The American Battlefield Trust posted numerous videos yesterday on important sites from the first day of battle from Gettysburg, PA (which occurred 157 years ago).
Their first video today reviews confederate battle plans for the second day, with noted battle field tour guide, Tim Smith describing the dilemma faced by James Longstreet as the battle shifted to the south of town. You can expect more videos today of the devils den, the little round tops and the heroic stand of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin and the 20th Maine Volunteers that preserved the union left flank and prevented likely disaster for the republic. Watch
Gettysburg is one of the best battlefields to visit. The union lines can be easily walked from one end to the other with numerous markers and monuments commemorating key positions and units of the battle. If you can’t make it, these videos are the next best thing.
The wrong side won.
Somewhat oblique to this post:
Yesterday I was saying to Geoff C. that it would be a real hoot if the Civil War reenactors all got together at Gettysburg to fight back any antifa who attempt to desecrate these battlefields and monuments. Outside of CW historians and avid CW researchers, no other group knows the battle plans, places and timelines of the historic battles.
In my fantasies of people dressed in the blue and the gray, both sides come together to kick antifa’s ignorant asses. They have real ammo in their muskets and rifles. Antifa’s ringleaders and their mobs start tearing up Gettysburg and from over the ridges and from among the trees come phalanxes of Civil War soldiers (ashen-faced zombies in CW uniform would be a nice touch). Scare the ever-lovin’ shite out them!
And it would demonstrate to the rest of the country that a house divided will still come together to fight against the global threat of communism.
(Geoff C. and I happened to see a full scale Civil War reenactment at Ft. Clatsop outside of Astoria, OR. They had every part of the battle represented, from the “stores” and soldiers’ tents, field hospitals, snipers in trees and, of course, hundreds of soldiers dressed in both sides’ uniforms. We spent quite a while watching them set up and commence battle.)
Day Two was one of Lee’s biggest ‘missed opportunitys’ of the War
… he left too much up to Longstreet, Hood & Ewell (& Ewell’s allowance of the Union forces to occupy Cemetery Hill on the end of Day One was inexcusable; as was Stuart’s ‘adventure’)
the battlefield is well preserved, but the town has encroached severely on the northern part of the battlefield …. & don’t get me started on the plethora of monuments & pavement!
Antietam/Sharpsburg is a bit better (& very close to Gettysburg) to get the actual ‘lay’ of the land (except of the West Woods) …. & I don’t like that they paved @ the Bloody Angle & too many monuments @ the Cornfield
Mah Tarheel ancestors took East Cemetery Hill that night – the 21st & 57th NC Infantry pushed an ENTIRE Union Corp off of there.
But the Louisiana Tigers froze. No reinforcements came, and at darkfall, a second Union Corp came to reinforce, and pushed us back.
If we coulda had ONE more platoon at Little Round Top that afternoon, and the Tigers there at East Cemetery Hill that night, we turn the cannons inward at dawn, and roll up them Yankees from BOTH sides on Day 3. Lee then burns Harrisburg (a DAMN good idea STILL today!!!), then turns toward Washington, to present his terms to Lincoln.
Now the ingrates tear down statues, even OF Lincoln. What did the Union WIN? 😳
We won bragging rights.
If Stonewall Jackson had survived Chancellorsville, the South would have won at Gettysburg. He would not have made the mistake of not taking the high ground.
I visited there when I was about 14-15. My brother and I both were Civil War fanatics back then. I’ve been to a few others but Gettysburg and Lookout Mountain were my favorites.
I hope these sacred grounds are being heavily guarded from the unhinged scum we’re dealing with now.