Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | 1
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Picture this. You're transported back in time, witnessing history unfold right before your eyes without any modern-day interruptions. That's the magic of Wondery Plus. Immerse yourself in the stories that shaped our nation with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and exclusive bonus content. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and experience American history like never before. Imagine it's dawn on Christmas Day, 1866, in Williamson County, Tennessee. You ease the door of your cabin closed and gingerly step onto the frosty ground, hoping you don't wake anyone inside. Christmas is the one day a year that your mother sleeps in, and the last thing you want is to have to explain yourself. But as you reach the edge of the yard, a noise stops you in your tracks. You turn around to see your younger brother, John, rubbing his eyes as he emerges from the cabin.
Where are you going? None of your business. Go back to bed. If you don't tell me, I'm going to wake Mom. Fine. I'm going to Nashville. To do what? To enlist in the Army. The Army? In case you hadn't noticed, the war is over. I know the war is over. But they're recruiting black men to go west and fight Indians. I heard about it in town. You? In the Army? You aren't even tall enough to look over a fence. Who in their right mind is going to let you have a gun? I promise I'm going to send money home. The army pays regular wages. It'll be more than I'm making here, that's for sure. But what about Ma? What about me? I can't stay here and be a sharecropper, working for a man who thinks he still owns me, dying in the field like our old man did.
He gave everything away and got nothing in return. I want something more.
John glances at the bag slung around your shoulders and looks down at the ground and kicks the frozen dirt lost in thought. Finally, he meets your gaze and nods.
Just don't get yourself killed. Ma would never let me hear the end of it. You take care of each other while I'm gone. I'll send money when I can.
You step forward to wrap your arms around him. You can't let him know that you're just as scared as he is. But you can't just waste away on this plantation. You have to be your own man, even if it means risking your life. American History Tellers is sponsored by Hills Pet Nutrition. Every shelter pet deserves a second chance, and you're making it possible for thousands of them every day. Because when you feed your pet Hills, you help feed a shelter pet, which makes them healthy, happy, and more adoptable, changing their life forever so they can change yours. Over 15 million shelter pets fed and adopted. Science did that. Visit hillspet.com slash podcast to learn more. American History Tellers is sponsored by the new Netflix limited series Zero Day, a conspiracy thriller about a catastrophic cyberattack that downs America's infrastructure.
To lead a commission with broad powers to find the perpetrators, a respected former president, played by Robert De Niro, is called out of retirement, only to discover that he may be losing his grip on the truth and possibly even reality. Zero Days stars Robert De Niro in his first-ever television series, alongside Angela Bassett, Jesse Plemons, Connie Britton, Matthew Modine, Lizzie Kaplan, and Joan Allen. Watch Zero Day on February 20th, only on Netflix. From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers, our history, your story.
On our show, we'll take you to the events, the times, and the people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as history was being made. And we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now. On Christmas Day, 1866, a 19-year-old former slave named George Jordan traveled to Nashville to enlist in a new all-Black Army regiment. It was the start of a 30-year career as a professional soldier. In the Army, Jordan learned to read and write, rose to the rank of sergeant, and eventually received the nation's highest military honor.
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