I admittedly love hearing about the Confederate victories, especially in the early part of the Civil War. Many people, both North and South, were indeed Very Devout Christians. They were Men of Faith in God, such has rarely been seen... before, or since. They weren't ashamed or afraid of professing their Faith in their Lord. I find that to be very refreshing, and this makes me feel blessed to have been born here in the USA. Now:That being said, these Brave Souls, both North and South, had their duties to fulfill. I personally would have loved to have served in The Stonewall Brigade of old. While I do know that General Stonewall Jackson, and General Robert E. Lee were Men of Faith, I'm not sure about General J. E. B. Stuart...but I do know, that these Three Men, as well as the Whole of the Confederate Army, were hard fighters...and won victories that one would think that they'd lose, given that some of these Men weren't well-armed, and that there were fewer Men in their ranks, than their Union Counter-parts. They didn't have every advantage that the Union Army had. Some of them didn't have shoes, and some had only the bare essentials-If that! And yet, they fought. They fought for their homelands, their Wives, their Sweethearts, their Children...and their homes, lands, and for each other. Many of them didn't care about the Slavery Issue, one way or another. They were defending what they had, and saw the Union as a direct threat to all that they loved!
Just catching up on your Civil War content. I want to say I really enjoyed the old style where you displayed each individual regiment, along with their uniform color (butternut, grey, blue, zouave). It really made your videos stand out as unique in this genre.
I’m studying the USA 1850-65 for my advanced higher history in Scotland. Writing my dissertation on Robert E. Lee and I wanted to thank you for all the brilliant content!
It's odd they didn't think to place siege mortars within the town. Given time to preregister on the heights, they could have used them for counterbattery fire.
Or better yet, defend the most critical point, Maryland Heights, in force-conceding the town but making it impossible for the CSA to hold. They could then be supplied by rail from the east as well.
One bit that was left out, when Davis and his troopers left Harpers Ferry, they came across a large supply train outside Hagerstown. Being born in Mississippi, Colonel Davis rode out to meet them. In the pre-dawn light he spoke to the teamsters and told them that Yankee cavalry was in the area, and that they should divert on a different route. The ruse worked. Davis and his troopers joined the train thinking the troopers were their new escorts. When the real escorts came up demanding to know why they were off course, the Yankee troopers drove them off. It wasn't until dawn that the teamsters realized the men accompanying them wore blue. By then it was too late. Davis made it through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. Not only did they escape surrender at Harpers Ferry, thereby denying all those good horses for the confederates, but they also captured General Longstreet's reserve ammunition, around forty wagon's worth. Thereby denying its use for Antietam.
@@thomaswayneward not really, I havent heard of anything regarding the lack of ammunition for Longstreet during the battle of antietam Plus with the capture of Harpers Ferry, the loss of the supply train was negated by the captured ammunition.
Excellent coverage of this critical campaign! I particularly enjoyed your treatment of the Battle of Crampton's Gap, as I can vividly recall that mountainous terrain when I visited the War Correspondents Memorial Arch there in July 2004 whilst portraying an artist correspondent for Harper's Weekly. Thank you for bringing back such fond memories.
This video describes how timidity and delay can change the course of battle. It also shows that a tactical defeat can be a strategic victory if it buys time for reinforcements to arrive to the main objective. The CSA had the advantage in geography, but more crucially, it also had better leadership, and a better sense of the whole battle.
Griffinfisher5421 i completely agree with you on that but i would say that my favorite battlefields that I have visited are Gettysburg, Antietam and Vicksburg and Vicksburg is one of my favorites because of 3 things one was this amazing memorial called the Illinois Memorial and you can walk into it and on the outside and inside it looks like grants tomb but there’s no tomb in the memorial and also you can see the generals of Illinois names on the walls in the memorial but the best part of the memorial for me is that to get to it you have to walk up a stairway that has 47 steps and the steps were my favorite because each one of these 47 steps represents how many days the siege of Vicksburg lasted. The second part that I liked about Vicksburg is that right by the visitor center they have the kind of cannons that were used at Vicksburg along with one monument that lists which union and confederate states took part in the siege and the last part is that Vicksburg is so far the only battlefield I have been to where a ship from the time period of the battle is preserved.
Excellent video as always. Having ancestors mustered into both Coles Calvary, who made their escape with Col. Davis and 1st MD PHB, who were paroled afterwords, this brought to light the actions and movements they encountered during the seige.
Too many Historians haven't given Jackson the credit he deserves for his victory at Harpers Ferry, often. times acknowledged, but then quickly passed through to give other matters attention. The 12,419 Union Prisoners were paroled, and exchanged, and essentially allowed Lee to replace his 10,317 casualties at Antietam.
We're all in love with the drama of pitched battle; a swift and decisive siege is less emotionally engaging. Imagine what a great victory Harpers Ferry if Lee had NOT made the decision to go ahead and lose 10,317 casualties at Antietam. He would have had a net gain of roughly 12,000 men instead of the campaign being a wash. He truly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory... ...which might be why Harpers Ferry has sometimes been downplayed. When you stop and think about it more deeply, it doesn't make Lee look very smart, and we have a lot of people with a lot of emotional investment in making Lee look smart.
I’ve been enjoying your videos quite a bit and it appears you do in-depth research, do you have a citation for the 1st PHB fleeing in panic on Maryland Heights? That’s contrary to the research I myself have done as well as contrary to Major Henry Kyd Douglas’s firsthand account of the battle. Major Douglas was a CS officer, but he knew Col Maulsby of the 1st PHB, Douglas says the Maulsby and his men were eager for a fight that was denied them by being ordered to withdrew and ultimately surrender. I’m sure you have a source, just curious to what the truth is between your source and Douglas.
It was Dien Bien Phu 90 years before Dien Bien Phu, particularly the besiegers taking the strategic heights and then moving from there. There were rumors that Col. Miles may have been killed by his own troops out of disgust for his incompetence and insistence on following impossible orders. Wouldn't be surprising if that were the case.
The place is amazing, Ive been twice. Just search some pictures of it on google. Take the trail up to the Maryland heights that overlook the town and go up to bolivar heights as well. Well worth the visit.
It is fantastic. My family found a great airbnb in the middle of Harpers Ferry. It's a gorgeous town with plenty to do besides the history stuff. And of course you're just a hop, skip, and jump from Antietam :)
Amazing video as always the team does a great job been watching your amazing videos for the last couple years i really enjoy the in depth videos a little sad to see the regimental pieces go away always loved them because it had the colors of their uniforms and had the regiments be more viewable but i understand it takes more time to do regimental then mostly brigade and i respect your decision and you can always go back one day and do regimental but keep up the amazing work and i will continue to watch the videos as they gonalong with th timeline thank you for the amazing videos
Yep like I said not a problem I really love and enjoy your videos I can't wait for the next one I was just a little sad to see some of the regimental stuff go away but if you do zoom into a certain area and it has regimental units on the field will you still do the unique colors depending on the uniform? But thank you for making these videos and like I said can't wait for the next been watching these videos for a while now
LOL Kershaw: FIX BAYONETS! Mary-landers: Our men are running from the battlefield, a shamefur dispray! Kershaw: Shit, really? I didnt think I sound that scary.
Dude, Me and Unc went to Harpers Ferry/ Bolivar Heights 2 days ago!! 🤣🤣🤣 On a serious note, The Potomac River is THE LOWEST its been in a good while. Can literally see the Bedrock.. Thanks for the coincidence! 😛
Small error, at 6:08 he mentions that command of Ford's Brigade comes upon Colonel Elikam Sherrill of the 126th New York instead of the 125th. Minor detail.
Imagine if Lee had not Ordered Jackson to Force March to him at Sharpsburg and the Battle of Antietam had not taken place when it did in 1862. Jackson had achieved a Spectacular success with the Capture of Harpers Ferry and over 13.000 Federals and over a hundred cannon with millions of dollars' worth of supplies and small arms. Lee should have marched to Jackson abandoning his thrust into Maryland and taken the Victory at Harpers Ferry preventing Lincoln from taking political control of the War and preventing England and France form intervening on behalf of the South. Jackson and Lee could have consolidated their gains at Harpers Ferry and moved back into the Valley with all the prestige of Victory and hovered on Washington’s Flank! McClellan would have been Paralyzed!
You're spot on. Lee's decision to stay and fight at Antietam was one of the most colossal mistakes of the war, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
@@joshportie We have a pretty good idea, from Lee's own words, about what he intended for his Maryland campaign. Without even knowing Lee's specific intentions, it's obvious that "lose a key battle and surrender the strategic momentum to the enemy" is never the intention of any general. So...mistakes were made. I'm calling it "one of the most colossal mistakes of the war" because of the contrast with how much strategic momentum Lee had gained over the previous three months - and especially at Harpers Ferry, as the OP rightly noted - and how dramatically Lee lost that momentum at Antietam.
As if Lee could have known he’d be checked at Antietam. You are speaking with the benefit of 160+ years of hindsight and knowledge that Lee didn’t have. If anything, Lee was trying to capitalize on the momentum gained at Harper’s Ferry by trying to beat the main AotP in the North. Likewise, there is no guarantee that Britain and France would have joined the Confederate cause even if he had won in either case, as the slavery issue was still a major sticking point against them in their diplomacy.
Gallantcavalier3306 You literally just took the words out of my mouth since I hope to see those things as well especially since one of my 3rd great grand uncles was with colonel grimes Davis.
This ("America's Largest Surrender") surprised me. A quick check on Google and Wiki indicates: 90,000 Confederates surrendered at Bennett Place at the end of the Civil War and 78,000 surrendered to the Japanese at Bataan in WW2 (this is an American surrender but only 12,000 of them were Americans - the remainder were Philipinos). If the title is USA's Largest Surrender, it would come down to the line of command at Bataan but I think the surrendered forces were completely under US command at the time of surrender. As for Confederates not being Americans, it would seem that the logic reinforces Bataan as "America's Largest Surrender" as it places the focus on line of command and ignores place of birth.
@@phineassmith5817 At the time of the Civil War those states were in rebellion, and their armies were fighting *against* America. Or, if you prefer to think that secession is legal, and that those states were not in rebellion, then you must accept that they were part of a foreign nation, just as Manitoba and Quebec are parts of a foreign nation. Either way, rebel/Confederate troops were not "American" any more than Mexican or Canadian armies are "American".
This is not a critique, because i know you have a full time job. But i can`t wait until your episodes comes out. rest of the civil war channels are amatuer production compared.
@@thehistorykid6423 Of course, that is literally the number 1 battle in American Civil War history, we're going through the timeline so we'll get there whenever we get there.
Miles gets a bum rap from history imo. With the forces he had there was no way to defend 3 separate positions around the town from maneuver forces. The generals who gave him his orders to hold while also denying him troops before the battle were given a clean pass because the dead man couldn't defend himself and was an easy target for criticism. Keep in mind, Miles was under explicit orders not to withdraw. But war is war and in the end only success matters. The retreating cavalry units were not chastised for ignoring the orders of General-in-chief Henry W. Halleck and General Wood to hold "at all hazards" the important arsenal and railroad bridges until he was relieved by Union forces under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. 3 days Miles was told, surrender was on day 4.
I will say having hiked Maryland Heights numerous times the thought of trying to assault that position from the South via Harper's Ferry would be incredibly difficult, I doubt that once the Confederates were up there any force from Harper's Ferry would push them off the mountain. I cannot think of a more difficult command than the defense of Harpers Ferry against a well lead and superior force nor can I think of a less suitable commander for the exercise(OK maybe Benjamin Butler)
@@WarhawkYT Yes the hikes to Loudon Heights and Maryland Heights are both available and offer beautiful views of the town, they also make you realize how challenging it is to climb that ground. A drive from their to Sharpsburg also makes you appreciate how far Jackson's troops had to get to get to Antietam.
Honestly, with the forces at hand not sure anyone was defending the town for longer. Even if Miles had halved the forces on Bolivar Heights and repositioned them on Louden and Maryland, they wouldn't have held out any longer against the maneuver forces and Jackson's assault from the west would have very quickly overwhelmed/encircled Bolivar Heights. As it was the concentration of forces to contest the area around Bolivar Heights was arguably not enough to hold for days, half those numbers and not a chance. We armchair historians like to do this with ACW generals in particular, cast disparagement on the moral and tactical competence of generals who lost engagements as if just by being perfect people the battle would have been won. But that is not often the case.
@@fortusvictus8297 I agree I don't think Miles had many cards to play. The geography of Harper's Ferry means his three forces(had he chosen to split them into three) would be isolated and all facing a superior force and the fall of any of them would have doomed the other two. I think Miles's biggest shortcomings as a leader appears to be his loss of trust from his subordinates(though this may be those men talking in hindsight, like asking Pickett's opinion of Robert E Lee before and after July 3,1863), and his inaction at trying to get as many troops out of the encirclement as he could.
Probably because the location was too important to ignore. You‘ve got the confluence of two major rivers as well as one of the most crucial east-west railroad links. The Peninsula is centrally located and reach all banks of the two rivers. But yeah, they probably should have fortified Md. Heights instead. Or better yet, a double fortress with a strong position on the heights and one defending the town with a direct link between them. Then if the enemy takes the other heights, you can still bombard them from above and either hold the town or abandon it and still deny them the bridges and rail link. But I‘m guessing cost would have been a big factor.
Franklin's sloth in this was utterly disgraceful and disqualifing for an officer to spend 3 hours with no movements other than assembling your Corp in a moment where speed is so clearly nessicary is frankly baffling. There was no attempt to use troops to probe or work around the Confederates they just wasted three hours. Franklin to me is primarily responsible for the failure of this section of the campaign. Though Miles did himself no favors with his incredibly passive defense. Drawing a scheme of defense for Harper’s Ferry with that few troops is near impossible but one thing I know for sure is that Cavalry doesn't do you any good when you don't use it. You could have had it attempt to slow down either Jackson's movement to Harper’s Ferry or perphas more profitably use it to assist the relief force in getting to you. The most important thing in a situation like this is depth. You need to slow the Confederates down as much as possible. I don't know why Miles thought the position on the Maryland heights could be held. You are simply always going to have your flank turned if the enemy out numbers you. Using the Cavalry to do literally anything would have significantly improved the situation and the decision to do nothing in a lost position is baffling. At the very least the store of the depot should be sabatoged as to not fall into enemy hands. In summation this was a tough task but both commanders bungled it to some degree. The only vague display of competence was from the Union Cavalry.
Seems like boldness in covering all potential confederate movements and fields of fire wouldve won the day for the Union.Col. Dixon paid with his life.God rest all of them
@@WarhawkYT I can be fussy about video titles. You didn't specify Civil War, you said "America's" I assume Vicksburg doesn't count because it's Confederate. Having gotten that nit picking out of my system thank you for a great vid .
The first surrender was by Canada and England, who has assisted an insurrectionist named John Brown, who would assist a revolt by enslaved Africans. The lesson was that sooner or later the USA federal forces would prevail. Today, that federal schooling is still available.
@@WarhawkYT True, but they could have attack Maryland height to extend their position and not be cut off and surrounded. I think surrendering was a bad call with no fighting back.
Well Miles was dead and White wasn‘t the one who got them into this mess. Who knows if he could have held out. Franklin is a different matter though, his delay was both insubordinate and arguably battle-deciding. If Franklin attacks in the early morning, he might have taken the Gap well before noon, and have half a day if not more to make a move against Maryland Heights. At best this would save the Garrison, but even if not he could still deny Jackson the crossing and stop him from uniting his command. In fact, this one blunder might have spoiled McClellan‘s entire campaign, where he would have had the chance to crush Lee‘s army instead of just badly mauling it. And probably with much fewer Union losses.
OK lets run some #'s here Miles has just over 12.700 troops Missing form those 12,700 were 12,419 leaving but just under 300 to surrender yet u also say that there were 12.636 as casualties That would mean that Miles in reality by these #'s had over 25,000 troops which he did not When u used the words missing and causalities both should of read as captured have someone look at ur videos who know nothing of them but can see tjhings like this and that way u can avid these errors in future
killed less then 500@@WarhawkYT so that brings the #'s down to 13,500 alive So lets say he had 1000 cav Now we are down to the 12,500 (about) to surrender. here are the War Dep #'s Union Army sustained 12,636 (44 killed, 173 wounded, 12,419 captured). note the 3 categories, killed wound and captured not a single trooper missing
No. They considered themselves soldiers in the army of a separate nation. Loyal Americans considered them rebels. Either way they don't count as American soldiers.
Not only were they not fighting for the United States…they were fighting against the United States. Their surrender is a win for the USA side, therefore definitely not the biggest USA surrender.
The surrender of USAFFE, both on Bataan under King, and the rest of the forces within the United States' Commonwealth of the Philippines under Wainwright, in 1942. Was far larger than the surrender on Harpers Ferry. Therefore the title of this video is wrong. And it is a smack in the face of all those who fought the Empire of Japan from December 1941 to May 1942; a slap in the face of millions of Civilians who also pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America who had to live under the occupation of the Empire of Japan, and the tens of thousands who resisted said occupation. 👎
Guns on Maryland and Loudon Heights command the town of Harpers Ferry but did not command the Union line on Bolivar Heights and thus were insufficient to cause capitulation, necessitating Jackson's investment from Schoolhouse Ridge.
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Hey guys, we're back with another American Civil war video, I hope yall enjoy it! Make sure you like and subscribe as it will help us out a lot!
I miss the old style but I do enjoy this new style of showing what happened, showing brigade instead of regiments
Please keep making videos these are amazing!!!!
I admittedly love hearing about the Confederate victories, especially in the early part of the Civil War. Many people, both North and South, were indeed Very Devout Christians. They were Men of Faith in God, such has rarely been seen... before, or since. They weren't ashamed or afraid of professing their Faith in their Lord. I find that to be very refreshing, and this makes me feel blessed to have been born here in the USA.
Now:That being said, these Brave Souls, both North and South, had their duties to fulfill. I personally would have loved to have served in The Stonewall Brigade of old. While I do know that General Stonewall Jackson, and General Robert E. Lee were Men of Faith, I'm not sure about General J. E. B. Stuart...but I do know, that these Three Men, as well as the Whole of the Confederate Army, were hard fighters...and won victories that one would think that they'd lose, given that some of these Men weren't well-armed, and that there were fewer Men in their ranks, than their Union Counter-parts. They didn't have every advantage that the Union Army had. Some of them didn't have shoes, and some had only the bare essentials-If that! And yet, they fought. They fought for their homelands, their Wives, their Sweethearts, their Children...and their homes, lands, and for each other. Many of them didn't care about the Slavery Issue, one way or another. They were defending what they had, and saw the Union as a direct threat to all that they loved!
Just catching up on your Civil War content. I want to say I really enjoyed the old style where you displayed each individual regiment, along with their uniform color (butternut, grey, blue, zouave). It really made your videos stand out as unique in this genre.
I’m studying the USA 1850-65 for my advanced higher history in Scotland. Writing my dissertation on Robert E. Lee and I wanted to thank you for all the brilliant content!
Will be watching and commenting my thoughts under every video! Can’t wait to absorb all this knowledge!
@@hazbojangles2681Scotlands higher education system has a graduate class on American History.
The Federal army had quite the task defending such a place.. This is so well told, what a treat to wake up to!
It's odd they didn't think to place siege mortars within the town. Given time to preregister on the heights, they could have used them for counterbattery fire.
Or better yet, defend the most critical point, Maryland Heights, in force-conceding the town but making it impossible for the CSA to hold. They could then be supplied by rail from the east as well.
One bit that was left out, when Davis and his troopers left Harpers Ferry, they came across a large supply train outside Hagerstown. Being born in Mississippi, Colonel Davis rode out to meet them. In the pre-dawn light he spoke to the teamsters and told them that Yankee cavalry was in the area, and that they should divert on a different route. The ruse worked.
Davis and his troopers joined the train thinking the troopers were their new escorts. When the real escorts came up demanding to know why they were off course, the Yankee troopers drove them off. It wasn't until dawn that the teamsters realized the men accompanying them wore blue. By then it was too late. Davis made it through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. Not only did they escape surrender at Harpers Ferry, thereby denying all those good horses for the confederates, but they also captured General Longstreet's reserve ammunition, around forty wagon's worth. Thereby denying its use for Antietam.
Fog of war can be used to your advantage just as much as it can be used against you! Thanks for the story, that's an interesting one!
Thanks so much for that info. I had never heard that story.
Yep, i always laugh reading about that story
LOL, but it didn't change the outcome.
@@thomaswayneward not really, I havent heard of anything regarding the lack of ammunition for Longstreet during the battle of antietam Plus with the capture of Harpers Ferry, the loss of the supply train was negated by the captured ammunition.
You know it’s a good day when Warhawk uploads
always a great day ;)
Excellent coverage of this critical campaign! I particularly enjoyed your treatment of the Battle of Crampton's Gap, as I can vividly recall that mountainous terrain when I visited the War Correspondents Memorial Arch there in July 2004 whilst portraying an artist correspondent for Harper's Weekly. Thank you for bringing back such fond memories.
glad you enjoyed it Torin!
An amazing video!! Harpers Ferry is never truly known beyond John Brown’s Raid and deserves to have its story told!! Well done once again!!
You said it because I never knew about stonewall Jackson attacking harpers ferry in his Shenandoah valley campaign.
Its also a Marvel of Engineering. How the Railroad is Flood-proof, With a Bridge, And going into the tunnel from the side of a cliff.
Thanks GC! I always enjoy seeing you here!
Your channel is underrated and I’ll be sharing it with all my fellow history buffs!
Another *EXCELLENT* video, Warhawk! Thank YOU (and your team) for such great work!! . . . (RJT)
Thanks RJT!
This video describes how timidity and delay can change the course of battle. It also shows that a tactical defeat can be a strategic victory if it buys time for reinforcements to arrive to the main objective. The CSA had the advantage in geography, but more crucially, it also had better leadership, and a better sense of the whole battle.
Very well made narrative on this battle at Harpers Ferry. Thanks for sharing 💯👍
You're welcome Terry!
Probably my favorite “battlefield” I’ve visited. Really beautiful area
its a beautiful place!
Griffinfisher5421 i completely agree with you on that but i would say that my favorite battlefields that I have visited are Gettysburg, Antietam and Vicksburg and Vicksburg is one of my favorites because of 3 things one was this amazing memorial called the Illinois Memorial and you can walk into it and on the outside and inside it looks like grants tomb but there’s no tomb in the memorial and also you can see the generals of Illinois names on the walls in the memorial but the best part of the memorial for me is that to get to it you have to walk up a stairway that has 47 steps and the steps were my favorite because each one of these 47 steps represents how many days the siege of Vicksburg lasted.
The second part that I liked about Vicksburg is that right by the visitor center they have the kind of cannons that were used at Vicksburg along with one monument that lists which union and confederate states took part in the siege and the last part is that Vicksburg is so far the only battlefield I have been to where a ship from the time period of the battle is preserved.
Excellent video as always. Having ancestors mustered into both Coles Calvary, who made their escape with Col. Davis and 1st MD PHB, who were paroled afterwords, this brought to light the actions and movements they encountered during the seige.
17:45 reminds me of when Nathan Forrest left the Confederate general to sneak out at Fort Donelson
yeah i can see that!
A very clear exposition of a complex military situation - many thanks!
Too many Historians haven't given Jackson the credit he deserves for his victory at Harpers Ferry, often. times acknowledged, but then quickly passed through to give other matters attention. The 12,419 Union Prisoners were paroled, and exchanged, and essentially allowed Lee to replace his 10,317 casualties at Antietam.
We're all in love with the drama of pitched battle; a swift and decisive siege is less emotionally engaging.
Imagine what a great victory Harpers Ferry if Lee had NOT made the decision to go ahead and lose 10,317 casualties at Antietam. He would have had a net gain of roughly 12,000 men instead of the campaign being a wash. He truly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory...
...which might be why Harpers Ferry has sometimes been downplayed. When you stop and think about it more deeply, it doesn't make Lee look very smart, and we have a lot of people with a lot of emotional investment in making Lee look smart.
Can’t wait to see this video. Thank you for bringing history to life
You're welcome man!
I’ve been enjoying your videos quite a bit and it appears you do in-depth research, do you have a citation for the 1st PHB fleeing in panic on Maryland Heights? That’s contrary to the research I myself have done as well as contrary to Major Henry Kyd Douglas’s firsthand account of the battle. Major Douglas was a CS officer, but he knew Col Maulsby of the 1st PHB, Douglas says the Maulsby and his men were eager for a fight that was denied them by being ordered to withdrew and ultimately surrender. I’m sure you have a source, just curious to what the truth is between your source and Douglas.
As someone who has climbed the heights on all sides of Harper's Ferry, I envy no man involved in this battle
Love these videos man. Thanks for all the work you do.
It was Dien Bien Phu 90 years before Dien Bien Phu, particularly the besiegers taking the strategic heights and then moving from there. There were rumors that Col. Miles may have been killed by his own troops out of disgust for his incompetence and insistence on following impossible orders. Wouldn't be surprising if that were the case.
My great great great uncle Captain Wesley Mellard Co H 13th Mississippi Infantry Barksdales brigade CSA fought at Harpers Ferry
Shoutout to Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert. The pride of Southern Delaware!
I love your videos please do one on Iuka
Perhaps :)
It's a beautiful spot to visit and the area is heavy in history.
I get the feeling the Union should've abandoned Harper's Ferry. But that's just hindsight talking. Great video.
Great job, dude. Keep up the good work!
Thanks naa!
Enjoyed the Harpers Ferry Video very much. 😊
Are you going to be finishing out the Maryland Campaign?
yes, when im done with the texas revolution
Thumb up before watching. It can’t be disappointing.
hopefully we never do!
anyone in the comments ever been to harpers ferry? would you recommend? this video got me wanting to go
The place is amazing, Ive been twice. Just search some pictures of it on google. Take the trail up to the Maryland heights that overlook the town and go up to bolivar heights as well. Well worth the visit.
@@WarhawkYT oh snap, from the legend himself. Thanks man!
You’re welcome bro!
It is fantastic. My family found a great airbnb in the middle of Harpers Ferry. It's a gorgeous town with plenty to do besides the history stuff. And of course you're just a hop, skip, and jump from Antietam :)
Amazing video as always the team does a great job been watching your amazing videos for the last couple years i really enjoy the in depth videos a little sad to see the regimental pieces go away always loved them because it had the colors of their uniforms and had the regiments be more viewable but i understand it takes more time to do regimental then mostly brigade and i respect your decision and you can always go back one day and do regimental but keep up the amazing work and i will continue to watch the videos as they gonalong with th timeline thank you for the amazing videos
yeah, new real life time constraints and larger battles will not allow me to effective get out the larger battles in decent amount of time.
Yep like I said not a problem I really love and enjoy your videos I can't wait for the next one I was just a little sad to see some of the regimental stuff go away but if you do zoom into a certain area and it has regimental units on the field will you still do the unique colors depending on the uniform? But thank you for making these videos and like I said can't wait for the next been watching these videos for a while now
Look forward to these videos every month
glad to hear that bro!
LOL
Kershaw: FIX BAYONETS!
Mary-landers: Our men are running from the battlefield, a shamefur dispray!
Kershaw: Shit, really? I didnt think I sound that scary.
lol
superbe video as always keep on
thanks lefantome!
Another excellent video.
thanks Wyoming!
Who came frome Historymarche?
Another Catholic historical revision channel? There weren't enough already?
@@joshportie that's very un-polite.
@@joshportie what is bro talking about.
I had a ancestor at cramptons gap he was with company B 16th Georgia infantry
You ever coming back?
He is a coach teacher IRL he is also making Texas revolution series rn
Dude, Me and Unc went to Harpers Ferry/ Bolivar Heights 2 days ago!! 🤣🤣🤣
On a serious note, The Potomac River is THE LOWEST its been in a good while. Can literally see the Bedrock..
Thanks for the coincidence! 😛
wow! i was there a year ago
I am always amazed of how few casualties most battles of that time had. Is it so or is my perception of this general conflict distorted?
Harpers ferry is one of the coolest places I've been on the east coast
Small error, at 6:08 he mentions that command of Ford's Brigade comes upon Colonel Elikam Sherrill of the 126th New York instead of the 125th. Minor detail.
Ford was initially in command before gettin sick
@@WarhawkYT Did he leave brown stains in his drawers?
Another video soon ???
He is a coach teacher IRL he is also making Texas revolution series
Love your videos
When are more videos coming out?
He is a coach teacher IRL he is also making Texas revolution series
Imagine if Lee had not Ordered Jackson to Force March to him at Sharpsburg and the Battle of Antietam had not taken place when it did in 1862. Jackson had achieved a Spectacular success with the Capture of Harpers Ferry and over 13.000 Federals and over a hundred cannon with millions of dollars' worth of supplies and small arms. Lee should have marched to Jackson abandoning his thrust into Maryland and taken the Victory at Harpers Ferry preventing Lincoln from taking political control of the War and preventing England and France form intervening on behalf of the South. Jackson and Lee could have consolidated their gains at Harpers Ferry and moved back into the Valley with all the prestige of Victory and hovered on Washington’s Flank! McClellan would have been Paralyzed!
You're spot on. Lee's decision to stay and fight at Antietam was one of the most colossal mistakes of the war, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Lee lost when he was ordered to lose. Another Catholic Church puppet. It's sad people don't know their role.
@@aaronfleming9426mistakes imply things went not as intended.
@@joshportie We have a pretty good idea, from Lee's own words, about what he intended for his Maryland campaign. Without even knowing Lee's specific intentions, it's obvious that "lose a key battle and surrender the strategic momentum to the enemy" is never the intention of any general. So...mistakes were made.
I'm calling it "one of the most colossal mistakes of the war" because of the contrast with how much strategic momentum Lee had gained over the previous three months - and especially at Harpers Ferry, as the OP rightly noted - and how dramatically Lee lost that momentum at Antietam.
As if Lee could have known he’d be checked at Antietam. You are speaking with the benefit of 160+ years of hindsight and knowledge that Lee didn’t have. If anything, Lee was trying to capitalize on the momentum gained at Harper’s Ferry by trying to beat the main AotP in the North. Likewise, there is no guarantee that Britain and France would have joined the Confederate cause even if he had won in either case, as the slavery issue was still a major sticking point against them in their diplomacy.
FINALLY SOMEONE MADE A GOOD VIDEO ON THIS 😭😭😭😭
The federal that led his 1400 out reminds me of a northern Nathan Bedford Forrest
wow i didn't know that this was America's largest surrender, nice video
I hope to see Colonel “Grimes” Davis’ breakout with his cavalry and how he captures Longstreet’s reserve ammunition.
Gallantcavalier3306 You literally just took the words out of my mouth since I hope to see those things as well especially since one of my 3rd great grand uncles was with colonel grimes Davis.
I think they were a little too ready to surrender considering the casualties sustained up to that point
maybe the couldve fought if the confederates only came from the west but since they were completely surrounded, any further resistance was fruitless
"America's Largest Surrender", except for Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
Lee didn't command an American army. Unless you also think of the Mexican and Canadian armies as American.
No, but I do think of Virginia, No. & So.Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama etc., as "American". @@aaronfleming9426
This ("America's Largest Surrender") surprised me. A quick check on Google and Wiki indicates: 90,000 Confederates surrendered at Bennett Place at the end of the Civil War and 78,000 surrendered to the Japanese at Bataan in WW2 (this is an American surrender but only 12,000 of them were Americans - the remainder were Philipinos). If the title is USA's Largest Surrender, it would come down to the line of command at Bataan but I think the surrendered forces were completely under US command at the time of surrender. As for Confederates not being Americans, it would seem that the logic reinforces Bataan as "America's Largest Surrender" as it places the focus on line of command and ignores place of birth.
@@phineassmith5817 At the time of the Civil War those states were in rebellion, and their armies were fighting *against* America.
Or, if you prefer to think that secession is legal, and that those states were not in rebellion, then you must accept that they were part of a foreign nation, just as Manitoba and Quebec are parts of a foreign nation.
Either way, rebel/Confederate troops were not "American" any more than Mexican or Canadian armies are "American".
Are you done wit this series or what`s going on?
taking a break
This is not a critique, because i know you have a full time job. But i can`t wait until your episodes comes out. rest of the civil war channels are amatuer production compared.
Antietam when?
Why do you post your videos unlisted first before premiering them
because i havent fully released them yet
Are you going to include the battle of Gettysburg
@@thehistorykid6423 Of course, that is literally the number 1 battle in American Civil War history, we're going through the timeline so we'll get there whenever we get there.
"This escalated quickly"
- Everyone in 1862
lol
Miles gets a bum rap from history imo. With the forces he had there was no way to defend 3 separate positions around the town from maneuver forces. The generals who gave him his orders to hold while also denying him troops before the battle were given a clean pass because the dead man couldn't defend himself and was an easy target for criticism. Keep in mind, Miles was under explicit orders not to withdraw. But war is war and in the end only success matters. The retreating cavalry units were not chastised for ignoring the orders of General-in-chief Henry W. Halleck and General Wood to hold "at all hazards" the important arsenal and railroad bridges until he was relieved by Union forces under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. 3 days Miles was told, surrender was on day 4.
Mr Harrington we needa Warzone video I’m still waiting 🙄
I will say having hiked Maryland Heights numerous times the thought of trying to assault that position from the South via Harper's Ferry would be incredibly difficult, I doubt that once the Confederates were up there any force from Harper's Ferry would push them off the mountain. I cannot think of a more difficult command than the defense of Harpers Ferry against a well lead and superior force nor can I think of a less suitable commander for the exercise(OK maybe Benjamin Butler)
I need to go back and hike the place, Ive been twice but only to the town and bolivar heights :(
@@WarhawkYT Yes the hikes to Loudon Heights and Maryland Heights are both available and offer beautiful views of the town, they also make you realize how challenging it is to climb that ground. A drive from their to Sharpsburg also makes you appreciate how far Jackson's troops had to get to get to Antietam.
Honestly, with the forces at hand not sure anyone was defending the town for longer. Even if Miles had halved the forces on Bolivar Heights and repositioned them on Louden and Maryland, they wouldn't have held out any longer against the maneuver forces and Jackson's assault from the west would have very quickly overwhelmed/encircled Bolivar Heights. As it was the concentration of forces to contest the area around Bolivar Heights was arguably not enough to hold for days, half those numbers and not a chance.
We armchair historians like to do this with ACW generals in particular, cast disparagement on the moral and tactical competence of generals who lost engagements as if just by being perfect people the battle would have been won. But that is not often the case.
@@fortusvictus8297 I agree I don't think Miles had many cards to play. The geography of Harper's Ferry means his three forces(had he chosen to split them into three) would be isolated and all facing a superior force and the fall of any of them would have doomed the other two. I think Miles's biggest shortcomings as a leader appears to be his loss of trust from his subordinates(though this may be those men talking in hindsight, like asking Pickett's opinion of Robert E Lee before and after July 3,1863), and his inaction at trying to get as many troops out of the encirclement as he could.
Butler was a political boob. No wonder the women of Naw'lins nicknamed him The Beast!
Pretty insane to use such a strategically compromised location as harpers ferry.
for real lol
Probably because the location was too important to ignore. You‘ve got the confluence of two major rivers as well as one of the most crucial east-west railroad links. The Peninsula is centrally located and reach all banks of the two rivers.
But yeah, they probably should have fortified Md. Heights instead. Or better yet, a double fortress with a strong position on the heights and one defending the town with a direct link between them. Then if the enemy takes the other heights, you can still bombard them from above and either hold the town or abandon it and still deny them the bridges and rail link.
But I‘m guessing cost would have been a big factor.
Nice
Franklin's sloth in this was utterly disgraceful and disqualifing for an officer to spend 3 hours with no movements other than assembling your Corp in a moment where speed is so clearly nessicary is frankly baffling. There was no attempt to use troops to probe or work around the Confederates they just wasted three hours. Franklin to me is primarily responsible for the failure of this section of the campaign. Though Miles did himself no favors with his incredibly passive defense. Drawing a scheme of defense for Harper’s Ferry with that few troops is near impossible but one thing I know for sure is that Cavalry doesn't do you any good when you don't use it. You could have had it attempt to slow down either Jackson's movement to Harper’s Ferry or perphas more profitably use it to assist the relief force in getting to you. The most important thing in a situation like this is depth. You need to slow the Confederates down as much as possible. I don't know why Miles thought the position on the Maryland heights could be held. You are simply always going to have your flank turned if the enemy out numbers you. Using the Cavalry to do literally anything would have significantly improved the situation and the decision to do nothing in a lost position is baffling. At the very least the store of the depot should be sabatoged as to not fall into enemy hands. In summation this was a tough task but both commanders bungled it to some degree. The only vague display of competence was from the Union Cavalry.
Anymore coming
Antietam is being made
Seems like boldness in covering all potential confederate movements and fields of fire wouldve won the day for the Union.Col. Dixon paid with his life.God rest all of them
12k men under the command of a colonel?!
That’s an entire corps. Why isn’t a general in command of a garrison that size?
Brigadier General Julius White was there but he ceded command to Colonel Miles because that was his garrison
Wasn't Bataan are larger surrender? That aside, way to go Grimes Davis.
During the civil war, Harpers Ferry was the largest Federal surrender. But yes Bataan is the overall largest in american history.
@@WarhawkYT I can be fussy about video titles. You didn't specify Civil War, you said "America's" I assume Vicksburg doesn't count because it's Confederate. Having gotten that nit picking out of my system thank you for a great vid .
The first surrender was by Canada and England, who has assisted an insurrectionist named
John Brown, who would assist a revolt by enslaved Africans. The lesson was that sooner or
later the USA federal forces would prevail. Today, that federal schooling is still available.
Terrible place to defend
A.P. Hill was right to say that
👍👍👍
I came here from War Of Rights.
Everyone surrendered at Harper's Ferry, look at the terrain sir
ikr
Common Chickenhawk modification of history. They can't keep getting away with this.
Please elaborate.
Rip
How many concussions have you gotten
this guy has one of the strangest accents I've ever heard. I can't get over the way he pronounced "Ohio" 7:18
@@dafinsrock379 thanks bb
Either White or Miles should have been court martial for their surrender of Harper's Ferry.
idk holding an untenable position with no food is not the best idea
@@WarhawkYT True, but they could have attack Maryland height to extend their position and not be cut off and surrounded. I think surrendering was a bad call with no fighting back.
Also Franklin at Crampton's gap was inexcusable sloth
Well Miles was dead and White wasn‘t the one who got them into this mess. Who knows if he could have held out.
Franklin is a different matter though, his delay was both insubordinate and arguably battle-deciding. If Franklin attacks in the early morning, he might have taken the Gap well before noon, and have half a day if not more to make a move against Maryland Heights. At best this would save the Garrison, but even if not he could still deny Jackson the crossing and stop him from uniting his command.
In fact, this one blunder might have spoiled McClellan‘s entire campaign, where he would have had the chance to crush Lee‘s army instead of just badly mauling it. And probably with much fewer Union losses.
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Hi
Huhu i love you❤❤❤
thanks man
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OK lets run some #'s here
Miles has just over 12.700 troops
Missing form those 12,700 were 12,419 leaving but just under 300 to surrender yet u also say that there were 12.636 as casualties
That would mean that Miles in reality by these #'s had over 25,000 troops which he did not
When u used the words missing and causalities both should of read as captured
have someone look at ur videos who know nothing of them but can see tjhings like this and that way u can avid these errors in future
Miles had 14000 men, besides the cavalry that escaped, everybody else was killed, wounded, or captured. There’s no mistake.
killed less then 500@@WarhawkYT so that brings the #'s down to 13,500 alive
So lets say he had 1000 cav
Now we are down to the 12,500 (about) to surrender.
here are the War Dep #'s
Union Army sustained 12,636 (44 killed, 173 wounded, 12,419 captured). note the 3 categories, killed wound and captured
not a single trooper missing
@@fredbaysnot a single tropper missing, because they were all listed as captured, because, you know...
They surrendered
I think Gen. Miles was right to hold out. His subordinates and men seem like cowards.
idk they were completely surrounded
Guess you don't consider the 30,000 that surrendered at Vicksburg, "Americans"?
No. They considered themselves soldiers in the army of a separate nation. Loyal Americans considered them rebels. Either way they don't count as American soldiers.
Not only were they not fighting for the United States…they were fighting against the United States. Their surrender is a win for the USA side, therefore definitely not the biggest USA surrender.
a friggin kamala harris add. cmon, keep political leaning out of historical educational videos
Have you been watching political content?
The surrender of USAFFE, both on Bataan under King, and the rest of the forces within the United States' Commonwealth of the Philippines under Wainwright, in 1942. Was far larger than the surrender on Harpers Ferry.
Therefore the title of this video is wrong. And it is a smack in the face of all those who fought the Empire of Japan from December 1941 to May 1942; a slap in the face of millions of Civilians who also pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America who had to live under the occupation of the Empire of Japan, and the tens of thousands who resisted said occupation.
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Get over yourself. It's a minor technical error.
Guns on Maryland and Loudon Heights command the town of Harpers Ferry but did not command the Union line on Bolivar Heights and thus were insufficient to cause capitulation, necessitating Jackson's investment from Schoolhouse Ridge.
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same bro