I really liked this format. It's like I am part of the discussion, sitting right there with them. Hold on I need another beer - anyone?

"General, I have been a soldier all my life. I have been with soldiers engaged in fights by couples, by squads, companies, regiments, divisions, and armies, and should know, as well as any one, what soldiers can do. It is my opinion that no fifteen thousand men ever arranged for battle can take that position." -Longstreet

Multiple turning points: - East: Gettysburg - Centre: Chattanooga - West: Vicksburg

I went to the Gettysburg battlefield in 2013. I was in awe at how far the large group of trees and the Pennsylvania memorial looked from the Confederate line and how small the Virginia monument looked from the angle from the Union line. The average human can walk one mile in around 16 minutes. I doubt I will ever understand how those men could walk into all that destruction.

I don't know how Lee thought this could succeed after he saw what had happened in Fredericksburg and Malvern's hill

A thousand years from now they will still be discussing this battle.

I finally got there and stayed at Gettysburg Hotel last year. A highlight in my amateur historian life.

Everyone should be commended for not biting on the trolling attempts in the comments. It's good to see that a civilized discussion is still possible. Thanks to ABT for the quality videos; they're always fun to watch.

The most underrated channel on youtube. No question.

Excellent discussion and “gentlemanly” debates ! Great stuff men !

As others have stated, one of the most underrated channels on youtube. The fact that you also detail your own differing opinions on the battle really adds depth; history is largely written by the victors after all.

My 3rd great grandfather fought at Gettysburg in Pickett's Charge. He was wounded and captured at the wall.

Gentlemen, I enjoyed your conversation about Pickett's charge and would like to add my own opinion for consideration. As a Christian pastor serving in England, I had the opportunity to visit the battle of Waterloo site. For an amateur historian this was fascinating. years later, I stood at the point where you are all sitting and could not help to see the similarities to Waterloo. Allow me to list them: - the ending battle in both locations happened between 2 farm complexes - the French, like the Confederates, had a long way to go and had to move slightly uphill - the British and the Union soldiers were in a protected position: the British behind a small crest of a hill and the Union soldiers behind a stone wall. - the preceding artillery bombardment was ineffectual both for the French and Confederates. Napoleon was considered at that time as he greatest general in history. Every soldier who went through West Point, or any other military college, would have studied all his battles. Lee is no exception, which begs the question you all were discussing. Why would he do this knowing what he knew and with Longstreet insisting that it would end in failure? I cannot imagine that Lee did not see the similarities. this is what I believe: Lee was a Christian and had to believe he was doing God's will. I suspect that at this battle his doubts were surfacing. Was this rebellion really God's will? How to know if it is? Perhaps he looked at the similarities with the ground before him with what Napoleon faced and thought, "If I can succeed where the greatest of generals failed then I must be in God's will". It is recorded historically that as the men retreated, he apologized to them claiming it was his fault. it is also clear that after Gettysburg Lee lost heart and finally surrendered. for your consideration. Alan Elliott

A couple of things to consider about general George Gordon Meade. One Meade had just taken command of the Army of the Potomac, in fact he didn't arrive on the battlefield until after dark day 1. Second, Meade was the 1st commander to correctly anticipate Robert E. Lee's next move by guessing that lee would strike the center.

i had relatives there. both sides of the family too. been there and got chills...

Charge a mile in the wide open in daylight.... what could go wrong?

"Gettysburg is the price the South paid for RE Lee." -- Shelby Foote, US Historian

Very well put together guys, very well... A great 👍 light hearted open and honest conversation with Professional people about their field of expertise. On Absolutely a Horrible loss of life Between the brave, brave Americans on both sides of the conflict.

Gettysburg's Pickett charge remains an epic example almost legendary of the unfortunate bravery and the tragic courage of the confederates during the civil war.

I have visited Gettysburg. Main Battle Tanks could not have made it across that valley in the face of a determined defense.

Lee fully understood that the Southern Government had no more soldiers, cannon, medical supplies, or rations to send him, while the North could replace fallen soldiers almost at will. The North had the manufacturing to mass produce weapons and ammunition. I personally believe this played a role in Lee's decision making that day. The Army of the Potomac was right there in front of him. Lee, knowing that the longer this war dragged on, it heavily favored the North. Lee always wanted to destroy the enemy, on that battlefield, at that time, to him seemed to be his best shot.

Thanks from Scotland for an entertaining discussion by people who know their stuff. Shame it wasn't longer! For what it's worth, I have always regarded Pickett's charge as Lee's biggest blunder. Uphill charge over a mile long, with huge risks of being flanked by the Yankees. Particularly after witnessing the slaughter at Fredericksburg in similar circumstances.

One of the things that wasn’t mentioned was that the union general ordered the cannons to silence to fool Lee into making his assault.

Another great video from The Trust. BRAVO!!!

Beautiful Landscape and views Ya'll have in the background. God's Country. I hope to have a similar view from my front porch after I retire. I fell in love with the Southern States during a short vacation. Loved each and every minute. Absolutely beautiful. Southern hospitality was beyond anything I've seen. Ya'll be sweet, hope to be there soon. God Bless.

Excellent analysis, and I appreciate the differing viewpoints.

Thank all of you for this film-- Bravo !!!

I had ancestors in the 36th Va. and 6th Ohio and am very grateful neither of them had to fight in the Army of Northern Virginia or the Army of the Potomac.Being in that area between the Potomac River and Richmond would have been like 4 years at Stalingrad.

Really enjoyed this! Well done gentlemen. I've studied the 20th century wars but avoided the Civil War because it was such a heart breaker for my family. This type of discussion makes it more accessible for me.

Good video & liked. I became interested in Gettysburg watching KZfaq videos like this and it inspired me to visit the battlefield. It was worth it and my only regret is that I could not visit longer than 1 day. If you enjoy videos like this and have never gone to Gettysburg then you are missing out. Go see it!

Love you all's channel! Will you all ever do a video on the Battle of Williamsburg(1862)? I feel as though it was one battle that is overshadowed by the Seven Days Battle in the Peninsula Campaign, yet there is still so much original history there...redoubts, rifle pits, roads, etc. Anyways, would love to see The Civil War Trust shine some light on it!

Thank you so much American battelfild...

I wonder if even Lee had won at Gettysburg if his army would have had enough juice to go much farther. I suspect they would have been so beat up that they would have had to retreat back to the south anyway.

Nice discussion very commendable.

How interesting. It's amazing how much information can be packed into such a short discussion.

Lee's original plan of campaign (made clear by Lee's after action report and Longstreet's memoirs) in June of 1863 was to maneuver the AotP into attacking the AoNV and defeat that attack. In effect, he attempted to carry out a strategically offensive campaign which was defensive tactically. To do this, Lee needed timely information as to the strength and location of the AotP. Only Stuart's cavalry possessed the mobility to get out and obtain this information. Stuart's ability to do this was compromised- not by Stuart, but by Lee. Lee violated the military axiom of "one force, one objective", and gave Stuart two objectives for one force. Lee did this by instructing Stuart to gather both information and provisions. These two objectives were contradictory in nature because gathering information required mobility which only cavalry could provide- but gathering provisions would inevitably impede that very mobility. Thus, excelling at one made accomplishing the other more and more unlikely. Furthermore, Lee made it clear in his orders to Stuart that he wished Stuart to gather provisions not simply for the three brigades which Stuart had with him, but for the AoNV as well. Probably the worst aspect of Lee's orders to Stuart was that these two objectives coincided in time- and Stuart literally lacked the time to accomplish first one, and then the other. Lee's lack of information resulted in the unexpected meeting engagement between advanced elements of the AoNV and the AotP on 1 July. The minor Confederate victory was actually a disaster for Lee's plan of campaign. In this meeting engagement, elements of the AoNV attacked and defeated elements of the AotP. In so doing, Lee's army assumed not only the strategic offensive, but now, the tactical offensive as well. Having been attacked and defeated, the AotP was now unlikely to simply go over to the tactical offensive in turn. Two additional factors made a Union counterattack even more unlikely. The first was that the AotP had a newly appointed commander in General George G. Meade (an appointment which Lee had been made aware of). Meade assumed command of an army already in motion, and- as one historian put it- he was faced by a man who had been "the ruin of McClellan, Pope, Burnside, and Hooker". The second factor was that the two recent offensives by the AotP- and Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville- had resulted in a bloody repulse in the first battle, and a stunning counterattack and defeat in the second. In their entirety, these factors combined to make a Union counterattack unlikely in the extreme. This saddled Lee with a tactical initiative which he had never wanted- and now, two time constraints operated against him. The first was that the strategic objective of the campaign had been to relieve pressure on the Confederate defenders at Vicksburg- and Vicksburg had been placed under siege before Lee's campaign had even gotten underway. The second was that the AoNV had been foraging off of enemy territory, and Lee's foraging parties could not operate in the immediate presence of the AotP. Lee was now reduced to living off of the stocks in the army's supply train, so he could not remain in any one area for more than 3-5 days. Since the army had not foraged since Lee's concentration order of 29 June, the clock was ticking for Lee. It appears clear in retrospect that Lee had little confidence that Meade would launch an attack of his own, and Longstreet's suggestion of a flanking maneuver- while tactically possible to carry out- stood little chance of eliciting a Union counterattack. These factor may well explain Lee decision to execute what became known as Pickett's Charge.

My family has some of George Pickett’s things because he was my one of my ancestors. We have his sword. So this video was kind of interesting.

Can't believe I'm just seeing this 5yrs later but it was a great video...The discussion intercut with animation describing the battle was PHENOMENAL

A great history lesson to help understand this important battle. ( I am a re-enactor.)

Outstanding

Excellent!, thank you gentlemen that whole terrible event helped mould today's great America as we know around the world .enjoyed and! could listen and learn more from your historically enlightening views far more often , 🕊to you all..

Very interesting discussions/points/opinions... Thank you!

Love these small videos!!

Did not even recognize Garry without the hat lol

It is my opinion that Gettysburg was THE turning point strategically, considering that the entire Southern policy was hinging on bloodying the North to such a degree that they would be willing to cede to a political solution and allow the Confederacy to exist as a sovereign nation. Davis, Lee, and all of those involved in shaping Confederate policies and strategies understood that they could not win a war of attrition. But, what happens if you simply keep the Union army at bay, while remaining in-being as a fighting force and political entity? You will essentially be fighting a war of attrition, which the South could keep up for only so long. Therefore, by winning a great military victory one could persuade the Union to capitulate in the sense that their will to fight is reduced. And Gettysburg was the turning point of the war because after the Union's victory on the battlefield, there was no longer any question as to whether the Union could continue to go toe-to-toe with the Confederate forces. It was seen that they could prevail, and not only that, but Lee's battle plan failed, as did the greater strategic plan. Had lee won at Gettysburg, it is entirely plausible that a political solution would have come about, with the AoNV being so close to Washington, and with little to stop them, the only hope being to slow them down. But once it was clear that Lee had lost, not only was Northern morale bolstered past the point of no return, it was clear that the South's plan had failed, and that they were once again forced back into a war of attrition, whereby they would have to re-equip their army once back in Virginia, attempt to find any replacements they could, etc., reducing their limited resources further. This likely had an immeasurable impact on foreign powers choosing not to support the South, a fact which, by itself, could be argued to be a major turning point of the war. As far as the battle itself, I've said many times that I do not think Lee's blunders were numerous, and do not even consider ordering Longstreet to attack the center to be that big of a mistake considering the available intelligence. Lee's biggest mistake was not utilizing his means properly, as he had cavalry brigades that were present yet inactive under his command. It is easy to wonder why Lee did not agree with Longstreet's opinion that by swinging around the Union army they AoNV could get between the Union army and their capitol, as well as choose a battlefield where they held a terrain advantage, or perhaps win the battle at Gettysburg through a flanking maneuver. Yet, I think people forget that Lee well knew that it would be extremely dangerous, a huge risk, to attempt to manuever such a large force in the presence of the enemy, who could choose offensive action at any time, and thereby crush Lee's army. It could be argued that we are talking about a portion of the army's forces, and not the entire army, but there would still be some danger, especially if the maneuver was defeated, as the army's right flank would then be wide open. There was also the morale factor to consider. By abandoning ground that had already been won, there would be a demoralizing effect on the troops no doubt, although it is difficult to say with any certainty. Withdrawing from Gettysburg was not an option either, considering the AoNV had not been beaten, plus the fact that the dangers of maneuvering described above would still be present, the morale effect, and most importantly that this would have completely ignored Lee's entire reason for invading the North to start with. I would argue that once Lee assembled his army at Gettysburg, his operational plan, if not his entire campaign plan, was ruined. Lee's plan was, to put it simply, to swing through the valley, up to the general area to the North/Northwest of Washington, around the Union forces, forcing them to hurry northward to oppose him, where he hoped their formations would be strung out as opposed to concentrated, where they could be defeated in detail. Lee was the one who ended up being caught off guard, and he had to order what was essentially an emergency concentration at Gettysburg, where contact had been made. The Union army simply moved faster than he anticipated. My point is that Lee's operational plan of defeating Union formations piecemeal had failed. The only hope now to accomplish the more strategic objective of peace through military victory. Thus withdrawing was not an option, and although Longstreet's option was better, it too was not guaranteed to succeed. And in Lee's mind he is thinking that he cannot withdraw, and cannot maneuver, therefore an attack seems to be the only option left, and the one option which is guaranteed to produce results in line with the original campaign plan if it succeeds. And having already attacked the Union on both of their flanks, if another attack had to be made it is logical to conclude that since Union formations would have been moved to support the flanks, that their center must have suffered as a result, and that this is the best place to attack. Except that this was so obvious that Meade also anticipated it. The main pointed I wish to make is that all of these things I've mentioned have influenced my opinion that Gettysburg was THE turning point of the war. It is difficult to hold an opinion that disagrees with notable and knowledgeable persons, but I must stay true to my analysis of the situation. Regardless, this was a good watch, and I will certainly subscribe and check out the channel's other videos.

I'm really interested in the Civil War and these presentations are very helpful and informative. Thank you.

I loved hearing these gentlemen exchanging ideas at this Rock Wall conference. These talks bring about what if ideas and I think we all love that. More please boys.

Agreed on the point that the AoP had a great deal to do with the defeat of the AoNV. General Meade was a great general. Very professional and knew what he was doing. He had a great record in command positions before he took overall command of the Army. He knew how to fight on the brigade, division and corps levels. Also. After the battle of Chancellorsville (and probably before) many of the corps commanders called for the dismissal of Hooker with Meade (after Reynolds refused) as his successor.

Nice presentation gentlemen. From the Suwannee 😎🇺🇸👍

Very interesting conversation, Gentlemen.

Wonderful! Thank you so much!

Why does no one address the political infighting within the AOP's command structure . You really can't get a fair evaluation of an AOP commander's performance without it. No one even mentions that Slocum camped within 5 miles of Gettysburg, heard the sounds of the battle all day long, refused orders by Reynolds to come to his aid, and only arrived on the battlefield near sunset of the first day.

Died of a theory , the most profound summary of the CSA

I know a descendant of Jeb Stuart's family, John Stuart, and he said it is the family's belief that Jeb Stuart was visiting a lady during the time he was away from the Confederate army. Finally, I think the initial mistake by General Heath to engage the dismounted Union cavalry on Union soil was probably a mistake that couldn't be overcome. The idea was to force the Union army to pursue the Confederates until the Confederates decided to basically turn and fight on the ground of their choosing. General Heath allowed the Union army to choose the ground.

Excellent interview.

Hello !! Iam a dilettante researcher of the history your civil war and as far as I know, from the information you publish that I analyzed (as I would like to research and know more!!!!!) the famous fence "worked". It stopped an entire advance of men, a bunch of men became easy targets because it was necessary to climb the fence since passing between the wooden sticks was practically impossible. I believe this was decisive...that fence should have been destroyed before the artillery attack. Greetings from Brazil .

Great open discussion

It still boggles my mind that there are real images of this period in time. Brings to life the conflict that can only be imagined when you look at other conflicts in time like the Roman Empire etc.

Thank you all, gentlemen, for this immersive commentary. However, after reading Edwin C. Bears on Petersburg, I feel the same way about General Meade as Colonel Pleasants felt after their post-Crater debriefing at Meade's HQ.

A descent Commander, surrounded by competent staff and field officers commanding veteran infantry. A cavalry that knew their job. NCOs with experience. Lee ran into officers who did not panic while leading men who had been there before. He ran into Chamberlain and the 20th Maine and Wisconsin Iron Brigade. The Union Army had matured.

PIckett's Charge was a legacy of Malvern Hill, which was the forge upon which the Army of Northern Virginia was created in Lee's image. Standing where the Union gunners could see Lee surveying the battle, Lee's will to win is a palpable presence, even today. Regarding Meade's failure to pursue Lee vigorously, as Lincoln was demanding from Washington, overlooks the fact that the Army of the Potomac was as badly wounded as the Army of Virginia and Meade's trains had been pretty completely scrambled by the southern bombardment. In contrast, Lee's trains were untouched and already position to begin its withdrawal immediately. This disparity in organization accrued to Lee's benefit and, as the commentators reflect. Lee was not inclined to give up. Comparing Gettysburg and Vicksburg, which resolved on the same day, reflects a difference between Lee's larger strategy, which was theatrical to the extent that he was trying to entice Britain into an intervention, while Grant's intent was always purposeful and never meaningful. Lee's thrust into the North was informed, to some small degree, with the same expectation of a chocolates and roses reception from the Marylanders that the neo-con cheerleaders for the invasion of Iraq anticipated with their conceit of liberation. Like the invasion of Iraq, the Southern rebellion was then, and, to some degree, remains, firmly anchored by wishful thinking. This is not intended to refute anything this video presents, but merely my own thinking on the subect over the years. Until I saw this video, I held the belief that another division, or even a regiment, at the cockpit, could have provided the results Lee desired, mass representing a quality of its own.. I was unaware of Meade's energetic response behind the forward positions, which has revealed the futility of the assault to my satisfaction (as a combat veteran, the fact that soldiers on both sides continued to respond to the alignments and evolutions of their commanders in this chaos is sobering. It is well we preserve this hallowed ground and enterprise). Excellent presentation. Every time I have had the advantage of the observations of the Gettysburg docents, I have been enlightened and humbled by their command of their subject matter.

The South’s artillery barrage failed because of new fuses that burned longer than the old fuses. This caused the shells to explode behind the Northern lines. Unfortunately for the South they didn’t have time to properly test the fuses before the battle took place. Just another quirk in a battle of many lost opportunities.

I have bee to Gettysburg and Vicksburg both and felt I was on hollow ground on both of them. Thia discussion really helped me see that as far cutting into the South's resources that the loss at Vicksburg had a greater impact.

I think the main reason that Meade doesn't get much credit for the battle is that things just fell into place for him. He didn't select the field, most of the credit for that goes to John Buford who's cavalry made first contact with the enemy and found the delaying action that bought the time necessary for the Union forces to gain the high ground. He didn't do anything particularly compelling either - he just didn't make a mistake and Lee happened to make the worst mistake of his military career that day.

Great discussion

Mr Smith is wonderfully assured in his arguments.

Thank you for this perceptive presentation. I have some “ifs” for the third day; What if Ewell and Longstreet’s attack s had been better coordinated and Custer with an amazingly small force had not stopped Stuart then Confederate victory becomes very possible. Meade is one of my greatest heroes. He faced Lee with minimum preparation taking the responsibility of command extremely smoothly, he fought Lee who had not lost so many fine commanders yet and with a unique parity of forces, he had many Union generals unfriendly to him who subsequently tried to undermine him and the few he could really trust like Hancock were wounded. At the end of the third day with the Farnsworth setback fresh he also could not organize his army quickly enough for the counter attack he wished also realizing that he could not be that sure that Lee was that badly hurt and being quoted as saying Lee was the best counterpuncher . In his memoirs he explains how he sent a corps up and around that found Itself thwarted by very effective mountain defences. Due to his emergency efforts to supply support where needed his army was terribly mixed. On banning newsmen from camp for giving away too much vital info they banded together to never mention him in a positive light. When Grant finally faced Lee his army was twice as large and Lee had lost and continued to lose irreplaceable commanders. Grant’s retaining Meade says much for Meade. After Gettysburg Meade complains to his wife about the subtraction of troops to Chattanooga, interestingly Lee experiences the same thing only larger. They had possibly fought themselves out. Couldn’t resist carrying on like this and thank you again

I lean towards the idea that if the South had won at Gettysburg, that the morale in the Union would have been so low (especially after the recent major defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville) that the political situation in Washington would’ve been so devastating that they would have had to make concessions and recognize the Confederate government as legitimate. Even despite having around 90,000 Federal troops between Lee and Washington at the time. Vicksburg may have had a more dramatic effect on the the tactical and logistical situation for the Confederacy but I believe the results of the political situation was greater at Gettysburg. Though I do have an open mind on the subject.

That was a lot of fun. I have to agree with Sam; the loss of Chattanooga has a profound impact on Confederate logistics which surpasses the loss of the Mississippi

Do more of this!

Who are the 103 people that gave this video a thumbs down? Very entertaining. You don’t usually hear a Civil War “experts“ talking so calm and casual. Very fun video!

I would like to watch the whole conversation.

Great job guys! Love the work you do! One question, the narrator said 12,000 troops, Gary said 14,000 troops? Thanks!

Fantastic job gentleman.

What is NOT known about the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg: Meade DID pursue Robert E. Lee's troops until they were able to cross back over the Potomic. He sent several cavalry divisions to harrass Lee's long baggage trains, in an attempt to slow or even stop their escape.

The retrograde after the battle is one if not the most exciting dramas of the civil war. Demonstrates great professionalism from Lee and his lieutenants. Demonstrates great military acumen from an army that was anything but defeated. Look to the battle of Hagerstown. The poontoon bridge and the fording of the potomac. All brilliantly pulled off. Lee's finest moment.

Vicksburg was important that it divided the Confederacy; but Chattanooga was a train hub that connected the South; but the battle of Gettysburg that broke the back of the South because Lee wanted the Union to pursue for peace if he could put Washington DC into danger that's why Gettysburg was important to both the Confederacy and the Union.

I like the unvarnished conversational format. Even if it might drift occasionally.

"General Lee sir, I have no division"

I visited Gettysburg on a holiday to the USA from Australia in 2006 and can say without hesitation that I had a much better time there than those present in 1863.

Having just returned from a visit to Gettysburg, I think this analysis is very accurate. Though, I believe Lee expected Ewell's assault on Culp's Hill on the morning of July 3rd to be more concurrent with Longstreet's assault on the union center.

Good discussion

General Longstreet and general Armistead, my favorits!

I have read that as Pickett’s division was advancing the Union soldiers were yelling “Fredericksburg”. I cannot understand why Lee did not take the slaughter of Union soldiers at Fredericksburg into consideration. However, there were military commanders during WW1 who sent their soldiers across open ground into machine gun fire. Unlike Lee, who never attempted such a frontal assault again, the generals in WW1 kept trying frontal assaults over and over again. Was it true that Longstreet wanted to flank the Union army to eliminate their advantage of having the high ground? I am sure many wonder how this battle would have turned out if General “Stonewall” Jackson had been present. I also read that the artillery battle that day was heard as far away as Pittsburg or Philadelphia. Great video.

In the words of Winston Churchill, Gettysburg could have been characterized as " Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

One possibility: the union soldiers in general had an optimum level of experience- enough experience to function well, but not enough to be terrified. I've read that in ww2, optimum was at about 2 to 3 weeks of actual combat, with the Civil War, I think the violence was spread out over more time

I love these videos. Not enough genuine discussion regarding the Civil War anymore. Just more hate these days. Thank you for making such discussions and points of views available. I can see how Gettysburg can be seen as a turning point in the war. Lee was winning a lot of battles at the time and seemingly escalating the war. However when you look at the overall picture of what was going on that year... It really looks as if the war is going to come to a close. The South just didn't have what they needed to continue fighting. They were dealing with mounting desertions, supplies weren't as strong anymore, etc. Even without Grant's famous "March to the Sea", or the fall of Vicksburg, the South would have been crushed under just the financial weight of trying to supply an army. Considering Lee's goal was to crush the Potomac Army and threaten D.C.... such a goal almost smacks of desperation.

"There was a death torn broken mile of ground to cross/With a low stone wall at the end./And behind that wall the men of the Second Corps./And behind them another force, fresh troops who had not yet fought./They began to cross the ground. The guns began to tear at them." John Brown's Body by Stephen Vincent Benet. I think it says it all. Visiting Gettysburg it like visiting the First World War battlefields (and the cemetaries) in France. I'm from Britain and have done both. It's sad but we should remember them all on both sides for their bravery.

Wow!! Never heard anyone put the name Lee and “waffling” “half baked” in the same sentence. It was his subordinates that waffled. Lee was quoted as saying, “If I had Jackson at Gettysburg we would have won that battle”. See if you can get your hands on “Life and Letters of RE Lee” by Jones.

In further defense of Meade's not immediately pursuing Lee after the victory at Gettysburg. Along with the thousands of wounded that needed care, there were also tens of thousands of horses and mules which needed to be fed and rested or they would die.

I'm not an "expert" on the civil war nor Gettysburg, however I spent most of my youth going to the battlefield several times each year, and later taking graduate courses on various aspects of the war and specifically Gettysburg, I even participated in mentoring a tour of Gettysburg to some high school students, my segment was to explain the role of "Pickets charge" in the battle. their is a tremendous amount of minutiae concerning Longstreet's observations which in hindsight seem cogent and accurate. but I assure you on that day, in the heat of battle with one more push allowing Lee to route the Union army on its own soil, it was nearly inconceivable that Lee would exercise any other option. I think Gettysburg has been overthought by too many factions and would be historians trying to shed new light on the battle.

I could never understand the Civil War by just reading books. I watched the P.B.S. series with the commentary and diary of many real soldiers.I then watched the Turner movie Gettysburg and felt like I had jumped in a time machine to the very day of battle. My eyes got a little wet thinking about that struggle between countrymen. The soldiers on both sides were very brave . The way they were is something that we should remember today when people who dont know a thing about our history criticize America and its people. Then proceed to burn our nations flag and demonize southern pride.

Good vid.

After So many decades of study - the easiest conclusion I come to is Meade was trying to win the battle and Lee attacked on July 3 because he was trying to win the war. Lee also "may" not have fully accounted in his mind that he had so many new faces in higher command positions after recent losses among officers at several levels.

One of the most poignant statements made during this video 6:38 "because he didn't write a book about himself". This is so true, not just in this instance but you could argue in most historical events. We a lot of times only have the victors side of the story, or one account of a battle. Yes I understand that all history has been told from one person to another then someone writes it down, from there it is up to readers interpretations as to what really happened. So history and fact are often, if not always blurred. Heck just go talk to 2 different people who attended the same large gathering and you will have some similarities but largely different accounts of what took place because of perspective of bias. Anyone who studies history should at least be aware and take into account such inaccuracies and misgivings. Yes at times there are undisputable "facts" about an event but there will also be individual accounts of which will vary.

Many people forget the battle of Helena, Arkansas that happened at the same time as Gettysburg and Vicksburg where the Confedrates nearly regained control of the Mississippi River. July 3rd and 4th 1863 was the turning point of the war as a whole. The Confederacy suffered too many setbacks in those two days to ever recover.

This is speaking from a southern perspective Born in the south raised in the south studied Civil War tactics and battles pretty much my whole life Lee couldn’t’ve taken that hill even if he had 30,000 more troops even Lee and other campaign said you can’t fight an enemy when they have the Highground The only answer I can have after thinking about this whole situation Lee had given up in his mind and he just wanted to glorious battle to go out on he sent those troops to die it’s sad but there’s no way he could’ve taken that ground and I believe he knew it

I'll bite at the end and actually agree with him. Symbolically, Gettysburg was a turning point for morale and preventing, same for Vicksburg. But overall tactically, Chattanooga was the beating heart of transportation for most of the South. It connected nearly all points in the south by rail. Cutting that line spread out supply lines even farther. Strained the system to the breaking point, then Sherman broke it.

The "turning point" of the War Against The Rebellion was the day in May of 1864, directly after The Wilderness, when Grant ordered the Army of the Potomac to march south {by the left flank), instead of going back across the river to safety, like everyone before him.

I would say that over a third of the Confederate survivors of the charge, never crossed the Emmitsburg road. Accounts seem to indicate many either drifted back or just took cover in the ditches along the road, and when the attack had obviously failed, headed back to their start line.