CEASELESS VIOLENCE AND BRUTALITY: 5/8: The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and theShadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations Hardcover – by Patrick K. O'Donnell (Author)
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 30 December 2024
⏱️ 14 minutes
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Summary
https://www.amazon.com/Unvanquished-Lincolns-Special-Americas-Operations/dp/080216286X
At the heart of this groundbreaking narrative is the epic story of Lincoln’s special forces, the Jessie Scouts, told in its entirety for the first time. In a contest fought between irregular units, the Scouts hunted John Singleton Mosby’s Confederate Rangers from the middle of 1863 up to war’s end at Appomattox. With both sides employing pioneering tradecraft, they engaged in dozens of raids and spy missions, often perilously wearing the other’s uniform, risking penalty of death if captured. Clashing violently on horseback, theunconventional units attacked critical supply lines, often capturing or killing high-value targets. North and South deployed special operations that could have changed the war’s direction in 1864, and crucially during the Appomattox Campaign, Jessie Scouts led the Union Army to a final victory. They later engaged in a history-altering proxy war against France in Mexico, earning seven Medals of Honor; many Scouts mysteriously disappeared during that conflict, taking their stories to their graves.
1863 GETTYSBURG
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBS Eye on the World with John Batchel. Here's John Batchel. |
| 0:12.4 | Continuing with Patrick K. O'Donnell, the book The Unvanquished, the untold story of Lincoln's special forces, |
| 0:19.8 | the manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the |
| 0:22.4 | shadow war that forged America's special operations. It is August 1864. Sheridan, Phil Sheridan, |
| 0:31.5 | the cavalry genius, is in command in the Shendoa Valley, Virginia. |
| 0:38.8 | Ulysses Grant is in command of all the forces of the Union. |
| 0:43.2 | Grant's distinction here is that he is going to attack and attack and attack. |
| 0:49.7 | However, he's aware that the irregular forces, the partisans of the valley, are very much |
| 0:57.5 | undermining the credibility of the Lincoln government of the North. |
| 1:03.2 | So he wants it solved. |
| 1:04.5 | And he writes to Phil Sheridan, a man whom he will intimately trust the rest of their lives |
| 1:10.1 | together. |
| 1:11.4 | He writes him and says, |
| 1:13.2 | I want you to deal with the men of the valley in this fashion. |
| 1:19.3 | Where any of a man's, where any of Mosby's men are caught, |
| 1:23.5 | I want you to hang them without trial. |
| 1:26.6 | And I want you to destroy any crops, animals, and slave persons without hesitation. |
| 1:32.9 | And all men under 50 in the valley are to be made prisoners of war. |
| 1:37.8 | Patrick, congratulations again. |
| 1:40.5 | Grant is enraged. |
| 1:42.5 | And he writes, Phil Sheridan, what is to be done. |
| 1:45.0 | This would have been total war. |
... |
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