The John Batchelor Show

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, recounts how, in the wake of the 1874 White League coup, President Grant felt compelled to take decisive action, despite the 1874 midterm elections flipping the House of Representatives to Democratic control. Grant initially used massive military force—including warships and infantry—to restore Governor Kellogg, but he realized a permanent solution was needed as white vigilantes continued to overthrow local officials across the South. Fearing that the gains of the Civil War were being erased, Grant turned to his most trusted and aggressive general, Phil Sheridan. He dispatched Sheridan on a secret mission to New Orleans, instructing him to go "on vacation" and assess how to "put a lid on the situation." This mission was so sensitive that Grant bypassed his cabinet, including Secretary of State Hamilton Fish, to keep it confidential. Grant relied on Sheridan's reputation for "total war" tactics to combat the growing insurgent threat from the White League and other militias. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (5)

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, describes how, by 1874, the Crescent City White League, an armed vigilante group, emerged to violently intimidate Republican officials and Black voters in Louisiana. Their aggression was fueled by a circuit judge's opinion suggesting that federal Enforcement Acts might be unconstitutional, which white Southerners interpreted as a "green light" for resistance. In September 1874, the White League engaged in the Battle of Liberty Place, a full-scale rebellion involving over 8,000 armed men. They confronted the state militia and Metropolitan Policeled by former Confederate General James Longstreet, who was wounded in the fray. The White League successfully drove Republican Governor William Pitt Kellogg out of New Orleans and briefly seized control of the government. Although Grant eventually sent federal troops to restore Kellogg, the event signaled a reassertion of Confederate-style rebellion that the thin federal military presence in the South struggled to permanently suppress. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (4)

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, explains that following the 1866 massacres, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, imposing military rule and requiring new state constitutions that enfranchised Black men. This era saw the rise of "carpetbaggers"—Northern Republicans who moved south and were elected by newly empowered Black voters—and the implementation of progressive policies like public education. Despite these gains, tensions escalated as white Southerners resented the resulting higher land taxes and political displacement. Ulysses S. Grant emerged as a unifying Republicanfigure, but the 1872 Louisiana election triggered a catastrophic dispute over the legitimacy of the vote. This culminated in the 1873 Colfax Massacre, where white vigilantes slaughtered at least 70 Black people on the Red River. This event remains one of the bloodiest racial massacres in U.S. history, demonstrating that even with federal intervention, the struggle for control over Southern governance remained lethal and unresolved. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (3)

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, recounts how, in July 1866, New Orleans became the site of a brutal police-led riot against a constitutional convention aimed at securing Black voting rights. Following Lincoln's death, President Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policy empowered former Confederates, who enacted "Black Codes" to essentially re-enslave African-Americans through vagrancy laws and labor restrictions. When unionists attempted to rewrite Louisiana's constitution to include Black suffrage, local police and white citizens opened fire on the convention-goers. The massacre resulted in at least 44 deaths, mostly Black veterans and delegates, while white casualties were largely attributed to friendly fire. This violence horrified the North, leading to a massive Republican victory in the 1866 midterm elections and providing a mandate for Radical Reconstruction. The incident highlighted the deep-seated resistance of white Southerners to the concept of racial equality and the failure of Johnson's initial approach to national healing. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (2)

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, discusses the pivotal moments following Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865. President Lincoln, addressing a jubilant crowd, tentatively endorsed voting rights for African-Americans, specifically those who served in the Union Army or demonstrated "intelligence." This stance was influenced by his 1864 meeting with New Orleans intellectuals John Baptist Roudanez and Arnold Bertonneau, who advocated for Black suffrage in occupied Louisiana. Lincoln viewed a loyal Black electorate as essential for reknitting the Union, especially in states like Louisiana where the Black population exceeded 50%. However, this suggestion of citizenship and franchise was so inflammatory that it served as the primary motivator for John Wilkes Booth to proceed with assassination just days later. The New Orleans Tribune, founded by Roudanez and Bertonneau, became a central voice for these radical changes, setting the stage for the violent resistance that would characterize the post-war South. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (1)

Ronald White, guest author, describes how, in his final decades, Chamberlain served as the surveyor of the port in Portland, a position that allowed him to continue writing and speaking while undergoing repeated surgeries for his Petersburg wound. Even in his 80s, his intellectual curiosity remained boundless; he traveled to Egypt and the Holy Land, reading the Bible in Greek and the Quran in Arabic each evening. He endured profound personal losses, including his wife Fanny and his brother Tom, yet he remained active in civic roles for the blind and Bible societies. Prevented by failing health from attending the 50th Gettysburg reunion in 1913, he died at home in 1914. He is widely remembered as the final casualty of the Civil War because his death was the direct result of the wound he received five decades earlier. He is buried in Brunswick's Pine Grove Cemetery near his beloved Bowdoin. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (8)
1903

Ronald White, guest author, recounts how, in 1880, Maine faced an armed insurrection following a disputed election known as the "Great Count-out," where the Democratic governor manipulated ballot results. Chamberlain was summoned to Augusta to maintain order and famously faced down an enraged mob at the state house, opening his coat and daring them to kill him. This 12-day stand preserved the peace until the Supreme Court could rule, a moment he considered his finest service. Following his presidency, he testified to restore the honor of General Warren and attempted a failed real estate venture in Florida to secure his financial future. He also became a key figure in the "second Civil War" of words, using his rhetorical mastery to navigate fierce post-war debates among veterans over the true history of battles like Gettysburg. Despite his aging body and unhealed wounds, he remained a tireless defender of historical truth and veteran honor. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (7)
1879 AUGUSTA

Ronald White, guest author, explains that after his governorship, Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin College as its president, determined to modernize the institution. He introduced progressive reforms, including science, a medical school, and co-education, though these changes faced significant resistance from traditional alumni and faculty. His tenure was further complicated by religious tensions as Unitarianism challenged the college's Congregationalist roots, a conflict that reached into his own home as Fanny and his daughter Grace drifted from the traditional church. Despite his physical exhaustion and the heavy burden of fundraising for the college's infantile endowment, he remained a sought-after speaker who utilized his background as a professor of rhetoric to captivate veterans and civilians alike. He attempted to resign twice due to the stress, but the college refused to let its most famous son leave, recognizing his vital role in dragging the school into the modern era. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (6)
1879 AUGUSTA

Ronald White, guest author, describes how, returning home as a hero, Chamberlain overcame a stutter to become one of the nation's most eloquent orators, focusing on the themes of national reconciliation. He was drafted by the Republican Party and served four one-year terms as Governor of Maine, where he championed economic reconstruction, railroads, and the founding of an agricultural college. However, his public success hid a private agony caused by his unhealed Petersburg wound, which forced him to work while lying down or with his legs extended. This physical toll and his long absences in Augusta strained his marriage to Fanny, who may not have fully grasped the depth of his suffering. Despite his prominence and the respect of political giants like James G. Blaine, his integrity and refusal to self-promote likely prevented him from pursuing national office, leaving him to serve his state in persistent pain. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (5)
1879 AUGUSTA

Ronald White, guest author, recounts how, in June 1864, Chamberlain led a perilous frontal assault at Petersburg, where he was struck by a minié ball that traveled through his hips, shattering internal blood vessels and his bladder. Surgeons gave him only a 10% chance of survival, and he wrote a heart-wrenching final farewell to Fanny from his hospital bed. Defying medical expectations, he survived the infection-riddled environment and returned to the field to command a brigade during the final pursuit of Lee's army. At Appomattox, General Grant chose him to preside over the formal surrender ceremony of the Confederate infantry. During this event, Chamberlain sparked decades of controversy by ordering a "marching salute" to the defeated Southern soldiers to honor their courage. This act of reconciliation underscored his belief that the war's end required bringing both sides back together as one nation despite the deep scars of conflict. On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (4)
1864