Battle of Gettysburg - Turning Point in Civil War

American Minute ^ | July 3, 2019 | Bill Federer

[PaulZe]

2 whitworth cannons..with a range of 5 miles. There are 2 whitworth cannon currently on oak hill next to the peace light memorial

[Jimmy Valentine]

Marse Robert should have listened to Longstreet

[Swanks]

Clifford Dowdey’s “Lee” is epic; I don’t know the pages, but on Audible, it’s close to 30 hours long. In it he can’t hold back his disdain for Longstreet; some of which is petty - and no way can he know what he projects was in Longstreet’s mind at certain points. (which he does anyway). But in 1965 he was piling on close to a 100 yrs of Longstreet blame storming.

[Swanks]

They probably would stay; Hey it feels like the Shenandoah, but not as friggin’ HOT.

[lizma2]

Went to a reenactment at Gettysburg some 20 years ago. Kids and women on the battlefield. Brought home that these people fought for what they personally believed in.

Got home and read “The Killer Angels”

After this thread, it’s time to re-read.

On a side note one of the neighborhoods in my town in the peoples republic of Montgomery County had a Jeb Stuart Drive. That was renamed during Bammy’s administration.

[circlecity]

"In it he can’t hold back his disdain for Longstreet"

The old post-war, anti-Longstreet cabal that wanted to glorify Lee and blame Longstreet for the Gettysburg defeat. Jubal Early was a prime participant in this. A good book was published this year called "Longstreet at Gettysburg" by Cory Pfarr which takes a close look at the charges leveled against Longstreet and refutes them all.

[21twelve]

“It’s a powerful thing to walk across the killing field where thousands fell in minutes.”

There is a movie out there called “The Last Castle”. With an old Robert Redford playing a famed General that gets sent to prison. He is pitted against the warden.

The warden (military) has a display of mostly Civil War stuff all around his office, with a glass table with his prized items.

In the opening scene of the movie, the warden leaves the room to go get a book the General wrote so he can autograph it.

The warden’s assistant proudly states out “This section here are mini-balls from Gettysburg.”

Redford says something like “Hell of a thing to proudly display something that might have gone through an American boy that day. Obviously the warden has never come close to combat.”

The warden hears this and stashes his book. “Oh - I couldn’t find it at the moment, perhaps later.”

Their relationship goes down from there.

I REALLY enjoyed the movie.

[x]

Redford says something like “Hell of a thing to proudly display something that might have gone through an American boy that day. Obviously the warden has never come close to combat.”

Sure, like Robert Redford was some veteran himself.

Thinking about it, he kind of had a point, but it was a real dick move to say it out loud.

I REALLY enjoyed the movie.

I'll pass.

[21twelve]

I have no connection to the Civil War. (Well, my wife’s great(?) grandfather told the story of him being taken prisoner and escaping barefoot, and taking the boots off a dead soldier and making it back to safety after a week of sneaking back through enemy territory. But that’s the only story I know!)

It is very interesting to hear the stories and the history from BOTH sides. Also to hear the mutual respect in the stories from both sides.

[x]

Pickett’s Charge, which was ill-conceived, was Lee’s only real option left on the 3rd day. I think he knew it was very likely to fail, but he had not other option than to try to ‘close the deal’.

Lee may have felt like he didn't have any other options, but that was the problem.

Fatalism sets in over the course of a war, and generals often make foolish choices because they no longer see other options.

[21twelve]

Yeah I knew the mention of Redford would raise the hackles! It was the standard “prisoners against the mean warden” theme.

[MichaelCorleone]

Yes.

Agree wholeheartedly with all of the above.

[MichaelCorleone]

Also, what the heck was Stuart doing, do we know?

[RedMonqey]

Imagine the stories he had... do you have any diaries or journals?

Alas, there are none. If there were they have been lost to Father Time. What our family knows come from the our Granny(who as a child sat in Andrew's lap, stroking his long, white beard and make the old man laugh and his bright blue eyes sparkle though the deep wrinkles) Most information came from the family Bible, the regiment muster rolls, a few government documents, the history of the regiment and the diaries and journals of other soldiers in his unit.

Being a (just barely) middle class farming family, his education was just enough to read and write to get by.

His brother Melville, however is mentioned in his commander's letters who took over the leadership of the 49th Tn Infantry that went south. His commander, Col William Young also was a close neighbor, friend and fellow church member and he sent letters back home to his wife and children. His letters, the ones that made it back home, told of what battles they were in, the area they were and who was killed, wounded or missing. Around the Battle of Atlanta, Melville, Col Young and another man were wounded and convelensing in a town called Washington, Georgia. My gr,gr,re. re uncle was shot in the foot and hand but the Col lost his arm. Interesting was the tone of the man. Despite the devastating wound, he was upbeat that he was doing well, that "he was hit with five balls but only only two have effect", "the ladies were treating them well"and he had money and a new suit and would be home as soon as the roads were clear. "To plant wheat and your one armed Pa would behome to make a living for my trust in God and children shall not want" He was proud to hear his sons had planted the crops and he would be home as soon as he could. Mel(my uncle and the other neighbor were wounded(Mel was shot in his foot) Information of my family is piecemeal but we're very grateful we fing anything at all. Many folks don't know anything about their family's past and, frankly don't care. I give all credit to our granny who got the start of our family history on paper and i and my youngest brother have added onto it through the years since Granny pasted on.

[GreyFriar]

A good “alternate history” of the Battle of Gettysburg was written a number of years ago by military historian Peter G. Tsouras. Its title is “Gettysburg: An Alternate History.” I highly recommend it. In it he has Culp’s Hill being taken, among other changes, all of which have been discussed via “what if......”

[RedMonqey]

And, yer, it was the Battle of Hatcher’s Run in Virginia around in the Petersburg Campaign that he was shot and sent to Chimborazo to heal when Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

After healing enough. He and the few members of his regiment that remained, started walking home back to Tennessee. Granny said this was in part the railroads were destroyed and the ones that weren’t ruined were run by the Union army and her grandfather wasn’t about to ride in a boxcar with a bunch of smug Yankee soldiers. So they walked all the way back home! Somewhere outside Chattanooga in the woods, he stated he and his comrades said they took the Oath but he couldn’t name the unit he did with, the soldiers he was with or the officer that gave the oath. Since swearing allegiance to the Union was part of becoming a citizen, and more importantly to him, get a pension, the government didn’t believe him and he didn’t get a pension. We chuckled that the government official probably had a long line of rebels who gave the same vague story and didn’t believe them, either.

[Destroyer Sailor]

Grant and Sherman were the team that closed the Mississippi River to the South and set up the final series of campaigns that would end the Civil War.

[Destroyer Sailor]

Hood was horrible army commander.

[Mr Rogers]

I’ve been working my way thru Pickett’s Charge by George Stewart. He writes:

“Lee and Longstreet were generally together on this morning, riding about and inspecting the lines. The inference would have to be that the tactical planning was a collaboration.”

I don’t understand how any rational blame can be put on Longstreet. Jubal Early would deserve more. Which may be why he blamed Longstreet!

[Mr Rogers]

Don't know if it is a real quote, but I've always liked this comment attributed to George Pickett:

"I’ve always thought the Yankees had something to do with it."

Good to remember that NO SIDE controls the outcome. The other side makes choices, and Gettysburg was a near fought battle.