This is John Batchel. Conversation with the author Patrick K. O'Donnell, his new book, The Unvanquished,

story of special forces, both the Confederate and the Union in the War between the States,

1861 to 1865. Here, Patrick refers to one of the final battles, five forks it was called, in which Phil Sheridan, leading

the cavalry, and Governor Warren, leading the 5th Division infantry, attacked the Confederate

force and broke them, and therefore captured the railroad that kept Richmond and Petersburg supplied,

forcing Lee to evacuate, leading to the surrendered Appomattox.

And how did Sheridan win given a direct assault on the Confederate line?

Patrick explains here 160 years later, special forces.

Much more of this tonight.

Direct assault.

It is.

It's a direct assault because Sheridan knows where the weak points are.

And this is something I bring out really for the first time in any book.

It's the role of his scouts.

These were Jesse scouts or Sheridan scouts or otherwise known as Lincoln Special Forces

in my book, The Unvanquished.

And these men dress as Confederates.

And with that, you know, their ability to cloak themselves,

they're able to locate the weak spots in the Confederate line, and this is where Sheridan goes.