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Private Notes
Forgotten Heroes: This special episode of "Legends & Lies: The Patriots" examines the Revolutionary War from the perspective of slaves who, despite their subjugation, took up arms to fight the British. Throughout the war, black troops were an essential component in a war effort marked by razor thin margins of victory. By the time the Battle of Yorktown commenced, nearly one quarter of the rebel forces on hand were slaves. These troops prove essential to victory, the surrender of the British, and the American independence that, ironically, they were not able to share in.
America's First Christmas: George Washington leads his men across the icy Delaware River into a bloody, barefoot march to Trenton and the brutal Hessian fighters who await them. Following a series of debilitating defeats, this decisive victory reinvigorates the Continental Army and solidifies Washington as a heroic unifier.
How Freedom Was Won: A chronological march through the American Revolution highlights the struggle and personal sacrifice of our patriot heroes. Focusing in on the action, drama and intrigue of the entire revolutionary period, this episode encapsulates the pivotal moments that led to the very unlikely story of American independence.
A profile of Jesse James.
A profile of John Henry "Doc" Holliday includes the gunfight at the O.K. corral.
A profile of James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok features his reputation as a marksman and penchant for gambling.
A profile of Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (1809-68) explores his reputation as a mountain man, wilderness guide and Army officer.
A profile of Davy Crockett (1786-1836), a frontiersman, politician and folk hero, who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
A profile of Black Bart, a notorious stagecoach robber in the Old West.
A profile of Billy the Kid, a New York City native who became an outlaw in the Old West in the 1870s.
A profile of George Armstrong Custer, a Civil War commander in the Union Army, who later died at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.
A profile of Bass Reeves (1838-1910), a former slave who became a deputy U.S. marshal and is thought to be the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.
A profile of Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, a pair of notorious Old West outlaws, who were immortalized in the Oscar-nominated 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).
When the oppressive hand of British rule begins to trample on colonial liberty, a secret group of rebels put their lives on the line to stand up to the crown. The “Sons of Liberty” get their start as smugglers who refuse to pay repressive taxes, but they soon evolve into an underground political force - fighting for American independence. Masterminds Paul Revere and Sam Adams lead the insurgent movement as their treasonous plans - punishable by death – secretly spread throughout the colonies. The simmering tensions erupt into chaos when a British customs agent murders an 11 year-old boy, triggering three days of riots and the infamous Boston Massacre. The American Revolution has begun.
Lawyer John Adams represents the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in 1770; colonists protest the Tea Act of 1773; the American Revolution begins in April 1775 at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Benjamin Franklin returns to America after a decade of cavorting with elites in London; he must prove himself to be a patriot while under a cloud of suspicion.
George Washington's exploits as commander of the Continental Army, including his first victory in Boston and subsequent defeat in New York, are examined.
Thomas Jefferson becomes the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, which is used as a rallying cry by George Washington for his troops during a desperate 1776 campaign to keep New York from falling into British hands.
Benedict Arnold goes from a respected Continental Army general to America's most notorious traitor thanks to his plot to surrender West Point to the British and switch sides.
A profile of Francis Marion, a South Carolina militia officer known for his guerrilla tactics that frustrated and tormented the occupying British army.
America is a sovereign nation after the Revolution but is beset by squabbling factions and financial debt. George Washington comes out of retirement and is elected president, and works to guarantee the rights for which he and his comrades fought so hard.
The season finale chronicles the dawn of the 19th century under two-term President Thomas Jefferson and the duel between his vice president, Aaron Burr, and one of his chief rivals, Alexander Hamilton, in 1804.
Forgotten Heroes: This episode of "Legends & Lies: The Patriots" examines the Revolutionary War from the perspective of slaves who, despite their subjugation, took up arms to fight the British. Throughout the war, black troops were an essential component in a war effort marked by razor thin margins of victory. By the time the Battle of Yorktown commenced, nearly one quarter of the rebel forces on hand were slaves. These troops prove essential to victory, the surrender of the British, and the American independence that, ironically, they were not able to share in.
America's First Christmas: George Washington leads his men across the icy Delaware River into a bloody, barefoot march to Trenton and the brutal Hessian fighters who await them. Following a series of debilitating defeats, this decisive victory reinvigorates the Continental Army and solidifies Washington as a heroic unifier.
Spotlighting radical abolitionist John Brown, as he raids Harper's Ferry, setting the scene for the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln becomes frustrated with his cautious commander, George McClellan, whose army gets routed at Manassas, Va.; Confederate Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson earns his nickname.
Robert E. Lee, who once turned down command of Northern forces, becomes the top Confederate general – as Ulysses S. Grant scores Union victories in the West.
Former slave Frederick Douglass pushes Lincoln to free his people, and gets his wish when Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation after the bloody Battle of Antietam.
A Confederate victory at Chancellorsville comes at a high price when a Southern bullet accidentally mortally wounds Stonewall Jackson.
The North turns back the South's invasion after a heroic bayonet charge led by Maine's Joshua Chamberlain -- and the doomed Confederate charge led by General George Pickett.
Once drummed out of the army for drinking, Ulysses S. Grant earns his place as the North's best general; the Union's first black regiment marches into battle.
A U.S. senator, war hero and presidential aspirant who has much in common with Abraham Lincoln; Jefferson Davis answers the call to lead the Confederate States of America.
George McClellan poses a tough challenge to Abraham Lincoln's re-election; Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee clash on the battlefield.
Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman burns Atlanta and marches to the sea; Abraham Lincoln's re-election; Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Va.
Days after Appomattox, John Wilkes Booth assassinates Lincoln, potentially reversing the South's Civil War loss with a single bullet.
The defeated South attempts to rewrite history by denying slavery was the root cause of the Civil War.
