Sacred Trust Talks 2016 - Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg

[@zettle2345]

Forgive me for being ignorant to great Generals thinking processes. There is no way in hell that you can spin this story, to make it end any differently than it did. It was a mile long walk, with no cover. Was Lee absent at Fredericksburg? There were no reinforcements to back up the Confederate charge, and the Union(US) 6th Corps was waiting in reserve, if they were to be needed. Ego was what drove Lee to fight at Gettysburg. And the first days victory just enforced Lee's greed for accolades and applause. Nobody in Lee's headquarters believed it, when they were told that Union troops were in Gettysburg, on June 30th. Because that would have meant that Lee's great plans of setting up an ambush to destroy the Army of the Potomac, had already been spoiled before they were served. I think Lee was a dam good General, but Gettysburg is a stain on his record. And you can't explain it away, by blaming virtually everybody else that was there, other than Lee!!!

[@TorianTammas]

Napoleon was a damn good general he achieved more with less troops in Italy then Lee in his whole career as he took cities and huge swats of land. Lee was a General who lost to many men and the CAS coukd nor replace them. In all of Lee's battle he lost about 240.000 of his troops either dead, wounded or captured while inflicting only 200.000 casualties.

[@brucetempleton2256]

Bruce Thank you gentlemen for your enlightenment on the connection between Hancock and Armistead!

[@jeffsmith2022]

It would be much easier for most of us to understand Picketts Charge if there was some sort of visual to see how the Confederate troops actually maneurvered while attacking Cemetery Ridge..Very good video...

[@701duran]

Great Video One has to wonder if Gen. Armistead ever questioned his decision to leave the US army and Gen. Hancock even if it was just in his own mind.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I decided to watch this again. Please don’t assume your audience is stupid. People accept you are historians. After much reading and watching many talks I’ve never changed my mind Lee was crazy to attack across this open field right into Union cannons. Of course they were killed. The fences etc were there. The confederate artillery were out of ammunition by the TIME the charge started. Why it’s called Picketts charge I don’t know. It’s Lees charge. Everyone after over 150 years is second guessing o the charge. Lee and Longstreet are both to blame.

[@TorianTammas]

Exactly it was Lee's order to die on a mile march into musket and cannon fire. 6000 men lost of 12000, this is a 50% casualty rate.

[@marymoriarity2555]

The first time I saw tve expanse of ground of Picketts charge I felt also that Lee was crazy to order men to their obvious deaths. It still doesn’t make any sense to me.

[@jeffsmith2022]

I feel the same way Mary...

[@TorianTammas]

It is crazy to attack dug in defenders and walk into gun fire and cannon shots over a mile of open ground. Not to mention Lee had no reserves. So even if they would have cut through the union line the six corp was the union reserve and so they would be attacked from three sides and annihilated.

[@paulwilfridhunt]

Here is another thought regarding Pickett’s charge. Let’s take into consideration that Lee’s only chance of winning the civil war was for the North to come to the bargaining table. And he knew that if he could inflict the north with heavy enough losses, even if the South was suffering just as much as the North, the North might decide to call it a day. That was his plan. But it failed. Lee wasn’t a traitor to the South but he knew right before Pickett’s charge that the North could not be beaten. Therefore why does he order the charge? We are meant to think that Lee lost the plot but I don’t think he did. If Longstreet knew the charge was doomed to fail, then so did Lee. So what’s the deal? What was that fiasco all about? Maybe this is the answer. When Lee knew he couldn’t beat the North he also knew that whilst it would be wise to surrender, and he’d like to do that, he couldn’t do that because the South didn’t yet want to give up. They needed a lot more punishment before they’d see the writing on the wall. Therefore Lee in order to bring the war to an end as soon as possible, he desperately starts the process of inflicting pain on the South with Pickett’s charge, knowing full well that it’s a suicide attack, all for the purpose of reducing the will of the south to fight. I don’t think Lee wanted to see anymore useless carnage. And although Pickett’s charge was carnage on an epic scale, nevertheless maybe it shortened the war, because without it the South might have still thought they could win. Herein is the summary of what I am saying. I am saying that maybe Lee ordered the charge to shorten the war because it would help the South realise that their cause is over.

[@legalvampire8136]

I am sceptical of that theory. Lee's army had won 4 of their last 5 major battles and had often won when outnumbered. They had an easier task than their enemies as all they had to do was hold what they had, while to win the Union side had to actively conquer the south. It would have been premature to conclude that there was no hope for the Confederates. Even if Lee did suspect that, it would still have been a drastic thing to betray his own men by deliberately sending thousands of them into a doomed charge.

[@aisthpaoitht]

Sorry but no.

[@paulwilfridhunt]

@@aisthpaoitht that’s ok. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@aisthpaoitht]

@@paulwilfridhunt thanks same to you

[@paulwilfridhunt]

@@aisthpaoitht Happy Holidays too 👍🌟😊🍀

[@Vort317545]

Lee: "Pickett you must look to your division sir." Pickett: "General Lee.. I have no division." Long Live The Union! :)

[@mattybgame]

Why do you want to envision that Pickett's Charge was not as Lee "envisioned"? Why not devote more to what the Union did to destroy that repulse?

[@michelehessler7626]

As interpreters we are often asked "what was Lee thinking?" That was the topic of the talk.

[@TorianTammas]

Lee was obviously thinking nothing. The Romans tried to push through Hannibals center at Cannae and it became one of the greatest disaster in roman history. This was before gunpowder. So to expect a different result means he knew nothing about military history.

[@herodotus7]

Why wasn't Armistead a Division commander? He was old enough. I get why Garnett wasn't thanks to Stonewall wrongfully pooh poohing him after Kernstown, but why wasn't Armistead out ranking Pickett?

[@markcrampton5549]

Date of rank. Pickett was Brigadier when Armistead was still a colonel. Kemper & Garnett also ranked Armistead.

[@plunkadelicdaydream]

I recently read a Reddit post a few days ago that re-asked the question "What was Lee thinking?" I often wonder. Having visited the area where this took place, it is difficult to understand even with hindsight (which is a wonderful thing) Hessler points out that Lee mentioned in his report that he was unaware that the artillery units were low on ammunition and that they naturally failed to follow up in support. I've heard others say that he knew, and this was Lee's last big gamble. Also, the supply of ammo up to that point happened to be insufficient for a prolonged campaign towards Harrisburg, Washington City, etc. Nevertheless, the southern artillery shot their wad, as it were, and the charging infantry columns were totally exposed. It's difficult to untangle motives. Lee offered to resign after this. Obviously, there are many mitigating factors, but the lack of support from Lee's artillery after the commencement of the charge is an interesting point for consideration. "Let us not grow too fond of war..."

[@manilajohn0182]

Here's the short version. 1. The strategic objective of the campaign was to at least achieve enough of a success to force the Union to lift the siege of Vicksburg. 2. Lee's plan of campaign was to entice the AotP to attack the AoNV. To do this he required timely information on the strength and location of the AotP. 3. Lee gave Stuart the task of obtaining that information, but erred in also tasking Stuart with obtaining supplies for the AotP. Stuart tried to do both and failed. 4. This lack of information for Lee led directly to the meeting engagement on 1 July. This ruined Lee's plan of campaign by casting the tactical initiative onto Lee. 5. Lee was now forced onto the tactical offensive, and time was now against him. The AoNV took too long moving northward because it was foraging (the operational objective of the campaign). 6. When Lee was informed of the proximity of the AotP, he ordered a concentration at Gettysburg. From this time forward, his foraging parties could no longer forage, and his army could only remain in any one place for about 3-5 days. 7. These two factors- the lack of ability to forage from 29 June onward, and the need to act quickly to force the relief of Vicksburg- compelled Le to attack. 8. By 3 July, Lee did not have the available time to carry out Longstreet's proposed maneuver. Pickett's charge was Lee's last option. He had to carry it out or abandon the campaign.

[@TorianTammas]

The job os Stuart was a screening force to hinder the USA to know where they exactly are while finding out where the army was. This plundering and foraging was a stupid idea to begin with. The CSA never had the supplies in ammunition, food or anything for a campaign in. the north. It was a praised raid that wrnt totally wrong. Lee lost tk many men ans material, but what to expect from a general who lost 240.000 men (dead, wounded, captured) while inflicting 200.000 in all his battles. This is s Phirric victory. So was Lee the great reducer of the CSA army.

[@dave21286]

There were similar assaults during the course of the war that were successful, so it wasn't as crazy at the time as it seems to us now.

[@markcrampton5549]

@Me Me Gaines Mill.

[@TorianTammas]

Do you run over a highway? So id running over a highway worked once or jimping from a high building did not outright killed one does not make it into a good idea. Frontal assaults into gun fire and cannons is akways stupid, was always stupid and will always be stupid.

[@mattybgame]

It lasted 45 minutes. 45 minutes. Alexander says, get the hell up there.

[@MsTruNorth]

I don't see that Lee had any excuse. If he and Longstreet had equally clear perspective on the battlefield, then Lee know, as did Longstreet, that Alexander did not provide masking artiliary cover when the Virginians stepped off. Leee could have stopped the advance then. Sadly, however, it was precisely like the Battle of the Somme...carnage with no rolling barrage.

[@TorianTammas]

Rolling barrage would mean well trained artillery force that worked under a joined command and a lot od ammunition. Neither was available soo Lee was not competent enough to see the disaster he caused.

[@jameshotz1350]

it was a bad stratagy for Lee, it was a gamble for Lee, and Mead out smarted him. Charging the canons was suicide.

[@thomasbaagaard]

and yet another speaker who got no idea about how poorly a rifle musket works in the hands of an untrained marksman... Stop sticking to myths.

[@mikeflowers6278]

The second speaker just yells at the audience, knows nothing about public speaking and makes a mess out of what could have been an interesting presentation. Didn't make it past 3 mins of the second speakers talk ... shout ...

[@mattybgame]

Wow. The Lost Cause crap continues. Meade knew he was coming. So did Hunt. The bad side lost. Get over it.

[@paulmiller344]

Meade knowing that Lee was attacking the center is a myth itself. Lee originally planned to attack the Union left again on the 3rd but was talked out of it by Longstreet that's why the attack happened so late. Also there is a theory that the true focal point of the attack was suppose to be Cemetery Hill and not Cemetery ridge but the attack got off course due to the massive amount of smoke

[@DTwxrisk]

NO its not myth. Lee got his ass kicked . The attack on left controversy you are referring to is about July2 you moron

[@marymoriarity2555]

There’s no lost cause expressed. Lee lost with a frontal attack that anyone with a half brain over a mile wide open field was stupid.

[@michelehessler7626]

There was no "Lost Cause" here, Matty. Both speakers hail from Northern states and both of us are fine with the outcome.

[@TorianTammas]

A mile long march over open ground into artillery fire is insane. This happens when one has a militia army where some people learn swiftly and many die trying to learn the basics of warfare.

[@vicariousjohnson9823]

audio sucks

[@georgegordon6630]

Well, the charge was partially successful, Hancock's men formed an unexpected reserve line, drove the route.. Lee was in a desperate situation...Lee really had no options, his army was starving, they needed a victory..Remember, the original object of the campaign was Harrisburg, 40 miles north east..The plan was occupy the city, force the army of the Potoma to leave DC and attack a confederate army that had shelter, etc... The Confederacy was losing..Lee probably knew Vicksburg had fallen.. He needed a victory..

[@TorianTammas]

This is desoeration. Lee went all in and expected to get four aces. Surprisingly he lost 50% of the men in the mile long march massaker called Picket's chargem

[@MsTruNorth]

These guys are more than a little loud with poor diction, especially the guy who talks about Armistead and Hancock. He has all the charm *NOT* of an AM radio host. Yikes!

[@mattybgame]

"Concert in action"? Damn, you love to cherry pick.

[@michelehessler7626]

Damn, you shouldn't let historical discussions make you so angry.