The Unsung Heroes of McPherson's Ridge | 151st Pennsylvania Infantry | Seminary Ridge

[@ProjectPast1565]

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[@eaglefan941]

My 3rd Great grandfather was Corporal John Shaffer , wounded July 1, died July3. Daughter was born 3 months later.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks for sharing. War is a terrible thing.

[@kanderson2145]

Nice video. I appreciate how you orient the viewer to the landmarks and terrain. It makes it so much easier to visualize and understand!!

[@ProjectPast1565]

That’s always one of my main goals. Appreciate you watching!

[@jacklarue7049]

Even better when you attended Gettysburg only hours ago like I did, and the landscape is fresh in your mind.

[@TribeTaz]

What makes your channel so special is you talk about the lesser known battles and units. You show battles from both sides and get right into the fields. Keep doing what your doing.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on these videos. I truly appreciate it

[@matthewbissonnette2658]

As a history nerd, I really appreciate your highlighting the lesser known units of this great battle. Thank you.

[@ProjectPast1565]

I appreciate that! I learn so much every video. Thanks for watching.

[@jacklarue7049]

Thank you i want to learn all i can on the 151st. My cousin Jonathan S. Ebling from Berks Co, PA, served under Colonel Allen with them. I was able to get some excepts from his journal/diary as well as a letter or two that he wrote. He was captured by rebels, but survived until 1924. RIP JSE, a hero.

[@ProjectPast1565]

I appreciate you sharing your family’s story! Those are incredible pieces to have. The alAddressing Gettysburg podcast has a really cool episode about the 151st PA.

[@ShieldsMoney]

My 3rd cousin is Chapman Biddle who led the brigade there at Gettysburg along with my my 3rd cousin Alexander Biddle who led the 121st Pa Inf. Also got cousins in the 5th ME Arty, 11th GA and 38th GA. Thank you for talking and recognizing them. I did the 160th Anniversary with the 8th FL thank you for covering them as well

[@ProjectPast1565]

That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing you family’s rich history. You guys did a fantastic job during the 160th anniversary. I managed to see you guys for a few minutes.

[@carson1861]

Once again James, you captured and took me/all viewers into the feild of battle. Your panaramic vewing and articulation of what and as it happened account brings me/us right there and right back to July 1, 1863. Thank you Brining in the 151st as the lost and forgotten unsung heros was perfect to captvate us and by personalizing it with their truly heroic story... WOW, Can't imagine the somke, the smell, the carnage. the cries, scrams and yelling. Hell on earth indeed. Excellent to bring in the story o f the officer that got wounded and the seminary... that's what humanizes and personalizes everything. Your very personal accounts are the best. KEEP em coming... God bles, cover and protect you and yours. Cason

[@ProjectPast1565]

Your kind words mean a ton! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this video and I’m grateful to have your support Carson.

[@carson1861]

THANK YOU for the job you do James.@@ProjectPast1565

[@cyndiebill6631]

This the first video that I’ve seen that show what the fighting was like from that prospective. The shot from the monument to the seminary was amazing. They really did fight in the front yard of the seminary. Great video!👍🙂

[@ProjectPast1565]

Appreciate that! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@missmissy2490]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks for watching!

[@NJcruiser]

Excellent presentation. It's always fun to take a single regiment or a Brigade or even a company in some instances and follow them around the battlefield. I two weeks I will be back out in Gettysburg following Cutler's Brigade who were the first infantry regiments on the field on July 1st. They too fought on McPherson Ridge on the other side of the Railroad Cut. They fought here on the 1st of July and then on Culp's Hill on both July 2nd and July 3rd.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks! Yeah I live following the brigades/regiments. It feels more relatable to me and you can understand the battle more. I’ve done a 14th Brooklyn footsteps video. I learned so much! Have fun on your trip!

[@rayparker7496]

Awesome video great information

[@ProjectPast1565]

Appreciate you watching!

[@markdegraff1950]

Your efforts in creating a interesting presentations is very apparent, nice work once again.👍🏾

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks mark! Appreciate the support and for you watching!

[@DustinWiseM1]

Well done James. I couldn’t imagine being near the end of enlistment and being thrown into the fight the way the 151st was. As always you showed a great perspective of the battle. Blessed to have been there to see it filmed in person. You really help to tell the stories that need to be told. 🇺🇸

[@ProjectPast1565]

I’m glad you got to tag along as well! It was a great time and thank you for always supporting me and watching.

[@sethgatchell9702]

Very well done! One of the things I always look for is the width of brigades during a battle. You did this very well

[@ProjectPast1565]

I appreciate that. I try to simplify things and focus on the regimental or brigade level.

[@2104dogface]

the 1st day actions are so over looked so seeing/hearing about those actions are so much more interesting. you did a great covering this units actions on the 1st day.

[@ProjectPast1565]

That part of the battlefield is one of my favorites. As always, thanks for watching Paul and I’m grateful for your support.

[@davidbowman4259]

Indeed. One of the epic struggles was between the 24th Michigan and the 26th North Carolina.

[@MrBollox79]

Great video! First off a comment and subscribe to support your channel! Secondly, I know most people don't care around this personal family stuff, but thought you might appreciate it since you did a video on the unit and Gettysburg and you are into history! I was born in Pennsylvania and have visited/walked the battlefield many times throughout my life (though we did move to SC when I was 5 years old as my old man got tired of driving tractor/trailer and moving furniture in the snow up in the NE, but we/I moved back eventually). I also attended Harrisburg Area community college at the Gettysburg campus after moving back as well and the campus is very near the battlefield so I'm quite familiar with the area. Some of the descendants of my DNA family ended up in or around Gettysburg/Adams county. I'm now out in Las Vegas (not by choice, but making the best of it), but I really miss PA and just seeing the video of you walking around brings back memories... looks pretty familiar etc. Always felt a connection to the place since I was a kid... doing a running tour with my parents chasing me hah. My Dad's side is all from PA and a lot of families from the old Berks county/Heidelberg/Tuplehocken areas as well as Bucks/Northampton/later Lehigh area. Too much info to list (they are from other areas as well), but concerning this actual unit (and units at Gettysburg) so far I've identified two veterans of the 151st that I share common ancestors with and get shared dna matching through. One is my 3rd Great Grand Uncle Pvt. Valentine Painter - a foundry man - wounded on July 3rd, Company G with the 151st at Gettysburg. The other is 1st Lt. Jacob Hessler/Hassler/Company K/151st. Both descendants of Stephan Hassler and Maria Katzemeier. They would have been cousins (still have to figure out the EXACT relation for these two per the generations). These families were from around Heidelberg/Berks county. I'll have to do a search to see if there are any more relations in this unit as I said we have a lot of family from that area, but those two I'm sure of due to the fact with have over 80 shared matches through descendants of the those families being on my Dad's mother's mother's side. On my Dad's mother's father's side from Bucks/Northampton and Lehigh (Macungie township) area - the Krock/Crocks from early Northampton - Johan John Krock (his father was a Conrad Kröck) who appears to have stayed in the area while his father and brothers were early settlers of Hempfield township in Westmoreland out west... son of John was Conrad Krock/Crock with Company F/153rd and his brother William H. Crock with Company D, 153rd. Pension records (and unit service records) indicate their companies and units etc - Conrad's brother William's testimony about his brother's death at Gettysburg: "Killed in action on Barlow's Knoll. His brother, William, who served in Company D of the 153rd, testified that he saw Conrad's body laying on the field as they retreated from the knoll. He said Conrad had been shot in the head just above the eye." That must have been hard for William to see his brother's body like that... like you replied in one of your comments - there is no "celebrating" what happened at these battlefields - but I like to know the stories. The best history is when you try to approach the story with no bias. As a human though that's hard! Actually speaking of Union/Confederate forces - I've found more than one old German family from early PA specifically on my father's father's side and a good number of descendants all ended up down south and fought in the War of 1812 - then were soldiers in the CSA so DNA/genetically speaking for some families it was pretty personal. Same for some Scots-Irish families on my Dad's side from Pennsylvania such as the Cummings/Cummins of early Cumberland county. I often wonder if these descendants remembered their ancestors were from PA (I think they in fact did because it was that long after the first of them settled in Tenn. during and after War of 1812 and later Missouri - though the Cummins I think ended up in North Carolina - I'd have to check notes) and had cousins on the Union side from the branches that remained in Pennsylvania. One large early German family that comes to mind are the Minnichs/Minnicks/Muench from early Berks and Gommersheim, Germany. Just really started the Gettysburg focused research via shared dna matching with ancestral families from different areas of PA. First time hearing of the 151st through my recent research - so thank you again for your video and footage of the battlefield - made my day! My mother's side has a lot (about 3/4th) Old Irish families and probably a number of "relatives" in the Irish Brigade that was at Gettysburg (like a 1st Sgt. O'Dwyer), but that's another dna project to work on! Cheers!

[@ProjectPast1565]

I really appreciate the kind words and I’m happy to hear you came across my video. Glad it brought back some good memories for you. Gettysburg is a special place. I recently discovered I had an ancestor in the 80th New York who fought with the 151st PA near the angle I believe. The official report at least lists the 151st PA being near. I completely agree about learning history through the very people who fought and lived it. It makes it more personal and we can relate easier. Thanks for sharing your family’s story! It was interesting to read!

[@sethgatchell9702]

Thanks!

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thank you so much!

[@JC-qn3ws]

Another outstanding history lesson. I really appreciate the work you put into these presentations. I learn a ton of information with the way you present it and put us into the action with the editing/videography on location it is really the best out there right now. Great job once again!

[@ProjectPast1565]

I really appreciate the kind words. I love military history and enjoy sharing my passion with all of you. Thank you for always watching and commenting!

[@LeviTheNerd]

I turned off a really good video to watch this, but I like this way more.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Glad you enjoyed it Levi!

[@HistorySavior1941]

Awesome episode! I have heard of the school teachers but have not dived into them. I thought the entire regiment was made up by teachers so this definitely cleared that up. I am going to have to check out that book! Very cool episode!

[@ProjectPast1565]

I thought so to until I started doing some research. Pretty neat story nonetheless. Thanks for watching bud!

[@jaywinters2483]

My teach is a history wifer. Great video

[@ProjectPast1565]

Thanks for watching!

[@RedoubtProductions1754]

How forget how long, but I know McFarland was the last person to be discharged from the Lutheran Seminary Field Hospital, having to stay several months within the building ever after most medical operations shifted to Camp Letterman do to his precarious condition. Surprisingly, he would continue to live on, albeit without a leg, until 1891.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Yeah I thought that was an interesting connection to the seminary that’s often associated with Buford.

[@RedoubtProductions1754]

@@ProjectPast1565 They even got a full display in the museum today about his long-term stay. The 151st got shredded.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Yeah that was a very neat yet vivid display. I didn’t know it was there so I’m happy to have been able to include that in this episode.

[@glenm1035]

Did you add sound at 5:45 lol

[@ProjectPast1565]

Yes, I added some sounds from a reenactment.

[@b2l421]

The 151st PA sounded like they had a lot of intelligent soldiers amongst their ranks.

[@ProjectPast1565]

It’s a very interesting regiment to learn about

[@Grunt802VT]

I'm almost caught up 😂😂 Semper FI

[@ProjectPast1565]

I appreciate you!

[@Grunt802VT]

@@ProjectPast1565 I appreciate your History Content !! Keep on Keeping on!

[@Yagweh1]

The Iron Brigade was effectively destroyed as fighting unit on the ridge.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Indeed. Hard to believe the amount of carnage that unfolded on that ridge.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

The channel seems slanted towards the North for some reason. It is better to tell both sides of the story.

[@ProjectPast1565]

Broad generalizations are never accurate. I’ve been accused of being a Confederate sympathizer on some videos and now I’m slanted North. The internet is a funny place. I try to be as objectively as possible.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

@@ProjectPast1565 I just don't see any videos celebrating Confederate victories.

[@ProjectPast1565]

I don’t really “celebrate” victories. I focus on the battles through the eyes of the men who fought on both sides. Nothing really worth celebrating when talking about war.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

@@ProjectPast1565 I understand