Jubal Early and the Molding of Confederate Memory (Lecture)

[@6CylSuccessVideos]

Brilliant, just brilliant. High school teachers could take lessons from this guy and more young people would be interested in the importance of history in our lives. Matt, I’m looking for more of your videos! Thanks so much.

[@bjohnson515]

High School history teachers teach history? First of all, it is called Social Studies or something like that... Civil War? It was about slavery, now turn to .....

[@6CylSuccessVideos]

B Johnson...And that’s exactly the problem. And my point. Thank you.

[@redthepost]

I am a retired US history teacher. I agree that Jubal early would be an interesting person to be studied. The man’s character is worth gold. He was a complex fellow and worthy of examination by high school students. the ACW was our nation’s most significant event. Lee, grant, early and, yes, even Longstreet can provide students with a deeper understanding of the Civil War and its causes.

[@ricklude]

Matt's lectures and battlefield tour speaking programs just rock. He makes learning historical facts about Gettysburg and the civil war in general fun, by NOT boring visitors or "KZbin" viewers to tears.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I’ve listened to this lecture several times. It’s well written and delivered with information and a touch of humor. Ranger Atkinson is unique. All the NPR rangers are excellent in their presentations. Their knowledge makes both battlefield tours it lectures worthwhile.

[@fieryweasel]

The Lost Cause tradition tends to trip over itself by simultaneously saying "there's no way we could have won" and "if it wasn't for Longstreet at Gettysburg we could have won".

[@OldHeathen1963]

Truth has never been CSA's strong suit. They gaslight and lie.

[@alexeubanks467]

The argument in a logical sense is saying we were up against extremely long odds and our best chance at winning the war was messed up by Longstreet at Gettysburg. A confederate victory at Gettysburg means Abe doesn’t win re election and a peace is negotiated as the public was war weary on both sides . A victory there could have also drawn support from foreign interests and help in battling the blockades.

[@markcrampton5549]

@@alexeubanks467 Some people claim to be able to predict the future, but predicting the past is impossible!

[@jonathanbaggs4275]

@@alexeubanks467 no. Gettysburg didn't have any impact on an election more than a year away. Gettysburg had zero impact on Lee's reputation. See Gary Gallagher for a better understanding of this event. Gettysburg wasn't even a turning point in the war.

[@Goliad_Respector]

And now we have trans kids… something was lost.

[@batesm]

Jubal Early is my second cousin on my mother's side. My Grandmother's maiden name is Early descendant for Col Jeremiah Early, A son of the American Revolution and father to Jubal and Jeremiah. I'm descended from Jeremiah Jr. This was a very informative and accurate lecture. Ruth Harriston is a great resource as well as Early's own Memoir.

[@teegreenburg]

I’m also a fourth great nephew of Jubal Early. John Early was my fourth great grandfather. I’d like to talk to you. My second great grandmother is Emma Early, the granddaughter of John.

[@glenndenton1540]

We are distant cousins. My Great Grandmother was an Early and my Grandmother knew Jubal well.

[@ajones1961]

Attending one of Matt's lectures is now on my bucket list.

[@SMH-m3c]

Matt Atkinson one funny man, good lecture, much like his battlefiled tours....

[@neilpemberton5523]

"We slept upon the field, glad that we had saved Washington from capture. … Early should have attacked early in the morning. ‘Early was Late.’”- Elisha Hunt Rhodes

[@johnhoudyshell7312]

The one thing that is almost overlooked was the economic consequences of freeing the slaves. Lincoln put the value of slaves at 800 million in 1856, in 1860 the total federal budget was 80 million.

[@outdoorlife5396]

yea, I think MS had the most millionaires in the country

[@standingplain1]

There were 4 to 4.2million slaves - I understand their value was $3.5 billion as a whole. That would mean the average slave was $875, which is historically correct. A man slave was usually $1,000, a woman $800 and a child $500. The amount you attribute to Lincoln in 1856 is too low - $800 million would only be $200 per slave. Where did you hear Lincoln put the value at $800 million?

[@ae1586]

And by 1866 the nation was 2.2.billion in debt and the state of Mississippi spent more on paper pencils and ink in the year of 1867 than their entire state budget for year of 1860

[@Baseballnfj]

​@@ae1586that's what happens when the economic parasites take over

[@Skeletors_Closet]

Natchez was one of the three most wealthy cities in the US in the 1850’s. And it’s pronounced “Natch-z”. Like the book of matches that you light a fire with. Not Natch-EZ. Natchz 😂

[@hellcat8137]

Matt is my favorite! Love his presentations!!

[@geistman8230]

Great video and lots of fun to watch! :)

[@fateagle4life]

Matt needs his own show about the "rumors and myths" of the Civil War on the History Channel

[@texasforever7887]

If only the history channel had anything to do with history anymore.

[@marymoriarity2555]

FreeThinking Texan the history channel is not what it once was. Mr Atkinson is far better

[@marymoriarity2555]

I must add the history channel is far from its original purpose very few of its programs deal with any topic in history. Of anything

[@destubae3271]

Same with Tik

[@glenndenton1540]

I spent my childhood Saturday s listening to my Grandmother relate the LOST CAUSE as told to her from her cousin General Jubal A Early . She was born right after the war but he visited their house for weeks at a time. She had as much respect for her cousin as she did her own Father. Oh, the hours of “ lecture” I endured! But I too learned to love the man.

[@jeffclark7888]

Excellent!

[@jellis260]

Very cool Glenn!

[@jebstuart4004]

Nobody here in 2021 can judge those guys. they were the product of their generation. you can t look at them with 21st century eyes. Just imagine : you fought during 4 years, you have seen horrors like never before, your friends dead, injured, badly injured for some of them, tour family became poor, your world collapsed, your honor shattered. Just think about that ! i would have continue the war, the fight till total destruction. it is psychologically the worst thing which could happen : defeat. i have much respect for the southeners. you can say they were racist, has been, deconected from the reality of the world who was changing, but anyway, i m respectfull because they lost more than a war.

[@Baseballnfj]

People who project their current politics onto history are BAD AT HISTORY and have no chance of actually understanding anything. You have to look at history from the contemporary political situation to understand why people did things. You have to understand that people did not know what was going to happen... it's hard but discarding hindsight when examining history is essential.

[@pondzischeme6430]

They knew that shit was evil then lol only one first world country practiced slavery with the most extreme barbarity, southern US states.

[@garanduser]

Always enjoy Matt's presentations. Well done!!

[@AlGreenLightThroughGlass]

Pretty rich that Longstreet was largely blamed for Gettysburg defeat by Early - every Confederate General made critical mistakes there. The more points of view you get from Gettysburg, the more interesting it gets - a very human story.

[@highlanderservices6419]

Longstreet kinda gave Early the ammunition lol and there was no way that Longstreet was going to out talk or out debate Jubal lol ...that was one battle he sure was gonna lose

[@bjohnson515]

I am guessing Longstreet detected Lee was ill or not of sound decision making. On the 2nd, Hood wished to delay to get Evander Law's brigage up...they marched 20 miles to get there.

[@davehallett3128]

Obviously lee s fault. Obviously. Lee the great tactician was human and allowed to get carried away with his enviable record and overestimate his valiant army s ability to storm an impregnable position on higher ground. It s a matter of record that longstreet tried on several occasions to.change his commander s decision. Longstreet was later vilified for daring to besmirch. The marble man

[@jbolf6]

Another great presentation, well done Matt!

[@edward6902]

Lee = Traveller’s Burden Where Jubal Early explains why it’s still caused Saigon It was too late when Early wrote “…but I become too tedious”

[@edward6902]

‘The’ man who defeated Lee? Like there was only one?

[@BlueSideUp77]

Really enjoy these lectures and this ranger in particular during shutdown!

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

Matt Atkinson...I really love this guy !!! Bravo Sir, bravo !!! (from a Greek fan of yours)

[@Grant25]

Matt has a weird and funny delivery. Very enjoyable

[@sionnachmacbradaigh1010]

Didn't realise how completely Longstreet was vilified. What a fascinating figure he was. Historical figures who grow, transform and evolve fascinate me.

[@michaelpaulpadillamdacgrou7904]

Great Job Matt!!! As to Jubal's Honesty, I find the man to be highly credible and the fact that countless letters were written by his contemporaries after the war, acknowledging his ability to recall battles, numbers of troops, who and what commands were at his flank and his rear! He must have duplicated every battle report he ever wrote, the man was an eyewitness and principle participant in almost all of these Battles. His Knowledge of the other key principles, was second to very few of the living veterans of the Confederacy. His accounts and that of Lee's chief artillery General John C. Pemberton, (who was born in Pennsylvania) on the events of July the 2nd and morning orders, seem to indicate the culpability of Longstreet, in failing to carry out the orders of the commanding general on both days but particularly on July 2nd 1863. Amazingly historians love the one Lawyer, the seasoned politician, Lincoln -but despise the other lawyer and west point graduate, Jubal Early. A man by every account of the leaders he served ,as one of the most able, steadfast and loyal commanders Lee Possessed. Jubal Early could not have garnered as much respect, from his fellow veterans in his tear down of Longstreet , if he wasn't considered to be a upright and Honest man! We have a terrible tendency in these times, to discount the first hand Knowledge of those active participants and to pay credence to those who were born 100 years after the battle was fought, who are jaded by modern indoctrination and political correctness ! For example, when the Veterans of Confederacy were asked at the time, why they fought, most said, for states rights and against northern aggression, but the modern historians claim " no no- we know that's not why", because that doesn't fit the narrative and doctrine they've been fed. With the exception of a few, most of the modern day historians are seeking tenure not truth in history! I also count Matt as an extremely honest Historian and a seeker of the truth!

[@pentecostalangel1]

My gg grandfather fought under gen. Early. 2 Nd Lt. William Chapman Browning 45 th Va. CO. D

[@grahamleigo8842]

Thoroughly enjoyed this presentation.

[@jalexwheeler7751]

The numbers have a bit of an impact on the argument. "2,776,000 men served in the Union military while about 750,000 served in the Confederate military" Roughly 4 to 1 odds, or 3.5 to one odds. It is difficult to refute the argument about numerical supremacy.

[@willoutlaw4971]

Over 200,000 African Americans fought in the United States Army during the Civil War. These African American troops were fighting for the abolition of African American slavery. Confederate troops were fighting for the preservation and expansion of African American slavery.

[@mykofreder1682]

They were politically wiped up and the deciders (Sothern money people) thought more of themselves than they should have and they made the Japanese mistake of stomach for war. The fact was there was not the support for a slavery amendment to the Constitution, they also should have realized there was no political will to force anything in the current slave states with troops. The war was on for many months and Lincoln still would have come to a agreement that would have preserved slavery at least for his 8 year term to end it, and I would almost guarantee slavery in the slave states would have had little change in 1868 (end of Lincoln term) if they would have done nothing. They would have probably had slaves and grandfathered slaves into the 1880 or 90s, if they could have tolerate zero cooperation from norther states on escaped slave and no new states were allowed to have slaves. Actually the Confederates did a nation a favor in ending slavery in 1865, I could not imagine what the country would be like if people born a slave before some anti-slavery law remained slaves and were still slaves into the 1900s.

[@SplotPublishing]

Which does not alter that a win is a win, and a loss a loss. How many North Koreans fought against US and South Koreans? How many Russians v Turks? Pick a war. Numerical supremacy is one part of EVERY combat calculation. It can win or lose a war for you, in combination with all other factors. You cannot claim to have NOT lost a war, because you were numerically at a disadvantage. Yeah, no shit, that's how you lose. Early and the rest of the Lost Cause liars and self deluders are wrong, and any fool that credits their arguments as worth 2 feathers is allowing themselves to be be deceived about too important a fact.

[@alanwallace4130]

Once you joined the confederate army you were never allowed to leave. The CSA government kept changing how long you would be conscripted for until it became the length of thr war. Federal troops could leave the army as soon as their time of service was served. Therefore the numbers quoted are not representive of the size of the US Army at any one time.

[@eq1373]

​@willoutlaw4971 a Tennessee mountain boy who had never seen a black man in his life was fighting for slavery? How about a Texas frontiersman that never saw a slave plantation in his life?

[@voxxclamantis9668]

Great lecturer, the past history of the civil war must be prevented without bias if we are to learn it's lessons.

[@DornAndGrant]

Only just found this series. Great summary at the end.

[@stevelenores5637]

The wounds of this conflict have never healed to this day.

[@carywest9256]

And never will as long as there is one person from the South who knows the truth about the War.

[@stevelenores5637]

​@@carywest9256 During the pandemic I made multiple studies. The Civil War was the second one after studying the disease itself in order to protect myself. My studies including what happened before the war and its aftermath. The North was left mostly untouched while the South was devastated with exception of Texas. One of every fourth man of military age in the south was killed, as much by disease as battle field wounds. Much of the remainder was crippled with missing limbs, loss of sight, hideous scars, and mental scars. The landscape resembled Europe after WW2 and left the south in economic ruin. Another result was a deep white/black division with the black man not reaching anything close to equality until the 2nd half of the 20th century. Now we are faced with deep racial division, a demonization of Caucasians (Malcom X's portrayal of the white man as a devil is a universal mem now a days), and a social upheaval on every front. I don't have any solutions, only an observation.

[@alexeubanks467]

The honor and courage of the southern soldier will not be forgotten. Only real men participated in this war on both sides. Only one against the odds numerically , financially Etc. only one came home to ruin and military rule by the same ones who had burned their Farms , homes, stabled their horses in their churches. Only one side came home to see everyone Had been robbed cradle to grave literally and the civilian population (Mostly women and children) starving and Without shelter. Only one side suffered for a damn near century to recover completely. The southern is a proud & brave liberty loving people . Our hero’s are John Sevier , Ben Cleveland, col Shelby . Francis Marion , Daniel Morgan , General LEE & J.E.B Stuart , col Mosby, General NB Forest & Jubal Early and Stonewall Jack ! We remember how our freedom came to be in the first place and the blood that our forefathers shed in defense of our families, homes and liberty itself from all threats . My grandfathers on both sides of my family have fought in every war from the battle of kings mountain to the jungles of Vietnam.

[@carywest9256]

@@stevelenores5637 You are correct in your research, l have read that one in five men who fought for Mississippi and survived were amputees. There are places in the South to this that haven't recovered and probably never will! Thanks for responding...

[@stevelenores5637]

@1861 In Their Own Words Don't confuse some with all. Generalization an attribute of some to all persons of any color is a form of racism also. What a few bigots say doesn't speak for all or even a majority of others.

[@dougkidwell7142]

Another great Matt Atkinson lecture.

[@MrAuk929]

Fantastic Lecture, many thanks.

[@outdoorlife5396]

Remember that the farm of the Earlies was about 5000 acres. The house still stands today. It is a small farm house, like a big shot gun house

[@alanaadams7440]

Thx for sharing 😊

[@faveuncle55]

This is excellent. The breakdown of the lies behind the idiotology of The Lost Cause is succinct and powerful. Kudos!

[@eq1373]

If that's what you took away from this, you didn't actually listen to it.

[@NipponStiqqyPaint]

Did you just respond to a 2 year old comment? Wow

[@beachcomber1able]

​@@NipponStiqqyPaint Are you a good ol' rebel. 🤔

[@kirk189]

Really enjoy Matt's lectures!

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Jubal Early is an interesting person. I didn't realize he had THAT much influence on the "history" of the South in that conflict. One historian called Dick Ewell Early's "wife" as he had so much input an influence on Ewell's actions at Gettysburg and beyond. I don't think it's unfair to say that Ewell's decision not to attack Cemetery Hill on 7/1 was as much Early's decision as his own.

[@lincolnlawyer9704]

Great lecture, thank you.

[@nolanolivier6791]

That was absolutely outstanding.

[@colemanspinks2339]

"Out here"..."Right there" 🔥😅 I makes me laugh everytime Matt says one of these quotes OHHHHH SOOOO randomly in ALL his videos!!! I love it lol.

[@jimschnars2866]

Great lecture !

[@willoutlaw4971]

Lee estimated that one third of his Army was AWOL at Antietam. Longstreet said 7,000 of his men were deserters as of September, 1862. Anyone reading this have a relative who was a Confederate deserter?

[@tinmanx2222]

Little Willy : Desertion proved a far more difficult problem for both sides. Official figures show slightly over 103,000 Confederate soldiers and over 200,000 Union soldiers deserted, with some estimates as high as 280,000. New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio made up almost half of all Union desertions, and North Carolina and Virginia led the way among Confederate troops. www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/desertion,-cowardice-and-punishment.html

[@james6495]

Dumb ass liberal with the name Outlaw..makes me laugh

[@carywest9256]

Will Outlaw is such an assinine jerk!

[@murrycarlson]

good job Matt.

[@horatioyachapovich6919]

Analytical thinkers make good lecturer's.

[@emintey]

it's called being an historian in this case, a specific discipline.

[@davehallett3128]

Lecturers. It s a plural. Jeesus

[@carywest9256]

@@davehallett3128 Alright Mr. Perfecto, when was the last time you walked on water ?

[@DarthPlato]

"Overwhelmed by massive Northern manpower and matériel." General Early never lived to see the Vietnam War.

[@xotl2780]

How fucked would it be if he did?

[@DarthPlato]

Not sure what you're asking. But in 1865 there was a very real possibility of Confederate officers continuing the war from the brush. Such an asymmetrical approach would've taken many years to get rid of, if ever. When Lee got wind of this, just before Appomattox, he summoned his officers and warned them. And it didn't happen.

[@OldHeathen1963]

CSA could have won! If Lee was as good a General as Nguyen Giap, learned and took lessons from Native Americans. But Lee was not as "great" as the South ...OR America would like to remember him as!!

[@OldHeathen1963]

BTW. Giap, like General Robert E. Lee, had very good military training, and from thr same country! The U.S.A.! 😮😮

[@eq1373]

​@@OldHeathen1963Lee was from Virginia, not the USA

[@cwb0051]

Wonderful, thanks Matt..

[@michaelwoods4495]

When I read General Early's memoirs I expected his story would be told from his perspective and it was. Allowing for that I thought it was pretty straightforward and honest.

[@reuelray]

Old Jubal is my great-great-great-grandfather on my mother's side. I still have the program from a family reunion in Roanoke Virginia back in 1977 that mentions him when he was a lieutenant in the US army and fathered a child; who is my great great grandmother. If old Jubal came out of the grave and saw me, a black descendant, he would turn around and go right back down in the ground. It's ironic that the very people he oppressed, native Americans and blacks, are his offspring and there are hundreds of us. Go figure. 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@batesm]

We are cousins. I would love to hear about your resources. Jubal was my second cousin.

[@reuelray]

@@batesm most definitely. Are you on Facebook messenger? KZbin doesn't seem to have a way for people to privately connect. I'll be glad to share and trade information..

[@Baseballnfj]

Monocacy is one of the most interesting battles of the war. Early's entire 1864 expedition is a really cool episode. I always wondered why the South didn't utilize similar actions more... a small Confederate forlon hope force always active in the North would really screw with things.

[@james6495]

Best ranger in the Park Service...give the man his office back!!

[@stevestringer7351]

Has Matt retired?

[@james6495]

@@stevestringer7351 No.. Thank God

[@JohnnyRebKy]

Give his office back??

[@james6495]

He said they moved him from the best office in the building to the basement.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I don’t recall ever seeing this before. Giid lecture ranger Atkinson

[@hardy3089]

It’s all bull crap. The war was fought over slavery plain and simple. I’m a Tennessean and I’m proud of my southern heritage I can trace my ancestry back to my great great great grandfather who was a confederate cavalry solider. I am NOT ashamed of his service but to say that the south was not fighting for slavery is just not true. Only 10% or less of southern whites owned slaves but those people literally had all the money and their fortunes where threatened by Lincoln so they did what Rich and powerful people and politicians do today, they convinced poor folk to go die for them. What makes the “lost cause” a powerful argument is that in principal it’s has some merit. I firmly believe the states should have the right to govern themselves and the federal government should have less power that’s how the constitution was written the feds were never supposed to be as powerful as they are today we were always meant to be a collection of states with a loose federal government. The South had the right idea but they died on the wrong hill. I will never support a form of government which allows slavery but I do agree that (to s point) states have the right to govern themselves Tennessee knows what’s best for Tennessee just like New York knows what’s best for New York Washington just needs to stay out of it but I when it comes to basic rights to be a part of this union you have to follow certain universal guidelines one of which is you cannot legally allow one section or the populace to own another plain and simple. So in the end most of the tenants of the lost cause is BS simply due to the fact that one army fought to free men the other fought to keep them enslaved. States rights im all for but shoulda picked another issue to force that debate over

[@alanaadams7440]

The south made Longstreet a villain cause he became a Republican after the war

[@suzannetaylor366]

Juba early was a very good with independent commands.he fought against long odds in the valley in 1864.sheridan had between 35000 and 45000 troops.lets not give Sheridan too much credit.

[@alanaadams7440]

My uncle was born in Tennessee his name was Joseph Early Hall

[@jamesnorwood4084]

There is an definition of "buttermilk rangers" readily available on the internet for those who may not understand the derisive term.

[@christopherweber9464]

The Matt Atkinson Auditorium needs to happen.

[@matsand4719]

This teacher disproves the myth that Americans dont do sarcasm!

[@stevecarry6016]

Great speaker. The depth of information is overwhelming. I wish more people could here the complexity of the civil war. It is not as simple as we have been taught.

[@SN-xk2rl]

The avg. southern soldier absolutely DID defend slavery. they were told, and believed, that IF slavery was abolished - then Black men would be marrying (or raping) thnseir wives and daughters in the fairly near future once chattel slavery had ended. Avg, not slave hold whites, did not own slaves, but they were material beneficiaries of slavery and White Supremacy. Subsequently, these people did believe in and materially support and aid both slavery and White Supremacy. And to be fair, like 99% of Northerners were also White Supremacist racists, they also feared racial miscegnation (race mixing). Most White Northerners only gradually came to oppose slavery - but did not support full Black citizenship, Black voting, Black migration to Free States, and other civil rghts for Black people. So, most Whites (vast majority) supported WHite Supremacy - but WHite southerners committed treason in the wake of a democratic election they lost, in order to defend and promote racialized chattel slavery of Blacks and an economy, politics, law and culture of White Supremacy.

[@eq1373]

So the average Tennessee mountain boy who had never seen a slave plantation or a black man in his life was defending slavery? Or a Texas frontiersman that grew up around Apache Indians?

[@neilpemberton5523]

​@eq1373 Your carefully cherrypicked examples weren't average southern soldiers. In fact, East Tennessee mountain men were likely to be unionists, because slavery was not efficient on their farms.

[@lincolnlawyer9704]

Sorry Jubel, Grant defeated three different Confederate Armies, including Lee’s. You pick Lee and I’ll take Grant. I like winning.

[@bradjames6448]

Time well spent.

[@bjohnson515]

A few points.. *The lack of printing capacity in the South impeded any efforts to counter balance the printed word avalanche from the Northern printing presses. Those Northern presses were busy recasting much of the reality. Perhaps Early engaged in such, but his degree and quantity pales in comparison to the amount published in the North. *The Deep South did secede over slavery, and mentioned so in their secession documents. This is quickly pointed out by those who wish to emphasize and paint the war as a one issue event. However, VA NC AR and TN, states that were solidly anti secession did not secede until troops were required to make war on the Deep South as well as blockade. These were seen as Constitutional issues, and THEY WERE! *Much of what has been portrayed as the Lost Cause and presented as post war "myth" were in fact ARTICULATED by Jefferson Davis in February of 1861, prior to any shots fired. I guess it was a pre war myth too, according to some. His inauguration is readily available to read, and the point proven. Additionally, despite the one famous quote of Stevens in his "Cornerstone" speech, the other 23 paragraphs also articulate the Southern positions, again pre war, not post war. Much of what is held as "post war myth" is actually readily disproved by reading some pre war speeches.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Y'all just don't give up do you?

[@SplotPublishing]

LOL Oh for fuck's sake. They didn't secede until the North required troops? Well, the South had ALREADY ATTACKED THE NORTH REPEATEDLY. They had stolen weapons, destroyed property, and taken at least one fortified miltiary position. They didn't leave before that because they still thought they could negotiate keeping their slaves. And they probably could have! But the SOUTH pushed too far, and the North HAD to respond, and that's when those states that were on the fence had to shit or get off the pot. They chose to shit themselves. Sorry, but there's NO justification for what they did. None. Not any. And it wasn't in response to those bad old Northerners trying to recruit their youth, as the SOUTH WAS ALREADY DOING THAT. Just stop.

[@bjohnson515]

@@SplotPublishing Did VA NC TN AR attack Sumter? "They didn't leave before that because they still thought they could negotiate keeping their slaves. " Hey, slavery was legal, Lincoln said so in his inaugural. It was legal in KY MD and (even DE til 1865!). No negotiations required. A ridiculous comment. " SOUTH WAS ALREADY DOING THAT. " Nope. VA's convention voted 2:1 against secession as late as the first week in April '61. VA NC TN and AR were not doing that. Boy, its tough to revisit your belief system, isn't it?

[@bjohnson515]

@@SplotPublishing As late as first week in April, VA NC AR and TN were still in the Union... can you point the property they took? Half the Presidents had come from VA VA preceded the federal experiment by more than 100 years. VA was the largest state in the Union VA ratified the Constitution with the reserved right to resume powers delegated if felt harmed by the arrangement. And they did...and they resumed. Regarding Sumter, Seward was telling the South Carolina delegation the fort would be peacefully evacuated.....up until the day they resupplied it. SC offered to reimburse the federal govt. VA NC TN and AR had nothing to do with Sumter. What grade are you in?

[@8panthermodern2]

In the spirit of the talk, I will leave the distortions and falsehoods in this comment as an exercise for the other readers.

[@civilwarwildwest]

Man... Jubal Early was really SPLENETIC! *mic drop*

[@marymoriarity2555]

They kicked you to the library office?? Good research place Matt. Atkinson.

[@cwb0051]

I dont think Id care much for Jubal Early..

[@indy_go_blue6048]

I sure as hell wouldn't waste a trip in a time machine to have dinner with him.

[@OldHeathen1963]

@@indy_go_blue6048 I would...with a 9 mm.

[@eq1373]

I'm sure there are those that don't care for you either

[@cwb0051]

@@eq1373 who cares?? Im SURE, You Are NOT well liked!..lol..

[@lawrencesword5183]

was asked what was the lost cause on a confederate site about 10 years ago and i said it was about state rights meaning if a state wished to depart from the union it could as a right to do so and the person talking to me disagreed with what i said .

[@alexeubanks467]

Lee would have bested grant on any field with even forces . If that wasn’t common knowledge then Lincoln and the department of war wouldn’t have first offered command of the army to Lee. Also general Forest would have bested any cavalry force of equal strength and probably any force that bested him by 25% . He understood like Lee The main principle of war being the “taking of interior lines and bringing superior forces to bear”

[@markperrault5678]

Yous got that right

[@jamesgoode2408]

Counterpoint- Lee would have tried to attack and crush Grant like he always did when strength was closer and would have gotten chewed up and Grant wouldn’t have left.

[@neilpemberton5523]

1. When is war ever supposed to be a contest between even forces? 2. In the Civil War evenly matched armies inflicted horrific casualty tolls on each other, so your assertion is impossible to prove. And after Jackson died, Lee couldn't find a winning subordinate. 3. Grant was a clerk in his father's store in Springfield when Lee was offered command of the Union Army. It took years before the best strategy to beat the South became apparent. By the way, Lee was a terrible strategist.

[@dakinayantv3245]

This lecture took place in 2016. In 2024 lost cause nonsense is official policy in Florida.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I form listen several times to sll the lecture drtird be they put out by the park service or sacred trust or other organizations. I always learn something new. Jubal Early influence seems to be as poisonous as Dan sickles about Longstreet. The lost cause theory is a myth as stated.

[@jamesporter1123]

the South needed a fall guy and longstreet was chosen

[@Baseballnfj]

Becoming super cozy with Grant and Northern veterans organizations didn't help him out at all...

[@SSNewberry]

There was no editing.

[@hearmeout9138]

Hey, I picked up the phone ringing around the 2 or 3 minute mark. 😉

[@johnhoudyshell7551]

Jubal Early nearly took Washington D.C. in 1864, some people believed he would have if his men had not found a barrel of whisky in Silver Spring the night before.

[@OldHeathen1963]

So Early was late?

[@neilpemberton5523]

@@OldHeathen1963 Elisha Hunt Rhodes said exactly that! "Early was late." He was in the 2nd Rhode Island which helped turn back Early's assault on Washington DC.

[@tsolo813]

The Lost Cause = “Traitor excuses post Mortem”

[@eq1373]

Traitor to WHAT?

[@williamtoad8040]

I Google image searched “sore loser” and it gave me nothing but pictures of Jubal Early

[@ChokeArtist411]

By suggesting that people ought to "make up their own mind", rather than coming down on a firm conclusion, it appears the presenter is trying to avoid offending his audience. The answers to these questions aren't nearly as ambiguous as some would have us believe, it's just that the idea that generations of white southerners believe a lie meant to protect their conscience from their history, is simply too explosive to entertain.

[@eq1373]

What the hell are you talking about?

[@dave12059]

Not a slavery minded person, but your video made me wonder. Question is what affect did the idea of loosing the southern states money have in influencing the call to arms by the north and all that followed. The south was already breeding its labor force, Cotton was said to be king. Was tapping into the cheap labor brought by the freed slaves a driving force of the northern states? Winner writes the history and as long as I’ve been old enough to know the all mighty dollar has been pretty much the cause of all wars(though buried by the winning side). And while I have my mind working, the southern soldiers. What was the life of these prewar men. I’ve read that the job market of the south was being filled by slaves. From field hands to mill and warehouse workers, etc. Oh I’m sure all the brass held slaves, probably many of the gun totters. Rich man starts the war, poor man ins up fighting the war. I’ve always felt that church’s fueled much of the southern army’s man power. Pastors telling the men what the local money wanted them to know. You touched on that a short bit in this video. I have lots of questions about that war, these two will suffice for now. I’ve not found any information on these.

[@greg_4201]

31:00 ''nobody's gonna touch that one'' .......everyone with a functioning brain and a pair of balls: ''It's obviously true''

[@patricktrussell7465]

Lee did not call him the old man . Lee was 9 years older than Early .

[@indy_go_blue6048]

Early looked much older than his age; yes Lee did call him his "dirty old man."

[@Baseballnfj]

In 2024 I could make a very good argument that the Lost Cause has much more merit and doesn't deserve to be dismissed. I actually think there's a very good supporting argument from a Marxist perspective.

[@neilpemberton5523]

That is ironic because Karl Marx wrote to Lincoln in support of an abolitionist war.

[@karlburkhalter1502]

Very informative, Longstreet protected Lee with Judicious wording. Lee had serious dysentery as symptom of Angina, heart attack. He was getting standard medical treatment. Longstreet and staff kept it quite but Lee was buzzing from laudanum. Longstreet was torn between relieving him or obeying orders. Other Generals didn't see it. So their disagreement is understandable. Early showed class by printing Longstreet's complete works.

[@kbrown2225]

I don't believe that Jubal Early ever showed any "class". He printed Longstreet's responses because he had no choice (if he didn't it would have been proof of his bias).

[@highlanderservices6419]

@@wardfrancesphd2142 Did Early not actually wait until after Lee was dead to open up on Longstreet ? And really Longstreet was on a no winner there as he never could have outwitted old Jubal lol (Matt did point out Early was a Lawyer lol and I loved tat bit and how he said it )

[@indy_go_blue6048]

The shits have nothing to do with angina.

[@randyjamesrobertson]

Matt is awesome.

[@WR12MSH]

Is it me, or as the program goes on, does he seem to get annoyed with the audience? I wouldn't blame him, they seemed to act rude and uninterested. He appears to have done a great job, but they didn't really help much.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

I like Matt, but he is a showman. But I don't blame him if he's getting pissed because rude assholes are checking there damned phones.

[@marymoriarity2555]

People do the same thing in battle tours. It’s a rudeness just part of today’s society ppl are afraid to turn off cell phones even in church. They lack any manners.

[@nickroberts6984]

I keep my notes on my phone. That may be what they were doing ?

[@indy_go_blue6048]

@@nickroberts6984 Possibly. Probably not.

[@SplotPublishing]

Well, he was a bit biased in his presentation, and also repeatedly suggested they were all sheep who, like the rest of the country in his estimation, just listen to biased media and teachers who tell them what and how to think. This is a common tactic of those who want to sneak past you some bit of nonsense they want you to "just consider." They are on edge because of it, and keep waiting for the bullshit he's going to spoon through the bars of his otherwise reasonable speech. And he does tip his hand a couple times. Early didn't write what he wrote because he had "seen with his eyes" anything more than he and his own side had also done. He had no cause to spin the lies he did, save his own ego protection, just like the members of all other cults, armies, and "lost causes" of history. He made up his lies, which he may even have deluded himself into believing were truths, not because of what he'd seen with own eyes, but because of the cognitive dissonance he felt over attacking his own fellow Americans to preserve a brutal system of oppression of other fellow Americans. He was an able general, but hardly a particularly great one. This guy has hero worship blindness. He pretends to be presenting without bias, but the bias is visible to the audience, if not to him. When you present two sides that you have well researched and ask the audience to decide who was right in various questions, it's usually because you know the correct answer does not agree with the one you don't like, and you're hoping they will choose your answer, if you just leave the whole presentation of facts slightly ambivalent. It's a coward's way of avoiding painful truths. He has learned, through his reading, that his heroes were not heroes, and he is struggling with just admitting it fully. So he wants the audience to side with him, even as he knows damn well, he's wrong. Ego. The mind will do anything to protect it. Cognitive dissonance pushes us to ridiculous contortions. The audience is uncomfortable, because HE is clearly uncomfortable. And the are afraid of what he is trying to get them to sign on to.

[@willboyd4607]

Lee let him down easily, but he let the South down too many times before being removed.

[@stevestringer7351]

Has Matt retired?

[@andrewo.b.7638]

@Steve Stringer: I hope not. It's painful to lose these dedicated civil servants. I was one myself. And the skill levels of many of the people I worked with along the way were exceptional. These are people who accept less of a salary in order to be a part of something larger than themselves.

[@james6495]

He's still there.

[@kzeich]

Oh my they've outdone themselves, GNMP. Their presentation on the lost cause is given by their most charismatic mississippian and a probable believer in the myth. Now why would gettysburg military park want to- if not propogate said myth, at the very least not offend believers? $

[@jude999]

It was a cause, and it was lost.

[@Duseika72]

very interesting

[@mobilechief]

It was so could outside I saw a Lawyer with his hands in his own pockets

[@michaelwoods4495]

I wonder how long the lecture would be if he stuck to the subject without all the irrelevant asides.

[@highlanderservices6419]

it the side issues that make folks actually take things in and learn as he makes it fun and holds folks attention

[@marymoriarity2555]

The stories make even boring subjects tolerable

[@clarencegreen3071]

As a college teacher I learned that a person's attention span is rather short, like 15 minutes, at most. So, you need to break up your presentation frequently in order to "reset" the attention-span timer. Matt does this quite well. Excellent presentation, in my view.

[@jeffreylc]

Matt’s “asides” as you term them are what in my opinion makes his lectures interesting and keeps his audience entertained.

[@stevestringer7351]

20 minutes

[@stevenmay2937]

mat is the best. and everyone knows the south lost from being too tired out from killing yankees

[@carywest9256]

Iffen Ol'Jube had the rheumatiz he shoulda hooked up with Granny Clampett, 'cause she was known fer a making a good pot of rheumatiz medicine!!!

[@batesm]

Jubal, never called Ol'Jube, was from Virginia, not Arkansas. Have a little respect.

[@carywest9256]

​@@batesmNever stated where he or she was from, but l knew he was from The Old Dominion. She claimed she was born in Napoleon,Tennersee. Which is a fictitious town, on a sit-com.

[@33maisie]

"Scalp a Yankee woman and child without winking an eye"? How funny would this park ranger feel this comment was if the quotation came from US Grant, or another Union general?

[@bubbythecuck978]

Its War, snowflake.

[@sloanchampion85]

Maisie33 do you know how many southern civilians were killed...just for no reason...or the crimes against the civilian population by the union army?

[@33maisie]

There was no justification for ANY atrocities against women and children by EITHER side. Not amusing at all.

[@bullhead900]

Good comment!

[@sierrahun1]

This was after war, when Early was sitting in Canada and facepalming about federal policy. Obviously he did not scalp anyone he was just so outraged he wrote that he could have theoretically done it. This whole remark was self ironical as obviously he thought scalping children and women was a crime. It is funny because today it serves as a fine depiction how mad he was.

[@BenT1620]

Drink when he says "right there"!

[@ftffighter]

YESSSS!!!!

[@ctvtmo]

I love this lecturer but does he still have a job? How can someone like this survive in 2020?

[@ReinSman100]

After Vietnam, these Viet Cong start writing and explaining their mission was to stop an American invasion of their home land and not to spread communism. We should call them the Lost Cong. Ha.Ha.

[@kevinpoole4323]

Listening 🎧 look

[@richardwirt3193]

And speaking of Gen Lee they are using his and TJJacksons battle tactics in our military to this day, you do know that don't you?

[@luciferlaughs9859]

+Richard Wirt ~ USA's Military use and study German, Russian, and Sun Tzu's tactics as well. So what's your point ?

[@luciferlaughs9859]

+Richard Wirt ~ Where ( exactly ) do you think Lee and Jackson learned any skill they had? Hum...? West Point New York perhaps. ( Lee was a butcher ) Everybody who went up against him had huge losses. Lee created the " Bloody Shirt ".

[@stephendowdy4798]

Swamp Yankee Jackson studied at VMI

[@richardwirt3193]

@@stephendowdy4798 He was a professor at VMI

[@stephendowdy4798]

Richard Wirt you are correct

[@MrROTD]

I think this guy just wants to keep his job when he talks about the reasons for the war, it didnt become about slavery until Lincoln was losing support and needed the abolitionists on his side, Early didn't write the only accounts and wasn't the only person who thought Lincolns actions were unlawful and therefore the entire war was not as cut and dried as we are led to believe

[@texasforever7887]

In the north the war was fought to preserve the union together and in the south it was fought for slavery. Honestly I don't understand why this is still up for debate with all the evidence from Confederate records. The CSA constitution states that the institution of slavery was the reason they seceded and the speeches made at the state succession conventions were all about slavery. It wasn't the only reason but it was the main reason for the war. After 150 years why can't we be adults and admit this. It is our history and we should own it. There is nothing wrong about it for societies morals change and we need to stop lying about it to ourselves.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

@C. Michael Old Buck decried secession in his last state of the union address. He felt it was illegal and that a government that it allowed itself to be destroyed at the whim of a dissatisfied component was no government at all, but other than trying to provision Ft. Sumpter in 12/60, you're right that he did nothing. As far as his actions, the war powers of the Constitution allows presidents a lot of freedom of action. When the House and Senate met in 7/61, they approved ALL of Lincoln's actions.

[@andrewo.b.7638]

@@texasforever7887 Very well put. The debate about causes has descended into childishness.

[@eq1373]

​@@texasforever7887you don't understand because what you've been taught is based on Howard Zinn's ideology.

[@texasforever7887]

@@eq1373 zinn is a communist crackpot

[@jgvtc559]

Was john c pemberton related to the Coca Cola guy