I'm EllenJ Pickett , Robert E Lee Pickett great great granddaughter Thank you for putting together a awesome documentary he would be proud of your great work. To quote my great great grandfather "Boom here comes the boom ready or not here comes the boys from the south" -Robert E Lee Pickett
General Armistead had to know he was taking his last breath when he held his hat up and charged. These Gettysburg videos have been very moving. Nice work👍
I’ve been there several times It’s very humbling to stand there and look out across that field There is a small marker inside the angle walls where General Armistead fell. I always make a point to visit that marker
@@TheHistoryUnderground Richard Jordan also did an amazing final performance in the role and died of a brain tumor while the film was in postproduction.
Looking forward to it. I have an acquaintance who’s paternal great-great-great grandfather survived Pickett’s Charge (I recall him saying he was with a N.C. Unit) and was captured by Union Cavalry on July 5th while on a foraging party. He was sent to a northern POW camp, for a period of time, until he wrote to President Lincoln for a pardon. His request was eventually granted, he took an oath to the U.S., and he returned to his Swedish immigrant family in Connecticut (where he moved to N.C. from). He never crossed the Mason -Dixon Line for the remainder of his life. Kind of cool story.
My Great-Great Grandfather was in the Washington Artillery which fired the first shots of Pickett's charge. I have been to Gettysburg 4 times and I see something new every time.
I’m in Texas right now and have a much better understanding of Texas, and the men who fought for her! Lee once said, and I paraphrase, if I had held another two divisions of Texans I might have won that war! I understand.
Walked that ground many times. Glad you pointed out the Louisiana monument. The Mississippi and Longstreet monuments and amazingly dramatic/photogenic in the early morning light. And yes, if you like cannons, (in every size and description) West Confederate Ave is a day unto itself. I also liked how you framed the video; a personal experience of a place makes history tangible. That's why it's amazingly important to save these places. Thank you again JD!
Im from Tasmania Australia and the american civil war has always been fascinating for me,ive read numerous books about Gettysburg regarding this charge,General Lee made his biggest mistake that day,how he expected 12000 troops to succeed in open ground under artillery and musket fire is just suicidal.too all soldiers on both sides,you were all brave men in that civil war campaign, excellent documentary too,great work.ive now subscribed so i dont miss out on anything else, cheers.
Gen. Lee was counting on his opening cannon barrage to soften the Union's defenses. When this failed the assault was a suicide mission. Lee gambled and lost.
@@pattyconley4096 There is theory that it’s possible that Lee may have had a Stroke & I believe that may be true??? We’ll never know, unfortunately. I’m more angry with Longstreet! He should have relieved Lee of his duties! Because “Pickets Charge” made ZERO sense militarily & Longstreet knew it! Well, I guess it’s better that Longstreet (who was an excellent General, in my humble opinion) didn’t take charge of the situation, because the war would have just gone on & on & on for another year or two & I don’t know if the Northerners would have become war-wary or not? It is possible? It’s also not Possible? As it was, an entire Southern generation was killed, horribly, (for what? The rich man)?! Just horrific! There is NO POSSIBLE WAY in 2022 that we can relate to 19th Century Americana culture! It’s completely IMPOSSIBLE, regardless of your politics & or opinions about the war between the States!
History was my favorite subject in school. But, I have learned so much more from watching this series, than I did in school. You’re truly a gifted educator and historian. Thank you JD for a beyond excellent series.
I walked Pickett's Charge (from Seminary Ridge to Cemetary Ridge) with my daughter's 6th grade class about 15 years ago. It was a warm day in May. I can't imagine what it was like on July 3rd with the heat, smoke and a battle raging. Thanks for doing this entire series, JD -- it has been epic.
Men died from heat stroke just in the march to Gettysburg because there was no ready water supply. When they did have water, they drew water from steams that had had urine, feces, dead soldiers, and dead animals deposited in it. The deadliest weapon in the life of a Civil War soldier was his canteen.
@@ronbednarczyk2497 Quite True Indeed .... Dysentery was a MAJOR cause of Soldiers Deaths ,along with very UNSANITARY medical procedures and wound treatments .. ANY wound could become Lethal ..
@@Wilett614 The author spoke at our local Civil War Round Table. Her talk was very enlightening. She's a Board Member, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Fredrick Maryland/Washington DC.
Ive taken that walk and from the Virginia Monument to the High Water mark. I use to live near Manassas Battlefield and have been to most Battlefields in the East
Went to gettysburg in 8th grade on a 4 day end of the year field trip.. i used to love military history and that trip really ingrained that into my passions. On the 2nd or 3rd day we went to the scene of the charge and we all ran only 50 yards of that terrain. Nasty, uneven terrain , and now i cant imagine the grisly charge that underwent that day. Amazing one-of-a-kind feeling of standing upon ground rife with such immense and potent history. One of the best trips of my life, and this video took me back. Thank you !
Now, THIS is what it’s about - to actually walk that murderous mile and experience the dread mixed with resolve the Confederates must have felt! Thank you! Here on July 3, 2023 - 160th Anniversary of Pickett’s Charge.
Excellent presentation. I'll just add that one of the reasons the charge failed. Was that hundreds perhaps thousands of confederate troops simply refused to advance past that fence along the Emmitsburg road. They simply hunkered down along it.
It's hard to hold the discipline of an order when it means continuing to engage in an obviously suicidal mass slaughter. Those Confederates who stopped there are to be respected as much for doing so as those who continued forward. Neither should be faulted.
I went to Gettysburg as a cub scout many many years ago. It's one of those places that you can literally feel that something big happened there, and I felt it as a young boy and again when I went there in my early 20s. I'm planning on taking my 8 year old son there this upcoming summer. If it effects him the same as it did me, we will have a new history buff. Thank you for making these videos JD.
Running up hill that distance, on a July day, being shot at by well protected troops behind, a protected wall, with two canons firing double canister shots was the most insane event ever.
This is such a great series. It’s one thing reading about these skirmishes and watching documentaries explaining it. But showing the actual terrain and locations where these men fought has been mind blowing. Thank you for this series!
I can pnly be humble as to what those men, the courage, the belief in ones self as they knew their death may be forthcoming. RIP all those Americans at Gettysburg July 1- July 3,1863 AMEN
Another excellent video. Takes me back to May 2001 when I visited Gettysburg from Australia. Along with Omaha Beach this magnificent place affected me emotionally.
I hope you can get your flag back. I am in California and in the cemetery where my son is buried we have 11 soldiers from the war. Only one is a Confederate and he was in the 28th.
I have distant uncle who fought at Gettysburg and on July 1st was wounded. He was with Co. H, 7th Regiment, of the Wisconsin Volunteers, Captain Mark Finnicum I listing officer and Col. W. Robinson commanding Regiment.
The hand of God was involved had the charge not failed the results would have been 1. Lincoln would not have been re- elected. McClellan would have been instead and the North would have granted the south independence....
I had the opportunity to walk Pickett’s Charge a number of years ago with an NPS expert. The fact that ANYONE survived that charge over open ground is amazing. You cannot imagine what that would have been like. You must walk that territory to begin to comprehend the horror that happened there.
Have been on this field, alone, at dusk...very much wanting 'something' to happen. The Confederate barrage that day created the loudest noise in history until the dropping of the Atomic bomb on Japan...Well done as always JD...You must have great admiration for those Confederate Soldiers who made that charge, knowing what they were going into...
I have read that the people of Ambridge Pa, which is roughly twelve miles from the city of Pittsburgh could hear the artillery fire of that day in Gettysburg.
JD my bearded brutha. I've spent the last week getting caught up with like 6-7 of the last videos I've been too busy to watch. I have to say, you outdid yourself with the Gettysburg series. What a cool thing to see you work with ABFT. I've been a fan of them for years.
Thank you. I really appreciate that. I didn't want to do anything on Gettysburg simply because of how well it's been covered. I didn't think I'd have much to offer, but it's been nice to see how well it's been received.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I've heard that the last attack at Gettysburg was a union cavalry assault that was slaughtered ,could you do a presentation on that?
My visit to Gettysburg in the 50s was amazing. I also went to Smithsonian in DC and visited the Iwo Jima Memorial. It's unfortunate that our history is not taught in schools today.
Well done. Felt I was there during the charge. Felt some of the horror and fear of these brave men---both sides . Many thanks! As a seasoned reenactor with 22 years experience I still learned a lot .
When we were there, people talked in whispers and even the young children were quiet and well behaved. None were playing "soldier" and pretending to be one side or the other. A fellow commented on the silence, the distance the soldiers had to cover over open ground, and said that while they may have been considered as the enemy at that time, but were certainly the bravest American soldiers. He had been there many times, but the ground was to him like being in a church, and other people seemed to sense that and it certainly had that feeling. He also asked where had come from because our accents were different and warmly welcomed us. Told his wife these folks travelled all the way from Canada just to come here. I think the sound of the barrage could be heard some 30 miles away. Can't imagine what it must have been like to have been there at the source.
They removed the building on top of the hill at Gettysburg where they used to have the Panoramic Painting and the Big Room that explains the three-day battle with lights showing the Union & Rebel Forces - Camp Fire Lights at Night. That really helped explain the Battle. Looks better without the building. Thanks.
Great video! I thought I'd add a little on the artillery barrage. Since this was before smokeless powder and recoil controls on artillery, after the first volley the butts of the cannon dug into the earth, adjusting their firing angle high, and the sky in front of them turned to smoke, obscuring the view of three artillery spotters. Subsequent volleys became "Quartermaster killers", whizzing over the front lines and landing in the Union camp. (From a collection of sources, primarily Shelby Foote's tremendous history trilogy) I was fortunate enough to tour the battlefield when I was a teenager. In late July, with a t-shirt and shorts, Pickett's charge was a long and uncomfortable walk, I can't imagine what those men went through.
Yup. I've read first-hand accounts of the charge, and after the first couple of volleys, the air was so full of smoke that the Confederate artillery couldn't even see the Union lines. I walked Pickett's Charge in July of 2008 for the 145th anniversary, and it was hot that day. I can't imagine fighting in wool uniforms during the summer like they did back then.
I walked these same grounds from the start of the Confederate advance towards the copse and couldn't imagine the sheer terror under determination to reach it.
well thank you for posting this video. im 66 years old and have always wanted to make this trip and may still since i live in south carolina but i always wanted to make the pickets charge walk just to see what its like so thank you for posting this video. im a military historian and collector
What was Lee going thinking? That’s a huge question. Pickett and Lee’s relationship was never very sound. Pickett blamed Lee for the rest of his life. Lee’s Army limps back to Virginia but does a very good job on the Retreat. This a been a great series. I can’t get enough of Gettysburg right now.
Great job JD I especially enjoyed seeing you with the American battlefield trust that you have been recognized by those folks is a tremendous achievement, my hat is off to you sir, I am a native Vermonter now living in Virginia I basically moved here because of my love for civil war history, if get the chance come on down and check out our battlefields, looking forward to your new video!
That is Hallowed Ground right there, those brave boys and for what they fought must always be honored! 🌺This History Lesson is good and very interesting. Also on the Fourth of July General Grant had captured Vicksburg thus “ winning “ the Great Struggle on that day, the beginning anyway of the end. The South should have surrendered then. All of them were heroes. 🌺
As a 68 year old woman with a nephew in the military, I would hate to think of him making that suicide charge. What could Pickett have said to them that whipped them into such a frenzy that that charge seemed do-able to them.
Creepiest place that I have ever been: I felt the ghostly presence of the thousands........ when I was up on Little Roundtop. It was a lonely and misty morning, and there was only one other car there, and didn't see them. So, I was alone, and looking over the misty field......... in the silence, in the mist. I truly got a chill, and felt the presence, of something that was not visible. Never before, nor since have I ever felt anything like that....... in 1994.
I feel fulfilled to find your channel. It will be a while, but my excitement to make another pilgrimage to Gettysburg is renewed because of you. I made a detour and watched your Andrew Jackson Hermitage video and that was fantastic. Thank you for your work.
I really loved this video. Your comments on the charge were spot on. I have stood on that spot on three different visits to Gettysburg and had much the same thoughts and feelings. Brave men gave their lives there, on both sides. One thing that I was surprised to learn (from a park Ranger) is that after the charge a few isolated confederate dead were found slightly further up the hill in the apple orchard at the crest. These men were Pettigrew's North Carolinians. Whether these men made it over the rock wall and couldn't get back, got caught trying to gain the Union rear, or were wounded and hobbled or crawled away from the fighting is unknown. Pettigrew's NC troops were the actual "High Water Mark", not the Virginians. NC suffered more casualties at Gettysburg than any other state north or south. What is fact is that the Confederate troops in Picket's Charge walked knowing into the Union guns and certain carnage (like both Union and Confederate troops on many other battlefields). These were brave men.
funny you mentioned Borglen because as you were doing this presetation on july 3rd i was at mt rushmore on vacation any how very nice presentation really enjoyed it
Believe it or not I participated in a CW re enactment & after the battle we visited the copse of trees. When sitting there I looked down and an artillery fragment was by my foot. I left it there...the next day we went back & it was gone
Thank you for this series. I’ve been following your episodes since I came across the Omaha Beach ones and have appreciated the awesome editing and material. As a Lancaster PA resident I have been to Gettysburg many times but never feel like I can go enough… feel free to do these for all the Civil War battlefields you like!
I’ve been so busy and haven’t had time to watch your videos, I’m catching up today and you never disappoint! What a great video, I’m so glad I know a little more about pickets charge and Gettysburg. Thank you 😊
I just subscribed. As someone who has visited many battlefields in Europe, the UK, and Southern Africa (alas, not the US so far), I feel a certain brotherhood with you and yours. It is a tremendous thing to walk in the footsteps of history, an enthralling mission of respect and education. Important also. If we don't do it, who will? I find Gettysburg fascinating; I read somewhere that the vital, defining difference between Lee and Grant, was that Lee never learned from his mistakes in the same manner that Grant did? What do you think?
@@TheHistoryUnderground 'My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spirituous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health.' Robert E. Lee...forgive me if I rather enjoy the irony of those words. I know Grant wasn't at Gettysburg, but still. History eh? It rocks.
You make excellent videos. I'm a big fan. Thank you for the time and dedication. You are very gifted. I hope you can get a show on the History Channel. Keep up the amazing work.
Awesome content! Seen a few of these episodes and it just is fantastic. As an European, seems today like all of that fighting to unify your beautiful country was a waste. As war often is.
The country has never been truly unified. There are only really two times it came together, and both of those were temporary. Pearl Harbor and 9/11. That's really it.
69th Penn gave those grey bellies a beating, using the same techniques that the Rebs used on their Irish brothers at Fredericksburg. Despite all the cannon and musket fire, they could hear the Irish soldiers yelling "Remember Fredericksburg," sort of a coup de grâce to Pickett's men and the confederate army.
Really enjoyed this from a Scotsman now living in Australia,I have been interested in the Civil War from a young age and have been to Gettysburg and most of the Battlefields,I always went for the Confederates due to fact they were the Scots and the Union were the English (not for any political reasons) always the underdog due to the gulf of population,material etc,but not in fighting spirit.
Every fourth of Joul We read about the battle of Gettysburg, from the great book called Glory Road, by Bruce Catton one of the very best Authors of that War and time in History, it is as though you are there!!
This can be looked up easily enough but if memory serves Johnston Pettigrew, a fascinating individual, was in command of Heth’s division and commanded this division during what is also more properly designated Longstreet’s Assault. Pettigrew was killed a few days later at Falling Waters. Ok, I just now hear him addressing these two points but I’ll post this anyway given that I took the time to type it with my thumbs. Good work. And great channel. One of only a half dozen or so that I subscribe to.
Mead had just been promoted by Lincoln to assume command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing Hooker. It wasn't so much as Mead outguessed Lee, as they had no choice but to turn north and follow Lee as he moved from Virginia into Maryland and Pennsylvania. The biggest credit must go to Buford, who understood that tactical importance of the grounds around Gettysburg, and delayed Lee's forces under Heth until Reynolds could arrive. It was Mead who sent Hancock on ahead when other officers had more seniority, and Hancock also recognized how important the ground was. Mead screwed up by allowing Lee to pull back across the Potomac into Virginia after the battle, when he easily could have destroyed Lee right then and there. Lincoln was furious at this missed opportunity..probably why he replaced mead with Grant.
I wonder if that's where Field Marshall Haig took his inspiration from for his WW1 Western Europe tactic's which by all accounts very similar .. to cross open fields to certain death
My wife and I visited Gettysburg some years ago. We took the taped tour available at the visors centre with our car and walked around at every stop. The size and scope of the battle was amazing. Such a monumentous event (no pun intended) and with such a deadly consequence. Jenny Wade's house, which was right next to our hotel, was particularly moving. And no, we saw no ghosts in the cellar. We saved walking the so-called "Pickett's Charge" for the last day. We were taken by the tour instructions to Seminary Ridge at the statue of Lee. Looking across the broad, almost mile-long field, we could see the stone wall, angle, the copse of trees (with trees still at it), the whole thing with Cemetery and Culp' s Hills high on the left, and Little Round Top high on the right. We had gone to those hills the day before, and we could see how they clearly surveyed the whole field below. Artillery up there would easily command the battle, as it did. It looked like it would be a massacre to walk across that field with an enemy in those places firing down upon us. Well, it was. We were surprised that the land undulated in shallow, rolling hills as we walked the almost mile across. We could see the stone wall for a moment, and then we couldn't. I suppose the U.S. Army on the ground couldn't see them when they were in such dips, either. However, up on the two hills all could be seen and anything in that field was an easy target. Arriving at the two fences at the Emmitsburg Road there was a small gap to the left for tourists like us to walk through. However, no such gap exited on July 3, 1863, It was more than obvious that the high fences, now replicas of the originals, would seriously slow down any infantry that tried to get over them. They were within firing range of U.S. Army soldiers and artillery across the front, and, of course, always in firing range of the mased artillery on the hills to each side. There was fast car and truck traffic on the Emmitsburg Road and we had to be careful crossing it. There was something poignant about this. This is a real thoroughfare, as it was then, right in the middle of this battlefield. Why the Commander of Artillery, Col. Edward P. Alexander, didn't order the fences to be destroyed before the "charge" (really a slow walk) is a mystery. I was at that point that it came crashing down on us. This was a suicide mission. Even if the Confederates could attain the stone wall, which they did, in part, they would be fired upon at close range on three sides and quickly destroyed. There was no way in hell that they could succeed. We clearly understood that Lee had seriously blundered and had foolishly sacrificed his army. 1,123 Confederates were killed on the battlefield, 4,019 were wounded, and a good number of the injured were also captured. Confederate prisoner totals are difficult to estimate from their reports; Union reports indicated that 3,750 men were captured. We sat on the U.S. Army side for a while looking out over the whole thing and were so saddened by what had happened there. It's not a joyous place, not even a happy one even though the United States of America and millions of slaves were ultimately saved by what happened that weekend. We didn't like the tall, imposing monuments either. A simple stone plaque buried in various places in the ground commemorating the units that fought would have been sufficient and more appropriate. Buried in the ground. We then and have since thought about Lee' s decision to send those men into that butchers' yard. We think that he may have been indisposed in his mind that sultry weekend. No one knows. He surely could see, and with highly professional and informed eyes, that the U.S. Army held the far better ground and was essentially undefeatable as long as they held it. Even we could see that, anyone could. He was right, however. It was all his fault. His major fault in thinking began when he abandoned his country for his state that was committing an illegal, traitorous act. Our visit was grim, but highly interesting and historically informative. I don't think we'll ever go back, however. When we are so fortunate as to have some precious time for a vacation, we like to be happy and have a damn' good time, not to visit a cemetery and a grim place of horrific, brutal death. We think that all Americans ought to see it for themselves to really get the importance and meaning of the battle which save our country, and later, the free world.
Outstanding explanation of the battle. My Dad and I have been to Gettysburg. My ancestor George Washington Newmyer and the 28th Pennsylvania infantry fought in this battle and many more. On a side note I am also a Mason. Lewis A. Armistead was a Mason and good friend to General Hancock. I have seen the memorial of Brother helping Brother. From what I have heard there were many instances in the war when Mason's helped each other.
That had to be the biggest blunder in military history I guess up to that point Lee was used to winning Against All Odds that was the biggest mistake in the annals of warfare. I'm literally surprised he could live with himself after that
When he’s talking about that confederate general that was not identified. I can’t picture that their uniforms are very obvious what rank they are. The crazy thing is Lee may have won that battle if their cannons would’ve been firing the shot directly at the union lines. And not overshooting them.
It should be called "Lee's Charge". Lee planned it; Lee insisted on it. Lee ordered it. Lee apologized for the loss. Lee offered to resign because of his failure.
Awesome as usual. Thank you. I'm not trying to take away the valor of those men who made that long march (I've walked it myself), but I also want to point out to the other civil war buffs out here to check out Hood's charge into Franklin, TN. Same "up the middle" advancement, but a longer walk, larger front, more men, more casualties, but sadly, the same result as this. Franklin is often forgotten while Pickett's charge was made famous in the movie Gettysburg. Unfortunately, Franklin battlefield site is not as well preserved as Gettysburg and there are stores, buildings, roads, etc. smack down where those brave men marched into hell.
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If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out.
Thanks!
@illmerica Thanks!!!
Probably my favorite channel.
I'm EllenJ Pickett , Robert E Lee Pickett great great granddaughter Thank you for putting together a awesome documentary he would be proud of your great work.
To quote my great great grandfather "Boom here comes the boom ready or not here comes the boys from the south" -Robert E Lee Pickett
@@mrsellenj.a1740 What an honor to have this man in your family tree!!!!
I'm a new fan. Subscribed and ready.
General Armistead had to know he was taking his last breath when he held his hat up and charged.
These Gettysburg videos have been very moving. Nice work👍
I would think so. Got a little more on Armistead in the next video.
I’ve been there several times
It’s very humbling to stand there and look out across that field
There is a small marker inside the angle walls where General Armistead fell.
I always make a point to visit that marker
@@TheHistoryUnderground Richard Jordan also did an amazing final performance in the role and died of a brain tumor while the film was in postproduction.
Looking forward to it. I have an acquaintance who’s paternal great-great-great grandfather survived Pickett’s Charge (I recall him saying he was with a N.C. Unit) and was captured by Union Cavalry on July 5th while on a foraging party. He was sent to a northern POW camp, for a period of time, until he wrote to President Lincoln for a pardon. His request was eventually granted, he took an oath to the U.S., and he returned to his Swedish immigrant family in Connecticut (where he moved to N.C. from). He never crossed the Mason -Dixon Line for the remainder of his life.
Kind of cool story.
My Great-Great Grandfather was in the Washington Artillery which fired the first shots of Pickett's charge.
I have been to Gettysburg 4 times and I see something new every time.
I’m in Texas right now and have a much better understanding of Texas, and the men who fought for her! Lee once said, and I paraphrase, if I had held another two divisions of Texans I might have won that war! I understand.
The NC regiments were in the worst of the fighting on Day 1 and Day 3. One quarter of Confederate casualties at Gettysburg were North Carolinians.
@@jamesdovel6967 I don't see anywhere where Lee said that.
@@jamesdovel6967 He would have gotten them killed like all his other men...
Walked that ground many times. Glad you pointed out the Louisiana monument. The Mississippi and Longstreet monuments and amazingly dramatic/photogenic in the early morning light.
And yes, if you like cannons, (in every size and description) West Confederate Ave is a day unto itself.
I also liked how you framed the video; a personal experience of a place makes history tangible. That's why it's amazingly important to save these places.
Thank you again JD!
Thanks! Appreciate that. I was pretty apprehensive about this one. Lots of strong opinions 😅
JD, absolutely incredible how you with words, camera work, and music, define this historical moment of our Nation from 3 July 1863.
Thank You!
Im from Tasmania Australia and the american civil war has always been fascinating for me,ive read numerous books about Gettysburg regarding this charge,General Lee made his biggest mistake that day,how he expected 12000 troops to succeed in open ground under artillery and musket fire is just suicidal.too all soldiers on both sides,you were all brave men in that civil war campaign, excellent documentary too,great work.ive now subscribed so i dont miss out on anything else, cheers.
That was Lee's exhibition of uncaring.
@@doncook2054 I think he cared but he became arrogant and delusional. Maybe overly confident?? Just my opinion
Gen. Lee was counting on his opening cannon barrage to soften the Union's defenses. When this failed the assault was a suicide mission. Lee gambled and lost.
The Civil War after effects are still being felt.
@@pattyconley4096 There is theory that it’s possible that Lee may have had a Stroke & I believe that may be true??? We’ll never know, unfortunately. I’m more angry with Longstreet! He should have relieved Lee of his duties! Because “Pickets Charge” made ZERO sense militarily & Longstreet knew it! Well, I guess it’s better that Longstreet (who was an excellent General, in my humble opinion) didn’t take charge of the situation, because the war would have just gone on & on & on for another year or two & I don’t know if the Northerners would have become war-wary or not? It is possible? It’s also not Possible? As it was, an entire Southern generation was killed, horribly, (for what? The rich man)?! Just horrific! There is NO POSSIBLE WAY in 2022 that we can relate to 19th Century Americana culture! It’s completely IMPOSSIBLE, regardless of your politics & or opinions about the war between the States!
History was my favorite subject in school. But, I have learned so much more from watching this series, than I did in school. You’re truly a gifted educator and historian. Thank you JD for a beyond excellent series.
I walked Pickett's Charge (from Seminary Ridge to Cemetary Ridge) with my daughter's 6th grade class about 15 years ago. It was a warm day in May. I can't imagine what it was like on July 3rd with the heat, smoke and a battle raging. Thanks for doing this entire series, JD -- it has been epic.
Men died from heat stroke just in the march to Gettysburg because there was no ready water supply. When they did have water, they drew water from steams that had had urine, feces, dead soldiers, and dead animals deposited in it. The deadliest weapon in the life of a Civil War soldier was his canteen.
@@ronbednarczyk2497 Quite True Indeed .... Dysentery was a MAJOR cause of Soldiers Deaths ,along with very UNSANITARY medical procedures and wound treatments .. ANY wound could become Lethal ..
@@Wilett614 There's a very good book titled "Learning from the Wounded, The Civil War and the Rise of American Medical Science" by Shauna Devine.
@@ronbednarczyk2497
Awesome ! I will look for that Book
And Thank You !
@@Wilett614 The author spoke at our local Civil War Round Table. Her talk was very enlightening. She's a Board Member, National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Fredrick Maryland/Washington DC.
We have been to Gettysburg 4 times. My ggg grandfather 38th Va. was wounded here and died a POW July 15th. What bravery.....
You do an outstanding job of communicating what you are experiencing which makes the viewer feel like they are right there with you.
When I look across that rolling sea of green, what see is carnage. Absolute carnage. Very sad.
I walked this as well back in 2003. Gettysburg is an fascinating place.
Ive taken that walk and from the Virginia Monument to the High Water mark. I use to live near Manassas Battlefield and have been to most Battlefields in the East
Went to gettysburg in 8th grade on a 4 day end of the year field trip.. i used to love military history and that trip really ingrained that into my passions. On the 2nd or 3rd day we went to the scene of the charge and we all ran only 50 yards of that terrain. Nasty, uneven terrain , and now i cant imagine the grisly charge that underwent that day. Amazing one-of-a-kind feeling of standing upon ground rife with such immense and potent history. One of the best trips of my life, and this video took me back. Thank you !
Now, THIS is what it’s about - to actually walk that murderous mile and experience the dread mixed with resolve the Confederates must have felt! Thank you!
Here on July 3, 2023 - 160th Anniversary of Pickett’s Charge.
Excellent presentation. I'll just add that one of the reasons the charge failed. Was that hundreds perhaps thousands of confederate troops simply refused to advance past that fence along the Emmitsburg road. They simply hunkered down along it.
Good point. Thanks.
It's hard to hold the discipline of an order when it means continuing to engage in an obviously suicidal mass slaughter. Those Confederates who stopped there are to be respected as much for doing so as those who continued forward. Neither should be faulted.
I went to Gettysburg as a cub scout many many years ago. It's one of those places that you can literally feel that something big happened there, and I felt it as a young boy and again when I went there in my early 20s. I'm planning on taking my 8 year old son there this upcoming summer. If it effects him the same as it did me, we will have a new history buff. Thank you for making these videos JD.
Running up hill that distance, on a July day, being shot at by well protected troops behind, a protected wall, with two canons firing double canister shots was the most insane event ever.
This is such a great series. It’s one thing reading about these skirmishes and watching documentaries explaining it. But showing the actual terrain and locations where these men fought has been mind blowing. Thank you for this series!
I can pnly be humble as to what those men, the courage, the belief in ones self as they knew their death may be forthcoming. RIP all those Americans at Gettysburg July 1- July 3,1863 AMEN
Another excellent video. Takes me back to May 2001 when I visited Gettysburg from Australia. Along with Omaha Beach this magnificent place affected me emotionally.
My great great grandfather was a private in the 28th Virginia. He survived Pickett's Charge and was captured at the Bloody Angle.
Wow!
I hope you can get your flag back. I am in California and in the cemetery where my son is buried we have 11 soldiers from the war. Only one is a Confederate and he was in the 28th.
I would love to go back in time and sat back on a hill top and watched it all go down..what a site to see and hear...GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
I have distant uncle who fought at Gettysburg and on July 1st was wounded. He was with Co. H, 7th Regiment, of the Wisconsin Volunteers, Captain Mark Finnicum I listing officer and Col. W. Robinson commanding Regiment.
It's amazing that the largest artillery attack in the western hemisphere basically didn't touch the Union line.
The hand of God was involved had the charge not failed the results would have been 1.
Lincoln would not have been re- elected.
McClellan would have been instead and the North would have granted the south independence....
I had the opportunity to walk Pickett’s Charge a number of years ago with an NPS expert. The fact that ANYONE survived that charge over open ground is amazing. You cannot imagine what that would have been like. You must walk that territory to begin to comprehend the horror that happened there.
Have been on this field, alone, at dusk...very much wanting 'something' to happen. The Confederate barrage that day created the loudest noise in history until the dropping of the Atomic bomb on Japan...Well done as always JD...You must have great admiration for those Confederate Soldiers who made that charge, knowing what they were going into...
Can you even imagine the sound? My gosh.
I have read that the people of Ambridge Pa, which is roughly twelve miles from the city of Pittsburgh could hear the artillery fire of that day in Gettysburg.
@@danielpurcell7395 I have heard that as well. Makes sense with the mountains.
So befitting to watch this video on the 158th Anniversary of the battle. A somber moment. Thank you for another video in the series. Happy 4th J.D.
Very good episode JD presented with up most respect to both sides, the way it should be. Regardless on personal opinions, they were all Americans
Thanks! I'm glad that the Union prevailed, but I try to offer a balanced view of both sides and respect the bravery of the individual soldier.
It is for me unbelievable about the the amount of troops available at that time. It is insane the amount of death that occurred.
JD my bearded brutha. I've spent the last week getting caught up with like 6-7 of the last videos I've been too busy to watch. I have to say, you outdid yourself with the Gettysburg series. What a cool thing to see you work with ABFT. I've been a fan of them for years.
Thank you. I really appreciate that. I didn't want to do anything on Gettysburg simply because of how well it's been covered. I didn't think I'd have much to offer, but it's been nice to see how well it's been received.
@@TheHistoryUnderground You did it justice.
@@TheHistoryUnderground I've heard that the last attack at Gettysburg was a union cavalry assault that was slaughtered ,could you do a presentation on that?
@@markzimmerman7279 - Decent chance that we have an episode down the line on that 🙂
My visit to Gettysburg in the 50s was amazing. I also went to Smithsonian in DC and visited the Iwo Jima Memorial. It's unfortunate that our history is not taught in schools today.
Both my Mom's Grandfathers were in Picketts charge. George White made over the stone wall and helped turn around the cannon.
Well done. Felt I was there during the charge. Felt some of the horror and fear of these brave men---both sides . Many thanks! As a seasoned reenactor with 22 years experience I still learned a lot .
This is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen. You did real well explaining the historic spots in this video.
Thanks! Got a lot more on this channel that you may enjoy.
When we were there, people talked in whispers and even the young children were quiet and well behaved. None were playing "soldier" and pretending to be one side or the other.
A fellow commented on the silence, the distance the soldiers had to cover over open ground, and said that while they may have been considered as the enemy at that time, but were certainly the bravest American soldiers.
He had been there many times, but the ground was to him like being in a church, and other people seemed to sense that and it certainly had that feeling. He also asked where had come from because our accents were different and warmly welcomed us. Told his wife these folks travelled all the way from Canada just to come here.
I think the sound of the barrage could be heard some 30 miles away. Can't imagine what it must have been like to have been there at the source.
That place is certainly something else. Can't wait to go back and tell more stories from there.
They removed the building on top of the hill at Gettysburg where they used to have the Panoramic Painting and the Big Room that explains the three-day battle with lights showing the Union & Rebel Forces - Camp Fire Lights at Night. That really helped explain the Battle. Looks better without the building. Thanks.
Great video! I thought I'd add a little on the artillery barrage. Since this was before smokeless powder and recoil controls on artillery, after the first volley the butts of the cannon dug into the earth, adjusting their firing angle high, and the sky in front of them turned to smoke, obscuring the view of three artillery spotters. Subsequent volleys became "Quartermaster killers", whizzing over the front lines and landing in the Union camp. (From a collection of sources, primarily Shelby Foote's tremendous history trilogy)
I was fortunate enough to tour the battlefield when I was a teenager. In late July, with a t-shirt and shorts, Pickett's charge was a long and uncomfortable walk, I can't imagine what those men went through.
Yup. I've read first-hand accounts of the charge, and after the first couple of volleys, the air was so full of smoke that the Confederate artillery couldn't even see the Union lines. I walked Pickett's Charge in July of 2008 for the 145th anniversary, and it was hot that day. I can't imagine fighting in wool uniforms during the summer like they did back then.
I walked these same grounds from the start of the Confederate advance towards the copse and couldn't imagine the sheer terror under determination to reach it.
I liked that Shelby Foote would visit Civil War sites on the same month as the battle, to give a sense of that aspect of the battle.
Excellent historical portrayal. Thank you for this vid. Keep up the great work. Well done. 👍
Thank you for doing things I can’t bless you
well thank you for posting this video. im 66 years old and have always wanted to make this trip and may still since i live in south carolina but i always wanted to make the pickets charge walk just to see what its like so thank you for posting this video. im a military historian and collector
What was Lee going thinking? That’s a huge question. Pickett and Lee’s relationship was never very sound. Pickett blamed Lee for the rest of his life. Lee’s Army limps back to Virginia but does a very good job on the Retreat. This a been a great series. I can’t get enough of Gettysburg right now.
Thank you, well done.
Great job JD I especially enjoyed seeing you with the American battlefield trust that you have been recognized by those folks is a tremendous achievement, my hat is off to you sir, I am a native Vermonter now living in Virginia I basically moved here because of my love for civil war history, if get the chance come on down and check out our battlefields, looking forward to your new video!
Thanks! I've never been to Vermont. Definitely need to get up there one day.
That is Hallowed Ground right there, those brave boys and for what they fought must always be honored! 🌺This History Lesson is good and very interesting. Also on the Fourth of July General Grant had captured Vicksburg thus “ winning “ the Great Struggle on that day, the beginning anyway of the end. The South should have surrendered then. All of them were heroes. 🌺
As a 68 year old woman with a nephew in the military, I would hate to think of him making that suicide charge. What could Pickett have said to them that whipped them into such a frenzy that that charge seemed do-able to them.
Don't know. Wish that I could've been there to see it.
Creepiest place that I have ever been: I felt the ghostly presence of the thousands........ when I was up on Little Roundtop. It was a lonely and misty morning, and there was only one other car there, and didn't see them. So, I was alone, and looking over the misty field......... in the silence, in the mist. I truly got a chill, and felt the presence, of something that was not visible. Never before, nor since have I ever felt anything like that....... in 1994.
This is very nicely done, and the sound track works. I'd listen to this guy again.
Very moving, even as an Australian. Now I have many episodes to catch up on.
I appreciate you doing that. I had two gggUncles (brothers) from Surry Co NC who fell there that day.
I feel fulfilled to find your channel. It will be a while, but my excitement to make another pilgrimage to Gettysburg is renewed because of you. I made a detour and watched your Andrew Jackson Hermitage video and that was fantastic. Thank you for your work.
I always remove my head covering whenever at a Battlefield, always.
I really loved this video. Your comments on the charge were spot on. I have stood on that spot on three different visits to Gettysburg and had much the same thoughts and feelings. Brave men gave their lives there, on both sides.
One thing that I was surprised to learn (from a park Ranger) is that after the charge a few isolated confederate dead were found slightly further up the hill in the apple orchard at the crest. These men were Pettigrew's North Carolinians. Whether these men made it over the rock wall and couldn't get back, got caught trying to gain the Union rear, or were wounded and hobbled or crawled away from the fighting is unknown. Pettigrew's NC troops were the actual "High Water Mark", not the Virginians. NC suffered more casualties at Gettysburg than any other state north or south.
What is fact is that the Confederate troops in Picket's Charge walked knowing into the Union guns and certain carnage (like both Union and Confederate troops on many other battlefields). These were brave men.
Shockingly good...thank you for doing it
funny you mentioned Borglen because as you were doing this presetation on july 3rd i was at mt rushmore on vacation any how very nice presentation really enjoyed it
Believe it or not I participated in a CW re enactment & after the battle we visited the copse of trees. When sitting there I looked down and an artillery fragment was by my foot. I left it there...the next day we went back & it was gone
Thank you for this series. I’ve been following your episodes since I came across the Omaha Beach ones and have appreciated the awesome editing and material. As a Lancaster PA resident I have been to Gettysburg many times but never feel like I can go enough… feel free to do these for all the Civil War battlefields you like!
I’ve been so busy and haven’t had time to watch your videos, I’m catching up today and you never disappoint! What a great video, I’m so glad I know a little more about pickets charge and Gettysburg. Thank you 😊
I have just about every dvd movies on the civil war and alot of documentary as well. I come from a military family and I served as well in the army.
Great video. Really enjoyed your presentation
A fantastic video, very personal, very interesting, thanks for this
It was the combination of the confederate and Union artillery barrage that made it the largest artillery barrage on homeland of the United States
Very good video JD, very good !👍
Sacrifice is the nature of war, Pickets charge, Gallipoli, Omaha beach, Iwo Jima, the Somme. In every war there are killing fields.
I just subscribed. As someone who has visited many battlefields in Europe, the UK, and Southern Africa (alas, not the US so far), I feel a certain brotherhood with you and yours. It is a tremendous thing to walk in the footsteps of history, an enthralling mission of respect and education. Important also. If we don't do it, who will? I find Gettysburg fascinating; I read somewhere that the vital, defining difference between Lee and Grant, was that Lee never learned from his mistakes in the same manner that Grant did? What do you think?
Many thanks. I think that Lee was tired and wanted to bring about a quick end to the war.
@@TheHistoryUnderground 'My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spirituous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health.' Robert E. Lee...forgive me if I rather enjoy the irony of those words. I know Grant wasn't at Gettysburg, but still. History eh? It rocks.
Great Job JD
I really enjoy watching your videos about my hometown, keep up the excellent work!
Awesome job!! Fantastic!
I read somewhere that a solider said one minute there was someone next to me the next he was vaporized. all he saw was a bloody piece of ground.
You make excellent videos. I'm a big fan. Thank you for the time and dedication. You are very gifted. I hope you can get a show on the History Channel. Keep up the amazing work.
Another excellent video, thank you!👊👊👊🙏🙏🙏
Still….we must find a way to settle our differences! Half those men didn’t make it back…..🥲🥲🥲😢😢😢😢🙏🙏🙏
Thank you!
Generals making a charge, today you’d have to email them to contact a general
Awesome content! Seen a few of these episodes and it just is fantastic. As an European, seems today like all of that fighting to unify your beautiful country was a waste. As war often is.
The country has never been truly unified. There are only really two times it came together, and both of those were temporary. Pearl Harbor and 9/11. That's really it.
This was absolutely fantastic.
69th Penn gave those grey bellies a beating, using the same techniques that the Rebs used on their Irish brothers at Fredericksburg. Despite all the cannon and musket fire, they could hear the Irish soldiers yelling "Remember Fredericksburg," sort of a coup de grâce to Pickett's men and the confederate army.
Thank you for clarifying the actual name of the charge. I have no idea how the name Pickett's Charge was ever applied.
Well done!
Two whole years after Gettysburg , you’d thought that the war would’ve been over after that defeat
Lee and his army were able to avoid capture, regroup and fight for those two years
Really enjoyed this from a Scotsman now living in Australia,I have been interested in the Civil War from a young age and have been to Gettysburg and most of the Battlefields,I always went for the Confederates due to fact they were the Scots and the Union were the English (not for any political reasons) always the underdog due to the gulf of population,material etc,but not in fighting spirit.
Every fourth of Joul We read about the battle of Gettysburg, from the great book called Glory Road, by Bruce Catton one of the very best Authors of that War and time in History, it is as though you are there!!
Great video !!
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I hope u were able to meet ranger matt atkinson at Gettysburg. He is originally from Mississippi
Feeling the souls
This can be looked up easily enough but if memory serves Johnston Pettigrew, a fascinating individual, was in command of Heth’s division and commanded this division during what is also more properly designated Longstreet’s Assault. Pettigrew was killed a few days later at Falling Waters.
Ok, I just now hear him addressing these two points but I’ll post this anyway given that I took the time to type it with my thumbs.
Good work. And great channel. One of only a half dozen or so that I subscribe to.
Mead had just been promoted by Lincoln to assume command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing Hooker. It wasn't so much as Mead outguessed Lee, as they had no choice but to turn north and follow Lee as he moved from Virginia into Maryland and Pennsylvania. The biggest credit must go to Buford, who understood that tactical importance of the grounds around Gettysburg, and delayed Lee's forces under Heth until Reynolds could arrive. It was Mead who sent Hancock on ahead when other officers had more seniority, and Hancock also recognized how important the ground was. Mead screwed up by allowing Lee to pull back across the Potomac into Virginia after the battle, when he easily could have destroyed Lee right then and there. Lincoln was furious at this missed opportunity..probably why he replaced mead with Grant.
Thanks.
Great video...i can't wait to go back to Penn
We held the High Ground!
I wonder if that's where Field Marshall Haig took his inspiration from for his WW1 Western Europe tactic's which by all accounts very similar .. to cross open fields to certain death
My wife and I visited Gettysburg some years ago. We took the taped tour available at the visors centre with our car and walked around at every stop. The size and scope of the battle was amazing. Such a monumentous event (no pun intended) and with such a deadly consequence. Jenny Wade's house, which was right next to our hotel, was particularly moving. And no, we saw no ghosts in the cellar.
We saved walking the so-called "Pickett's Charge" for the last day. We were taken by the tour instructions to Seminary Ridge at the statue of Lee. Looking across the broad, almost mile-long field, we could see the stone wall, angle, the copse of trees (with trees still at it), the whole thing with Cemetery and Culp' s Hills high on the left, and Little Round Top high on the right.
We had gone to those hills the day before, and we could see how they clearly surveyed the whole field below. Artillery up there would easily command the battle, as it did.
It looked like it would be a massacre to walk across that field with an enemy in those places firing down upon us. Well, it was.
We were surprised that the land undulated in shallow, rolling hills as we walked the almost mile across. We could see the stone wall for a moment, and then we couldn't. I suppose the U.S. Army on the ground couldn't see them when they were in such dips, either. However, up on the two hills all could be seen and anything in that field was an easy target.
Arriving at the two fences at the Emmitsburg Road there was a small gap to the left for tourists like us to walk through. However, no such gap exited on July 3, 1863, It was more than obvious that the high fences, now replicas of the originals, would seriously slow down any infantry that tried to get over them. They were within firing range of U.S. Army soldiers and artillery across the front, and, of course, always in firing range of the mased artillery on the hills to each side.
There was fast car and truck traffic on the Emmitsburg Road and we had to be careful crossing it. There was something poignant about this. This is a real thoroughfare, as it was then, right in the middle of this battlefield. Why the Commander of Artillery, Col. Edward P. Alexander, didn't order the fences to be destroyed before the "charge" (really a slow walk) is a mystery.
I was at that point that it came crashing down on us. This was a suicide mission. Even if the Confederates could attain the stone wall, which they did, in part, they would be fired upon at close range on three sides and quickly destroyed. There was no way in hell that they could succeed.
We clearly understood that Lee had seriously blundered and had foolishly sacrificed his army. 1,123 Confederates were killed on the battlefield, 4,019 were wounded, and a good number of the injured were also captured. Confederate prisoner totals are difficult to estimate from their reports; Union reports indicated that 3,750 men were captured.
We sat on the U.S. Army side for a while looking out over the whole thing and were so saddened by what had happened there. It's not a joyous place, not even a happy one even though the United States of America and millions of slaves were ultimately saved by what happened that weekend.
We didn't like the tall, imposing monuments either. A simple stone plaque buried in various places in the ground commemorating the units that fought would have been sufficient and more appropriate. Buried in the ground.
We then and have since thought about Lee' s decision to send those men into that butchers' yard. We think that he may have been indisposed in his mind that sultry weekend. No one knows. He surely could see, and with highly professional and informed eyes, that the U.S. Army held the far better ground and was essentially undefeatable as long as they held it. Even we could see that, anyone could. He was right, however. It was all his fault. His major fault in thinking began when he abandoned his country for his state that was committing an illegal, traitorous act.
Our visit was grim, but highly interesting and historically informative. I don't think we'll ever go back, however. When we are so fortunate as to have some precious time for a vacation, we like to be happy and have a damn' good time, not to visit a cemetery and a grim place of horrific, brutal death.
We think that all Americans ought to see it for themselves to really get the importance and meaning of the battle which save our country, and later, the free world.
Outstanding explanation of the battle. My Dad and I have been to Gettysburg. My ancestor George Washington Newmyer and the 28th Pennsylvania infantry fought in this battle and many more. On a side note I am also a Mason. Lewis A. Armistead was a Mason and good friend to General Hancock. I have seen the memorial of Brother helping Brother. From what I have heard there were many instances in the war when Mason's helped each other.
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That had to be the biggest blunder in military history I guess up to that point Lee was used to winning Against All Odds that was the biggest mistake in the annals of warfare. I'm literally surprised he could live with himself after that
It's not quite that cut and dry.
When he’s talking about that confederate general that was not identified. I can’t picture that their uniforms are very obvious what rank they are. The crazy thing is Lee may have won that battle if their cannons would’ve been firing the shot directly at the union lines. And not overshooting them.
So heart breaking to think Americans killing Americans in war. Such loyal men to their states and homes. May the gray and blue never be forgotten.
It should be called "Lee's Charge". Lee planned it; Lee insisted on it. Lee ordered it. Lee apologized for the loss. Lee offered to resign because of his failure.
Let’s give them the cold steel! Who’s with me come on boys!!
Awesome as usual. Thank you. I'm not trying to take away the valor of those men who made that long march (I've walked it myself), but I also want to point out to the other civil war buffs out here to check out Hood's charge into Franklin, TN. Same "up the middle" advancement, but a longer walk, larger front, more men, more casualties, but sadly, the same result as this. Franklin is often forgotten while Pickett's charge was made famous in the movie Gettysburg. Unfortunately, Franklin battlefield site is not as well preserved as Gettysburg and there are stores, buildings, roads, etc. smack down where those brave men marched into hell.
Are we ready for Round 2? Think I hear the bell.