"A New Birth of Freedom" is the third episode of the first season of American television drama series Hell on Wheels; it premiered November 20, 2011 on AMC in the United States, and on TCM in the UK.

Back at work, Bohannon gives his crew their cut assignment, but The Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) has other plans for them: find Lily Bell and receive $100.

Elam (Common), seeing the number of men opting to pursue the bounty, offers that his crew of freedmen can handle the entire assignment, and advises Bohannon to let the white workers who want to go do so.

In Nebraska, Bohannon finds Joseph (Eddie Spears) with an unconscious, feverish Lily (Dominique McElligott), her wounds worsening.

Bohannon kills the other two and wounds Bolan by shooting his ear off, then escorts Lily to the perimeter of Hell on Wheels, telling her where to find a doctor there.

Senator Crane wires back to deny the troop request, and expresses concerns about the slow progress of the construction and Robert Bell's murder.

While viewing the slides of Ireland, Durant asks Sean (Ben Esler) why he and Mickey (Phil Burke) left there to work on the railroad.

Reverend Cole (Tom Noonan) conducts a funeral for the massacre victims, quoting the Bible and pleading with the townsfolk not to seek revenge.

Sean McKenna at TV Fanatic approved, saying "Hell On Wheels continues to chug along and unfold its grand scale filled with revenge, new beginnings, loyalty, and the perfect melting pot of men searching for purpose.