@@nicknic28292490 TRUE BUT HE WAS NOT THE ONLY GENERAL ESP NORTHEN GENERALS WHO SENT THERE MEN IN TO FOOLISH ATTACKS BUT PEOPLE CONSIDER THEM GOOD GENERALS
meanwhile, YOU, Blondie, spent the Civil War being a bounty hunter in New Mexico, cavorting around with Tuco and Angel Eyes. What did you do with YOUR half of the gold you took from the grave next to Arch Stanton's?
@Mark I agree. I am still shocked to this day that Sheen played the role at all. My grandfather couldn't get over the fact that it was Sheen that played Lee. Bothered him until the day he died, which was two weeks ago now. God rest his soul.
@@michaeldolch9126 Who did your grandfather should have played Lee. Robert Duvall? I really cannot think of too many actors that could do justice to Gen. Lee.
The subtle yet direct nature of Beregner's performance here is really amazing. Particularly towards the beginning of this scene where Longstreet is walking inside, the way he is clearly emotionally upset by what he is seeing yet is trying to maintain a poker face while trying not to stare at any of the wounded soldiers is something that is really on-point here.
Tom Berenger showed his master class acting performance here. He portrayed a shell shocked Longstreet who looked in every respect traumatized and regretful and at the same time heartbroken to see countless men in agony including General Hood, who were moments from death. It shows the seriousness of every commander's orders that they need to be weighted with the utmost care for the men and also for the objectives of the battle plan. He will have to live with these decisions for the rest of his life
I disagree with one small part of your comment. The commander does not need to regard in the utmost the lives of his men because of Commander who is squeamish about casualties will lose the larger battle. He will be afraid to come out of his fortifications and he will be afraid to take the initiative. The best generals in history are the ones who knew that bold action against the decisive objective must be done regardless of casualties. Because the positional effect on the enemy will be a much larger reward and a future advantage. Look at general Grant. After an attack was repulsed late in the war. He said we try a brigade today, will try a Corps tomorrow
"Didn't see much... Boys went in, hit the rocks." This is great stuff, fine acting from all involved (including the surgeons, honestly), and a fitting portrayal of a Civil War field hospital. After brutally long marches just to reach the field and then countermarching all day, to fight even as well as they did is very deserving of credit.
@@spade2187 they were traitors yes, but at the same time they are still americans. Traitorous americans, but still americans nonetheless. They shown great courage and conviction to fight in such conditions against overwhelming odds. That should never be condemned. While their cause was complete and utter shit, and they rebelled against the United States, they fought with honor, they fought with courage, and they fought as americans. While we should not celebrate their cause, nor should it be shown proudly, we should be humbled that the best opponent that this nation has ever fought....has always been other americans.
@@spade2187 "Traitors" Hard to call them "traitors" when the Union invaded first after a peaceful secession. When someone wants to leave your house and you sucker punch them after they walk out the door, who's the one really at fault?
I bet Hood was probably thinking "well this is probably the worst thing that's going to happen to me in the war." But nope, he soon lost his right leg at Chickamauga.
Nah. Hood's wounds sustained by this battle foreshadowed The End of the Confederacy. Hood knew the critical importance of this battle.. beyond Gettysburg he only did his duty.. Which was the role of a scary, aggressive southern general
Yep, not to mention when he was put in command to defend Atlanta from Sherman. Talk about an impossible situation. Heavily outgunned and out manned with a Union army that finally knew what the hell it was doing and could fight as well as the Confederates after dozens of engagements? Poor, poor Hood. It was a long and hard war for him and he ended up dying of yellow fever I think, as I recall after the war.
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” -Sun Tzu
I have always said that a good soundtrack is an uncredited member of the cast. It may not be playing as the actor does his scene but it certainly augments his performance. Gettysburg's score is no exception.
Tom Berenger's finest film role I believe. Film got me interested in Gettysburg and I read everything there was including Killer Angels. One cannot study it enough without finding new and different aspects and the many "what ifs". I'm a Northerner but I became interested in the Southern personalities, people like Armistead. They were so from a different era with their gentlemanly, almost courtly mannerisms. I have to keep the sides separate because I have such a great admiration of Longstreet for one thing which is right up there with Grant and Sherman. This way I can admire them all equally.
Agreed. I am a Northern and currently living in Nashville. The Civil War has always fascinated me. I know have lots of opportunities to learn of it living in TN.
@MrCrazychristian86, have you made it to Shiloh yet? I saw it on a high school field trip (in the mid ‘70’s). Going back for the first time since, in April, of course.
Agreed...one can only imagine the stench...those poor soldiers were counted as expendable. What a horrid tragedy, and yet, it ended up paling in comparison to what happened the next day, which was Pickett's Charge. At least 50% of the Gallant Men were killed, wounded, or missing during that Battle. It was the worst slaughter during the entire Civil War. Then again... what's so Civil about War, anyway?!?
I think the tent scene demonstrates the human toll & suffering that went on. It bring reality to the situation. Neither side was immune to this. Glad they bring this side of the story out in the movie.
They showed the Union casualty in the background getting treated. Both sides agreed in declaring surgeons non-combatants along with treating wounded whichever side. The retreat from Gettysburg for the wounded Confederates (a 17 mile long wagon train) bouncing around in springless wagons on rutted roads is a nightmare odyssey of suffering. The wounded had little or no food and water, no fresh bandages and no pain medicine. Men could be heard pleading to be taken off the bouncing wagons and left on the side of the road to die. One Pennsylvania church did take pity and a few were left there which the locals took care of.
I watched the movie years ago. Also several years back I had the opportunity to go to Brunswick, Maine. There I saw Joshua Chamberlain's grave. At the museum there, I bought the book Killer Angels. The museum had many artifacts from Chamberlain's life and time in the Civil War. Longstreet was my favorite character in Killer Angels. I really enjoyed the movie Gettysburg.
General Hood was actually 30 something at that time. But the actor. performing so nice though, looks like 50 something... Not a big deal. This movie is superb.
Biggest mistake Jefferson Davis made during the war was replacing capable Joe Johnston with Hood during the Atlanta campaign. Hood, minus an arm and a leg and plowed with laudanum to alleviate the pain destroyed the Army of Tennesse in the next few months.
The Worm Hood was a great commander as long as he wasn't the commanding General of an army. One of those guys that you just need to stay on top of and tell them what to do and they're great; if you leave them alone, well...see the Western Theater after he took command, yikes!
James DeBall - yup, it was the definitive mantra of one rising to his level of incompetence. A lot of guys were great brigade commanders, but lousy division commanders, a lot of guys were great division commanders but bad corps commanders, and of course, good corps commanders, crummy army commanders.
Joe Smith, well longstreet was the man who invented trench warfare that came to play 50 years later which could be why America stayed out most of world war 1.
Erik Drum ... just asking as I am not American ... how did Longstreet invent trench warfare? Was he at Vicksburg? Wasn't that where trench warfare began? Certainly, the trench warfare of world war 1 had its origin in your Civil War no doubt about it.
I always take the South when I play a Gettysburg game, because it's harder to win. It can be done, but even with hindsight you have to do everything just right.
Seeing the number of amputated limbs was terrifying at realizing how violent that fighting was in trying to take that hill but also the number of wounded men who appeared disoriented and deeply traumatized those men are the bravest of the brave who were in this battle you have my utmost respect to everyone who served in the civil war
American medical practices were years behind Europe at that time, European doctors knew about germs, sterilization, sanitary practices, etc. At least with European doctors, the dead by cross-infection would have been lower.
I'm always stumped by others' opinions of Sheen playing Lee. Sure, he wasn't as tall, but he plays him like a tired and ill person, trying his damndest to stay upright and mobile but at the same time was ill with Dysentary.
The only thing I can fault Sheen portrayal is he came across uncomfortable horseback riding. Lee was at one with any mount. Otherwise, he nailed the character because...wait for it ... he's a professional.
The loss of so many combined with the final insult of losing Arlington House broke Lee, he would die just 5 years after the war. I thought Sheen did a masterful job of showing Lee’s human side, of a soldier loyal to Virginia but morally conflicted.
The battle of Franklin was entirely Hood's fault. He made his men launch an impossible frontal attack out of spite (and drugs), in my opinion. I think Lee actually wrote Jeff Davis a "letter of recommendation" against promoting Hood to high command.
@@JamesDeBall IIRC Lee said that Hood "was all lion and no fox." He was a hell of a fighter, arguably Lee's best when he was under A. P. Hill, but a horrible army commander. Joel could add Atlanta to the list; all the CSA had to do was to hold off Sherman at Atlanta for 2 more months and Lincoln most likely would've lost the election.
So he just should have just retreated and retreated and retreated like Joe Johnston? Least he took a shot to win a war that was already lost by Johnston
As so many were, Hood was promoted, later, past his abilities. Outstanding division commander, but as a brigade commander, he had no equal. Deo Vindice! E Co. 1st Texas Vol. Infy. Hood's Texas Brigade, Longstreet's 1st Corp Army of Northern Virginia. At Gettysburg, Hood's division, Robertson's Brigade. Peace to their bones, honor to their memory and service.
My only issue with this scene is that it should have taken place at nighttime instead of daylight. Longstreet’s attack didn’t even kick off until about 4.00 pm and the fighting continued until after dusk. Otherwise a powerful scene with incredible acting.
Longstreet almost died. In fact, the doctors of all people were surprised that he pulled through. I didn't know anything about John Hood's injury. Thanks for the info!
The injury was caused by an overhead exploding shell; a piece of shrapnel caught his arm almost as soon as the attack began. They had to find Law to take command of the division which caused a lot of confusion in the attack. Hood was shot in the hip at Chickamauga just a few months later, leading to his leg (left IIRC) being amputated at the hip, a usual fatal injury but he survived and 10 months later would be put in command of the Army of Tennessee.
I always wondered the following: what if Lee allowed his army to pivot fully to the South and take Big Round top, with a line that formed perpendicular southeastern from Big Round Top as the extreme left flank of the southern forces. I know the argument is that Stuart would have had taken a longer amount of time to arrive, but if Lee was dead set on an engagement at Gettysburg, at least put your troops in a position of defense that also compromises the Union as they're approaching the heights from the Southeast. Cut down the trees on Big Round top and get your artillery above the federals. Essentially, instead of attacking the federals from the west and north, you make them attack you from the north and northeast.
Lee was an idiot. He thought God would help him achieve victory. Should have done what Longstreet said; get between the Army of the Potomac and Washington on "ground of our own choosing'"
I think Lee is overcome by his fear of long continous war for the confederacy. The union can replenish their man, resources, supply, & even manufactured more than the confedracy. He wants to do a blitzkrieg attack that make Washington so scare that they will do a parlay or a deal with them. Well, you know all to well. When someone oveecome by their long term fear, it could be also undoing their worst fear. Lee could avoid battle at Gettysburg & as Longstreet said to redeploy. Attacking high fortfied position is just reanimation of Fredericksburg
If you look at the big picture it doesn't matter if Lee wins Gettysburg or not. General John Pemberton will surrender the Army of Mississippi and the town of Vicksburg on the 4th of July. Lastly the garrisons of Philadelphia Baltimore and Washington were all fresh and could be cobbled together to form an army just like they did with General John Pope in 1862. I know the draft riots would take place shortly thereafter but I still don't think Lee winning at Gettysburg amounts to a hill of beans in the long run. Lincoln was about to recruit 200,000 black soldiers for the union cause.
Thing that always bothered me about this movie that strived for historical accuracy: the actor playing John Bell Hood, Patrick Gorman, was 55 when he shot this movie, the real Hood was only 32 at the time of the battle. They get Longstreet right though, he was 42 at Gettysburg and Berenger was 41.
1:30 It probably wasn't intentional on Beregner's part, but I like to think Longstreet was having flashbacks to seeing his own children die of Scarlett Fever. The way he grasps onto Hood's hand trying to offer some comfort, while also not quite knowing what to do, no doubt would have reminded Longstreet of what happened to his family months before.
so much to learn from these fantastic leaders. just because they wore a condemned uniform, doesn't mean they possessed valuable characteristics we can take after
What I am about to say, I say as a Veteran of 10 years in the USMC. I have watched the entire movie of Gettysburg, over and over, and I know one thing. The mental part of General Robert E. Lee, the Southern General in Charge of the Army of Northen Virginia. Marching into Northen states, thinking they could just have their way and do whatever they wanted. The mind of Lee was under a false sense of security, it's not hard for me to see. Yeah it's just a movie, maybe, but what really happened at this battlefield, all the high number of dead and wounded on both sides. Lee had to be utterly insane, nobody with experience and common sense would have done what Lee did. And I do mean Nobody. Of course General Meade had greater number of men to put into the fight, that's a no brainer, but Lee's army marching around without shoes, barefoot, low food, and his entire situation coming into PA. There's no way they were going any more North and were met with a large Army in blue. The Federals came to fight, and that's what happened. And do not get me started about the charge on July 3rd of 1863. That was a waste of over 12,500 good men in open country side. The whole battle was a TOTAL WASTE OF YOUNG MEN IN MY EYES. I wish the Civil War had never happened, I took my wife in August 2019 to the battlefield, and it left a major impression on me. And it's still there, and never left. I can't get over how big and open the battlefield is. It's eye opening and then some. I hope everybody gets a chance to see Gettysburg, PA. You won't regret going there, I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM THE HEART. Dan Phipps of Lafayette, Indiana.
So true. I think Lee was supremely confident, to the point of arrogance. He had defeated every Union general he'd faced, and his army had defeated the federal army time after time. He simply couldn't see any other outcome, even though he certainly knew the odds were against them. Longstreet understood the need for a defensive campaign, and had he been listened to, the outcome of the battle (and the war) may have been different.
The North had more men, more manufacture and more everything to work with. They wore the South down, this was the only way they could win. But the South did not think this could happen. But it did. @@marknelson2846
Hood was most likely wounded by a shell from Smith's battery that was posted just to the northeast of the triangular field. He was probably riding to the right of his lead brigades to get a better view of what they were moving towards. Smith's battery of four guns had 3" inch ordnance rifles, which had the range to fire that far out across the path of Law's and Benning's brigades as they advanced.
As a trivia for those so inclined (like me): John Hood didnt lose his arm but his arm was rendered all but useless. He carried it in a sling for the rest of his life. As an added irony. Longstreet himself was injured in the Battle of the Wilderness (by his own men) and he was hit in the arm and neck. His right arm was also more or less paralized though he apparently regained some function after several years. He also started to write fairly decent with his left hand. /End lecture :)
I enjoy "lectures" from people who know what they're talking about. It's those that not only don't know what they're talking about but are completely wrong in their facts that are irritating as hell.
Its rarely mentioned but General Hood here lead a charge into Franklin, Tennessee that was more deadly than Pickets Charge. Of all people he should have known better. He had the Army of Tennessee slaughtered.
Very true, but he was also heavily medicated due to all of his serious battle injuries which seriously effected his judgement. Jeff Davis appointed him due to his tenacity in battle to command the Army of Tennessee.
With the shot at 0:10, is that a cart full of amputated limbs with one of the surgeons dumping another bucketful on top? If so, that’s truly terrifying.
It's interesting how many people know what they know about Gettysburg from watching this movie, a work of historical fiction that dramatizes events for entertainment value. "You should have gone to the right. . ." Had Hood gone around the Round Tops, he would have found himself in a cul-de-sac with the Round Tops on his left flank and Rock Creek on his right flank with the Union V Corps in a blocking position at Power's Hill. Hood would not have room to deploy more than two brigade front and would have no artillery as he had none for his assault on Devil's Den. The Union VI Corps was arriving on the Baltimore Pike, perfectly positioned to hit Hood's right flank. Every armchair general repeats the same mantra about Lee should have listened to Longstreet and gone around the right. Hood's Division would never have come back if it went to the right.
Thank you very much, and I totally agree. I also oppose the argument that if Lee had moved south they could've taken Washington or at the least won the battle, without realizing that during the retreat the ANV wagon train covered some 40 miles of roadway, which would've been easy pickings for even a halfway decent general to have attacked.
@@indy_go_blue6048 Even if Lee moved south where would he have gone, he was on the exterior line to DC, Meade had the interior lines. Moving south the only position is at Frederick, where Lee could hold a line west of the Monocacy River. Meade would still be in a blocking position on the east side and wouldn't have to attack, he could just wait Lee out as he would have had to wagon in supplies from Berryville, 30 miles away in the Valley. There is no magic position Lee could get to in order to interpose between Meade and DC and compel him to attack. Lee would have had to move that train back through Chambersburg or Fairfield to keep it safe. All one has to do is study a map to see how either a tactical turning movement or a strategic one were impractical. Lee was a good enough general to know that.
This is the actual place that this scene and hospital were located along with most other scenes in this film. Good yet ghastly representation with the wagon of limbs. In truth the limbs were in the middle of the barn, piled, next to where it landed.
If you go down Station Pumping Road past the road for Sacs Bridge you can see the Red Barn. I've had the rare honor of standing inside it, incidentally while registering for the Gettysburg reenactment.
Longstreet first saw the high casualties this battle will bring. He saw it all before Lee did. Lee as he did thought the Army of Northern Virginia was invincible
Two of my Confederate ancestors who were in the 20th Georgia lnfantry Bennings brigade fought at the Devils Den July 2 1863 near Gettysburg A sad and a terrible day for both sides 😢
You can tell by how somber Longstreet looks that he has a pretty good idea by this time that the battle, and probably the war is essentially lost. He battered Meade's left flank pretty severely on Day 2, but the attacks did not accomplish enough as the Federals still held the heights, and the whole Union Army was present now. And he lost to many men even accomplishing what he did. I think he knows its over here, that even with Pickett's fresh division there will be no feasible way to dislodge Meade on Day 3. On the morning of July 2nd I think the battle was still winnable for the Confederates but Longstreet's attack started to late and that's what doomed them. It was probably as damaging if not more so than Ewell's failure to take Culp's Hill on day 1.
The real thing that prevented Longstreet form taking the heights and breaking the Federal Line was General Dan Sickles who against orders moved his corps out into the Peach Orchard. Longstreet's assault then has to get though him first and could not bring its full strength to bare against the main target. Sickles corps was all but destroyed but their sacrifice saved the Union Army from Disaster. It is ultimately Lee's fault for seeing the changed Battlefield but refusing to change Longstreet's original orders.
Longstreet's thoughts on defensive warfare were ahead of his time. The South could have won this battle, but Lee's strategy failed. Some say he was not in his usual state of mind (sick), others that he began to believe his army was invincible. Regardless, he was the most beloved general in US history.
Murphy82nd I think Lee was sick and tired of war. his speech to longstreet about the empty chair proved it. Lee was thinking about the cost in human lives.
I’m there today. Been to the battlefield many times. Anyone who has been to Little Round Top and looked down on Devils Den would see what a fools errand it was to attack from there. Flanking or taking Big Round Top would’ve been more respectful of “the boys”
Didn't the extended scenes version show the fighting in Devil's Den? Well some of it at least. I know there was only so much they could film, but they really did not do the 2nd day's fierceness justice, but this is still an incredible look at the history of it all.
He did a fine enough job with the part, but Patrick Gorman, the actor playing Hood, was far too old because at the time the real Hood was only barely 32. By the time he reached the apparent age of the actor playing him Hood was dead! And, just in case anyone is wondering, Hood did keep the arm, but it was basically useless for the rest of his life. Even worse, he later went on to lose a leg. He also did a terrible job when given command of the confederate army facing Sherman at Atlanta and was, in a sense, a prime factor in the North's victory there and thus Lincoln's reelection in 1864. He subsequently went on to effectively destroy his entire force when he ordered it into hopeless charges against the Federals at the Battle of Franklin and then right after into another lost battle at Nashville. Hood was the sort of guy who was a fine battalion or division commander, but in the end he was promoted above his level of competence and the South paid dearly as a result.
I remember how Sam Watkins wrote in his memoirs how devastated he and his fellow soldiers felt when they found out their beloved commander Joe Johnston was replaced with Hood. Watkins as a hardened veteran knew the bad omens of Hood being in command and basically felt it was a death sentence. Johnston on the other hand had skillfully kept his army together in front a far superior force waiting for Sherman to make a mistake. (Sherman's battlefield performance is questionable at best.) Unfortunately the blow to Sherman did happen at Bentonville in what turned out to be a fairly useless battle as the surrender happened shortly afterward. Had that type of surprise attack happened in front of Atlanta the re-election of Lincoln might have not happened. A very tragic tale is the life of John Bell Hood.
In a book I read apparently it was very common for someone to be an excellent battalion/brigade/division commander but overwhelmed when given command of an army. Both Union and Confederate armies had issues with this when promoting their lower rank commanders.
Ranillon I believe after one battle late in the war - might even be the one you are talking about - bitter confederate soldiers in retreat sang to the tune of the yellow rose of texas: ' ... you can talk about your beauregard and sing of general lee, but the gallant hood of texas played hell in tennesee ...' Achragonrider Videos .... didn't general forrest found the kukluxklan???
This movie is a great example of why we should honor the sacrifice of the individual men of the Confederacy but that the Confederacy was also a terrible country led by rich plantation owners who started a war so they could keep men and women in chains.
Longstreet later said the fighting his corps did on July 2nd was some of the best by either side of the entire war. I have to agree.. If Longstreet had Pickett on July 2nd. The battle would’ve very easily been over. Would the war have ended? No. But the battle of Gettysburg would have. If you haven’t look at the Gettysburg battle walls with Matt Atkinson. Longstreets attack on July 2nd was very well planned.
@mattpunkd There are more roads and buildings all around the Luthern Theological Seminary that Buford stands atop of early on in the movie, so I do not think that was the issue. The movie itself is already 3 hours long, you have to cut stuff somewhere.
I have smelled what meat barrels smell like many times after the meat has been sitting for several days and when they are empty you can smell the meat juices left behind is smells like death. That's what they more than likely smelt like.
@@ForgottenHonor0, nope. Going to the right means sending the entire attack into a dense forest, without any roads to resupply ammunition, all to gain a position without ability to hit the Union Army. No artillery support (not that you could get the guns there anyway or any ammunition), no way to coordinate attacks, easy defensive positions for the enemy. Plus, that would completely divide Lee's forces from one another, raising the specter of a defeat in detail. And if you don't mean 'go to the right' in a tactical sense...but a strategic one...that would mean attempting to redeploy Ewell's forces along with Longstreet's forces...raising the specter of a Salamanca style defeat. It was never a feasible idea...and it wasn't even proposed until DECADES after the war. Besides, it all hinges on a complete misunderstanding of Lee and Longstreet's intentions on the day. Longstreet was ordered to attack the Union left, orienting his attack against the southern end of CEMETERY RIDGE. He was to crush the Union left wing (believed to be north of the Round Tops...actually forward deployed towards the Peach Orchards) by attacking NORTH by EAST up the Emmitsburg Road. The Union messed with this plan while it was in operation by placing guns on the Little Round Top...allowing the Union to take the main CSA advance (NORTH OF THE TOP) under flanking fire. This then NECESSITATED the taking of the hill, NOT to outflank the Union line...but to stop the guns from hitting the main attack. Because the weak point of the Union Line was the swale between Cemetery Ridge and the Little Round Top. Poorly defended, with easy access by road for supply...with clear terrain and lanes of fire for artillery support of the attack. Longstreet nearly succeeded...but reinforcements arrived in time.
Even though this is a movie, how many people watching this scene really believe there was no screaming from the injured in real life? According to this scene, virtually no one acted like they were in pain except for a moan or two. If the makers of this film really knew, this would have been a totally different scene, one that would have haunted viewers for years.
war ages people. I served for 15 years before medical retirement, cannot believe the grey in my hear and beard. But this could be something they overlooked
I'm certain there was alittle Hollywood liberty taken in regards to his age. A early 30's Hood would not give the appearance of a man that knows this way around the battlefield. When most people think of commanding generals they think of an older guy with a furrowed brow and eyes that could tell a story. Therefore an older actor fit the bill as far as they were concerned. 95% of the people that watched the movie had no idea of the true age of Hood at the time of the battle. Enjoy it for what it is.
So sad.The Texas 1st 4th and 5th division fought at devils den...they were torn up to badly to partake in pickets charge.....I am from Texas and have family members who fought at Gettysberg...man they put a hurtin on us..but we gave them yanks hell..
Me and my wife are also from texas. We went to Gettysburg and to the Antietam battlefields to pay our respects to all who fell and payed our respects to the fallen texas soldiers on both sites. We left texas flags on both monuments.
The stories behind the lack of medical knowledge of this era are heartbreaking. Medical procedures thought to help actually made things worse and the lack of proper sanitation, rather ignorance of it, led to even more unnecessary deaths.
It’s ironic that the U.S. traded and then tortured slaves from 2002 to 2004 as terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. The U.N. has cited the U.S. as the only western nation to officially trade slaves in this century. They were children who were slaves in factories in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the U.S. bought them as terrorists, no questions asked. The youngest was 5, the oldest was 17. They had absolutely no connection to terrorism whatsoever but the U.S. tortured them anyway. It was just another example of how the war on terror went awry.
JB Hood had a reputation before Gettysburg as a smart, savvy hard charger, constantly surprising many of his peers with insights that better educated and cultured men missed [Hood was a Texan and was not as polished as the Virginians and Carolinians he served with]. But the casualties and his wounds at Devil's Den broke him, mentally and spiritually. This is not to be wondered at, given the expectations of society at the time. And still the Confederate War Department put this poor man in command of another Corps that he was physically and mentally ill-prepared to take on. He simply no longer had the strength. Hood is often made the scapegoat for Atlanta and Franklin, but it's cruel to put such burdens on a man who'd already given so much. And I say all this as a Federal reenactor... Both armies in the Civil War were chock full of egotistical fools, political appointees who couldn't find their ass with either hand, and other such baggage. John Bell Hood was not one of them.
I really wish they would produce a non sanitized version of this movie. This hospital scene in reality would have been more gruesome than audiences can handle. Gore,and screaming all over. Would do a lot to dispel romantic notions of war and the Civil War.
Frederik yep. They would hack limbs off. the doctors killed more soldiers than the enemy did thanks to the lack of medical procedures, teaching, and supplies. after the civil war, the American Red Cross was formed.
Erik- While this is true, another aspect to this was the brutal damage done by the minnie ball. When hit, these lead bullets wouldn't break bones, but completely shatter them. Amputation was more times than not the only solution, as the bones would never heal properly and infection would set in. I once saw an interview with a medical professional who said even with todays technology and advanced medicine, amputation would still be a primary solution to the damage caused by these bullets.
And this is what the BLM and their aillies want to erase we can debate slavery all day long if they want to discuss the entire truth about slavery,but the facts just get in their way,and civil debate is not in their bag of tricks.To even make the suggestion that honorable men fought for the Confederacy is grounds for brown shirt treatment,and to talk about the Blacks that fought for the south well that is good enough a beat down.no my friend it's time we stand out ground and say enough is enough,the slient majority can no longer afford to be slient.
“Gotta give my boys credit” a true leader right there.
Until he showed his ass at the Battle of Franklin we he intentionally had thousands of his troops slaughtered because he was mad at them
@@lawrencedockery9032 I guessing after losing an arm he was more reckless than ever.
A true leader would never have led his boys into that battle to begin with.
@@nicknic28292490 TRUE BUT HE WAS NOT THE ONLY GENERAL ESP NORTHEN GENERALS WHO SENT THERE MEN IN TO FOOLISH ATTACKS BUT PEOPLE CONSIDER THEM GOOD GENERALS
@@lawrencedockery9032Hood was an excellent brigade and division commander, not so much as a corps commander.
Actor Tom Beringer is a Civil War buff himself. Did a lot of research playing Longstreet as the General questioning his commanders orders.
meanwhile, YOU, Blondie, spent the Civil War being a bounty hunter in New Mexico, cavorting around with Tuco and Angel Eyes. What did you do with YOUR half of the gold you took from the grave next to Arch Stanton's?
@Joe Smith - Wow. However, I can see that.
Gore is not a substitute for a good story or historical accuracy or historical drama.
@Mark I agree. I am still shocked to this day that Sheen played the role at all. My grandfather couldn't get over the fact that it was Sheen that played Lee. Bothered him until the day he died, which was two weeks ago now. God rest his soul.
@@michaeldolch9126 Who did your grandfather should have played Lee. Robert Duvall? I really cannot think of too many actors that could do justice to Gen. Lee.
The subtle yet direct nature of Beregner's performance here is really amazing. Particularly towards the beginning of this scene where Longstreet is walking inside, the way he is clearly emotionally upset by what he is seeing yet is trying to maintain a poker face while trying not to stare at any of the wounded soldiers is something that is really on-point here.
Tom Berenger showed his master class acting performance here. He portrayed a shell shocked Longstreet who looked in every respect traumatized and regretful and at the same time heartbroken to see countless men in agony including General Hood, who were moments from death.
It shows the seriousness of every commander's orders that they need to be weighted with the utmost care for the men and also for the objectives of the battle plan. He will have to live with these decisions for the rest of his life
I disagree with one small part of your comment. The commander does not need to regard in the utmost the lives of his men because of Commander who is squeamish about casualties will lose the larger battle. He will be afraid to come out of his fortifications and he will be afraid to take the initiative. The best generals in history are the ones who knew that bold action against the decisive objective must be done regardless of casualties. Because the positional effect on the enemy will be a much larger reward and a future advantage. Look at general Grant. After an attack was repulsed late in the war. He said we try a brigade today, will try a Corps tomorrow
"Didn't see much... Boys went in, hit the rocks." This is great stuff, fine acting from all involved (including the surgeons, honestly), and a fitting portrayal of a Civil War field hospital. After brutally long marches just to reach the field and then countermarching all day, to fight even as well as they did is very deserving of credit.
They were traitors
@@spade2187 they were traitors yes, but at the same time they are still americans. Traitorous americans, but still americans nonetheless. They shown great courage and conviction to fight in such conditions against overwhelming odds. That should never be condemned. While their cause was complete and utter shit, and they rebelled against the United States, they fought with honor, they fought with courage, and they fought as americans. While we should not celebrate their cause, nor should it be shown proudly, we should be humbled that the best opponent that this nation has ever fought....has always been other americans.
@@spade2187 "Traitors" Hard to call them "traitors" when the Union invaded first after a peaceful secession. When someone wants to leave your house and you sucker punch them after they walk out the door, who's the one really at fault?
Peaceful succession? What about fort Sumter? Was the union just supposed to abandon their base?😂
@@shadowywarrior Knock it off with the traitor shit that you have learned from revisionist history form you neo-Bolshevik teachers.
I bet Hood was probably thinking "well this is probably the worst thing that's going to happen to me in the war." But nope, he soon lost his right leg at Chickamauga.
TheStapleGunKid dam ...what was left of him after it was all over
Nah. Hood's wounds sustained by this battle foreshadowed The End of the Confederacy. Hood knew the critical importance of this battle.. beyond Gettysburg he only did his duty.. Which was the role of a scary, aggressive southern general
From whati understand he spent most of the rest of life in pain on things like program for pain relief yikes.
Logdam
Yep, not to mention when he was put in command to defend Atlanta from Sherman. Talk about an impossible situation. Heavily outgunned and out manned with a Union army that finally knew what the hell it was doing and could fight as well as the Confederates after dozens of engagements? Poor, poor Hood. It was a long and hard war for him and he ended up dying of yellow fever I think, as I recall after the war.
Whenever a military leader says "my boys"
Brave blue boys for you
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”
-Sun Tzu
War is old men talking and young men dying
Kyle W. John bell hood was only 32 at the time of Gettysburg and Longstreet was about 40 so not so old.
True, best commander I had would call us "my men" or "my boys" very generic and cheesy but when you're part of that it hits sooooo much different.
Okay, but can we talk about this movies soundtrack? Wow
AWESOME.
I have always said that a good soundtrack is an uncredited member of the cast. It may not be playing as the actor does his scene but it certainly augments his performance. Gettysburg's score is no exception.
Tom Berenger's finest film role I believe. Film got me interested in Gettysburg and I read everything there was including Killer Angels. One cannot study it enough without finding new and different aspects and the many "what ifs". I'm a Northerner but I became interested in the Southern personalities, people like Armistead. They were so from a different era with their gentlemanly, almost courtly mannerisms. I have to keep the sides separate because I have such a great admiration of Longstreet for one thing which is right up there with Grant and Sherman. This way I can admire them all equally.
I agree. This was a great performance by Tom Berenger.
Agreed. I am a Northern and currently living in Nashville. The Civil War has always fascinated me. I know have lots of opportunities to learn of it living in TN.
Longstreet was US Grant's best man at his wedding to Julia Dent in S. Louis.... definitely one of the oddities of American history.
Platoon was his best role.
@MrCrazychristian86, have you made it to Shiloh yet? I saw it on a high school field trip (in the mid ‘70’s). Going back for the first time since, in April, of course.
That field hospital must've smelt God awful in that July heat.
Agreed...one can only imagine the stench...those poor soldiers were counted as expendable. What a horrid tragedy, and yet, it ended up paling in comparison to what happened the next day, which was Pickett's Charge. At least 50% of the Gallant Men were killed, wounded, or missing during that Battle. It was the worst slaughter during the entire Civil War. Then again... what's so Civil about War, anyway?!?
No one asked
@@Blackkey034 No one asked you to reply, yet here you are.
@@Blackkey034 who the fuck are you? lol
yummy
My friend Kurt was in this scene. He was a reenactor who had lost a leg to a drunk driver.
Wow!
Drunk wagon driver? Sorry
Good to hear that a person overcame a drunk driving conviction to become an orthopedic surgeon that does amputations.
I think the tent scene demonstrates the human toll & suffering that went on. It bring reality to the situation. Neither side was immune to this. Glad they bring this side of the story out in the movie.
They showed the Union casualty in the background getting treated. Both sides agreed in declaring surgeons non-combatants along with treating wounded whichever side. The retreat from Gettysburg for the wounded Confederates (a 17 mile long wagon train) bouncing around in springless wagons on rutted roads is a nightmare odyssey of suffering. The wounded had little or no food and water, no fresh bandages and no pain medicine. Men could be heard pleading to be taken off the bouncing wagons and left on the side of the road to die. One Pennsylvania church did take pity and a few were left there which the locals took care of.
@@tomservo5347 Some of them were left on the side of the road and captured by the Union.
I watched the movie years ago. Also several years back I had the opportunity to go to Brunswick, Maine. There I saw Joshua Chamberlain's grave. At the museum there, I bought the book Killer Angels. The museum had many artifacts from Chamberlain's life and time in the Civil War. Longstreet was my favorite character in Killer Angels. I really enjoyed the movie Gettysburg.
General Hood was actually 30 something at that time. But the actor. performing so nice though, looks like 50 something... Not a big deal. This movie is superb.
Biggest mistake Jefferson Davis made during the war was replacing capable Joe Johnston with Hood during the Atlanta campaign. Hood, minus an arm and a leg and plowed with laudanum to alleviate the pain destroyed the Army of Tennesse in the next few months.
Yes. Great Division and good Corps commander. Bad Army commander.
The Worm
Hood was a great commander as long as he wasn't the commanding General of an army. One of those guys that you just need to stay on top of and tell them what to do and they're great; if you leave them alone, well...see the Western Theater after he took command, yikes!
James DeBall - yup, it was the definitive mantra of one rising to his level of incompetence. A lot of guys were great brigade commanders, but lousy division commanders, a lot of guys were great division commanders but bad corps commanders, and of course, good corps commanders, crummy army commanders.
Joe Hooker is perfect example of a good
corps commander being a poor army commander.
This scene is a great example of how the Civil War conflict unfolded in it's later years. Longstreet knew it was a desperate fight.
Joe Smith, well longstreet was the man who invented trench warfare that came to play 50 years later which could be why America stayed out most of world war 1.
Erik Drum ... just asking as I am not American ... how did Longstreet invent trench warfare? Was he at Vicksburg? Wasn't that where trench warfare began? Certainly, the trench warfare of world war 1 had its origin in your Civil War no doubt about it.
@@Bernie8330 Justus Scheibert studied the civil war. His writings became a source for Prussian/German military strategy . Including WW1!
There was trench warfare in the American Revolution.......
@@jbo4547 there was trench warfare...in the ancient Roman times..... Julius Caesar's army was well known for digging and field fortification
I always take the South when I play a Gettysburg game, because it's harder to win. It can be done, but even with hindsight you have to do everything just right.
Seeing the number of amputated limbs was terrifying at realizing how violent that fighting was in trying to take that hill but also the number of wounded men who appeared disoriented and deeply traumatized those men are the bravest of the brave who were in this battle you have my utmost respect to everyone who served in the civil war
"I'd rather spend an hour under artillery bombardment than 5 minutes at the field hospital."-Napoleonic officer.
It’s a fact that 1 in 3 casualties that were treated at a field hospital succumbed to their wounds due to infection.
The way those men suffered from battle in pain was very heartbreaking. The pain was unimaginable. They didn't have the medical knowledge we do today
the confederates at least deserved it
It is a shame yes. Although it might have helped if their battle tactics had advanced along with the weaponry.
@@analtubegut66
Yes because that's why we study history. To determine who deserves to suffer. :P
American medical practices were years behind Europe at that time, European doctors knew about germs, sterilization, sanitary practices, etc.
At least with European doctors, the dead by cross-infection would have been lower.
@@chuchulainn9275 fighting to preserve the institution of slavery is worthy of suffering as punishment. god will judge you for believing otherwise
General Longstreet: You dont go to sleep on no fucking ambush!
General Hood: whaaat?
Lol
The next son of a Virginian I catch coppin zs in the battlefield, I'm gonna take an interest in seeing them suffer
I spit you not
General Longstreet: TAKE THE PAIN!!!!!!
General Hood: should have gone around the right.......
@seeker2482 Longstreet: General Hood if I see you spraying skeeter repellant on your feet I'm gonna court martial your ni**r a**
The soundtrack to this great movie was epic.
When you consider the great service people we have today it's not hard to see their roots in men like this on both sides
I'm always stumped by others' opinions of Sheen playing Lee. Sure, he wasn't as tall, but he plays him like a tired and ill person, trying his damndest to stay upright and mobile but at the same time was ill with Dysentary.
and heart disease
The only thing I can fault Sheen portrayal is he came across uncomfortable horseback riding. Lee was at one with any mount. Otherwise, he nailed the character because...wait for it ... he's a professional.
The loss of so many combined with the final insult of losing Arlington House broke Lee, he would die just 5 years after the war.
I thought Sheen did a masterful job of showing Lee’s human side, of a soldier loyal to Virginia but morally conflicted.
Hood promptly proceeds to wreck the Army of the Tennessee with the same tactics that cost him his arm.
Yea, Hood had one of the highest casualty rate of any general of the Civil War.
Gen. John B Hood was 32 years old at Gettysburg.
Hood went on to destroy the army of Tennessee at Franklin and Nashville.
You would think Gettysburg would have taught him a lesson about making frontal attacks on well entrenched positions.
dude .... it wasn't even his decision to make .... and he protested it but what u gonna do, disobey and defect .... ?
The battle of Franklin was entirely Hood's fault. He made his men launch an impossible frontal attack out of spite (and drugs), in my opinion. I think Lee actually wrote Jeff Davis a "letter of recommendation" against promoting Hood to high command.
@@JamesDeBall IIRC Lee said that Hood "was all lion and no fox." He was a hell of a fighter, arguably Lee's best when he was under A. P. Hill, but a horrible army commander. Joel could add Atlanta to the list; all the CSA had to do was to hold off Sherman at Atlanta for 2 more months and Lincoln most likely would've lost the election.
So he just should have just retreated and retreated and retreated like Joe Johnston? Least he took a shot to win a war that was already lost by Johnston
Berenger and Daniels should have both be nominated for oscars for this...
As so many were, Hood was promoted, later, past his abilities. Outstanding division commander, but as a brigade commander, he had no equal.
Deo Vindice!
E Co. 1st Texas Vol. Infy.
Hood's Texas Brigade, Longstreet's 1st Corp
Army of Northern Virginia.
At Gettysburg, Hood's division, Robertson's Brigade.
Peace to their bones, honor to their memory and service.
My only issue with this scene is that it should have taken place at nighttime instead of daylight. Longstreet’s attack didn’t even kick off until about 4.00 pm and the fighting continued until after dusk. Otherwise a powerful scene with incredible acting.
I dont know It was july Long days but your probably right. To be honest the scene might not have even happened
"I'll wait for Pickett as long as I can" - the battle on clups hill / spangler farm was at night. This was portrayed in the afternoon.
Longstreet almost died. In fact, the doctors of all people were surprised that he pulled through. I didn't know anything about John Hood's injury. Thanks for the info!
*Hood
The injury was caused by an overhead exploding shell; a piece of shrapnel caught his arm almost as soon as the attack began. They had to find Law to take command of the division which caused a lot of confusion in the attack. Hood was shot in the hip at Chickamauga just a few months later, leading to his leg (left IIRC) being amputated at the hip, a usual fatal injury but he survived and 10 months later would be put in command of the Army of Tennessee.
I always wondered the following: what if Lee allowed his army to pivot fully to the South and take Big Round top, with a line that formed perpendicular southeastern from Big Round Top as the extreme left flank of the southern forces. I know the argument is that Stuart would have had taken a longer amount of time to arrive, but if Lee was dead set on an engagement at Gettysburg, at least put your troops in a position of defense that also compromises the Union as they're approaching the heights from the Southeast. Cut down the trees on Big Round top and get your artillery above the federals. Essentially, instead of attacking the federals from the west and north, you make them attack you from the north and northeast.
Lee was an idiot. He thought God would help him achieve victory. Should have done what Longstreet said; get between the Army of the Potomac and Washington on "ground of our own choosing'"
I think Lee is overcome by his fear of long continous war for the confederacy. The union can replenish their man, resources, supply, & even manufactured more than the confedracy.
He wants to do a blitzkrieg attack that make Washington so scare that they will do a parlay or a deal with them.
Well, you know all to well. When someone oveecome by their long term fear, it could be also undoing their worst fear.
Lee could avoid battle at Gettysburg & as Longstreet said to redeploy. Attacking high fortfied position is just reanimation of Fredericksburg
This is precisely what Jackson would have done had he been there!
If you look at the big picture it doesn't matter if Lee wins Gettysburg or not. General John Pemberton will surrender the Army of Mississippi and the town of Vicksburg on the 4th of July. Lastly the garrisons of Philadelphia Baltimore and Washington were all fresh and could be cobbled together to form an army just like they did with General John Pope in 1862. I know the draft riots would take place shortly thereafter but I still don't think Lee winning at Gettysburg amounts to a hill of beans in the long run. Lincoln was about to recruit 200,000 black soldiers for the union cause.
“It is well that war is so terrible,” Robert E. Lee said as he watched. “We should grow too fond of it.”
Thing that always bothered me about this movie that strived for historical accuracy: the actor playing John Bell Hood, Patrick Gorman, was 55 when he shot this movie, the real Hood was only 32 at the time of the battle. They get Longstreet right though, he was 42 at Gettysburg and Berenger was 41.
1:30
It probably wasn't intentional on Beregner's part, but I like to think Longstreet was having flashbacks to seeing his own children die of Scarlett Fever. The way he grasps onto Hood's hand trying to offer some comfort, while also not quite knowing what to do, no doubt would have reminded Longstreet of what happened to his family months before.
so much to learn from these fantastic leaders. just because they wore a condemned uniform, doesn't mean they possessed valuable characteristics we can take after
They should have called this movie GETTYS-BEARD
What I am about to say, I say as a Veteran of 10 years in the USMC. I have watched the entire movie of Gettysburg, over and over, and I know one thing. The mental part of General Robert E. Lee, the Southern General in Charge of the Army of Northen Virginia. Marching into Northen states, thinking they could just have their way and do whatever they wanted. The mind of Lee was under a false sense of security, it's not hard for me to see. Yeah it's just a movie, maybe, but what really happened at this battlefield, all the high number of dead and wounded on both sides. Lee had to be utterly insane, nobody with experience and common sense would have done what Lee did. And I do mean Nobody. Of course General Meade had greater number of men to put into the fight, that's a no brainer, but Lee's army marching around without shoes, barefoot, low food, and his entire situation coming into PA. There's no way they were going any more North and were met with a large Army in blue. The Federals came to fight, and that's what happened. And do not get me started about the charge on July 3rd of 1863. That was a waste of over 12,500 good men in open country side. The whole battle was a TOTAL WASTE OF YOUNG MEN IN MY EYES. I wish the Civil War had never happened, I took my wife in August 2019 to the battlefield, and it left a major impression on me. And it's still there, and never left. I can't get over how big and open the battlefield is. It's eye opening and then some. I hope everybody gets a chance to see Gettysburg, PA. You won't regret going there, I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM THE HEART. Dan Phipps of Lafayette, Indiana.
So true. I think Lee was supremely confident, to the point of arrogance. He had defeated every Union general he'd faced, and his army had defeated the federal army time after time. He simply couldn't see any other outcome, even though he certainly knew the odds were against them. Longstreet understood the need for a defensive campaign, and had he been listened to, the outcome of the battle (and the war) may have been different.
The North had more men, more manufacture and more everything to work with. They wore the South down, this was the only way they could win. But the South did not think this could happen. But it did. @@marknelson2846
AMEN!!!
Semper Fi Marine ... I totally agree.
In his defense I think Lee probably had diarrhea
Hood was most likely wounded by a shell from Smith's battery that was posted just to the northeast of the triangular field. He was probably riding to the right of his lead brigades to get a better view of what they were moving towards. Smith's battery of four guns had 3" inch ordnance rifles, which had the range to fire that far out across the path of Law's and Benning's brigades as they advanced.
As a trivia for those so inclined (like me): John Hood didnt lose his arm but his arm was rendered all but useless. He carried it in a sling for the rest of his life.
As an added irony. Longstreet himself was injured in the Battle of the Wilderness (by his own men) and he was hit in the arm and neck. His right arm was also more or less paralized though he apparently regained some function after several years. He also started to write fairly decent with his left hand.
/End lecture :)
Fredrik Häll and John Bell Hood was 32, not 58.
Thank you. I very much enjoyed your lecture. :)
I enjoy "lectures" from people who know what they're talking about. It's those that not only don't know what they're talking about but are completely wrong in their facts that are irritating as hell.
'Devil's Den', indeed...and boy, did they pay him that day.
Its rarely mentioned but General Hood here lead a charge into Franklin, Tennessee that was more deadly than Pickets Charge. Of all people he should have known better. He had the Army of Tennessee slaughtered.
Very true, but he was also heavily medicated due to all of his serious battle injuries which seriously effected his judgement.
Jeff Davis appointed him due to his tenacity in battle to command the Army of Tennessee.
A man in that shape shouldn't have been commanding an army
very good movie way better than the shit they have out now
With the shot at 0:10, is that a cart full of amputated limbs with one of the surgeons dumping another bucketful on top? If so, that’s truly terrifying.
Yes, they were a stable of civil war battlefields
It's interesting how many people know what they know about Gettysburg from watching this movie, a work of historical fiction that dramatizes events for entertainment value. "You should have gone to the right. . ." Had Hood gone around the Round Tops, he would have found himself in a cul-de-sac with the Round Tops on his left flank and Rock Creek on his right flank with the Union V Corps in a blocking position at Power's Hill. Hood would not have room to deploy more than two brigade front and would have no artillery as he had none for his assault on Devil's Den. The Union VI Corps was arriving on the Baltimore Pike, perfectly positioned to hit Hood's right flank. Every armchair general repeats the same mantra about Lee should have listened to Longstreet and gone around the right. Hood's Division would never have come back if it went to the right.
Thank you very much, and I totally agree. I also oppose the argument that if Lee had moved south they could've taken Washington or at the least won the battle, without realizing that during the retreat the ANV wagon train covered some 40 miles of roadway, which would've been easy pickings for even a halfway decent general to have attacked.
@@indy_go_blue6048 Even if Lee moved south where would he have gone, he was on the exterior line to DC, Meade had the interior lines. Moving south the only position is at Frederick, where Lee could hold a line west of the Monocacy River. Meade would still be in a blocking position on the east side and wouldn't have to attack, he could just wait Lee out as he would have had to wagon in supplies from Berryville, 30 miles away in the Valley. There is no magic position Lee could get to in order to interpose between Meade and DC and compel him to attack. Lee would have had to move that train back through Chambersburg or Fairfield to keep it safe. All one has to do is study a map to see how either a tactical turning movement or a strategic one were impractical. Lee was a good enough general to know that.
This is the actual place that this scene and hospital were located along with most other scenes in this film. Good yet ghastly representation with the wagon of limbs. In truth the limbs were in the middle of the barn, piled, next to where it landed.
If you go down Station Pumping Road past the road for Sacs Bridge you can see the Red Barn. I've had the rare honor of standing inside it, incidentally while registering for the Gettysburg reenactment.
Longstreet first saw the high casualties this battle will bring. He saw it all before Lee did. Lee as he did thought the Army of Northern Virginia was invincible
My great grandfather got stuck with a bayonet at Gettysburg. He paid two hundred dollars for it at the giftshop.
John B. Hood was 31 years old at Gettysburg... the guy who played him, Patrick Gorman was almost 60.
Hood was 31. His arm was largely useless after this. Not long after he lost a leg.
Two of my Confederate ancestors who were in the 20th Georgia lnfantry Bennings brigade fought at the Devils Den July 2 1863 near Gettysburg A sad and a terrible day for both sides 😢
At the time of the battle General Hood was in his early 30's
But to quote Gen.Lee on john bell hood-"all of the lion and none of the fox!"
You can tell by how somber Longstreet looks that he has a pretty good idea by this time that the battle, and probably the war is essentially lost. He battered Meade's left flank pretty severely on Day 2, but the attacks did not accomplish enough as the Federals still held the heights, and the whole Union Army was present now. And he lost to many men even accomplishing what he did. I think he knows its over here, that even with Pickett's fresh division there will be no feasible way to dislodge Meade on Day 3. On the morning of July 2nd I think the battle was still winnable for the Confederates but Longstreet's attack started to late and that's what doomed them. It was probably as damaging if not more so than Ewell's failure to take Culp's Hill on day 1.
Thanks. We saw the movie too.
The real thing that prevented Longstreet form taking the heights and breaking the Federal Line was General Dan Sickles who against orders moved his corps out into the Peach Orchard. Longstreet's assault then has to get though him first and could not bring its full strength to bare against the main target. Sickles corps was all but destroyed but their sacrifice saved the Union Army from Disaster. It is ultimately Lee's fault for seeing the changed Battlefield but refusing to change Longstreet's original orders.
Longstreet's thoughts on defensive warfare were ahead of his time. The South could have won this battle, but Lee's strategy failed. Some say he was not in his usual state of mind (sick), others that he began to believe his army was invincible. Regardless, he was the most beloved general in US history.
Murphy82nd I think Lee was sick and tired of war. his speech to longstreet about the empty chair proved it. Lee was thinking about the cost in human lives.
General George Washington says hello from the top of the list of most beloved generals in American history. 😉
I’m there today. Been to the battlefield many times. Anyone who has been to Little Round Top and looked down on Devils Den would see what a fools errand it was to attack from there. Flanking or taking Big Round Top would’ve been more respectful of “the boys”
Damn the dander! Damn all the dander of his boys!
I like the guy dumping buckets of feet out at .008
What a world we had back then, really not good, but is it any better now???
0:08-0:12 Is it just me or does the cart in the background look to be full of severed arms and legs?
Didn't the extended scenes version show the fighting in Devil's Den? Well some of it at least. I know there was only so much they could film, but they really did not do the 2nd day's fierceness justice, but this is still an incredible look at the history of it all.
He did a fine enough job with the part, but Patrick Gorman, the actor playing Hood, was far too old because at the time the real Hood was only barely 32. By the time he reached the apparent age of the actor playing him Hood was dead!
And, just in case anyone is wondering, Hood did keep the arm, but it was basically useless for the rest of his life. Even worse, he later went on to lose a leg.
He also did a terrible job when given command of the confederate army facing Sherman at Atlanta and was, in a sense, a prime factor in the North's victory there and thus Lincoln's reelection in 1864. He subsequently went on to effectively destroy his entire force when he ordered it into hopeless charges against the Federals at the Battle of Franklin and then right after into another lost battle at Nashville.
Hood was the sort of guy who was a fine battalion or division commander, but in the end he was promoted above his level of competence and the South paid dearly as a result.
I remember how Sam Watkins wrote in his memoirs how devastated he and his fellow soldiers felt when they found out their beloved commander Joe Johnston was replaced with Hood. Watkins as a hardened veteran knew the bad omens of Hood being in command and basically felt it was a death sentence. Johnston on the other hand had skillfully kept his army together in front a far superior force waiting for Sherman to make a mistake. (Sherman's battlefield performance is questionable at best.) Unfortunately the blow to Sherman did happen at Bentonville in what turned out to be a fairly useless battle as the surrender happened shortly afterward. Had that type of surprise attack happened in front of Atlanta the re-election of Lincoln might have not happened. A very tragic tale is the life of John Bell Hood.
Ranillon they should have assigned Longstreet or Forrest command.
to be fair Hood looked like a sleepy old man in his contemporary portraits and photos
In a book I read apparently it was very common for someone to be an excellent battalion/brigade/division commander but overwhelmed when given command of an army. Both Union and Confederate armies had issues with this when promoting their lower rank commanders.
Ranillon I believe after one battle late in the war - might even be the one you are talking about - bitter confederate soldiers in retreat sang to the tune of the yellow rose of texas: ' ... you can talk about your beauregard and sing of general lee, but the gallant hood of texas played hell in tennesee ...'
Achragonrider Videos .... didn't general forrest found the kukluxklan???
Great scene show how human Longstreet is!!
Hood was only 33ish during Gettysburg. Great movie but a lot of these actors were way older than the officers they portrayed
Everyone waits to die at just the right time...
John Bell Hood had every bone in his body shattered during the Civil War
seriously?
For those curious, Hood had a cannon shell explode over his head, shattering his arm.
This movie is a great example of why we should honor the sacrifice of the individual men of the Confederacy but that the Confederacy was also a terrible country led by rich plantation owners who started a war so they could keep men and women in chains.
Fuck honoring anything about the confederates or the individuals that fought for it. Shame on all of them
John Bell Hood was barely 32 at this point. Im not sure why they chose to cast him as an old man in this picture
Have no clue on anything not a expert but did lee go visit the hospital when his men were hurt and did other general s do the same????????
The price of command is a high one........you know you can send soliders to their deaths and to be wounded and some of them are your friends
"To be a good soldier you have to love the army. To be a good general you have to be willing to destroy the thing you love." -RE Lee, "Gettysburg"
Longstreet later said the fighting his corps did on July 2nd was some of the best by either side of the entire war. I have to agree.. If Longstreet had Pickett on July 2nd. The battle would’ve very easily been over. Would the war have ended? No. But the battle of Gettysburg would have. If you haven’t look at the Gettysburg battle walls with Matt Atkinson. Longstreets attack on July 2nd was very well planned.
@mattpunkd There are more roads and buildings all around the Luthern Theological Seminary that Buford stands atop of early on in the movie, so I do not think that was the issue. The movie itself is already 3 hours long, you have to cut stuff somewhere.
In one of National Park Service videos it says there were 3 buildings in 1863; today there are 7.
My 5th great granddaddy was there!
Really?
As a medic, redcross responder I couldn't imagine what this would have bee like.
I have smelled what meat barrels smell like many times after the meat has been sitting for several days and when they are empty you can smell the meat juices left behind is smells like death. That's what they more than likely smelt like.
"You shoulda let me go to the right... I shoulda gone to the right..." That line always chokes me up.
...except it isnt true.
Going to the right was even WORSE ground.
@@dclark142002 But going to the right would have circumnavigated the Union line. A risky move, but arguably they'd have been able to flank the enemy.
@@ForgottenHonor0, nope.
Going to the right means sending the entire attack into a dense forest, without any roads to resupply ammunition, all to gain a position without ability to hit the Union Army. No artillery support (not that you could get the guns there anyway or any ammunition), no way to coordinate attacks, easy defensive positions for the enemy.
Plus, that would completely divide Lee's forces from one another, raising the specter of a defeat in detail. And if you don't mean 'go to the right' in a tactical sense...but a strategic one...that would mean attempting to redeploy Ewell's forces along with Longstreet's forces...raising the specter of a Salamanca style defeat.
It was never a feasible idea...and it wasn't even proposed until DECADES after the war.
Besides, it all hinges on a complete misunderstanding of Lee and Longstreet's intentions on the day. Longstreet was ordered to attack the Union left, orienting his attack against the southern end of CEMETERY RIDGE. He was to crush the Union left wing (believed to be north of the Round Tops...actually forward deployed towards the Peach Orchards) by attacking NORTH by EAST up the Emmitsburg Road.
The Union messed with this plan while it was in operation by placing guns on the Little Round Top...allowing the Union to take the main CSA advance (NORTH OF THE TOP) under flanking fire. This then NECESSITATED the taking of the hill, NOT to outflank the Union line...but to stop the guns from hitting the main attack. Because the weak point of the Union Line was the swale between Cemetery Ridge and the Little Round Top. Poorly defended, with easy access by road for supply...with clear terrain and lanes of fire for artillery support of the attack. Longstreet nearly succeeded...but reinforcements arrived in time.
Even though this is a movie, how many people watching this scene really believe there was no screaming from the injured in real life? According to this scene, virtually no one acted like they were in pain except for a moan or two. If the makers of this film really knew, this would have been a totally different scene, one that would have haunted viewers for years.
Kind of like the field hospital in "Glory" when Matthew Broderick has that little nick on his neck and another soldier is having a limb amputated?
casualties are when a man is killed or injuried in any way that he can no longer fight
Thanks Kevin... "now go get your shine box"
Killed, wounded and missing.
Is the surgeon with the bloody apron Sean Pratt as Dr. Hunter McGuire who was Stonewall Jackson’s doctor in Gods & Generals? Sure looks like him
Wasn't Hood only 30 something at Gettysburg?
GOD BLESS MY WONDERFUL FRIEND MOCTESUMA ESPARZA. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU AND VERY HAPPY FOR YOU MR. ESPARZA. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH MY FRIEND. 😊
What a tragedy, brorher fighting brother...
Politicians have the knack for pitting brother against brothers.
Meh, confederates made their bed. A confederate brother ain't no brother.
General Hood was not this old at the time of Gettysburg, he was in his early 30s
True. Guess they wanted him to look old and weathered.
I know,. Hood was 32. This actor is twice his age. Why did they screw that up so much?
war ages people. I served for 15 years before medical retirement, cannot believe the grey in my hear and beard. But this could be something they overlooked
I'm certain there was alittle Hollywood liberty taken in regards to his age. A early 30's Hood would not give the appearance of a man that knows this way around the battlefield. When most people think of commanding generals they think of an older guy with a furrowed brow and eyes that could tell a story. Therefore an older actor fit the bill as far as they were concerned. 95% of the people that watched the movie had no idea of the true age of Hood at the time of the battle. Enjoy it for what it is.
jayss10 Hood did have a beard and sleepy looking appearance
Yep!
The quietest field hospital in cinema. Where's the screaming, puking, praying, crying etc?
Lee should have been relieved of command after that debacle.
So sad.The Texas 1st 4th and 5th division fought at devils den...they were torn up to badly to partake in pickets charge.....I am from Texas and have family members who fought at Gettysberg...man they put a hurtin on us..but we gave them yanks hell..
Me and my wife are also from texas. We went to Gettysburg and to the Antietam battlefields to pay our respects to all who fell and payed our respects to the fallen texas soldiers on both sites. We left texas flags on both monuments.
Im from Texas
They marched 20 miles that day. They were already exhausted before this engagement.
Hood was my ancestor
The stories behind the lack of medical knowledge of this era are heartbreaking. Medical procedures thought to help actually made things worse and the lack of proper sanitation, rather ignorance of it, led to even more unnecessary deaths.
Sooo General Hood was about 33 years old during this battle. In this movie, he looks more like 60.
People often looked older in that era, soldiers even more so. Maybe not to 60 of course, but it works well here regardless. Great scene.
I wonder if the English Sparrow was established in Pennsylvania by 1863, probably.
It was not.
Eesh, all those severed limbs in that wagon.
A mini ball would shatter an arm or leg bone. All that could be done was amputation.
John Bell Hood: 32-year-old general played by 58-year-old actor.
And short as hell 😓
It’s ironic that the U.S. traded and then tortured slaves from 2002 to 2004 as terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. The U.N. has cited the U.S. as the only western nation to officially trade slaves in this century. They were children who were slaves in factories in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the U.S. bought them as terrorists, no questions asked. The youngest was 5, the oldest was 17. They had absolutely no connection to terrorism whatsoever but the U.S. tortured them anyway. It was just another example of how the war on terror went awry.
JB Hood had a reputation before Gettysburg as a smart, savvy hard charger, constantly surprising many of his peers with insights that better educated and cultured men missed [Hood was a Texan and was not as polished as the Virginians and Carolinians he served with]. But the casualties and his wounds at Devil's Den broke him, mentally and spiritually. This is not to be wondered at, given the expectations of society at the time. And still the Confederate War Department put this poor man in command of another Corps that he was physically and mentally ill-prepared to take on. He simply no longer had the strength. Hood is often made the scapegoat for Atlanta and Franklin, but it's cruel to put such burdens on a man who'd already given so much.
And I say all this as a Federal reenactor... Both armies in the Civil War were chock full of egotistical fools, political appointees who couldn't find their ass with either hand, and other such baggage. John Bell Hood was not one of them.
Them Reb`s ain`t skinny enough.
I really wish they would produce a non sanitized version of this movie. This hospital scene in reality would have been more gruesome than audiences can handle. Gore,and screaming all over. Would do a lot to dispel romantic notions of war and the Civil War.
is that a cart filled with limbs?
Frederik yep. They would hack limbs off. the doctors killed more soldiers than the enemy did thanks to the lack of medical procedures, teaching, and supplies. after the civil war, the American Red Cross was formed.
Erik- While this is true, another aspect to this was the brutal damage done by the minnie ball. When hit, these lead bullets wouldn't break bones, but completely shatter them. Amputation was more times than not the only solution, as the bones would never heal properly and infection would set in. I once saw an interview with a medical professional who said even with todays technology and advanced medicine, amputation would still be a primary solution to the damage caused by these bullets.
Not just that, but due to the nature of the Minnie ball it would carry bacteria on the bullet and into the wound, helping infection set in.
@GorinRedspear yes
Our Confederate Soldier's died of their wounds there wasn't no medicine for them My Heritage fought in the Civil War
And this is what the BLM and their aillies want to erase we can debate slavery all day long if they want to discuss the entire truth about slavery,but the facts just get in their way,and civil debate is not in their bag of tricks.To even make the suggestion that honorable men fought for the Confederacy is grounds for brown shirt treatment,and to talk about the Blacks that fought for the south well that is good enough a beat down.no my friend it's time we stand out ground and say enough is enough,the slient majority can no longer afford to be slient.
Isn't that the guy who played Dr Maguire in G&G?