"Narrator:" "Previously on "The American West"..." "the country he leads is as divided as ever." "get back!" "notorious outlaw" "Jesse James takes revenge" "establishes himself as a hero of the South." "Grant's plan for peace with the Indians has fallen apart." "Grant sends Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer to lead a final battle for land that will change the course of history." "( theme music playing )" "Lakota Sioux leader Crazy Horse has been preparing his warriors to fight the United States Army for months and he's just gotten word from his scouts that American forces are on their way." "But the Lakota have brought together a massive force of their own... and they're determined to crush the invading army." "( speaking Lakota language )" "Robert Redford:" "I think Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse saw all that territory as belonging to them." "They realized that they were going to be invaded so they fought against that." "Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer has led his 7th Cavalry far ahead of a much larger American force." "Paul Hutton:" "He doesn't wait for reinforcements." "Custer wants this to be a victory for the 7th Cavalry and the 7th Cavalry alone." "Narrator:" "Custer believes that defeating Sitting Bull will be the crowning achievement of his military career... and will clear a path straight to the White House." "Mark Lee Gardner:" "Custer gets on top of those bluffs and then he sees this amazing village that seems like it stretches forever." "000 Indians in this village." "He's got less than a thousand men." "We'll split our forces." "and I will attack from the rear." "No retreat." "I need those warriors busy." "sir." "Narrator:" "Custer decides to employ a military strategy that worked for him at the Battle of Washita eight years earlier." "He splits his men into two smaller forces." "Custer's second in command Major Marcus Reno and his men" "while Custer and his troops" "dividing the Sioux warriors." "very aggressive in dividing his men so that he can come at this camp from multiple directions." "He demonstrated himself to be either tremendously daring or tremendously reckless or perhaps both." "Hyah!" "now." "( speaking Lakota language )" "( troops shouting )" "the ultimate American warrior meeting on that final field." "and here comes Custer just right at that moment." "It's almost like it's meant to be." "Reno's command is the first to engage the Indians." "( horse whinnies )" "( whooping )" "Fall back!" "and it's a complete disaster." "The men are scrambling for their lives." "Major Reno and his men are nowhere to be found." "( warriors whooping )" "( whooping continues )" "Custer:" "Dismount!" "Form a skirmish line!" "Commander:" "Form a line!" "Commander:" "Hold the line!" "Watch your flank!" "they take up defensive positions surrounded by thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse." "Commander:" "Hold the line!" "Hold your position." "Keep firing." "Agh-hh!" "Commander:" "Hold the line!" "( speaking Lakota language )" "Hold your positions!" "Take out your sabers." "( whooping ) what do we do?" "Gardner:" "We have all this imagery of the Indians closing in and his regiment being a very compact group." "terrifying last few moments." "( gasps )" "( clicks )" "( gunshot echoes )" ""Save the last bullet for your life." "Maybe Custer committed suicide." "I don't know." "I just find it hard to believe that he would ever give up." "I think he would fight as long as he could fight." "George Armstrong Custer and over 250 of his troops... are killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn." "Narrator:" "Celebrated Civil War hero George Armstrong Custer and over 250 of his men lay dead on the battlefield of Little Bighorn." "( speaking Lakota language )" "Larry T. Pourier:" "The Battle of Little Bighorn has mixed emotions." "it was the greatest day for us because we showed our strength and our wisdom and our spirituality." "But it was also our worst day because of everything that happened after that." "Narrator:" "News of the defeat quickly reaches Washington." " There were no survivors?" " Sherman:" "Not that we know of." "There's still a chance a stray soldier will show up." "Custer?" "Dead." "A bullet in his brain." "Redford:" "The Battle of Bighorn was this one single event that had a much broader picture to it." "And that had to do with the settling of the West and the loss of parts of the West to Native Americans." "Narrator:" "President Ulysses S. Grant's show of force against the Sioux is a total failure... and the massacre soon makes headlines across the country." "Gardner:" "This is the biggest story for the last half of the 19th century." "George Armstrong Custer" "heroic cavalry figure." "Ordinary citizens loved him." "the country demands action." "what they heard was that these savage Indians had massacred these brave white cavalry." "this means they have to be driven back to the reservation." "Grant's plan for peace with the Indians has failed and the country is no closer to securing the gold-rich Black Hills." "Grant's battle with Southern sympathizers is getting worse... as former Confederates like Jesse James..." "Cover it up." "Continue to resist Northern interference" "including a policy known as "Reconstruction."" "David Eisenbach:" "The major question coming out of the end of the Civil War is what do you do with four million freed slaves?" "what are their positions in society?" "Reconstruction comes up with an answer." "They have equal rights." "There are senators and congressmen who are black and tremendous progress gets made." "there were elements that wanted to set the clock back that were not satisfied with the end of the Civil War and certainly weren't satisfied with these former slaves now having equal rights with them." "thousands of Union Army troops remained in the South to enforce the government's Reconstruction policies." "the Northern occupation of the South represents everything he's been fighting against." "he plans to make his biggest demonstration of Southern resistance yet... by launching his first big attack deep in Northern territory." "You can rob a bank in Missouri." "Why do you have to go hundreds of miles away to rob a bank?" "They got plenty of banks." "Because he had heard" "and a lot of his money was in this bank." ""We're gonna go up there and we're gonna rob that bank to take the money of the Reconstruction governor of Mississippi." "Narrator:" "Working with his brother Frank" "it's sure to grab national attention." "we're gonna do it a little different." "We're gonna split up into three groups." "cut all the telegraph wires." "( snaps )" "We don't want any information gettin' in or out of town." "I want you to stand guard out front of the bank. the three of us will head inside. we're all gonna meet down here near this bridge." "We'll be a hundred miles away before anyone knows what happened." "( whinnies )" "Move!" "We intend to rob this here bank!" "Who's the cashier?" "sir." "son." "sir." "You know what I don't like?" "I don't like being lied to." "( panting )" "You open that safe now." "I can't." "Gardner:" "The key to the success for the James Gang quickness." "There ain't nothin' in here!" "delayed them." "( yells ) Open the goddamn safe!" "( grunts )" "Who's the cashier?" "Turn around!" "You the cashier?" "Turn around!" "Eisenbach:" "Jesse James decides he's gonna attack this bank..." "Or maybe he doesn't even know..." "On the first day of hunting." "So you had all these hunters who are in town buying supplies and they're getting very suspicious 'cause there are a bunch of dudes standing outside the bank with guns." "( horse whinnies )" "Clear the streets!" "Move your asses inside!" "( gunshots popping )" "telling people to get back." "This is kind of shock and awe but these people aren't being shocked and they're not being awed." "Townspeople are starting to fight back." "They're coming to protect their bank." "Agh-hh!" "time's up!" "now." "Back up!" "Get on your knees." "Get on your knees and stay on your knees." "( glass crashes ) we gotta go!" "Gardner:" "It's pandemonium. which are pretty inaccurate on horseback." "The townspeople have shoulder guns." "They're very accurate." "These guys are getting shot to pieces on the street." "It was a complete disaster for the James Gang." "And the only thing for them to do is to try to get out of town alive." "Jesse!" "Send him on now!" "I can't." "boys!" "( grumbles )" "( gunfire whistles )" "( murmuring )" "was a thorn in the side to the plans of these robbers." "He delayed them." "They don't get the money they come for." "the safe was unlocked the whole time." "000." "Narrator:" "The robbery is a complete failure." "The people of Northfield stood up to Jesse James." "Now they want justice." "And Jesse James is running for his life." "( men shouting )" "Narrator:" "After Jesse James' latest heist at the Northfield Bank... local citizens are on a mission to track down the notorious outlaw and his gang." "Danny Glover:" "In the West there were these citizens" "they go out to bring these men to justice." "They were law-abiding citizens who take the law into their own hands." "Narrator:" "News of the pursuit" "turning a small-town chase into the largest manhunt in United States history." "Gardner:" "There were at least a thousand men going after these guys. especially when the James Gang was associated with this robbery." "There were dozens of newspaper reporters" "keeping track of the manhunt and how it was progressing." "Jesse and Frank were Southern boys and murderers. and everyone wanted to see them captured and brought to justice." "almost all of the James Gang is either captured or killed." "The only fugitives they're unable to track down are Jesse and his brother Frank." "Gardner:" "These guys were masters at concealing themselves and getting away." "They had to do it all during the Civil War." "They were always outnumbered." "They always had people chasing them." "Northfield was the biggest disaster the Jameses had experienced since the Civil War." "They lost men that they had fought with." "They both suffered gunshot wounds." "they're wounded as well." "Narrator:" "Now the most wanted man in America" "and it will be two years before the world gets another glimpse of Jesse James." "Jesse's Confederate cause may finally have a victory." "a strong pro-South candidate named Samuel Tilden has emerged with a plan to put an end to Reconstruction." "Foner:" "Samuel J. Tilden had criticized Emancipation." "Tilden was explicit about wanting to end Reconstruction and attacking Reconstruction." "But then Tilden was also overtly racist." "Narrator:" "Opposing him is a former Union general named Rutherford B. Hayes." "and he was a mainstream Republican." ""We want to make sure that blacks' rights are guaranteed." "Southerners flocked to the polls" "they could put an end to Northern policies that have been in place since the end of the war." "votes roll in from across the country." "news from Washington." "the results are unclear." "it's not quite clear who has won." "The returns from three Southern states were disputed... and Louisiana." "And both sides claimed to have carried those states for their candidate." "we went through another disputed presidential election." "there it focused on disputed returns from Florida." "a lot of heated political rhetoric." "Americans begin to panic and rumors began to spread." "Foner:" "It was an unprecedented situation." "000 people will march on Washington." "People talked about a new civil war." "There's rumors of a hundred thousand men marching on the capital." "000 men ready to defend the capital." "Post the USS Wyoming in the Potomac." "Peace must be maintained at all costs." "sir." "Narrator:" "After dealing with an economic depression" "and now he needs to find a way to keep the country from falling apart." "Narrator:" "Three months after the election of 1876" "tensions between North and South are the highest they've been since the Civil War ended and the future of the country hangs in the balance." "Electoral votes that must be won... all right?" "a secret meeting is convened between the teams of both presidential candidates." "Hayes men and Tilden men got together in a hotel in Washington and hammered out an agreement." "There has to be some give and some take." "and you pull out the troops." "gentlemen." "We want the troops out of the South." "Narrator:" "After over eight million Americans" "the presidency is ultimately decided by 15 men in a backroom deal that will come to be known as "the Corrupt Bargain."" "The deal was Hayes would become president. he would withdraw remaining Federal troops from the South." "This would bring Reconstruction under a military authority to a definitive end." "Narrator:" "The end of Reconstruction is a victory for Southerners who've rallied around rebels like Jesse James." "it comes at a heavy cost." "The Bargain of 1877 marks the end of a federal commitment to protect the basic rights of black citizens in the South." "It basically recognizes the white supremacist Democratic Party as being in control." "the rights of freed slaves in the South to vote and hold office are no longer protected." "It will be nearly another 100 years before they are granted equal rights under the Constitution." "The deal marks a sad end to Grant's presidency." "the phrase that won him the hearts of most Americans was "Let us have peace." "That was the platform that he ran on." "he was losing the battle with respect to Indian policy." "Now he lost the battle with respect to equal rights for freedom in the South." "Grant oversaw the completion of the transcontinental railroad and kept a divided country together." "he inherits a country with numerous problems." "Eisenbach:" "Rutherford B. Hayes comes in a controversial election." "Half the country doesn't think he's the rightful president and he's dealing with the economic crisis" "the greatest depression in American history" "and he still has to avenge the death of Custer by getting Crazy Horse." "Sherman:" "So I know you're familiar with our present situation with the Sioux." "It's pervasive." "we've got to fix this." "Narrator:" "After the army's embarrassing defeat" "Hayes is under pressure to ramp up" "and General William Tecumseh Sherman sees the opportunity he's been waiting for." "200 troops here and about 240 miles to the west here." "Then we wipe Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull's war party out." "All resources are put into defeating the Indians." "The debate over the peace policy is over." "It's a war policy from now on." "The natives are going to be totally subjugated." "Narrator:" "But Sherman has a plan that he believes" "but could forever alter their way of life." "General William T. Sherman looks to a brutal tactic he used during the Civil War... ( cannonfire echoes )" "( soldiers' voices echo )" "Narrator:" "a policy called "Total Warfare."" "Sherman's troops torched 300 miles and livestock." "John McCain:" "General William Tecumseh Sherman was ruthless." "He realized that he had to cut the heart out of the South." "He had to stop their base from functioning so the armies would be starved." "It was terrible what he did. honestly..." "ruthless." "Narrator:" "Sherman knows he can apply a similar tactic" "destroying something essential to their survival..." "The buffalo." "tens of millions of buffalo roamed the plains from Canada to New Mexico." "the buffalo are critical to their survival." "Pourier:" "The buffalo was our life." "nothing was wasted." "the meat." "The internal organs we used for strings and bags." "We always lived around the buffalo." "that's where we went." "Narrator:" "The U.S. military" "and ammunition." "Enticed by the army's offer" "the hunters massacre entire herds of buffalo..." "All in a plot to starve the Indians." "kill as many as they can." "There's stories of the single white hunter 000 buffalo in a season..." "Very large numbers." "railroad companies" "where men shoot the animals from moving trains." "Some men become celebrities" "000 buffalo in 18 months... earning the nickname "Buffalo Bill."" "000." "Pourier:" "I really believe that was planned to help exterminate us." "they took our way of life." "Anne Collier:" "The American government policy to eradicate the buffalo was no better than genocide." "It was a matter of psychological warfare." "you eradicate the Indian." "( speaking Lakota language )" "Narrator:" "Lakota leaders Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull face a difficult decision..." "Stay in the Great Plains and fight or move their people away from everything they've ever known." "they were providers." "they had strong spirits." "Everything they did at that point was just to stay alive." "a new breed of outlaw is about to emerge... including an unknown teenage cattle thief who will soon become the most wanted man in the West."