General Meade's Gettysburg Headquarters | History Traveler Episode 143

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out. Thanks!

[@nancylpowers4778]

Small house if only those walls could talk. What a wonderful history lesson, you have given us. Thank you so much.

[@michaelvaughn8864]

1 of my cousins living in Indiana at the time drove there with her hubby to Gettysburg to sightsee the battlefield and visit some historic locales, Ms. Powers. They were there for a week and saw many spots of historical significance, including the homes that were both commanding generals headquarters of G. Meade & R. Lee, ma'am. It was an amazing piece of living history Valerie told me later on post-visit. She must've taken well iver 100 pics and lots of video, too

[@michaelvaughn8864]

Sorry, over

[@BullpenBoss]

Great episode. Meade was the right man for the job. The Council of War allowed the other generals to have ownership in the decision- something Meade’s predecessor General Hooker would have never done. Despite the Council of War- Meade had already telegraphed General Halleck in Washington DC and told him of his plan to stay and fight it out. Our Nation owes a debt of gratitude to General George Gordon Meade.

[@marknewton6984]

Hancock did more than Meade😅

[@twilightofthegods33]

You have a very good speaking voice which adds the extra touch to the subject matter. Very enjoyable videos

[@bradbalderson8172]

Meade was known to be cautious but this meeting showed his ability to lead and delegate like you said to his commanders. Keep up the good work JD.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Lots to learn from his leadership style here.

[@marknewton6984]

Hancock was all over Cemetery Ridge, more than Meade!

[@Sterlingkataadem]

I did similar things in the military. You want buy in from your subordinates. Asking what they think, their opinions in certain situations is a key leadership trait. However, there are situations were orders are given, people must react and follow. Meades leadership style was indeed the margin of victory. Superb video.

[@michaelgalea5148]

Thank you J.D for another great video. Learned more about General Meade.

[@matthewmennel2394]

Man I’m a history buff my self. I love just looking at old buildings. Thinking about the conversations that went on inside those rooms !! The people who touched the door knob. Man. Thanks for the great videos

[@astaboy]

JD.....the more I watch your stuff, the more I love what you're doing here.

[@vawterb]

I thank you for a superb overview summary of all that went on during these few days. To my mind it is a great balance between detail and summary. Great work. Thank you.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! Appreciate that. Hopefully, by breaking down the battle into small parts, it's helping people to understand the actions there as a whole.

[@agoodman1776]

Was just reading Shelby Foote just yesterday about this position. In the over 150 gun confederate barrage that preceded pickett's charge, after a few minutes of firing smoke obscured the gunners and the trails of the guns dug in, elevating the barrels so the shells sailed over targeted infantry and hit the rear, some of them hit this house. The front steps to the house were carried away by shell bursts(probably why they are stone today) and a round narrowly missed Meade as it tore through the house. 16 horses that were tied to the front were killed/dismembered by shells and were writhing in pain as Meade and his staff came out, they went to the porch but finding it hot eventually relocated.

[@willoutlaw4971]

Shelby Foote, purveyor of "Lost Cause" fictional Confederate history.

[@derek89273]

if I remember correctly Meade had the infantry move out of the tree line knowing this was going to happen, saved many lives.

[@agoodman1776]

@@willoutlaw4971 I hear that too, and I'm past half the second volume,so far i havent seen anything lost causy. I'm sure he has a southern bias considering he was born in Mississippi in a former plantation but this work seems fairly objective.

[@Shawnroberts1980]

Just got home from a day in the ER when I cannot help enough patients fast enough (all day) and got to sit back and eat some dinner watching your video. So great. Thank you again JD. Excellent work. Side note: If I remember correctly I think that's the way George Washington was known for leading. He would make the decision but he always asked for council and consensus from his staff.

[@1psychofan]

As for Mead’s leadership-I agree with him. Seeking advice is noble-be giving everyone a voice he ensured loyalty to the outcome, as a new command he also gained respect

[@357lockdown]

Lisa, I can't agree with your assessment. If I were one of the men he asked to vote, it would have made him seem very weak and unable to make hard decisions. I would have seen him as a very weak General.

[@1psychofan]

@@357lockdown easier to form our opinions as we look back knowing the outcome of the situation ~ truth is, if either of us were there that day we may have felt differently....hard to say. Great to talk about though

[@pierreaucoin2480]

Gather information and make a command decision. This approach is not in Army SOP.

[@brianferry4038]

LOVE this episode, JD. Anyone visiting could easily overlook this HQ. Love how you highlight the close proximity he maintained to the battlefield and how he created consensus and ownership in the decision to fight by getting the opinions of his subordinates. It’s a great lesson in leadership and we see the benefit of that leadership style the very next day in 1863.

[@lefin3730]

I really enjoyed that, both the visit and your summary on Meades leadership style on that crucial evening. I also think he was absolutely right to take the opinions of his subordinates, not only did he give them ownership, he also showed he gave value to their opinions and experience which was crucial as he was such a new Commander to them. Excellent video, thanks for the content.

[@garretvaughn7936]

Thanks again for bringing the large scope of this battle down to the personal level! Loving this series - we appreciate your time and hard work!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoy it! Thank you.

[@carolbell8008]

This is the first time I’ve ever seen the Headquarters of Gen. Meade and have always wondered about! He was smart to call the meeting with the Commanders to get their input. Sickles was the one responsible for the great position there if I remember correctly. Thanks for taking us there!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! Glad that I could show this corner of the battlefield.

[@timothymcknight9485]

Again, JD, a great video and perspective! As a fellow Pennsylvanian, I always have wondered why Meade never got the so called" accolades" for stopping Lee's army. Most critics discuss, what he did not do, or should have done differently. Thank you for the vid. Keep em coming!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! Meade definitely deserves a lot more credit that he's given.

[@rtk3543]

Nice presentation on the lesser talked about parts of the battle, thank you.

[@rickdelvecchio]

Great opening shot on this one. You shoot great B-Roll. You should give us even more. Works great with narration.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks!

[@kyleblalock9615]

This video popped up in my feed today and I thought... man this guy looks familiar. Hallowed Ground Outdoors. By far the greatest produced hunting show ever. Glad to see you again man.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Ha! Yep, I've been involved in several different projects over the years. This one is a little different.

[@Wreckdiver59]

There's so much to see there. I'm glad you're covering some of the less visited places. I don't think you can fault Mead at all for the way he handled things. He took charge and reacted pretty quickly when you consider he was only given command a few days prior.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Yeah, pretty impressive that he accomplished what he did with only taking command of the whole dang Army of the Potomac just a few days before.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

@@TheHistoryUnderground I wasnt aware of that. It could be a contributing factor in his decision to have everyone vote on what to do. These subordinates surely knew better than Meade what their units could do. And what they couldnt. It sounds like he did the wisest thing.

[@kateclark7250]

Fascinating story. Thanks JD.

[@mrDCunningham]

As always...great historical video. Thanks JD👍🏻😎

[@pennsyltuckyden9823]

Visited the battlefield last summer. My son and I hiked the entire Union and Confederate lines of July 3rd. Visited both Meade and Lee's headquarters, Can't wait to go back, need to explore Culps Hill further

[@robertschultz6922]

I can't imagine having a war meeting in there, especially since it's one of the most important in the civil war

[@williambechmann6547]

Your video series on the Gettysburg National Military Park is awesome, JD. I have visited this NPS site 7 times and I always learn something new about this 1863 American Civil War battle. Keep fighting the good fight, young man!!!

[@justinweaver8787]

The house is so cool love the front porch love these series of videos.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! I really enjoyed hitting this particular spot. Lots of big decisions there.

[@justinweaver8787]

@@TheHistoryUnderground absolutely an shows that war of those days even the higher ups were on the field not making decisions from somewhere completely different.

[@alaninnh]

In the movie "Gettysburg" Meade's council of war in that building was omitted. I realize everything from the book ("The Killer Angels") couldn't be included but I think Meade's meeting with his officers was much more poignant than the discussion in Longstreet's camp about whether we descended from apes. In the book Meade polled each of his generals as to if they should stay and fight or withdraw. Gibbons was the most junior general, so the vote began with him. I can only imagine the stress he experienced in front of his seniors when he voted to stay and fight.

[@N4bpp1]

This series on Gettysburg is first rate, just outstanding. Thank you for the work you have put into this. Love to go with you

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Much appreciated!

[@XHollisWood]

Incredible visit, JD, Thank You for sharing this nugget of history with all of us.! You’re inspiring adventures and knowledge bring a interesting touch to the Civil War. My Best Always, 🚒🚒 Jesse

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks so much! Really glad that I could share this little corner of the battlefield.

[@GhostofSicklesleg]

Your views are spot on ,Gen.Meade did a great job. And another informative video thanks again…

[@eddiecollison]

Woohoo! I hope this is a 50 part series:)

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Ha! It won't go quite that far but we've got a ways to go yet.

[@americanschweitzer45]

Awesome! There is a photo from the days right after the battle of Meads Hq with several dead horses all over the place! The for some reason sticks in my head!

[@jjosborne1982]

Nice to see you here in town. I always get to take my family members around to cool new places when they visit. This is a beautiful part of the country with a lot of deep history. Thanks for putting these Gettysburg videos together.

[@vinniemigliano5268]

Thank you for another interesting video. Great job as usual.

[@angiefavela3538]

Thankyou so much for the work u do i came across u by accident but I have been watching almost none stop for the last 3 days please keep it up u r doing great ill keep watching

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Awesome! Thank you. Hopefully, the channel is doing some good and giving people are resource to share history with others.

[@johnkelsey2482]

This is an Excellent Series ... Thanks Again...

[@garykorzelius5930]

Meade was very smart in asking for input. Using the collective experience of all his people could not hurt in making a decision that was so important. Thanks again for the video. Happy 4th!

[@crystolperry5150]

I am so glad i found your channel! Not only was 11 officers in that small house but, it was July, they all were in wool suits and most likely had been riding sweaty horses!

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

Such a tiny two room house. To get all of those adult men into those two rooms, it had to be so very cramped and noisy. These are great videos.

[@paulcorcoran6018]

Really enjoy your videos, great content!

[@p.d.hutton1090]

Another excellent presentation.

[@bethleder7760]

Another wonderful video ! Thank you so much !

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching.

[@Lemon73_ttv]

Its amazing how you think you learned all you can at gettysburg until you realize youre only scratching the surface. Awesome video man keep up the amazing work :)

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙏🏼

[@zaynevanbommel5983]

awesome history it should never be Forgotten !

[@richardhotaling6992]

You have done such a wonderful job explaining and showing so many areas of this battle !!

[@sasquatch885]

Excellent as usual. Thank you sir.👍🏻

[@Bullrider33Outdoors]

J.D Awesome Video Series Thus Far And Well More Educated Then Before On Gettysburg Battle

[@andybaker5466]

War then as it is now is Hell! Unless you have been there you have no idea! Then is was a lot different! Slaughter of men was devastating! Thank you again for awaking us!

[@kathleendaugherty4218]

Great as always, I love history but I'm not a military historian, I am able to finally understand the troop movements of that day because of your videos. Again, great job!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! So glad to hear that the videos are proving useful in some way.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

I would suggest, if I may, that you keep one thing in mind if delving into military history: Supply is paramount to any Army. So if you wonder why forces went one way instead of another, their supply line could be the reason. It does no good to take the high ground if you have no ammunition to fight with. And hungry soldiers may not have the best morale. Wounded need to be evacuated to the rear. Communications maintained. All of these are dependent on the Army's supply lines.

[@TheStealthDawg]

I look so forward to your videos JD, you don't even know. Just love.

[@SueProv]

Keep it up. JD you are the man !!! Really good content

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I appreciate that!

[@SandervkHistory]

Awesome little episode!! 👍

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks! Kind of cool little stop on the battlefield where some big decisions were made.

[@HistorySavior1941]

Dude awesome camera work! Extremely informative and interesting video for any history student!

[@johnhildersheim9236]

If you ever have a chance, I would like to see you doing a video about Pea Ridge battlefield here in Arkansas!

[@zekesgirl100]

Yes! Go very early in the morning, preferably a foggy morning. I swear I heard troops moving that morning.

[@johnhildersheim9236]

@@zekesgirl100 I went yesterday and I thought I heard a man was talking, it was just me and my lady friend there, no one else around!

[@allandavis8201]

Considering you had to film through the windows it came out really quite sharp and focused, and yes it is surprising that they got so many senior commanders into such a small house. In regard to the decision for getting a consensus of opinion on the issues of what to do is not surprising under the circumstances, 3 days in post and engaging in what turned out to be a pivotal battle, not my idea of fun. When I went on a leadership course within the British military I was taught that there is only two types of leadership, democratic (as Gen Meade did in this case) and autocratic (as you pointed out, whatever the commander says goes), personally I always favoured being democratic as far as possible, but you sometimes have to crack the whip and go with your instincts and experience, and when you say “jump” the only answer you want to hear is “how high Sir/Sgt/Cpl” etc etc, the trick is getting the balance between the two styles, I think I got it pretty well nailed, never got any complaints anyways. Thanks for sharing another excellent insight into the American Civil War JD very interesting and informative to say the least. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@lila6117]

Thank you, I remain impressed!

[@davidwinters4329]

That looked like an outbuilding to the main house. Definitely surprising how small it is.

[@stflaw]

Meade and his aides abandoned the Leister house during the artillery barrage that preceded Pickett's Charge. The Confederate artillery, as usual, was overshooting so many of the shells passed over the brow of Cemetery Hill and landed behind the front lines, in and around the Leister house. Meade was located some distance away during Pickett's Charge.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Thanx for that input. I'm learning SO MUCH from this series.

[@Rogijimbex]

In Edwin Coddington's book "The Gettysburg Campaign - A Study in Command" he postulates Meade's intention in calling his generals together was to get a sense of combat readiness for the next day. Were the commands damaged enough as to render them unfit for continued service essentially. Coddington further states it was Daniel Butterfield, Meade's chief of staff, that formulated three questions for each commander - one of which pertained to whether to continue the battle the next morning. The point here is that Meade really didn't leave the decision to these generals - he needed to know what they all had to work with while Butterfield felt the need to record each general's response to his three questions, not necessarily prompted by Meade. I agree with you - the reliance on a "store" of minds is much smarter than relying on your own faculties and "ego" if you will. There is no better example in more recent history than JFK getting input from many around him in planning a response to the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962. He checked his ego at the door. Thanks for you videos - I look forward to them

[@XxBloggs]

Great video again. Really enjoying your series.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Awesome, thank you!

[@davehaag8175]

All i can say is Thank You for what you do...

[@ritawood2772]

MG George Meade was arguably the greatest general of the Civil War and should be recognized as such.

[@needmorecowbell6460]

Love the videos…. Keep them coming. 🤓

[@michelehumphrey852]

I live just south in Frederick,Maryland. Will be there tomorrow.

[@jimh6233]

Great Job ... This is one did not know!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tmac8892]

That was my first reaction: a tiny little barn. I was looking around for the house.

[@brucesheehe6305]

Good Job by a good teacher and historian.

[@1stminnsharpshooters341]

Just found the channel -- lots of great content *LIKED* and *SUBSCRIBED* --LT

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@1stminnsharpshooters341]

@@TheHistoryUnderground found your channel as I'm currently watching the live feed by American Battlefield Trust...

[@roadlizardcu8664]

A little structure that am sure so many have pasted not knowing it's history. Thank you.

[@normahird4362]

Another great vlog!!!!!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thank you!!

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

good photography on your presentation. i like the idea of consensus from the leaders = teamwork. but that's how i roll.

[@herenowjal]

Another great Gettysburg video ... You've put together a real nice series on the battle and the viewing public really appreciates you ... I certainly do ... Thanks !!! btw: ... so often the phrase "Fishhook" is used to describe the Union position at Gettysburg ... It's my understanding that this term was never applied during the battle ... it was only applied AFTER the battle apparently by a "fisherman" who analyzed the battle long after the smoke had cleared ... With the clarity of distance we can make assessments on actions taken during this conflict ... but stepping back ... what decisions would we make "in the moment" ? Fortunately, the team assembled on those fields the first few days in July of 1863 - overall made the right decisions for a Union victory ... Much consideration must also be given to the active participants on both sides, as well as the civilians caught up in the events of that terrible conflict ... Thanks again for all you are doing to spread this information ...

[@gailcoelho8605]

I love your videos!

[@karenziglar9306]

So cool! I love this!

[@gailcoelho8605]

Yes it does seem very close !

[@joshhonaker3085]

I love your channel bro so much good content

[@Stormwriter]

Especially dangerous when you know that Confederate artillery often overshot their targets. "Even Meade was affected by the artillery-the Leister house was a victim of frequent overshots, and he had to evacuate with his staff to Powers Hill."

[@91Redmist]

I wondered about that, where did the General and his staff go when that shelling was taking place.

[@dconn74]

Yes, I heard the same thing. I was going to post a comment about that but you beat me to it. From my understanding the over shots happened during the Confederate bombardment that preceded Pickett's charge on July 3rd.

[@ronlinfonte2651]

He left this small White House and moved further back to a location on Baltimore Pike which was also Gen Slocum’s HQ.

[@crazya3466]

Looks a lot smaller than in the movie,thx for another great vid 🖒.. cA

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Yeah, it's tiny.

[@oregonoutback7779]

What a daunting responsibility thrown at you, only your third day on a new job !!

[@franklinbenjamin8411]

Interesting how Meade sought input from his generals whereas Lee did the exact opposite even when Longstreet pleaded with him not to pursue Lee's plan for day three attacking the Union center; Lee confident the Union would break there and so give Lee the day.

[@camdodge9891]

JD epic video again and greetings from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@jeffsmith2022]

Well done, JD...

[@TermiteUSA]

Sometime in 1968 our history teacher organized a massive four bus load tour to Gettysburg for our 8th grade class. (You were the best Mr. Fox!). After leaving the Cyclorama a Park Ranger walked with us out to the main Union line and as we passed Meade's HQ he said "Some of these holes are knot holes", which of course started a chain reaction as 8th grade minds would do before the advent of cell phones, lasting the rest of the day. "Holes!" "Not holes!" "HHoles!" "KuNot Holes!" It went on and spread like a plague until kids who were not close enough to have heard the origin were saying it too. I guess our teachers were very patient. Imagine to that for 4 hours each way plus 10 hours at the battlefield. We did actually learn a lot and we heard nobody flunked the quiz we had the next day. And nobody got lost when the busses left,,! Been back many times since. Thanks for your videos.

[@ricklipford8762]

Great video JD enjoy very much

[@johngolombek61]

I wish the fields and the grounds could talk. The houses and shacks and barns would have stories to tell also. 3 days of hell could be told.

[@brightly9318]

George Washington led the same way. He recognized that there were things he didn't know and that there were those who did, and sought that information. That's is the mark of a true leader.

[@LizzieWestBathandBody]

It's not almost July and it looks like the areas just now greening out is that normal? Thank you for sharing this!

[@garykorzelius5930]

Its July now but we don't know when the videos were actually shot.

[@Jerry-fn5nx]

Meades's style of leadership during that battle was very smart. George Washington did the same thing during the revolutionary war. He held war councils all the time and even when he totally disagreed with what his subordinates said and if it was a majority disagreeing with him, he usually followed their advice. Thats the same reasoning about Washington creating a cabinet when he became the first president. Hearing out all the options and points of view and then making a descion based on all points of view. Shows the meaning of true leadership

[@fredohnemus7685]

Meade didn't have the vision of hindsight as we do today. I agree with you. I've always thought he was given to much blame for Gettysburg's aftermath by people who were not there.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

100%

[@spo307]

thanks was just there this past saturday

[@MomentsInTrading]

Great video

[@shaunnoling6141]

Meade as the commander has to make the decision. Getting input from commanders about battle development in their assigned areas is essential, but ultimately the decision lies with the commander. He has to bear the brunt of command and the responsibility lies with him. He was new and Lincoln had a history of firing commanders, so I’m sure he was scared of messing up.

[@tommyasprion4394]

Lincoln had some poor commanders, not a history of firing people.

[@TangoGulf]

Extreme Ownership

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@libbylife7161]

For it is the history of our nation that makes 🇺🇸 great. No other nation stands for Liberty and Justice for all.

[@brucebarker7856]

Awsome video

[@zaynevanbommel5983]

The United States has some of the very best most well preserved Historical Battlefields on Planet Earth !

[@nickcorwin1410]

If you’re still in Gettysburg I’ll swing by and buy you a drink! I’m only 10 minutes from there 😂

[@tch1225]

How crowded is Gettysburg right now?