The Popular Version of McPherson's Death Comes From a Confederate. Here's the Union Version.

[@peddler38501]

As a student of the Civil War, it really freaked me out to find myself living about 100 feet from McPherson's monument in the 1990s. I was like, how unreal is this?! Grant and Sherman loved this guy, and he died right here! At the time, the neighborhood was very much blue collar working class, everyone off on the 6 AM bus to get to work, but recent street views show it's been gentrified.

[@1961OnRock]

Every one who enjoys Ron's presentations please give him a thumbs up! And recommend him to your friends who enjoy U.S. Civil War history. His great work should get more attention.

[@dianeatpeace337]

Agreed. Also, to help him be seen more by the algorithm, add a quick comment, even if you just put a smiley face, a thank you or an American flag -- whatever you like. The algorithm measures ENGAGEMENT, so anytime you want to support a content creator, go one step beyond the basic thumbs up and add a comment, any comment. (Even 'for the algorithm' works 😉 )

[@DoyleHargraves]

Crazy thing is, there is a tragic story to be told about every single death in that war. We only get to know the famous ones, but each death was it's own story as sad as this one. His death reminds me of Kearny's at Chantilly. Two great Union men.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

Yes they were.Two fins Soldiers as well

[@davidlord7364]

That's what I thought, Kearney shot from his horse and lying in mud, and being stripped until stopped by an officer...

[@DoyleHargraves]

@davidlord7364 from what i understand, Kearney was shot in the tail pipe. A.P. Hill was mortified by the fact.

[@williamrossetter9430]

Great story, Ron!

[@stanallen1072]

Reporting by media today is no better than this, sometimes worse.

[@brianhillis3701]

The national paper's version is sensational 4th hand at best. Guess the press was inacurate then too.

[@peterschief9778]

Great piece of research mate. Thanx

[@McPherson952]

James “Birdsey” pronounced “Bird see”, a surname of one of his father’s friends. McPherson indeed is a forgotten hero, as is the name of a book written about him. He finished 1st in his class at West Point. If he had survived the war, he may have been a President. The McPherson name is pronounce Mac Fur son, a Scottish surname meaning son of the parson, deriving from Kenneth, the son of the Parson of Kingussie, Scotland.

[@alanaadams7440]

Thank you for sharing

[@secretgoldfish]

Never let the truth get in the way of propaganda!

[@davidbowman4259]

Indeed. Tell that to the orange cultists. And Faux Noise.

[@secretgoldfish]

@@davidbowman4259 The cult (and mental spectrum) of overly-simpleton and binary-based side-taking sadly goes both ways unfortunately.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

​@@davidbowman4259The only cult is the Communist cult AKA the Democrat Party.

[@richardliles4415]

So very interesting. Thank you.

[@WhaleGold]

Thanks for putting this up. I used to live (2 times) on McPherson Ave. in Richland, WA. a town built in WWII to house the people working at Hanford Nuclear reservation where the Plutonium was made for the "Fat Man" bomb dropped on Nagasaki. All the streets were named after Army Engineers. I knew a little about him from the published indexes about the street names, but they were only about a paragraph long and I had never before seen a photo of him. Second time I lived there I took photos of the ash cloud from Mt. St. Helens going overhead.

[@craigcook1571]

It would appear that reporters were just as apt to lie, stretch the truth and only give bits and pieces back then as they are today 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Kenneth-c4j]

Very true.

[@douglasturner6153]

Good episode. Soldier's on both sides rifled the pockets, bodies and knapsacks of dead enemies for valuables. Even live one's. The Rebs had a clothing shortage and were more likely to take boots, hats etc. But rarely stripped a body naked. General's riding boots would have been a real find to trade with. That first Union story looks like propaganda to make the men appear more heroic and the Rebs dastardly. "Bushwackers" on the battle line"? Come on! The events Captain Beard described sound credible. Union soldier's behind him wouldn't have seen all of the quick confrontation. Captain Beard was remiss though in not immediately taking McPherson's Order Book and other intelligence on him to the rear for his own high commands knowledge.

[@REM1956]

Another fantastic video giving three or four eye witness accounts of the same incident. This detail is huge in showing how actual participants views can be so extremely different, and how the view of the victor usually becomes the concrete history. This is a gloriously satisfying resource, Ron. Thanks, so much.

[@kennethswain6313]

Such a great presentation. I really appreciate your well documented presentations 👍

[@DoyleHargraves]

Polk's death is a pretty neat investigation. My ancestors was a teamster for his HQ unit.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

Interesting!

[@DoyleHargraves]

Sherman directed the battery to fire at the party observing them from Pine Mountain. That party turned out to be Polk, Johnston, and Hardee. Polk drew the short straw. Got hit with a 3" solid shot thru the torso. ​@@Kenneth-c4j

[@superintendentchalmers8034]

McPherson tried to talk his young friend Porter Alexander from going east and fighting for the Confederacy when the two were stationed in San Francisco in 1861, telling him their cause had no chance of success. Alexander of course went on to become a brilliant artillery officer with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The two might have met in battle at Chatanooga but Bragg sent Longstreet's wing, with whom Alexander was part to Knoxville before it began.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

I collected books about military wars from ancient times to the present.I had ancestors who served in the Union Army of the Potomac So I have always read books about the civil war.My understanding of McPherson's death is that he was eiding ahead of his trrops and happened upon advanced Confederate infantry They called on McPherson to surrender and dismount Instead,he tipped his hat,wheeled his Horse about and tried to gallop back to his own lines.He got shot in the back It was an act of war,not murder.

[@SteveW-qb5ue]

My experience with reporters is that they will invent things that were not said in order to make the article more interesting to the reading public. That version with the bushwacker comment sounds like an attempt to dramatize the death of a brave man by playing to the perceived prejudices of their particular audience.

[@manilajohn0182]

SPOT ON.

[@sfwaddell]

I think we can take the confederate soldiers story and the other Union version over a newspaper's who weren't there.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

I totally agree with you 👍

[@elcastorgrande]

Truth is always the first casualty.

[@clinthowe7629]

I like McPherson’s cheerful countenance.

[@davidtvedt7597]

Appreciate your work in bringing Civil War encounters to the forefront! The human element of war is so much more revealing than the political analysis, which is argued logistically, but not necessarily accurately!

[@RichardGrant-sx7oc]

FYI: McPherson is a Scottish name and is properly pronounced as Mc fur son, not Mc fear son. The McPhersons say "There is no fear in McPherson". I truly Enjoy and appreciate your work very much. RPG

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

Thanks for the correct pronunciation. Will use it moving forward!

[@HansGruber-h5z]

There is a town in Kansas, named after Birdseye McPherson, which says the exact same thing.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

I grew up in Baltimore.From what I read,Gen McPherson was engaged to a Baltimore Girl named Barbara Hoffman. She never got over his death.

[@jude999]

I love the backdrop on these reports. Mc-FUR-son.

[@larrydemaar409]

Yes, no fear in McPherson.

[@hobartbrown4441]

Thanks for telling us about James McPherson (Union version). What was the title of the book about General McPherson again?

[@cpirrong]

LTC Strong left his own account (Lieutenant Colonel William E. Strong, Military Essays and Recollections, Volume I. Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Co., 1891, pgs. 326-327). His differs markedly from the 29 July 1864 Union account. Most importantly, according to Strong "The enemy were in possession of his body for a short time but evidently unacquainted with his rank, as they only took from him his watch, sword belt, field glass, and a few private papers which were in his side pocket. All the articles were recovered from prisoners taken during the day except his watch. No article of clothing had been taken from his person except his hat and this may have been lost in the woods before he fell from his horse.” (The missing hat aligns with Beard's account). Moreover, Strong does not claim to have led a gallant charge to recover McPherson's body. Instead, he and Buel and a private named Reynolds who had guided Strong to the body found the body with no Rebels about, and carried it to an ambulance that Gen. Hugo Wangelin had given Strong to recover the body. The 1864 Union account is therefore likely virtually entirely fictional.

[@Jesusisyhwh]

He was my distant cousin.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

Cool!👍

[@DoyleHargraves]

Sherman and Grant both thought so highly of him.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

I read that when Sherman learned of McPherson's death he broke down and cried.

[@OlJarhead]

The US Army would never lie about the death of any celebrated member would they?

[@mikehenson819]

Propaganda was released on both sides.

[@Kenneth-c4j]

True.👍

[@joeloren2352]

The union version doesn't begin until 14:20. This guy needs an editor.

[@waynesarf8065]

Perhaps a slightly different title? Then we could still have both Blue and Gray versions in full.

[@panthercreek60]

The Confederate officers version was lengthier and considerably more detailed, and absent sensationalism

[@navy7633]

We do get a good picture of what happened. I don't think he needs an editor. His information is thorough indeed.

[@erictrelz3519]

Which account do you believe is closest to the actual event?

[@lifeonthecivilwarresearchtrail]

I believe the truth sits somewhere in the middle.

[@erictrelz3519]

I believe the Rebels disturbed the body much more than admitted. Thanks for the videos!

[@heyfitzpablum]

Talk about multiple stories of events! Journalism then as now is all over the place.

[@ArthurWright-uv4ww]

Thanks for a full account. The confederate version sounds most likely the truth.

[@MrBradleyDavid]

From my part of Ohio.

[@david24262]

Clyde, Ohio!

[@RidgeRunner-lz5ko]

Sounds like McPherson FAFO.