fire until its opponents were only a few hundred yards away
0:24:33 > 0:24:38and then unleashed 1,700 muskets and 11 canon.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And how many Confederate casualties did that produce?
0:24:42 > 0:24:48So, it's roughly 13,000 to 14,000 men - 50% casualties in about 45 minutes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Though the war continued until 1865,
0:24:53 > 0:24:59Gettysburg marked the furthest extent of the Confederate advance.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02From that moment, the South was on the defensive.
0:25:04 > 0:25:10The aftermath of the battle was one of the first to be photographed.
0:25:10 > 0:25:17And in looking at those photographs, without question that Lincoln had to be influenced in some way
0:25:17 > 0:25:22- in his thinking about the Gettysburg Address.- Extraordinary.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Four months later, President Lincoln travelled to Gettysburg
0:25:34 > 0:25:38to dedicate a cemetery for the Union dead.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Confederates remained in shallow graves on the battlefield
0:25:41 > 0:25:44until repatriated during the 1870s.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55A mere 272 words long, it's one of the most stirring
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and visionary speeches that I know.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12And it had such an impact because it elevated the cause of Union -
0:26:12 > 0:26:14bringing the nation back together -
0:26:14 > 0:26:19it connected it with the high ideas of human liberty.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Lincoln did it in such a way that it was open-ended.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25He never mentioned slavery, he never mentioned emancipation,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29but it was articulated in a way that any group of people
0:26:29 > 0:26:32could connect to it and they could draw from that
0:26:32 > 0:26:35just cause to continue fighting the war.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39From this point forward everyone understood - North and South alike -
0:26:39 > 0:26:42that this war, if it's going to come to a close, if the North's going to succeed,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47it's going to come with Union preserved and slavery eliminated.
0:27:02 > 0:27:08All men are created equal was the ideal that inspired the American Revolution,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and 87 years later, here at Gettysburg,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16Abraham Lincoln claimed that the American Civil War was testing
0:27:16 > 0:27:21whether a nation dedicated to that proposition could long endure.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26It has endured, but the struggle for equality has continued, too.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30That doesn't make me cynical. The United States were conceived
0:27:30 > 0:27:35with the noblest of aims and have often failed to live up to them.
0:27:35 > 0:27:41But without an ideal, a nation has no standard by which to judge its shortcomings
0:27:41 > 0:27:46and without a torch of liberty, no way to light the path ahead.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52'Next time, I ride a giant of the railroads...'
0:27:52 > 0:27:53TRAIN HORN BLOWS
0:27:53 > 0:27:58The drama of an American locomotive bears no comparison with anything in Europe.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02'..discover the explosive origins of an American powerhouse...'
0:28:02 > 0:28:04GENTLE EXPLOSION
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Whoa! HE LAUGHS
0:28:06 > 0:28:07What a magnificent noise.
0:28:07 > 0:28:13'..and encounter the untamed landscape that would have greeted the first settlers.'
0:28:13 > 0:28:16What you've seen is a touch of wildness.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20You know, the wildness this place used to have, the wildness that this place still has.