วีดีโอ

I considered myself pretty knowledgeable on the battle long before I visited the battlefield in 2016, but it was during my visit I first learned about Iverson's Pits and it stuck with me ever since.

Of all the disasters at Gettysburg, I believe Pickett and his men are unfairly blamed for many reasons. But what happened at Oak Ridge on July 1 is absolutely the fault of Iverson, O'Neal and ultimately Rodes as their division commander.

😢it's also Ooh-stan-ah-lah and Cawn-ah-saw-gah for the rivers.

It's Re-sack-ahh. I grew up on a farm near the mouth of Snake Creek Gap. The farmhouse was there during the war and my grandmother had two shoeboxes full of found relics from plowing her garden. We boys went around eyes on the ground looking out for minie balls, money(I found an 1835 half dome and an 1842 dime), coat buttons, etc. Also arrowheads--there was an Arrowhead rock--an outcrop of flint--on the property and chips were common finds.

Great channel. Hope you get the views and subscribers you deserve.

Resaca. Rey-saca

Thanks for the video. I had two Great Grandfather's in the 51st PA. Company D. Both from Norristown PA. Uriah McCoy and Patrick Diamond.

A lot of these videos condemning Sickles actions that day overlook two key sources defending his performance at Gettysburg: 1) the vast majority of his own men in the 3rd Corps, who in the autumn of 1863 petitioned the government to restore Sickles as their commander; and 2) Confederate General Longstreet, who after the war said that Sickles' forward deployment disrupted his attack on the second day (an attack considerably larger than Pickett's Charge on the third day), which in his view cost the Confederates their best chance for victory.

I think the two big problems that plagued the Union army at Antietam and Sheperdstown was poor generalship from it's some of it's senior commanders and the general lack of preparedness of some units. McClellan, Porter, and Sykes among others could have done a better job and led their forces properly like Napoleon would have done and the infantry units needed more time to train properly along with proper equipment. As far as both battles are concerned, if those Union officers had studied Napoleon's Six Day's Campaign, they might have known what to do as it featured an all conscript army under Napoleon defeating an army of veteran regulars under an aggressive general. Lincoln was right to eventually remove McClellan from command as he was being a detriment to the Union cause.

Great presentation, thank you!

We cannot know what would have happened had Meade pursued Lee after Gettysburg. He had good reasons not to. That is all we can know.

Grant quietly went about the business of winning. His partnership with Sherman was one of the great military partnerships.

If you have read Meade at Gettysburg by Brown you understand how Meade overcame multiple obstacles to make a stand and defeat Lee. What did he have to offer? He did not fear Lee. He was determined. He had a sense of personal bravery that was extra-ordinary. In the famous painting "Grant and His Generals" Meade is second from to the right from Grant, just after Sherman. I believe that is appropriate.

Sickles disobeyed Meade's order on July 1 by coming to Gettysburg at all. Reynolds disobeyed the order not to start a general engagement, and Barlow also advanced his division beyond where he had been ordered to be, with disastrous results. Had Sickles occupied LRT, the 3rd corps would still have been spread thinner than any other Union corps that day, and the LRT flank (salient) would have been vulnerable to the same hazards as the Peach Orchard salient. LRT is a great place for infantry to fight infantry, but it's a terrible place for artillery. It's too rugged and steep. The few guns that can be positioned there can only be used for long distance fire because when muzzles are depressed any more than 10 degrees below the horizontal, the upward recoil tends to dismount them. So when Barksdale attacked them there, the artillery could only have fired over their heads. The terrain between LRT and the McGilvery line was too rocky and swampy for artillery. Even after the line had been corrected, very few guns were placed anywhere south of the McGilvery line. Without the Peach Orchard salient, Porter Alexander would have brought all of his guns to the LRT salient, Hood's insistence on going to the right would have fallen on more sympathetic ears, and every cannon shot to LRT would have sent rock shards flying like shrapnel. The McGilvery line would have been enfiladed, and probably all of Cemetery Ridge. The hypothetical LRT line has been grossly overrated. A flank attack is a probability to be expected, yet very few guns can meet a perpendicular flank attack on an LRT line. Sickles had asked Meade for help in positioning his corps 3 times. And he reported what his skirmishers found. But Meade hated Sickles and blew him off every time. Meade knew that Sickles was his least competent corps commander, yet he intentionally neglected him and his whole left flank (he didn't even know where it was), then Longstreet surprised him with his pants down (after Sickles had tried to warn him). Ultimately, the commanding general is responsible for everything. Good leaders are obeyed. An investigation was made, after which Sickles got a medal and Meade was basically sent to a desk job. We all agree that Sickles' decision wasn't good, but his only other option wasn't good either. Good leadership is what was missing.

Hero he was an idiot.

You did very good on this one. Thank you for taking the time to get the facts perfect.

OORAH

I have a relative that served in the 98th Illinois Mounted Infantry under Wilders during the Battle of Chickamauga. So thanks for the upload.

Had the 20th Maine given way, their entire brigade would have gotten rolled up like cheap carpet. The sight of thousands of Union infantry leaving the field in confusion might have caused the rest of Meade's army to also retreat. It was possible that the Union civilians would have lost heart and decided on peace. Nothing was certain of course, but the 20th Maine's defeat could have not only lost the battle, but also lost the war. People nowadays tend to think that Union victory was inevitable. I don't think they realize that it was a closer run thing.

Funny but the white unionist Southerner soldiers are rarly mentioned in the Civil War history, but at battle of Franklin the Unionist Southerner soldiers had big role in the success! Above the Kentucky and Unionist Tennessee soldiers the 44th Missouri regiment had key role in the triumph! I am very interested in the Southern Unionism before and during the Civil War in the passive and active form alike! I think the KKK and the lost cause Southern school program by the end of XIXth Century decreased this rememrance except for East Tennessee and West Virginia, where the unionism was on big territory with many people. Jones county in Mississipi and Winston county in Alabama were prounionsts from the first day of the Confederacy. West Tennessee had some counties which were prounionists and the Ozark region in Arkansas or North Georgia also know little. Who know the 1st (unionist) Alabama cavalry regiment was in Sherman's Campagn or from the about 12 000 North Carolian deserters there were about 3000 who not only deserted but they joined the USA army. My respect to the executed or killed North Georgian unionists, if I were at these North Georgian thomb I would gave my respect them! Where the tombs of the execuetd Northern Cooperheads are???????????????????????????????

Nice presentation. The Federals had a lot to learn down the road if they were to succeed. Was that a bird chirping in the background?

He worked pretty well under Grant.

Interesting video, well done. I wonder what your thoughts are about Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine...When I was young I learned of his death and posthumous promotion to General. I thought it was an amazing way to go. But now I am seeing books talk about him surviving and going on to be the Governor of Maine. Im wondering if any one else noticed it. Or if I had gone through one of those mandela effect portals...

Moronic title and stupid conclusion, it might have delayed things a week or two and that is all this video is CLICKBAIT

My great-great-great grandfather fought in this battle on the Northern side. He was serving with the 57th Illinois Infantry (Frederick Hurlbut), 3rd Brigade (Moses M. Bane), 2nd Division (Thomas W. Sweeney), XVI Corps (Grenville M. Dodge), Army of the Tennessee (James B. McPherson).

When the third attack was ordered, one Colonel informed the staff officer, " I would not order another attack if Jesus Christ himself should order it"

I enjoyed my visits to Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth. Corinth represented an interesting surprise.

The April 1862 Battle of Shilo was the costliest battle up that time. There were more casuties than all we suffered in all previous wars that our nation had. It proved that this War of Southern Rebellion was going to be a long fought contest. Confederate Commanding General Albert Sidney Johnston was shot in the back of his right leg, just above the top of his boot. It is likely that the shot that cut his femor artery was from a Confederate round. Shortly before his wounding, he sent surgan to care for a wounded Federal officer. This was a very critical battle. Grant saw it to be at Cornith. Johnston saw it near Pittsburg landing. I lost one of my ancestors in this fighting with General Prentice. He left his wife and 8 children. Sadly, he was only one of many of my ancestors to perish in this conflict. Well, God bless the soldiers of this...the Greatest Generation of the 19th century.❤

Very interesting information about Grant

This is trash. But I'm not surprised . Jackson wasn't even alive for the true downfall of the confederacy. He had been dead for 2 months by July 4th 1863. You don't deserve a channel for putting out trash like this.

Grant was a military genius. He had his staff officers near the corp commanders, at vital points along the line, simply to remind them of the strategic plan laid out by Grant. He knew they just needed reminding… battle and pressure make otherwise sound men slide off the strategic path, impeding the entire campaign. Genius

Longstreet did not move right at Gettysburg.

The Army of the Potomac wasn't inferior to western armies, that perception was because it faced R. E. Lee. Heavy casualties gave rise to accusations of butchery; Grant wasn't a "butcher" as proven by his previous exploits, it was because Lee was no pushover.

Nice to see the face of the voice although I can understand why you might use an alternate image lol!. Thanks for all you do to teach the history of the Civil War.

It has occasionally been said that Lee was not himself at Gettysburg but only two months earlier he executed his masterpiece at Chancellorsville.

Ive been a soldier all my life Ive commanded companies Ive commanded regiments Ive commanded divisions and Ive commanded more But there's no fifteen thousand men in the entire world that can make it across that field General James Longstreet

This battle was very much like First Bull Run in a way. Both were witnessed by a great many spectators. There was so much I learned about this fight. One lesson that can be learned from this is that one effective way of winning a battle among many is to be a hard hitter. Both sides fought well, but the poor quality of the Rebel ammunition and good tactical skills on the part of Winslow ultimately prevailed. It is also effective to be a master maneuverer.

1st 60th GA Company F Evans/Gordon Brigade

Well done. Thank you.

Butler was the catalyst in eradicating slavery when he decided to make African peoples that made it to Ft. Monroe (vA), contraband of war. This circumvented the fugitive slave act of Filmore.

An incompetent winning a battle. You definitely don't hear that every day. Amazing!

Man you put out a lot of content, big ups to you!

Come to think of it.. did the Confederacy have a national anthem?😊

Oh roll Alabama roll!

Thank you for telling this great unknown battle.

What a load of c..p.who wrote this load of bs,sames was a pirate,not so generous to us trawler men,but Britain was very sympathetic to a slave owning c.s.a.

There is no friggin "W" in Chickamauga!!

Great job, I really like the production layout and delivery of your videos. Keep up the good work 👍

It's nice to hear about a valiant patriot and not the damn traitors of the south.

Fantastic videos as usual mate