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Steered by his 1879 Appleton's General Guide to the United States, Michael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War.

In Fredericksburg, Virginia, he tries his hand at bottling bourbon corn whiskey and learns how it became the nation's spirit. In Richmond, a plate of ham and eggs with southern grits sets Michael up for a tour of the Virginia state Capitol building, where he learns about the terrible dilemma faced by one of its most famous sons, General Robert E Lee. Charmed by the English heritage of this former colony, Michael puts on his dancing shoes and heads for a cotillion ball, where it seems manners are the name of the game. The choir of the First Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, is in fine voice as Michael discovers how coded messages were once delivered in church to slaves who hoped to escape via the so-called underground railroad.

Michael ploughs his own furrow in a field in colonial Williamsburg, where he learns from costumed re-enactors what life was like for both master and slave. It's battle stations in Norfolk, home to the United States Atlantic fleet, where Michael is invited on board the USS Wisconsin. Michael reaches the end of this American journey in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, where he finds out about the early settlers' grim struggle for survival.