Eyewitness to Pickett's Charge

The movie Gettysburg took a more top down approach, by showing you what the generals were doing rather than the men individually. Although a good representation of the battle, hearing the words of someone who was there adds a whole new dimension to the historic battlefield that millions of people visit each year. Hear the account of a Virginia soldier who made Pickett's Charge.
#CivilWar #PickettsCharge #Gettysburg #HistoryChannel #Historynerd #Historygeek #HistoryCritique #historymemes #historyofart #historyinthemaking #historynerd #historychannel #historybuff #historylover #historylesson #historyfacts #historygeek #historyinpictures #historymaker #historylovers #historyteacher #historymakers #historymeme #historytour #historymade #historytv18 #historymuseum
/ havehistorywilltravel
teespring.com/...
/ havehistorywt
/ have-history-will-trav...

[@moonlightmistandmemories9623]

" Oh , if I could just come out of this charge safely , how thankful would I be " , speaks volumes ...

[@FinnGriffin]

Moonlight Mist and Memories Amen to that...

[@michaelwilson9986]

Yes it does

[@freestateproductions1790]

People who are against Civil war battle field or monuments should watch your videos. May the Southern and northern men Rest In Peace and god bless there souls.

[@illinoisboy8577]

Battlefield 1 Master they are against those sacred places and objects because they are brainwashed sheep that believe everything the mainstream media instead of appreciating our history and the mistakes we made

[@oceannavagator]

@@illinoisboy8577 They were traitors, nothing more. Monuments to them are monuments to traitors of America and the constitution. To glorify them is to be a traitor to our great nation.

[@shadeofmercury]

@@oceannavagator You have an extremely narrow and small-minded view of history. The greatest generals of the North had more respect and appreciation for the fighting men of the Confederacy than you and those who think like you.

[@oceannavagator]

@@shadeofmercury While some in the North had respect for the fighting ability of Southern combatants, the fact that they were traitors didn't escape them. The fact remains is that they shot them dead at any opportunity. Any spin that the South was somehow honorable is countered by their history of murdering black union prisoners and their desire to overthrow their own government.

[@shadeofmercury]

@@oceannavagator I understand the viewpoint of calling them "traitors," but doing so is contradictory to what it means to be an American, for we were "traitors" to England. The Confederates also believed they were defending the Constitution and their rights, and revered the Founding Fathers. Secession was considered a legal and understood right of every state, for a number of New England states had threatened secession not many decades before. Fighting to defend secession was one and the same as fighting to defend the Constitution. So to call them "traitors" is just loaded with irony and really doesn't fit. Only the most hateful would call Confederates "traitors." If you wanna hate, okay, but at least understand the context. And by the way, both sides committed atrocities and I would hardly call simply leaving the Union, as per their states' rights, to be "overthrowing their own government."

[@signoguns8501]

The ordinary soldiers back then were all very well spoken. Same with reading first hand accounts from the Peninsular war or from Waterloo. The rank and file soldiers all had incredible vocabularies, they wrote like they had been doing it their entire life. Nothing more impactful than these first-hand accounts. They paint a very vivid picture of what war on the front lines was like. It's all so sad and such a tragic waste of life.

[@eddiebrown687]

Such a well spoken man....they didn't butcher the English Language back then. Some of the letters written by husbands and wives from both sides were beautiful.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

As opposed to today where you’re, your, and ur are used interchangeably. Don’t even get me started on there, their, and they’re!

[@charlieharper4975]

And a tremendous lack of profanity.

[@Fat12219]

Butcher words not 🚫 not the men !

[@honestjohn9905]

I'm an artillery man and was present on the Union line at the 135th anniversary reenactment, When the Confederate infantry came out of the woods we all stopped to look. It was an amazing unforgettable sight, and as I recall, about 12,000 soldiers. I get goose bumps when I think of it. May God bless them all.

[@odinsavenger4965]

I was at the 145th on the C.S. side. It was a spiritual experience for me. You can feel the energy there.

[@wecandobetter9821]

My great grandfather and his brother were both part of Picketts division. What’s truly amazing is they both lived through the war and were part of Lee’s surrender.

[@miguelservetus9534]

My GG grandfather James Devlin, was at the angle, Company E, PA 69th. Good thing your and my relatives missed. My GGrandmother Sarah was born in 1866. James died of wounds from Spotsylvania in 1868.

[@imxploring]

Having stood at the edge of the field in Gettysburg and hearing these words I can only wonder what courage it must have taken to go into battle that day!

[@YoungWinger2021]

Unfortunately, if they did not fight, they would've been executed for desertion.

[@Tacoman1967]

The same type of courage needed in any war.

[@imxploring]

@@Tacoman1967 Standing there and seeing the ground they were expected to cover against the enemy makes you wonder just what each man was thinking when given the order to advance.

[@Tacoman1967]

@@imxploring I was saying that metaphorically. I understand your point. It was basically a suicide mission. Same thing happened at Fredericksburg and Cold Harbor for the Union.

[@nicholasgidaro5692]

@@imxploring "you wonder just what each man was thinking " 1. Probably something like "If I die...... I die honorably in the cause of freedom. You know, the freedom to keep other people in slavery." 2. "I'm going to die. I hope it doesn't hurt" 3. "Thank god I called Colonial Penn"

[@aaronjohn6586]

No movie or actor despite their heartfelt efforts can ever convey the emotion of those who were there. Both sides were resolute but in the end only death seems to have won.

[@lufsolitaire5351]

Even the movie Gettysburg as much as I like it just seems like organized chaos unlike the wildness of actual conflict. A lot of movies sanitize the violence because nobody wants to see just how awful it actually was.

[@cycle47hall20]

So eloquently did they speak and write, the action portrayed vividly , and the bravery of the soldiers who were loyal to their cause, valiantly went on with the days task at hand knowing that it mat be among the last thing they might do. The Civil war was an American experience we need to embrace, and the Hero's from both sides honored with great respect, that was THEIR war, they fought it and deserve to have history left to be what it is, war is not pretty, but honorable soldiers deserve respect forever.

[@charlescomly1]

What an eloquent way of writing, thank you for bringing this to us.

[@rubyait]

Cool Hand You didn’t have the numbers or the bullets because God didn’t want you to!

[@charlescomly1]

I'm not quite sure what that has to do with the gentleman's way of speeking.

[@buckappel6835]

I’ve visited Gettysburg several times and every time I’ve stood on that battlefield I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. There really is such a thing as paralyzing fear. Fear so strong that you are afraid to take the next step. Most people haven’t experienced it.

[@Pablo668]

I know it's like 160 years or so later, but when I read accounts of this battle I find myself hoping that somehow those divisions don't go. It was such utter madness. My own countrymen charged a section of the line at Gallipoli (WWI) called the Nek. Suffered extreme casualties. Similar kind of thing.

[@jerroldbates7015]

I know what you mean. Don't do it! Don't go! Stay back where you will be safe!

[@decimated550]

I mean, what could The Rebels have done if their depleted ranks had even made a sizable penetration into the Union Center? With barely any reserves behind, they would be surrounded on three sides. It's unlikely they could have wheeled North and charged up the southern slopes of Cemetery Hill which had thousands upon thousands of Union Rifleman and Cannon. It could not have ended any other way. For all the effort they only penetrated a few hundred feet into the Union line

[@johnlewis1640]

I agree but that was just one of many disastrous charges on both sides in the war; Fredericksburg, Cold Harbor and Franklin to mention just a few.

[@wanton1234]

seems like Picketts line was let down by the left flank

[@sandman9924]

@@johnlewis1640 Agreed. While Pickett's Charge has captured historical attention, it should be noted that while Pickett's division suffered 2,665 casualties that day, Union casualties in the one-day battle at Fredericksburg exceeded 12,600, as a result of multiple senseless charges against entrenched Confederate defenses.

[@jerrygillespie6121]

Those who took part in Pickett's charge knew that they most likely would meet certain death, what a waste of human life.

[@solutions2exist556]

All by Lee’s design. Lee was told by his senior officers to not charge across an open field uphill. Even then, the fool Lee waited until midday heat. Stonewall had told Lee before his death to never advance uphill and to always pick the high ground you wanted the enemy to charge up. But Lee was just an illusion of military smartness who had divided loyalty from the very start as Lincoln offered him command of all Union forces that Lee refused in three days. Oh if that outcome had traveled an altered course. Lee carry his forces not against Washington DC and his home at Arlington; but to a meaningless patch of Pennsylvania dirt. However, the absence of value would soon change for all time. An idiot would understand the terminal fact that a charge up that long open meaningless hill in excessive afternoon heat would forever seal the fate of countless loyal and brave Southern souls. The men under Lee knew the shadow of future death lay just an hour away; but Southern honor demanded their hearts obey the orders issued by Lee even if their cognitive senses screamed otherwise. What a foreseeable waste of men. Oh if only Lee could have died too on that blood stained day. But that would have been impossible as his shadow never cast near or graced the battlefields where hero’s walked and brave men stepped and fell. No - the South was doomed the moment Lee was placed in charge. Lee’s only retribution was the lost of his beloved Arlington.

[@reggievonramstein]

On the opposite side the 1st Minnesota Volunteer received 85% casualties in 15 minutes.

[@Fat12219]

The heat the sun burning on u charger 😢😢 up the hill 😮😮😮

[@johnkirk3279]

Tragic and beautiful. Nothing beautiful but the love for his men. Tragic for the horrible loss. God Bless.

[@garymorrison5144]

Gettysburg should be a mandatory field trip for all Americans !

[@HistoryGoneWilder]

I totally agree. Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel. Please consider subscribing if you have not done so already and check out my other videos. I think you will enjoy them.

[@Yolkamaene]

I walked Pickett's charge from the Virginia monument. Was a trek without getting fired on! Very humbling ...

[@nuttintoseehere9141]

Never forget American History.

[@kimberleyannedemong5621]

Hearing those words brings it to life in a way that even standing on that ground could not. While i did not have any paranormal experience at Gettysburg i have stood at the "high water mark" looking at that mile of open ground & wanted to weep. It was as if that ground oozed horror & sorrow. In some respects it was awful. I knew it had to have been awful yet could not truly imagine the truly awful horror. This soldier's words bring it to life & again i want to cry. Thank you for sharing & enlightening on a favorite subject of mine. Excellent work as always.

[@jameswilson313]

It has been said that when the few remaining soldiers from this suicidal charge returned that General Lee was heard apologizing to them saying that it was his fault. What an awful burden to carry for any man.

[@billcarrell8622]

Remember that most men had no idea what was happening around them. The smoke was so thick they knew nothing but to keep moving till you couldn't move anymore or ...........

[@dukeman7595]

Gettysburg one can envision the horror that happened there, if you have the chance it's well worth the visit..

[@davidberry8431]

The best way to see it is by bicycle, it's quite large.

[@gargould7186]

@@davidberry8431 I was there in April 1983

[@gargould7186]

I wish that would have had a bicycle to ride it , that was a good idea

[@davidberry8431]

@@gargould7186 And I wish, back then, there had been KZbin videos to watch first.

[@marireynolds3996]

It breaks my heart brave men.

[@FinnGriffin]

Wow...what a first hand account! I’m speechless.

[@janupczak5059]

I just can't... Leaves me speechless. Thank you, Sir.

[@RakkasanRakkasan]

I have walked that field when you look from little round you to the fish hook and realise that the cannon you see do not represent the actual number of guns that were there you will realize that Shelby Foot was right when he said General I don't think we should do this.

[@michaelfitzgerald434]

Thank you! First hand accounts always make the history come alive. Must have been a complete horror for both sides.

[@morefiction3264]

One thing I learned was the terrible heat of that day. Puts a new perspective on what it took to get across that field.

[@banjoist123]

In full tears as I listen to personal account. No better words could describe this hell.

[@jeffreymccarty6820]

Having stood at the tree that Pickett needed to reach You could Feel the Brave man North & South at that Moment. Chilling

[@roberttrout3588]

Thank you so much for sharing this. My great grandfather was in Pickett’s division, though on loan in Kentucky at the time of Gettysburg, or I would not be writing this. That’s a sobering thought, the province of God🙏

[@francisebbecke2727]

My great grandfather was at Gettysburg that day, but in the Union Army. Yes, he stood down Pickett's Charge and understandably was likely changing his drawers afterwards along with thousands of others. As his life unfolded he likely came to appreciate the weight of what he had lived and experienced. Did he deserve his Civil Was pension? Absolutely, YES, in my opinion.

[@pinchevulpes]

Francis Ebbecke you’re the one who should be upset these neo fascists piss on his legacy by fighting to keep monuments to the rebellion he put down just to spite people they view as inferior.

[@davidweum]

It takes approximately 16 minutes for a soldier to March 1 mile. I heard in a previous article that "Picket's Charge" was more a march into death against an entrenched, well positioned enemy.

[@stevent9179]

The Pennsylvania soil drank the blood of heroes, on both sides.

[@pops1507]

The real reason ALL statues should remain and be revered.

[@dukenewcombe5226]

There were no Confederate heroes, all were traitors to the United States. They fought to preserve slavery, nothing grand. Tear down all traitor statues.

[@pops1507]

@@dukenewcombe5226 You're a stone wack job. Read the Sharra books.

[@dukenewcombe5226]

@@pops1507 you give warm hand jobbies at truck stops

[@dukenewcombe5226]

@@pops1507 You’re not fooling anyone, Cletus. You had one of your 18 yunguns write this response.

[@MrJoshDoty]

Heart breaking and well read. Things like this Definitely makes me think the traditional casualty numbers are too low and the those that are on the higher end of the estimates are probably correct.

[@matthewfox3163]

I can only imagine what it was like....When I did Pickett's charge in the movie Gettysburg it was impressive but nothing can compare to the real thing. We didn't have the numbers and we didn't have the bullets!

[@stainshield]

So you were in the film Gettysburg, did you see Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen.

[@matthewfox3163]

@@stainshield Yes I seen them and talked to them.

[@richieb1684]

Thank you so much for this. I listened with chill bumps and a tear in my eye. The words of the men that were there on either side is how I want to learn history. I have been reading on the war between the states since I was 11 years old. My dad took me to a reenactment and I was hooked from then on. Thanks again

[@nigel900]

A masterful and heartfelt piece of historical poetry… no doubt from a man who hadn’t seen a day past 4th grade.

[@mickharrison9004]

The bravest of the brave respect from uk 🇬🇧

[@kaiseryank9310]

You have been what I fall asleep to for the past Week or so

[@kanifalam7835]

I've really never understood how any soldiers on both sides could stand and march into cannon fire that would literally disintegrate the man standing beside you. I've read accounts of men who've almost suffocated from the brain matter forced into their mouths from the exploded head of the man in front him, due to the artillery's deadly work. Even if you survived, surely the horror would be with you until your last day. Luckily, mostly, these were men of faith.

[@gerggerggy7757]

There was an account from Gettysburg made by a 19 year Union soldier as he was walking over the field where Kershaw’s South Carolinians advanced on the 2nd day. He describes pools of blood, entrails on the ground, bits of flesh stuck to trees, as well as clumps of hair attached to skull fragments. He ends by lamenting the horrors that their generation had to witness on the field. This is probably the most detailed post-battle account I have come across. Unfortunately, I cannot find the source now!

[@possumverde]

Honor and duty were actually things back then. No one wanted to be seen as a coward and let down their fellow soldiers. A stronger commitment to their states/country also existed. It's along the same lines as why so many men quit what they were doing and volunteered for the army after the attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII. They simply believed it was their duty and the right thing to do. These days, selfishness rules.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

@@gerggerggy7757 Gen Z is equally traumatized if you use the wrong pronoun…

[@sunnybeaches1331]

That was a fine reading of this account. I, too know what the heat of summer sun on the grass, with the smells and the dirt in your eyes and mouth. Ears ringing, eyes almost blind from the dirt spitting and spraying. Your reading brought it all back. I was so happy to have crawled far enough away to wash the dirt from my eyes. Others not so lucky. I not thinking of them at the time but later. All I want is a long drink of water. Those were brave men. God bless them. Now, anytime I smell grass being cut in the summer, I remember my experience. I bet those veterans remembered it, too. It must be the same for veterans of all wars.

[@Mumek21]

So deeply touching.... thank you for making this incredible video:) Respect to the fallen heroes, and kind regards to our American friends from Poland 🇵🇱🇺🇲

[@HistoryGoneWilder]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel. Please consider sharing the video to get the word out about the channel.

[@Mumek21]

@@HistoryGoneWilder it's done:) thank you again!

[@marcoceccarelli6415]

My grandfather from Poland was working in the coal mines in Scranton Pennsylvania when Germany invaded Poland September 1st 1939 then the Russians September 17th 1939. He tried so hard to go back to Poland to fight alongside his brothers he could not make it back. So he join the American Military he served six years on a battleship North Carolina He was the most hard-working honest man you could ever meet my grandfather when he was on his deathbed saying his prayers and polish made all his grandson's promised him any country who invades Poland we will fight in protector and my grandfather's name. Grandpa you always will be my hero you are a true son to Poland. Rest in peace Paul Peter zaleski

[@Mumek21]

@@marcoceccarelli6415 thank you for sharing your memory of granpa! Mine died in Auschwitz, second one barely escaped with his life in Ukraine. I've never been in America, but I love how brave people made and I hope still making this country. Always helping us, same with us helping 🇺🇸. God bless you guys, real respect from Poland 🇵🇱

[@tnt-hv6qw]

LOVE it virginian. this is my fave. vid. #1 never get tired of it. i close my eyes and hang on every word putting myself in his line. my god it is the real honest truth. no glory in war. thank you so much. far as i’m concerned you can make this a once a week read over. refresher. it’s real it’s fantastic. have a fine day and all history buffs.

[@colinedwards9874]

Excellent, I love the accounts of the Soldiers, it makes it seem so more real, and adds something that Documentaries alone cannot bring us no matter how good they are, I am English and I know what I am about to say is not about the American Civil War, but I recently watch a Television Programme in the UK called "Last Voices of World War 1, I believe it was on either the History Channel or Possibly PBS America, it was absolutely riveting (just my Opinion)

[@darylwilliams7883]

I have often wondered if Americans ever suffered so many casualties in such a short time. 7000 men erased in 30 minutes. There have been higher total casualties in an offensive, but I don't think there have ever been so many in a single charge over such a short time. Picketts charge make D-Day look tame by comparison.

[@fidomusic]

I think Grant lost about the same amount in half an hour at Cold Harbor in 1864.

[@The_PaleHorseman]

My great great grandfather served in the 59th OVI, his brother would serve in the 29th GA Infantry, and would fall at Shilo, my great great grandfather was at Stones River and we have his journal, he talks about the confederate army coming across the field grabbing cotton to stuff in their ears to cover the deafening noise of the gun fire. It's interesting.

[@gregedgerton3390]

Treasured history.

[@JoshuaNJones]

This eyewitness account brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. The pain and suffering is palpable still all these years later. I respect and honor those who gave their all for their country, no matter what side they were on. Those men were truly the brave and the gallant.

[@rubyait]

They were traitors and went down like the dogs they were!

[@JoshuaNJones]

@@rubyait every rebel is a traitor, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adam's were all traitors. If the Confederates would have won the war they still would have been traitors in the eyes of the North and Heros and founding fathers to the south. The unmistakable fact is the southern states wanted to and were full capable of governing themselves and the civil war was nothing more than tyranny,subjugation and then occupation at gunpoint and that's a fact.

[@rubyait]

Joshua Jones Another “if!” Traitors lose. I am unaware of any other country that has praise for them. What a great country the USA is! Too bad some of us learn nothing and appreciate nothing. Down with traitors.

[@shadeofmercury]

@@rubyait Check out the senior citizen troll.

[@DonDon-zm3vz]

@@rubyait so’s your mother . guess you can say the same thing about george washington .

[@ricmora4482]

I listened to your video regarding the union account of Pickett's charge and enjoyed your presentation. I am an Army Retiree and lifelong student of military history and applaud your presentations; however, I would like to respectfully point out that Union formations were identified by a numerical designation, while the Confederacy identified their units at the brigade and higher by the name of the current commander. Judging by your accent I can see why you might identify major formations on both sides in the same way, that is to say with the Confederate system. Keep up the good work.

[@edt8535]

My friend, may I say you are doing a truly EXCELLENT job and I would like to tell you how much I appreciate your videos!! Many thanks!!

[@HistoryGoneWilder]

Thank you so much!

[@larryrowe5259]

The heat is what caught my ear. I have been there on July 3rd (approximately 90 degrees) I had a water bottle, they did not.

[@davidforsythe3037]

Thank you from Canada Sir

[@dennis78382]

I really enjoyed this video. I have made several hundred trips to the Gettysburg battlefield and surrounding areas.

[@steveschlackman4503]

Another great account. Good work.

[@chrismaggio7879]

Excellent... just excellent.

[@jimjones9740]

If this doesn't bring tear to eye don't know what will! Very sad!

[@stevenmiller7267]

My heart was touched with welling eyes.. the bravest of the brave stood, walked and fell that day.. his words of expression are such of poetry. Holly Ground there stands . I remove my cover and bow my head and pray for all that day.. God Bless each of your souls

[@jayhansen4918]

Incredible narration, thumbs up to this video good sir

[@Rowehouse1819]

This is honestly my top 3 favorite one you did

[@msheron]

On our current journey in this country we are doomed to forget the sacrifices made on both sides. This country seems to want to eliminate this part of history that to me personally, was the most pivotal in our nation even over the Revolutionary War. A divided nation cannot stand and that is what we were then and ironically, now. Great video and commentary on a deadly time in our nations history.

[@ronniewatkins]

Thanks HG!!

[@Grow5ft]

Very good video. Thank you for posting.

[@forwardobserver6441]

Great video!! I couldn’t imagine stepping off on that charge. Up and your posts men!!! Deo vindice

[@Framer_Mike]

Off topic-->So im watching this video and i hear John Dooley. So im like, let me go grab the"john Dooley book i bought at gettysburg. So i open the book and its got a signature. Sue Ruffin Tyler. So i do a little research and Find out She was Married to President Tyler and her mother was Jane Ruffin daughter of the famous edwin Ruffin(famous for firing 1st shot of c.w)..... all this in the last 20 minutes due to your video.. Thanks for making my morning even better! God bless and keep up the great work!

[@HistoryGoneWilder]

I'm so happy that my video could help you out. It truly humbled me that so many people like my videos. Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel.

[@rubyait]

Have History Will Travel Down with traitors. Death to dogs! You exist because of the grace of your enemy.

[@Gutslinger]

@@rubyait What?

[@andythoms8130]

Romancing such a suicidal 'charge' doesn't make it less suicidal, waste of life.

[@bassmangotdbluz3547]

As good an account of that day at Gettysburg as I have heard. Well presented.

[@apachecatcat3495]

This was like the Battle of Culloden in many ways. Men waiting around getting shot to pieces. Some success at the wall but then getting encircled. Both lost causes.

[@rodgermurphy5721]

What a moment in time Pickett's charge was! An all or nothing attack to possibly win the war, completely destroyed! .....something so beautiful and gallant about it

[@bigblue6917]

Thank you

[@chairde]

I’m a combat veteran who visited this place a few years ago. I can’t believe they crossed that open field while under fire. It’s a sloping hill to the ridge line with a fence cutting across part of it. No cover and they received artillery plus rifle fire. Cannon balls bouncing across the grass and rifle fire must have been pure hell.

[@Cashcrop54]

I heard Shelby Foote say that it would be far scarier to go to General Lee and say "Master Robert I can't make this charge today" than it would be to make it. And, the heat had to be unbearable!

[@donsena2013]

There's a KZbin video on the 75th reunion in 1938 of Gettysburg veterans, all of whom would have been in their nineties. They're seen cheerfully shaking hands across an embankment of sorts that ran lengthwise, with the Union veterans on one side and the Confederate veterans on the other side. They were ambulatory and in seemingly good health.

[@danielharford1864]

Lee should of listened too Longstreet. Throwing Pickett into a buzzsaw was desperate thinking.

[@jim2376]

"Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" Marching into cannister. Then "red mist."

[@nathanv2882]

Have you considered doing any videos on the Battle of Antietam? I would like to see you do eye witness accounts on that battle, especially since it was the bloodiest day in American history.

[@nl4770]

Dude... you're amazing

[@paulmk2290]

Beautifully read.

[@robertrock8778]

The high water mark of the Confederacy. - A less than effective pre-bombardment - Frontal attack on reinforced position - A mile attack over open ground - Failure to support initial attack - That fence along Emmitsburg Road (should have been knocked down before charge)

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I have stood at the Virginia Monument. I walked to the High Water mark, and ticked off the distance in my mind this way. Long Range solid and bombs (explosive shells) Long Range Rifled Muskets begin here. Truly aimed fire here and Canister here. All small arms and Double Canister here. I could almost see General Garnett and Lewis Armistead leading their troops to the wall. I could almost hear Armistead trying to get the cannons turned around. This tells me how I felt on that walk was correct. Yet they still did their duty and went forward and tried to do it. That is what I find so sad. As I stood there with reproduction binoculars and took a look at the Copse of Trees I wondered what Lee saw that made him think the line would break and the hole not almost instantly be filled with fresh troops by the Union.

[@carolbell8008]

Kirk Morrison hi, agreed, Lee could not have known the true dispositions of the enemy.

[@shadeofmercury]

Lee's master plan, of course. but that fell thru. The plan was an attack on all sides and to cause the whole Union army to collapse on itself. Jeb's cavalry got blocked by Custer, and the assault on the northern line also was repelled. If perhaps Jeb had made it, maybe there would have been success. I've also heard, but I don't have the source, that Union units had been freshly supplied with new guns that could shoot farther than the Confederates anticipated, but don't know how true that is.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@shadeofmercury Yes, and if Ewell had tried harder to take Culps Hill on the first day

[@olivercromwell7937]

Outstanding

[@jerroldbates7015]

OMG! What a tale of horror. Marching into entrenched soldiers with deadly muskets and cannon support. I was there 2 yrs. ago. Like all major battle fields, a presence of the event lingers.

[@lengthmuldoon]

Simply terrifying

[@rodgermurphy5721]

This is beautiful....great work

[@jollygreen4662]

How come the language and they way they wrote seems to be so romantically vivid

[@gregedgerton3390]

If you hear letters read from then, and earlier, it does sound poetic.

[@edwingatongomez7242]

Remarkable is the vocabulary of a revolutionary war infantry man. How I wish that we, as a society, could hold equal respect for the language today.

[@kenmartin9106]

Well spoken man better schooling back than.

[@jerroldbates355]

A sad tale for sure.

[@dennywood3347]

My Grand mother told all of us children about her Father my great grandfather and the events on that July 3rd day. When he lost all three of his older brothers and him self was shot through the right kidney. There are few alive today who would make this charge. Grandma said her Dad was more afraid of what the Yankees would do to the folks back home if he didn’t do his part to stop them. Before you get any preconceived opinions let me say that our family was dirt poor,and never owned anyone they went to fight for there right to be free period. Any way great grand father was mustered out on July 4th and paid 20 confederate dollars, it took him 3 months to walk home to North Carolina. He will always be the Hero of our dear southern family.

[@williamcrymes6352]

Chilling to the bone.

[@DEeMONsworld]

I have stood on that hedge row many times looking upward towards what was the Union position, and every time I wondered how any man could make that horrific march into the grapeshot and canister of the union. men would see a cannonball bouncing and in reflex put out their foot as if to stop it and lose their leg. I have walked that charge in July without gear or gun, The heat is oppressive and it's nearly impossible even without any thundering ordinance coming your way.

[@stephenpowstinger733]

They just didn't have any support at the critical moment.

[@stargazer7876]

General Lee was a master. In sure of that, however without the "lost cause " would Lee forever be branded as possible the worst american attack in the US military? Just curious. This charge was a colossal mistake.

[@shadeofmercury]

You can't win them all. He had some amazing victories and he had every reason to have faith in his men and they in him. It just didn't work out. He blamed himself terribly. I don't think his battle plan was fundamentally flawed, per se, but it certainly was bold and a risk. But he had pressure to basically end the war with a Confederate victory at Gettysburg. I'd say some of his lower generals also didn't quite deliver. Jeb was awol for the first 2 days of battle and they allowed the Union to take the high ground. If some of those mistakes hadn't happened, the battlefield situation would have been different.......shifting blame, I know, but still. Regardless, Lee made the choice he made and it is what it is.

[@possumverde]

The mistakes were more in the execution than the plan. The incompetent artillery commander forgot to bring the rest of his supply line up and thus only had ~1/3 of the rounds needed for the planned bombardment. The rest were a mile or two away from the battlefield. That's why they had no artillery cover as they moved out. Also, while the "lost cause" was overly harsh concerning Longstreet in general, he did go into his pouting mode when overruled by Lee which led to him doing a poor job. Thus leading to the whole thing going off much later in the day than intended. On time, there would have been a decent chance of success. Lee was also running out of time to acheive his objective of a decisive defeat of the Union in their own territory before the Presidential election. His supply line was precarious and reinforcements pretty much unavailable. If it were poker, he was the short stack and just looking for a decent hand to go all in on before the blinds took him out. After the first day, he had enough of his chips in the pot to commit him to seeing it through.

[@greenspiraldragon]

Brave soldiers fighting for independence for their homeland.

[@fryngeflashburn1463]

And, you know, fighting to make sure the rich folks of the Confederacy still had the ability to purchase other human beings to do their work for them. Just a little detail that always seems to go overlooked. Even so, the amount of courage to step into the open despite certain death is unfathomable and should be remembered... but let's remember everything, not just the noble parts.

[@Alex-ej4wm]

How disheartening it must have been when he realized those yells where huzzah's. What's interesting is he seems to think if they had a little more support they could have won the day.

[@rubyait]

Alex2614 God’s Will was done.

[@johngibson7311]

A very subtle observation, well done!

[@mickydee6550]

The soldiers storming the beaches on D-Day must have felt much the same.

[@roger5555ful]

It was worse

[@jayhansen4918]

This gets me every time. America v. America 🇺🇸

[@johnaugsburger6192]

Thanks

[@HistoryGoneWilder]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel. Please consider subscribing if you have not done so already and check out my other videos. I think you will enjoy them.

[@ryanlowery2888]

Have you thought about comeing to Chattanooga we have a neat center dedicated to the medal of honor

[@davidweum]

The soldier's first hand account said Picket was nearer the front of the charge. I heard he was much closer to his farmhouse headquarters. This makes sense to me since his officers were reporting to him and he was cutting orders and observing the battle from the rear. His rank and responsibility in this battle required him to observe what was happening and how to adjust.

[@Geep615]

I just had the same thought. I wonder how far he went.

[@maxwaggoner823]

When I was younger I covered the mile of ground on foot between the Virginia Monument and the Angle. This is the path that Trimble's command took; Pickett's Division started off further south and stepped off near the Longstreet Monument, and made an in eschelon march towards the angle. For Lee to assualt this position after witnessing the Union's slaughter at Fredericksburg and the success of flank manuevers at Chancellorsville demonstrates to me that Lee was not thinking straight. Had Longstreet put Hood's Division south of the Round Tops to advance around the Union left on July 2nd there might have never been a Pickett's charge.

[@bka8851]

Had Jackson been alive they would have taken culp's Hill on the 1st evening and none of this would have happened

[@bassmangotdbluz3547]

With your charming Virginia drawl you could be the next Bud Robertson or Shelby Foote.