What Gettysburg Meant to its Veterans (Lecture)

What did the veterans really think about the cause of the American Civil War? Were the reunions all about unification and reconciliation, or were there other stories being told? Watch Gettysburg National Military Park Ranger Christopher Gwinn as he examines the post-war experiences and words of the veterans who returned to Gettysburg.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I’ve watched this many times. The ranger is excellent. The perspective of the remaining veterans is worth remembering. There was nothing romantic about the war or the battles. My relatives attended the 1938 reunion. The peace monument seems to mean little today. Too many people want to destroy the UNION We need men who fought for what they believed on both sides. Gettysburg will remain important.

[@OldHeathen1963]

The Lost Cause is the author of much strife in the U.S.A. It needs exposure on every level!

[@christinakuczora4862]

This fellow did an excellent job - he had my full attention the entire time.

[@IztokGolob-Naklo]

This is actually a very underrated video. Rangers never stop to amaze me. Well-read, articulate, interesting, good storytellers. I was lucky enough to visit various National parks in 1997 and to this day remember their demeanor, presence, a will to be helpful.

[@mmmm66]

This is amazing. Gettysburg national military park is a shining example of how to educate and enrich the public's understanding and appreciate for what makes us "American" today and what it could mean in the future.

[@marymoriarity2555]

mmmm66 very well expressed

[@Smedley60]

Another example of NPS Ranger excellence. It's this kind of perspective that helps maintain both perspective and interest. Thank you!

[@pamfrancks1281]

Excellent speech. A credit to the speaker and the NPS team.

[@garrisonnichols7372]

God Bless the boys who became men in that terrible war. May we never fight each other again in respect for these people

[@gaffakid]

Amazing lecture well written and presented well worth a watch!

[@markshifflet7518]

I’m glad the ranger talked about the 84th PA. I had several ancestors killed in that unit, my distant cousin Corporal John Styer was killed at Fredericksburg, and relative Lt. Colonel Milton Opp was killed at the Wilderness. That regiment fought hard and was shot to pieces throughout the war. I’m glad they could put up their memorial even though they didn’t really fight at the battle. Gettysburg is about more than just the battle which took place there. In a way, it is Pennsylvania’s own shrine to all of its Civil War soldiers.

[@marymoriarity2555]

I can recall relatives taking a train to see Gettysburgun the late 19th century. The battle had been over for 20 years. Emotions still ran high. I heard them often discuss the fears of Pennsylvania residents that the state would be plundered.

[@jimkujawski3772]

Love to you all☺️

[@bluesuncompanyman]

Fantastic lecture! A great example of NPS excellence.

[@jeffreykelly2815]

In

[@semperfi-1918]

wow, in 1938 reunion that's a lot of surviving vetrans at 75 year reunion.

[@marymoriarity2555]

semperfi 1918 probably all over 90 years old

[@104thDIVTimberwolf]

That gives you a good idea of how many were there for the opening act. My Great-grandfather, Abner Weatherly, Company K, South Carolina 8th Infantry, was there, but died in 1908, so he missed these last two reunions.

[@valeriegriner5644]

@@104thDIVTimberwolf My great great great grandfather fought with the Sumter Flying Artillery(from Americus, GA). He was wounded at Gettysburg, but made it home from the war.

[@valeriegriner5644]

@Dave Ad YES!

[@mortalclown3812]

@Dave Ad I grew up in Alabama and Georgia and have only heard it from racists. Ditto for who flies the Confederate flag.

[@bonniecamerica]

Interesting to know that all those incredible monuments at Gettysburg, are not all that fought there. I do appreciate all the monuments ,gives people an opportunity to see all that fought in the Civil war whom may never get to visit another battle field. Maryland statue speaks volumes " of a split state united at the end of the war.

[@darrellborland119]

As an "Original Transcon RR" enthusiast, these stories are amazing to behold. And, a couple of books of the history of that era to recommend: "To Rescue the Republic", by Bret Baier, about Grant and some of his epic story. Also: "Fierce Patriot', all about Uncle Billy and his boys. As far as FDR is concerned, not a lot of respect, historically for he and his "One World" government shenanigans. Thanks....and a great presentation.

[@bbbvvhk]

He is great. I will buy any book he writes.

[@louisdileo6894]

Excellent presentation. One of the best ever. Bravo!

[@davidbowman4259]

Outstanding lecture. Thank you so much.

[@robertpark7800]

Indeed, "excellence"! This Park Ranger proved his metal. He even handlingly a complex story. Hat's off. Gwinn rules. I hung on every word, and picture. Thanks!

[@cwb0051]

Wonderful..Thank You..

[@Shatamx]

Meade knew Lee was going to attack the center on Day 3. Even Sherman was impressed.

[@Micouniverse]

Thank you very much. Well done. 🍀

[@stevenchurch1163]

4th Mich. in the last slide was partly recruited in my home county, one of few regiments to have more deaths from battle wounds than from sickness...

[@george5112]

Blessed be Col Jeffords and the 4th. Our flag still stands today because of you.

[@stevencassel5680]

; some from a southern state. All tell a part of the historic record. My ancestor was a soldier from Indiana, who was captured In Alabama by the commmand of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. I am angered when any Confederate monument is removed or destroyed. That part of the historic record is lost; because of an unthinking vandal.

[@jayb276]

very fine and well presented lecture, thanks.

[@francissullivan6400]

GOD BLESS my BROTHERS and SISTERS in the south .From a Yankee in orange county NY

[@Itchhhh]

Fantastic stuff!!! Thank you!

[@marymoriarity2555]

Wonderful NPR lecture. It doesn’t glorify war but a victory to preserve the union

[@mendel6776]

Great stuff

[@nyworker]

The greatest of ironies is that the victory reunited the country economically and made it the land of freedom for millions from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th century. Changing the demographics of the nation. It was a world event.

[@hamiltonconway6966]

Union, glorious Union seems to be the gist of his lecture. We have a divided country today. Northern and Southern people have never viewed the role of government the same, not even today.

[@OldHeathen1963]

@Hamilton Conway Not the roll of government so much as Democracy! The south is a hierarchical society. Always was, still is! The North was expanding Freedom. The South was expanding Slavery! It took Government to stop this! Just like it took Government to enforce Civil Rights...IN THE 1960s!! 😲🙄 It's not states rights because the south didn't respect states rights of OTHERS! 😡🇺🇸 Even Thomas Jefferson said " the southerner is zealous of their own liberties while not respecting the liberties of others" in the 1780s !!! Everyone loves government when it does what they want, and hate it when it doesn't. BTW the CSA government was becoming more and more centralized during it's short history. It even forbade sucession 🤣

[@badguy1481]

If you haven't been to Gettysburg...GO! Magic! But I think we down play the importance of Slavery to the reasons why Union men joined up, at the beginning of the war. Before the war, States in the North, had VERY anti-slavery feelings. In fact, the state of Wisconsin actually planned to succeed from the Union BECAUSE the federal government continued to support Slavery. In the late 1850's there was a riot in Milwaukee. The focus was on the release of a runaway slave who was being held at the City Jail awaiting extradition back to the South. The Slave was released and quickly moved North to Canada.

[@FASAfan]

@badguy Now this is fascinating about Wisconsin. I sorely wish there had been a “popular uprising” that forced the issue of slavery before the civil war. I just don’t get the willful disconnect our founding fathers had between “all men are created equal” and slavery.

[@eq1373]

​​@@FASAfan There was. It was Nat Turner's rebellion, and it failed. The disconnect was because overall, the founding fathers could stand each other

[@AWildernessVP]

One question was the Veterans on both sides get healthcare and benefits and what happened to the prisoners of war after the war ended? Thank you!

[@marymoriarity2555]

Tombstone tourist ghost town adventures good question

[@ALRIGHTYTHEN.]

It's as if union soldiers created their own alternative history by claiming that the north was fighting to end slavery. I suppose we could call it the won cause, as opposed to the southern soldiers lost cause. It seems as if soldiers on both sides wanted their sacrifice to mean much more than just saving or dissolving the union.

[@davidfeador4125]

It s just good history

[@golgothaassassin5035]

what I could never understand about the northern soldiers from the civil war, is this pride of victory. They loose for years, general after general. if man power and supplies would have been equal, they would have lost the war in every battle, and even with superior odds only barely won.

[@OldHeathen1963]

@Golgotha Assassin Because they fought for FREEDOM AND AGAINST SLAVERY!! That's why 😏🇺🇸 Northerners were busy working while Southerners were busy playing war and whipping runaways...gathering posses and the like! The USA had a learning curve because so many of the soldiers we trained, turned tradier. Lincoln was the USAs secret weapon. Abe offered the job to Lee, so Lincoln knew... When others didn't like Grant, Lincoln did..and gave him the job. From then it was only a matter of time! ( I say Thomas should have been offered the job early in the war )

[@OldHeathen1963]

BTW if you look at the numbers...the south lost just as many soldiers. ...and how many armies surrendered to Lee...🤔 ZERO 🇺🇸

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

Because a win is a win. And because the saved the Union? What an odd question.

[@niteriderband4713]

What I am not hearing is what about the reconciliation of the corporate business interests that caused the war in the first place? Where did our government learn to deal with the corporate business forces that control the government and the dangers thereof? They caused the succession and not the actual common folk who were just pawns on the corporate chess board to dominate the country.

[@craigmignone2863]

Chattel slavery was replaced by far more lucrative debt slavery which had no color line.....

[@AWildernessVP]

Oh another question so all the confederate soldiers were fighting the union to defend slavery so did they all own slaves ? Did both sides ever actually seen a slave in that time ? The North had slaves too?

[@bethbabson913]

Southern soldiers didn't own slaves as a rule. Mine didn't. Northern hadn't either. Just as today, men go to war when circumstances present. My Civil War Northern list battle fatigue for releases. My Southern had whole range from served to I hired to died in prison to released last day of war. Notes are in both side records. The South was invaded after believing the words in Constitution regarding States rights not unlike how people argue against Federal law today.

[@carywest9256]

@Sue Taft I am not trying to be a smartass,because I didn't graduate high school. But do you proofread what you text?

[@legalvampire8136]

At the time of Independence, slavery was legal in all 13 original states, although the southern economy depended on slavery while the North's did not. There was a movement to abolish slavery after independence partly because the ideals of liberty that were spoken about during the Revolutionary War made people think about the rights and wrongs of slavery. This movement was more successful in the North because, having fewer slaves, it was less disruptive to abolish slavery there. This was largely accomplished in the North by 1804. Hence at the time of the Civil War in the 1860s, many older people in the North must have remembered from their childhood their own families or neighbours owning slaves. People argue whether the Civil War was really about slavery or some other issue like states' rights or tariffs on imports, which protected industry, mainly concentrated in the North, from competition, but made imported goods more expensive for everyone else. I agree with the historian Bruce Catton, who said that there were several issues dividing North and South, not just slavery, but that the other issues could probably have been worked through by normal political argument and compromise. Slavery was the one so fundamental that it exploded.

[@michael55walker]

It seems Chris and the Park Service are becoming more intolerant to the southern guest. I hope it is mostly Chris and not the NPS. If its not about saving the Union why did the North cause 600,000 lives to save it and not just let the south go. And why once they won they continued retribution & humiliation with reconstruction. ENOUGH

[@balthazar2749]

Their opinion has changed with the National Park Service plan starting in 1995, where the military parks are focused on the war, causes, and effects. He has a Union "bias" for two reasons: 1. It was originally in 1893 a union military park before it became and National Park. 2. The next speech on the topic is the focus on the Southern veterans. I'm assuming he does not want yo step on the next presenters toes. The confederate speech was very well done

[@nora22000]

M Walker His purpose is not to appease the Southern haters. The secession and the war was a mistake by the South. Davis fired on Ft. Sumter; you don't see that. Count your blessings and stop hating and needing to be accommodated.

[@Big-Daddy-96]

I watched this whole speech and have no idea what M Walker is talking about. This was a very well balanced presentation that seemed neutral on nearly all points.

[@mistery2628]

Heroic battles ? Just slaughter, like all battles. Nothing heroic about it. Interesting though ...

[@jeffreylc]

Peace and love peace and love huh? There was much heroism on both sides. War is brutal and a slaughter. That is what war is. No one is glorifying war in this lecture or in the post war reunions of the veterans. Only honoring the memory of their fallen comrades and their sacrifices. I doubt I’d find you anywhere near a battlefield based on your comment.