(lever tapping) - Lieutenant Bennett Young, your suggestions for a raid upon accessible towns in Vermont, commencing with St. Albans, is approved, and you are authorized and required to act in conformity with that suggestion.

Signed, C.C Clay, Commissioner, Confederate States of America.

- Let's go, boys.

Let's go!

(men whooping) (guns firing) (men whooping) I take this town in the name of the Confederate States of America!

I will shoot the first one who resists!

(folksy acoustic music) (flies buzzing) (horse whinnying) (man speaking indistinctly) - So getting into the fall of 1864, it's three and a half years into the war.

In the South, the war is wearing people down.

There are food shortages.

People have experienced tremendous losses.

Enslaved people have run away.

Plantations are broken apart, but they're desperate to hold on.

- They probably weren't gonna win it on the battlefield, but they could at least hold out for a negotiated peace.

And the way to do this was to continue to fight on all fronts, to make it bloody.

(dramatic suspenseful music) (flames crackling) - When we think about 1864, keep in mind what else it is.

An election year.

In the South, can you directly influence what's gonna happen in that election?

Yep.

Yes, you can.

You can demonstrate that you're not safe in the North.

The Lincoln administration cannot protect you.

- [Narrator] Up until now, the war has never come as far north as New England.

The bloody front lines of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley lie hundreds of miles away.

For the residents of St. Albans, Vermont, the war is something you read about in the news or hear about from soldiers returning from battle.

But in a matter of days, the citizens of St Albans, like war veteran Captain George Conger, Vermont's first lady Ann Eliza Smith, and Erasmus Fuller, a local horse trader and outfitter, will become eyewitnesses to one of the boldest attacks of the Civil War.

The story of that event begins just over the border in Canada.

- The Canadian provinces, as colonies of Great Britain, had maintained a stance of neutrality toward the United States during the American Civil War.

- [Narrator] For the Confederate prisoners of war held captive in the North, it is understood that they can find safe haven in neutral Canada if they can escape and make it across the border.

At this point in the war, thousands had successfully done so, becoming valuable resources to the Rebel army, and a threat to the Union's northern states.

From within this group of escaped POWs, the idea for a raid on St. Albans was born.

St. Albans is a prosperous railroad town.

It is an easy place to get in and out of, and is frequently visited by out-of-towners.

A group of disguised Confederates would fit right in.

The raid is put in the hands of a 21-year-old Kentuckian named Bennett Young.

- He's young, he's daring, he's arrogant.

He thinks he can take on the United States.

- [Reader] I owe no allegiance to the United States.

I am a native of Kentucky and a citizen of the Confederate states to which I owe allegiance.

- [Narrator] Young leads a group of 20 men, hand picked for their experience operating behind Union lines.

Their mission is to slip into St. Albans, rob its banks, burn its downtown and the governor's mansion.

Then flee north across the border in an attempt to draw the United States Army away from the South, and perhaps even draw Great Britain and its colony Canada into the war on the side of the Confederates.

- It's, it's really in some ways a perfect example of a last ditch effort to try something to turn the tide of this war.

- [Narrator] Disguised as a humble theology student, Young befriends the citizens of St. Albans.

- It's been my lifelong dream to have my own congregation, you know, which is why I came here originally.

It's beautiful.

- [Narrator] While Bennett Young charms the citizens of St. Albans, his men continue to filter into town, some coming in by rail from the north, others taking the roads.

They begin surveying the streets, looking for safe entrances and exits, and for horses they can snatch during their escape.

The final details of their plan are beginning to come together.

(men laughing and talking indistinctly) - In two day's time we raid three banks.

St. Albans, down the block.

Two blocks, Franklin County.

Down three more blocks to the left, First National.

- [Narrator] Bennett Young's men discover that the banks will soon be flush with cash following Butter Day, St. Albans' weekly farmer's market.

The event will draw vendors and customers from across the region.

- Give us the rundown.

- [Narrator] Butter Day would provide the perfect cover for the raiders.

- Oh, yeah, St. Albans gets their money in on Monday.

The other two will get it all deposited on Tuesday.

Wednesday's when we hit 'em.

- [Ann Eliza] Hi, may I help you?

- Hello, Madam, my name is Bennett Young.

I just arrived in town and was looking for the governor.

- Please, come in.

- [Bennett] Oh, uh.

- If you could.

Thank you.

- [Bennett] Thank you.

- Unfortunately, the governor is away on business.

- Oh.

- But we often welcome new guests in for tea.

Would you like some?

- All right, the governor is gone with 40 men now.

Should still be gone then.

You are too kind, and perhaps a tour of the house.

I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it is.

All right, we've got 15 minutes to do everything.

Rest of the men are gonna round up all the townsfolk.

They're gonna put 'em in the square in the middle.

- [Narrator] Plans for the raid are almost complete.

- How are we gettin' out?

- [Narrator] All that remains is the getaway.

It's almost 15 miles to the border, and to make their escape, Young's raiders will need sturdy horses, nearly two dozen of them.

- [Erasmus] You head over there and see what those guys need.

Hey there, fellas.

- Howdy, friend.

You the proprietor of this establishment?

- I am.

Erasmus Fuller's my name.

- [Raider] Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you.

- [Narrator] They examine the stock of a local horse dealer.

- What brings ya to town?

- Butter Day.

- Butter Days.

- Ah, Butter Days.

My wife loves Butter Days.

(men laughing) Are you looking to buy some horses, maybe?

- Maybe, maybe.

Sure looked like you had a going concern going on here.

How many head can you handle?

- How many horses we got?

- Fuller has at least 10 horses on the property.

- [Raider] I heard 18.

- 18 or is it 10?

How many?

- 18, I think.

- [Raider] 18, you're a full house.

- [Raider] 18 on Butter Day.

- 18.

18 horses.

(men laughing) - [Raider] You sell them as well?

- [Raider] Wait, how are we gonna do all this?

- I got you right there.

- [Raider] Look at that.

What have you got there?

- [Raider] Oh my goodness.

- Christmas gift.

Everyone.

Compliments of the Confederate Secret Service.

- [Narrator] The Confederate Secret Service has been operating in the shadows throughout the war.

Now through Bennett Young, they are poised to strike again.

- They were trying to exact some kind of revenge on the United States because the US had shifted its strategy over the course of the war and was now starting to destroy farms and plantations.

They were going to lay waste to the South.

- [Raider] I'd say we're in business then.

- [Amy] And so these Confederate raiders, well, they're gonna try to do something similar, get back at them.

- All right, let's go.

Come on.

- All right.

- And tell Mary to start some tea.

Right this way.

We have a lot of visitors interested in the house.

My husband did build an extravagant one.

- Ann Eliza Smith was the wife of the governor of Vermont at the time and they lived in St. Albans.

- This is one of my favorite reading rooms.

- Her husband's not home.

Her sons aren't home.

- In the morning, it's east-facing.

It's beautiful.

- [Amy] She's alone.

- [Bennett] Yes.

I heard you were a writer.

- I dabble.

- (chuckling) Dabble.

Your work on theology was of special interest to me.

I too am a student of theology.

That's why I came to St. Albans.

- Oh, well, welcome.

Do you have a favorite passage?

- Not a favorite passage, but I do find Paul's letter to the Romans to be particularly riveting.

Although if I had to choose one, Matthew 16:26.

- [Ann Eliza] Very poetic.

- [Eastman] Mr. Young.

- Mr. Eastman.

- Will I be seeing you at the church meeting this Sunday?

- I wouldn't miss it.

I'm reading the Good Word now.

Matthew 16:26.

A man gain's the world, but loses his soul.

- Good words, good words.

I'll see you there.

- Good day to you.

One of the tellers at First National Bank.

- [Man] It is Butter Day.

It'll go fast.

- [Narrator] At the town comes alive for its market day, Bennett Young and his men can see their plan coming together.

- That's beautiful.

- [Narrator] The downtown is crowded with people from around the region who have brought in their goods to sell, and their hard earned cash to spend.

- [Raider] How are you today?

How many people you normally get on a Butter Day?

- Market day, sure, we have 4,000 people.

- Oh, 4,000?

Really?

- We also get 'em from Swan, like over.

- Oh, we just came up from Essex Junction, yeah.

Just got in.

- [Narrator] Young's plan to take the town after market day is perfectly timed.

- [Man] It's nice to meet you gentlemen.

- [Narrator] And with his squeaky clean cover.

- Ah, how are you?

Good day.

- [Narrator] The townspeople don't suspect a thing.

- Those people are headed down a ways for the legislature.

- Everything lines up perfectly.

- This is gonna be a fat take.

- I'm countin' on it.

(suspenseful dramatic music) - [Narrator] The morning after market day is a busy one for the local banks.

But for St. Albans' residents.

- Go around the bend, you'll be there.

- Captain George Conger, Erasmus Fuller, and First Lady Ann Eliza Smith, the day begins like any other.

- Yup.

This way.

Okay.

We're gonna take this town for the Confederate States of America.

You know what you're supposed to do, right?

- [Raider] I'm ready.

- Yeah, all right.

- [Narrator] For Bennett Young and the 20 raiders alongside him, it's the day they have been looking forward to.

Their firearms are loaded.

The getaway plan is in place.

The Confederate raid on the town of St. Albans is on.

(suspenseful dramatic music) - [Raider] Pardon me.

(suspenseful dramatic music) (horse hooves clomping) (suspenseful dramatic music) - [Narrator] The raiders divide up, filtering in to the local banks and returning to Erasmus Fuller's horse stables.

(men shouting) - Hey, what are you doing?

What does this mean?

Hey, what are you doin'?

What are you doin' with my horses?

(horse whinnying) (suspenseful dramatic music) - [Banker] What is this?

- We're Confederate soldiers.

- Hello there, gentlemen.

How can I help you?

- [Raider] Hello back, friend.

- [Bennett] Let's go, boys!

Let's go!

(men whooping) (guns firing) (men whooping) - You can get in the safe.

In the safe.

Go, go, go in the safe.

- [Banker] No, please, sir.

- [Raider] Go.

Pick up the money.

Take care of him.

- [Raider] Come on, let's go.

(men shouting) (guns firing) - Hey!

The Rebels!

The Rebels are taking the town!

- I take this town in the name of the Confederate States of America!

I will shoot the first one who resists!

- Mr. Conger!

What's all the commotion up ahead?

- Raiders!

Raiders have taken the town!

- [Narrator] A battle-hardened cavalry captain, Conger instinctively heads toward the fight.

- Gather up all the weapons and meet me at the green!

- Yah!

(guns firing) - Come on, come on, come on.

Hold it right there.

Get the door.

Get the door.

- Get the pockets.

Nothing.

Turn around!

Turn around!

- [Raider] We're goin'.

Come on, let's go!

- Now you're goin'.

Come on, come on, go.

- Open the door, it's Abigail.

What's going on?

- Rebels are in town, robbing banks, burning down houses and killing people.

(women screaming) (gun firing) They are on the way up the hill and intend to burn down the house.

(suspenseful dramatic music) - Go down to the cellar.

Look for any weapons or provisions.

Mr. Tillard, close and lock all shutters.

Go, go!

(suspenseful dramatic music) - Move, move, again!

Move!

Get over there!

- [Raider] Let's go, boys!

- [Narrator] Amidst the chaos, Captain Conger rallies the townspeople in defense of St. Albans.

- [Man] You gotta get over!

- Goddamn it, if you don't hold still, I will shoot you!

(gun firing) (suspenseful dramatic music) - You better move!

Let's go, let's go!

(gun firing) Come on, come on now!

- Let's go, boys!

Let's go!

(dramatic suspenseful music) (guns firing) (suspenseful dramatic music) - Ann Eliza Smith, she's got these two young daughters.

She takes matters into her own hands.

She's gonna protect her family and her house no matter what.

- [Narrator] From her front entrance, Ann Eliza Smith stands guard against the fleeing raiders.

The town is putting up a stronger defense than Young anticipated.

He calls off the attack on the governor's mansion, and instead makes a straight line for the border.

- [Reader] I never before felt so murderous.

The frenzy of battle was upon me.

- She was a key witness to the raid, and a good example of how Northern civilians reacted to it.

She was frightened, but she still mobilized her household to resist any raiders that came.

(people talking and shouting excitedly) - [Narrator] By the time they leave St. Albans, the raiders have plundered hundreds of thousands of dollars and shot multiple townspeople, killing one.

- We should see St. Albans as an act of terror.

The town is now sitting there in fear.

I mean, the incitement of fear, that's really at its heart what terror is all about.

- [Narrator] The town is left stunned, but defiant.

They had let the raiders into their corner of Vermont without realizing, but they aren't going to let them escape it without a fight.

Once out of town, the raider's plan is to head northeast toward Sheldon, then up across the Canadian border.

The success of their escape will depend on two things.

The strength of their horses, and the response by St. Albans' citizens.

- If you see any raiders, kill them.

- [Man] Yes, ma'am.

- [Narrator] With the help of Ann Eliza Smith, who provides horses and firearms, George Conger quickly forms a mounted posse and begins to give chase.

- Let's not let them get away with this!

This is our town!

- The locals of St. Albans were quickly mobilizing and on their tail.

(horse hooves clomping) - [Narrator] The raiders are riding hard through the countryside, but they still have miles to go before reaching the border.

They intend to burn every bridge they cross to add some distance between them and their pursuers.

(glass shattering) But they are unable to shake George Conger and the St. Albans posse.

Then, Young's escape plan faces a new, unexpected obstacle.

Bennett Young and his raiders aren't riding military-issue horses.

- [Bennett] Now keep a sharp eye.

- [Narrator] They are riding whatever they were able to steal.

- Horses are lame.

They're farm horses, you know.

Can't run no more.

- You and you, I need you to go to that farm and get some new horses.

(suspenseful dramatic music) - [Narrator] The raiders' attempts at torching bridges are also beginning to fail.

Young and his men have packed an ancient incendiary device known as Greek Fire, small jars of flammable liquid phosphorus.

But on this day, a combination of damp ground and quick thinking on the part of the Vermonters thwarts the raiders' plans.

But despite their weakened horses, failed incendiaries, and the desperate pursuit of the St. Albans posse, by nightfall the raiders make it across the Canadian border.

They think they're home free.

- Come on.

- [Narrator] But they are not.

The posse from St. Albans approaches, and instead of turning around as expected, Conger leads them forward.

It's a risky decision that could play into the hands of Bennett Young and the Confederates.

- Once the men got across the border, it now raised questions about Canada's neutrality.

George Conger and the US men had to be careful of not doing something that would pull Canada in to this fight.

- [Narrator] The posse learns that the band of raiders has broken apart and dispersed.

Knowing they are in neutral territory outside of the jurisdiction of the United States, Captain George Conger relents and orders his men back to Vermont.

Bennett Young and his raiders remain in Canada at large.

(soft dramatic music) - Hey, the Rebels!

- I am a student of theology.

Bennett Young.

(guns firing) (women screaming) - [Narrator] Back in St. Albans, the impact of the raid is growing more clear.

With Conger's armed posse, the town has begun to fight back.

Now the question is how the United States Army will respond.

- What's interesting about this raid is what it reveals about the nature of this war around the edges.

Civilians crossing ethical boundaries, bloody murder.

- [Raider] Get out of here!

(gun firing) - [Narrator] The next morning back in the United States, Captain George Conger receives a telegram from General John Dix.

- [Reader] Send all the efficient force you have and try to find the marauders.

Pursue them into Canada and destroy them.

- [Narrator] It appears the United States military is preparing to mount a response.

But what Conger doesn't know at the time is that the order from General Dix hadn't been cleared from the top, and was quickly rescinded.

Conger subsequently leads the posse back into Canada and straight into a legal gray area.

They are determined to capture the raiders and drag them back to Vermont to face punishment for the murder and the robberies.

But in reality, it's not that simple.

- Canada had this extradition treaty with the United States that somebody had to have committed a crime in order to be extradited back to the United States.

Was it a crime or had they done it under military orders?

- [Narrator] The question of whether Young's raiders are soldiers or common criminals complicates matters for the posse.

- Let's go, boys!

- [Narrator] Either way, the Vermonters have no jurisdiction over the border.

If they are going to capture and punish the raiders, they'll need to work with the Canadian authorities.

- Don't you move!

- [Narrator] Together they quickly track down and capture 14 of the 21 raiders, including Bennett Young.

- I'm just havin' a drink.

- [Narrator] On the surface, the raiders' escape appears doomed, but like George Conger, Bennett Young understands the gray area they are all operating in.

This contest is not yet over.

- The Confederate raiders regard themselves as properly enrolled members of the Confederate Army, and so they regarded the effort as a legitimate military action.

- [Reader] Whatever was done at St. Albans was done by the authority in order of the Confederate government.

Bennett Young, Confederate States of America.

- [Narrator] The St. Albans posse is forced to leave Bennett Young and his raiders with Canadian authorities.

Conger and his men return to St. Albans empty-handed.

(horse hooves clomping) As the Canadian authorities consider Bennett Young's fate, he is more than happy to play the victim and plead his case through the press.

- [Reader] I was seized on Canadian soil and violently searched.

Surely the people of Vermont must have forgotten that the people of Canada are not in the midst of war.

- [Narrator] Young is playing the media, doing whatever it takes to change the narrative.

From a story of Rebels crossing into the United States to terrorize an innocent northern town, to a story of the American military illegally crossing into neutral Canada to attack Confederate soldiers.

- Don't you move!

- [Narrator] That version of the story, he hopes, will create an international crisis and give Canada and Great Britain the justification they need to join the fight on the side of the Confederate States of America.

- Confederates had long been convinced that Great Britain would intervene on their side because of economic interests, certainly slave-grown cotton, the source for Great Britain's vast textile mills in England.

- [Narrator] The raid ultimately fails to draw the Canadians or the British into the war, but it wasn't all bad news for Young and his crew.

By the time they were captured, most of the stolen cash was already well beyond the reach of the authorities.

And while confined, they are treated more like guests than prisoners by their jailers.

Photographs from the time showed the raiders posing in their finest outfits, relaxed and comfortable.

And then after weeks of legal wrangling and headlines in the press, the Canadian courts take Bennett Young's side and determine that he and his crew were working under military orders, and thus could not be extradited to the United States for punishment.

- [Bennett] Post this for me, immediately.

- [Narrator] The St. Albans raiders had completed their escape, but the impact of their raid would be debated for years to come.

They had delivered a surprise blow to the United States, but their objectives of looting and burning St. Albans and possibly drawing Canada and Great Britain into the war had largely failed.

Still, their raid left a permanent scar on a once peaceful town near the Canadian border.

- We like to imagine brother fighting brother on honorable battlefields, but they targeted civilians, they robbed the bank, they killed a civilian with the intention of terrifying northern United States.

If that's not terrorism, I don't know what is.

- I cannot classify the St. Albans raid as any kind of success.

I don't think it accomplished anything in the end for the Confederacy.

I think it's most useful for us today as a window into the desperation of the Confederacy.

(contemplative music) - [Narrator] For the central players in this dramatic affair, life would go on, but never be quite the same.

For her brave response to the raid, Ann Eliza Smith was conferred the honorary military title of Lieutenant Colonel.

After the war, George Conger established a family farm in the town of Georgia, Vermont, where he lived until his death in 1895.

As for Bennett Young, he returned home in 1868, three years after the war, and remained a polarizing figure in American society for the rest of his life.

(dramatic string music) (folksy acoustic music)