If no one's said the fun fact yet: General Burnside is the origin of the term "sideburns", and General Hooker... well, he typically had women follow along with his army to help with "morale".

an interesting thing to note about the US Civil War is that as the war went on you saw a transformation from line formation fighting to trench warfare, it was basically a mini ww1 by the end. This was added by the advancements in technology as they started with muskets and wooden ships, while ending with repeating rifles and ironclads

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863

2 fun facts: sideburns we’re named after general burnside, and during the battle of Gettysburg, and 80 year old war of 1812 veteran grabbed his Brown Bess musket and joined the union soldiers

Fun fact: In the photo show at 28:23, future American president Teddy Roosevelt can be seen viewing Lincoln's funeral on the building's second floor at the left side.

24:24 you've literally, unintentionally, figured out the naming scheme behind the M4 Sherman!!! The British named the Sherman for that VERY reason!!! XD i actually laughed at the fact that within your joke you've just figured out why that tank was named the "Sherman" 😂

Fun fact: Clara Barton is the only female to have been awarded the Medal of Honor for her work in improving the medical field at the time, and would later go on to help form the American Red Cross

The bayonet charge by the 1st Minnesota on the 1st day of Gettysburg was insane. They were outnumbered 10 to 1 and took 80% casualties. Every officer was killed but they held the flank long enough for reinforcements to stabilize the line. If they hadn't succeeded the Union would have lost the battle and likely the war. Its a story that really doesn't get the recognition it deaerves.

Ulysses S. Grant was definitely one of the greatest generals the USA ever had. Grant's Tomb is the largest mausoleum in North America.

The US Army still teaches Gen Lee's tactics at West Point today. Gen Lee was a genius, sad he was on the wrong side of history or you would most likely hear more about him.

You can see in Post Civil War America the new idea of what binded us together. It was love and admiration for Lincoln. Even the South mourned him immediately because he spoke of forgiveness against the confederate states while his successor was harsh on them. And now as the country moves toward another civil war you see people start rejecting Lincoln. It’s very interesting

Fun fact: many US tanks in ww2 were named after Civil War Generals like, m4 Sherman, m3 Grant, m3 Lee, m36 Jackson, m5 Stuart, etc.

Col. Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top is an absolute legend in America, at least among Civil War buffs. His regiment held the extreme left of the Union line, preventing the Confederates from taking the high ground and rolling up the flank. Chamberlain and his roughly 350 men held for over two hours against repeated charges by twice their number, until finally running out of ammunition. Knowing what would happen if he retreated, Chamberlain ordered his men to fix bayonets and sweep down the hill. The charge shocked the weary and thirsty rebels, who surrendered in droves. Chamberlain survived several more wounds throughout the war and eventually became a (brevet) major general. He even received the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, during which he received some criticism for saluting the defeated rebels. He later became governor of Maine and was awarded the Medal of Honor. An absolute legend in his time and the very model American.

Here's the thing: Lee was, and continues to be, hailed as one of the greatest military minds in American history. But Grant *still* absolutely crushed him. Lee was on another level. Grant was on a level above that. It's worth noting that Grant was elected our 18th president after the war. Truly a legend.

Also a little more details on Grant's tactics. What made his plans brilliant is that, he essentially took away Lee's biggest advantage, which is his flexibility and maneuverability, which helped him win previous battles. As a result Lee was pretty much pinned between Grant's forces and Richmond, essentially forcing him to give up the initiative to Grant and letting Sherman ravage the south unmolested. So even though Lee was holding the line, his army and the confederate states were collapsing

Lee was an excellent battlefield commander, and succeeded because he could anticipate what the opposing commanders were going to do. Where he fell short, in my opinion, was that he did not grasp the larger picture. He was seeking individual victories in battles in the hope that the north would give up because of the unpopularity of the war. Where Grant was superior was that he was fighting with the larger purpose in mind of destroying the opposing army wherever it was. At the very end of the war, he actually bypassed the city of Richmond, which would have been a large symbolic victory if he had occupied it, and continued to chase after Lee to destroy his army.

Sherman was the original doomguy. He ripped and tore until it was done.

They didn't mention that the bayonet charge was the Maine volunteers. As a Mainer OH should be offended, as little Maine saved the day!

General Doubleday (North) codified the rules of baseball ⚾️. He was a founder of a company that created and sold lifeboats based on his experience in the civil war. Everyone mocked lifeboat idea, until a Dutch ship with lifeboats went down. The whole crew was rescued, put on a new ship and back to business in a matter of weeks.

In the movie Gettysburg, during the attack on Little Round Top when Jeff Daniels character, Col. Chamberlin gives the order to "fix bayonets" and the subsequent charge, I get goosebumps... every time. It's such a powerful scene when your emotions are already running high from all the buildup.

Fun Maine fact for you: the Union regiment that did the bayonet charge at Gettysburg was the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment and the officer who ordered and lead the charge, Col. Joshua Chamberlain, was awarded the Medal of Honor for that.

Grant was actually supposed to be Lincoln's guest at the play, but he bowed out requesting the chance to spend time with his family. After the assassination he was extremely regretful and believed he might have been able to stop Booth if he'd been there.

The problem with the Union generals wasn't a lack of skill. It was a lack of aggression. It was the same issue that made Montgomery a so-so commander in WW2. He was far too cautious. Grant was the only one to realize, and, fully exploit the fact that the Union had far superior numbers, and, could afford to take many more casualties than the traitors could.

Total War: Empire is a great one, as well as TW: Napolean, and, TW: Shogun 2. There is a great Civil War mod for Empire, and, a really good WW1 mod for Napolean.

Grand and Lee knew each other from the Mexican american war so them meeting for the final surrender was also personal to an extent.

Total War Warhammer 2 is probably the best IMO (it’s about medieval fantasy war hammer, not 40k), but is a far cry from modern time. I still think it’s a great game but Total War in general is a time sink, and meaningful sessions can last for hours. It’s not really video friendly and is more stream friendly (some campaigns can take weeks to finish) That being said, a simpler strategy game that can finish in one session is Civilization 6. You can finish one game in a stream and it’s very enjoyable and friendly to newcomers into strategy.

"Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics." show its Importance

You MUST visit Gettysburg when you get the bus finished. I have been to a lot of historical sites but Gettysburg is insane. The National Park Service has purchased much of the land that was fought over and restored many portions of the battlefield to their historical conditions. They have a historical center that is incredible but the best part are the self-guided tours that take you through the events of the battle. If you visit in July you can watch a reenactment of the battle. Normally they have about 5,000 reenactors for the event.

"Sherman is an tank." it made me chuckle.

There are so many lessons to be learned from the civil war, but unfortunately I feel like lately we've been learning all the wrong ones. We're learning lessons of division and condemnation, instead of what Abraham Lincoln would've wanted us to learn, that at the end of the day we're all one people despite our differences. We're all human, we're all human like Ulysses S. Grant, who had a phobia of blood and yet made himself witness to brutal carnage on a daily basis because he believed it was necessary. We're all human, like that confederate soldier (I forget his real name) who left his position during the battle of Fredericksburg to offer aid and kindness to union wounded at the risk of his own life (the union troops could have justifiably assumed he was looting their bodies and shot him, but he did it anyway). We are all human, equally capable of good and evil, regardless of race, or whether we've been misled by a certain ideology. Instead of dividing ourselves and condemning each other, we should aspire to be who Lincoln wanted us to be, to be civil to each other despite our disagreements, to work to understand each other, to compromise where we can and stand firmly but calmly where we cannot, and above all else to work together to bring this country and the world into an ever brighter tomorrow. Instead of doing all of this, we're more divided than we've been since the civil war and I think that's truly, deeply sad. We can be better, I know we can, be who Lincoln and Grant wanted you to be! Anyway, thank y'all for coming to my rant. Hopefully some of you agree with me

Suggestions for tactical/strategy games: 1) world in conflict (online servers are down but you can get it on GOG) 2) XCOM: enemy unknown or XCOM: enemy within

Apparently sideburns were named after Burnside. And as for General Hooker, well you know

You should watch the 4 hour long movie Gettysburg it's a great movie, And as you would think it is about the battle of Gettysburg and the events around it.

And now Lincoln has a kickass statue, while Boothe has a little headstone Patriots leave pennies on to mock him.

In a time when long speeches were considered by many to be a form of entertainment, the gettysburg address was REALLY short. Here is the entire address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

You can be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Grant wrote his memoirs as did Sherman. You can find them free online at Project Gutenberg. I've read both of their memoirs and they are a fascinating read.

“Shermans March to the sea” was just brilliant. Albeit cruel to many people probably, it has many similarities to that of the scorched earth policy however in this case the invading army did so to cripple the lands economy and morale.

A FANTASTIC history lesson for my fellow American here, I love that you dug this so much considering the events that took place are what ultimately propelled us into Superpower status. General Grant and General Lee's conversation is a thing of legend and likely inspiration for the advancement of future American generations yet. WOW, this was awesome to witness my guy I'm absolutely ecstatic that you enjoyed it so much. You definitely get it and I appreciate it so very much.

There was a man who was born in Gettysburg, year before the war. When the war broke out, he joined the confederate side. He fought at Gettysburg, the very town he grew up in, and he was killed in front of the very house he grew up in.

You never fail to entertain us, keep up all the good work!

I suggest Hearts of Iron IV it's a really in-depth game where you have to pick a nation and lead them through World War II. You handle everything from politics to troop production and resources. It takes some work to learn how to play but it's one of my favorite RTS games.

So not mentioning that Lee used to be the commandant of the US military Academy, and knew most of the North’s generals, because he had to assess their readiness for command and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses will help people understand how genius that Lee was. He studied his opponents like a teacher studying how to teach a student.

General Lee is one of the most fascinating historical figures in American history in my opinion. This war broke the man. He was idolized by his men. There is a video called “Robert E Lee in the post-war years (Lecture)” it goes into detail about his career becoming an outstanding educator at Washington College where he helped transform the school into a modern university. The lecture goes into the post war relationship with Grand and Lee as well.

If this war is something that really interests you, I must recommend the book "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara. It's mostly about the battle of Gettysburg, but it's such an awesome read. There's also the movie "Gettysburg" that is an adaptation of the book.

i was just finishing part 2 and you upload this hell yeah!!!

A few cool facts to add: 1. Although fighting ended in May, the last collection of slaves would not be freed until June 19th. This day is now a national holiday, Juneteenth. 2. General Lee's plantation was known as Arlington. As part of his retribution, Arlington would be converted into a military cemetery for those who died in the Civil War. Arlington National Cemetery was in fact Lee's plantation. 3. Although Sherman and his men freed all the slaves they came across on their march to the sea, they were not necessarily kind to them. Several slaves were left disorientated, confused, did not receive food or medical attention that soldiers did, and were sometimes used as fodder for identifying booby traps. 4. Although Pennsylvania had a large array of farm land that would have benefited from slave labor, Pennsylvania was a state founded by Quakers. Quakers were staunchly abolitionist and had been since the state was founded. This is why several underground railroad houses were located in Pennsylvania. A simple religious belief is why Pennsylvania is firmly considered a northern state. 5. Speaking of religion, John Brown's raid would have been wholly insignificant if he did not use his platform right before execution to denote the hypocrisy of those who consider themselves religious, like those in the South, who were not avidly anti-slavery. This speech was far more significant than his raid as Brown made several points those defending slavery could not easily rebuke.

I watched your video this morning before work and had to remind myself that the alarm isn't optional. I have the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address on the my living room wall as a reminder to myself of what we have done to become the nation we are today. One of the things we have done wrong as a nation is not accept responsibility for the actions of our past and learn from them. Instead we seem to prefer acting as if burying our crimes under the rug is the best way to move forward. I truly hope that Oversimplified covers the Civil Rights movement and the struggles we are still facing today getting individuals to accept that ALL men (and women) are created equal.

I just bought Total war Empire and Napoleon just a few days ago, really great games! But I know we'll enjoy whatever you play

If you want a great movie on the period, I recommend Lincoln. It covers the end of the war and the passage of the 13nth amendment. The performances are fantastic and it’s a great depiction of the time.

To be an American, we put history upside-down. Our civilization is so young and yet old. People have been here for thousands of years and you see it in our culture everywhere. I lived in Europe for years but there is no place like home.

The final battle of the Civil War was in my hometown of Brownsville, Texas (Palmito Ranch). The port of the city had switch hands several times during the war. The Union commander knew the war was almost over but for unknown reasons ordered an attack on the Southerners. In what I think is the greatest irony of the Civil War the final battle was a Confederate victory.

If you're looking at Total War in particular, the Warhammer ones would be by far the best one at this point in time, in terms of content and mechanics, Just having each race be vastly diverse from one another makes it a good pick, Then consider that all 3 games and dlcs merge together if you own them all, creating the largest total war game in history. It is also the most popular game within the community since it came out. It is a more drawn out game though, definitely more of a stream game. Xcom 2 on the other hand is more squad level tactics, 4-6 soldiers on 10-15 minute missions trying to rise against an alien occupied earth. The customization is the best in the franchise and is often best when you base all your soldiers off of viewers/friends. The modding scene is also really good, have imported armours from everything between MW 2019 SAS to Warhammer 40k.

28:26 In one of the windows you can see future president Theo Roosevelt as a child

Picket’s Charge, one of the many final attempts to break Union lines was conducted on a massive field open for miles against artillery and Union rifle fire. I have seen the field myself and the field was massive, it expanded far and wide. And as it wasn’t stated this field was completely open, no cover was in the field. Lee retreated so that no further life would be lost in battle after the devastating failed charge. Picket suggested the charge and Lee pretty much allowed it to happen which is one of the reasons why Lee says it was his fault for their defeat. Also fun fact: Only one civilian died in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Here in Columbia, South Carolina on the capital building we have stars on the sides marking where Sherman’s cannons struck. I’m glad the north one but my state has lost many of its historic buildings because of him.

If you want something truly emotional, you should watch the History channel 3 part mini-series on Ulysses S. Grant. You get to see just what a first-class human being he is, what an American Hero he is, I cry everytime i watch it

Napoleon total war’s darthmod. And Empire is a good choice as well! Battles last pretty long and they require some thought every time you get in an engagement.

Retired U.S. Marine here. Thanks for sharing your reaction to this! If you want to see a much more in-depth history of the Civil War (9 episodes, 11+ hours), you would probably really enjoy the Ken Burns mini-series The Civil War. It's incredibly powerful, uses a lot of original photos, soldiers' and various civilians' letters, contemporary music, etc., and features a group of outstanding historians. It goes into a lot of detail about the strategy and tactics, the personalities of the leaders and of less senior soldiers (since I was enlisted for nine years and an officer for eleven and retired as a captain, I appreciated the points of view of the troops), and also about the social factors and the effects of technologies like the railroads and telegraph. Ken Burns also did outstanding documentary mini-series on World War II and the Vietnam War. He's done histories on everything from baseball to jazz music to the Dust Bowl in North America during the Great Depression. They're all good, but I think the ones on the Civil War, World War II, and Vietnam are the best. Thanks again for this, and Semper Fidelis!

Royal Marine: Sherman is an absolute tank. Get it. All Americans: Bad joke. He must be an American.

You should play hearts of iron 4

Yes, unfortunately slavery is still constitutional as a form of punishment. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, *except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted*, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Hence the for-profit private prisons using inmate labor.. :/

I've been to gettysburg, Chamberlain, who was an english professor from main, actually convinced numerous deserters to follow him into battle and charge down a small hill called "little round top." they had literally no ammunition, and it was an extremely impressive attack.

Those men at gettysburg who made the bayonet charge to hold the flank were Mainers! Specifically the 20th Maine, led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

Sherman’s March to the sea is the most chad move in American history

At 28:24 there is a photo of Lincoln's funeral procession in New York. On the left of the screen is a four story building with an open window on the second floor. In that window is a 7 year-old boy watching the procession go by. That 7 year-old boy was Theodore Roosevelt who would become President just 35 years later.

17:48 That statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest is quite real! It's located in Nashville, Tennessee: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest_Statue

I live 5 minutes from one of the most influential skirmishes in Arkansas. The cemetery next to my house is also a state park, where 1,793+ soldiers were killed. Most casualties on the union side as a union supply route was ambushed and destroyed sending them back up north into the battle of Pine Bluff. Setting defenses around the court house with cannons and holding until they were pushed back to Little Rock. When you drive through the cemetery every tree begins to look different, the grass grows different than any other place around. There are cabins and water mills throughout the woods and relics from the 1800’s like canons and farming equipment as well as the soldiers graves and unnamed soldiers from both sides buried next to each other.

I think taking the Mississippi river was a genius idea. THEN Sherman again split the south into more pieces.

I maintain the closing epilogue by Oversimplified here is the best out of all his videos.

9:14 speaking of snapping turtles, General George Meade was described by his troops as “ that damned old cockeyed snapping turtle” and was how he got the nickname “Old Snapping Turtle”

I don't know if you have ever been to Gettysburg, but that city to this day has the heaviest feeling in the air that I've ever experienced. You can FEEL the bloodstained ground every step. I don't believe in ghosts, but if there is any place on this planet that is truly haunted, it's Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful city filled with history, but G.D. I couldn't hold back the tears and lump in my throat. That air is thick.

Chamberlain's bayonet charge is absolutely legendary its comparable to works of fiction only found in fantasy books imagine hundreds of men charging at you from downhill with bayonets screaming like maniacs in an era where guns were still in their infancy and you had no way of mowing them down

As an American who knows a lot about the Civil War, it's so fun to hear a Brit with such a lovely thicccc Mancunian accent learn about our history. Thank you for your service and thank you for your entertaining takes on our history, it's awesome to watch someone intelligent and foreign learn about my country, this is so much fun.

17:50 yes, i used to always pass by where that statue used to stand. Nowadays the property just has a ton of old Confederate battle flags on it (it's just south of Nashville)

Chamberlain gets a lot of focus on the second day of Gettysburg, but what is rarely taught anymore is about the 1st Minnesota. After the blunder that was Sickle's advance and destruction, there was a gap that the Confederates were moving to push through and split the army. Corp commander John Hancock rode out to this empty area and found the 1st Minnesota, a regiment of some 260 men. Seeing the confederates advancing in a force of around three thousand, color bearers at the front, Hancock told the officer of the 1st Minnesota "Take those flags". The 1st Minnesota charged in to the fight and punched it out severely outnumbered till Union reinforcements could arrive and bolster the line. Over 200 of the 1st Minnesota were casualties in the first 5 minutes, some 47 managed to rally around Hancock after the fight. What was left of the shattered unit was pulled back in reserve where on the third day as Pickett's charge broke through one of the places along the line the 1st Minnesota had been reinforced with a few companies of men and was again called on to charge into the line and fight the confederates back. They suffered 82% casualties on their charge to halt the confederates, a casualty rate that is the highest in any US military force to this day

The video briefly mentions Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He was in charge of Union forces at Gettysburg on a hill called Little Round Top on the left side of the Union line. Confederate forces almost overran their position, which would have been disastrous for the Union, since they'd have had a clear shot at most of the battlefield from up there. Chamberlain's men were almost out of ammunition when he ordered them to fix bayonets. He then had the left end of his line charge down the hill, pivoting like a door on a hinge, while the his other men stayed in place. The Confederates were caught in a pincer movement, and the ones that didn't flee threw down their weapons and surrendered. The Union could have lost the Battle of Gettysburg if not for Chamberlain's actions. Pickett's Charge, which happened on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, was Lee's biggest mistake. He sent soldiers across three quarters of a mile of open field with no cover into rifle and artillery fire. The Union soldiers were firing from behind a rock wall. Some Confederate soldiers did manage to breach the wall before they were either killed or pushed back. The spot where they breached the wall came to be known as "the high water mark of the Confederacy," like the high water mark of a flood that has receded. It really was all downhill for the Confederacy from that point onwards. Historians have speculated ever since as to how a brilliant general like Lee could have made such a blunder. One theory is that he was convinced by his earlier successes in battle that there were no limits to what he could ask his forces to do. That funny statue was of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a guy who wasn't so funny. His cavalry engaged in an atrocity at the Battle of Fort Pillow, where they killed the black soldiers who were opposing them rather than accept their surrender. After the war, Forrest became the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (I hope the mention of this organization doesn't get this comment blocked). The vote in the 1864 election wasn't as much of a landslide as the video makes it seem. The electoral college vote is not the same as the popular vote. Lincoln actually won about 55% of the popular vote, but in doing so he carried 22 of the 25 states whose votes were counted. The bit with Wilmer McLean really did happen. His house was shelled in the First Battle of Bull Run, which was the first major battle of the war (the Battle of Fort Sumter was earlier, but there were no casualties). McLean moved his family to Appomattox Court House, and four years later McLean's house served as the spot where Lee formally surrendered to Grant. After this, McLean would say, "The Civil War started in my front yard and ended in my front parlor." The 13th amendment reads: "Section 1 Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2 Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." "Sherman's an absolute tank." Well, they did name the tank after him. You can find the text of the Gettysburg Address with a Google search. It really is a masterpiece of rhetoric. Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address is at least as good, and can also be found easily.

Thank you for giving this a watch and really talking about it man, our country is not perfect - far from and we are at point of contention but I believe we can always be better and make sure this nation is worth preserving for every American and those who wish to become an American, regardless of race, sex and orientation. This nation was developed on the backs of men and women who paid the ultimate price for it to become the superpower it is today, the blood shed on these lands and for these should not be taken light but a sobering reminder of how it came to be and the cost of the freedoms and liberties we hold onto today.

Also, I made a mistake on anther video and mentioned the Burning of Savannah as being avoided. This was what I referred to. Savannah wisely surrenders immediately to prevent their city being destroyed by Sherman It was the only city NOT burned by Sherman during his rampage/ campaign (Sherman's March to the Sea).

im sick right now and this video made me feel better, thanks luke!

(1 of 2) 1) General Burnside was so unqualified to command the Union Army of the Potomac that he said so himself. For political reasons he continued to serve as a general until his last debacle, the Battle of the Crater in 1864. This battle presaged the WW1 use of underground explosives to destroy enemy trenches. 2) At 5:45, regarding the "nasty" food, two items of food comprised much of the soldiers' diet, at least for the Union: hardtack biscuits and bacon (salted pork). The biscuits were sometimes years old, especially early in the war, and were referred to as "worm castles." They were hard enough to break teeth. If they were lucky the meat would arrive before it became infested with maggots. In Ken Burns's Civil War documentary, there is a quote from a soldier who said they would make the biscuits edible by placing them next to a piece of bad meat to attract the worms and then dunk the biscuits to soften them. 3) Both sides passed conscription laws. Ironically the South did so first, since they claimed to be fighting against government tyranny. 4) When the Union Army began accepting black volunteers in 1863 they were paid less than white soldiers and had to pay for their clothes, unlike the white soldiers. Their net pay was $7 per month, compared to $13 for whites. In 1864 Congress granted them equal pay, retroactively. Also, OverSimplified said the nearly 200,000 black troops comprised 10% of the total (nearly 2 million total). In 1861 the professional, "regular" army had only 16,000 officers and men. Promotion was very slow. When the war began this small force formed the nucleus of both the Union and Confederate armies. Captains and First Lieutenants were breveted (temporary promotion during wartime) to Brigadier or Major General; a few of them, like J.E.B. Stuart, were under the age of 30. One result of this was that many of the opposing generals knew each other, which sometimes gave them an edge. 5) With less than half as many men, the Confederates won the Battle of Chancellorsville, fought in dense woods, by flanking the far end of the Union line. The last corps in line had not sent out pickets (observation posts) to warn of an attack. They panicked and ran toward the next corps, which joined them, and so. The attack might have been an even greater victory but for its having been delayed until near sunset, although coming from the west made them more difficult to see and possible contributed to the panic. Stonewall Jackson had gone ahead of his men in hopes of continuing the rout, but darkness forced him to head back toward the Confederate troops, who were intermixed with Union troops due to the chaos of fighting a mobile battle in dense woods as the sun set. 6) At 9:16, the general jokingly called "Snapping Turtle McGee" by OverSimplified is George Meade. Not the most handsome of men, he was famously described by one soldier as resembling "a damned old goggle-eyed snapping turtle." 7) You asked why the Union Army of the Potomac kept moving south into Virginia. The Union needed to prosecute and win the war, whereas the Confederacy needed only to play defense and hope the North gave up. Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, is just 100 miles (160 km) from the Union capital. The political objective of capturing Richmond preoccupied the North early in the war, but the later commanders like Grant understood that you first destroy the enemy's army, then capture his capital. 8) OverSimplified incorrectly stated the Battle of Gettysburg began June 1. It was fought July 1-3, 1863. There is a historical myth that Confederate troops entered the town to confiscate some shoes from the local shoe factory and the battle was an accident. This story originated in the postwar memoirs of Confederate General Harry Heth. In fact, there were no shoes or shoe factory. Like many battles the location of Gettysburg was not chosen, but rather was dictated by geographic reasons. About 10 roads converged there, and the Union troops occupied the heights south of the town, enabling them to fight on the defensive and suffer fewer casualties. 9) I found an article about Joseph, the guy who was picking beans in the video: emergingcivilwar.com/2018/11/19/civil-war-cooking-harvesting-a-mess-of-beans-during-battle/ In his defense, the Confederates had requisitioned most of the food in town, "paying" for it with worthless Confederate currency. Ironically his wife Sarah is better known for her diary, which was quoted by Ken Burns in his Civil War documentary: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Broadhead 10) Here's a clip from the outstanding, extremely long movie "Gettysburg" reenacting the bayonet charge mentioned at 11:20. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLyXqK5ltNXMhIk.html It was done by only 200-300 soldiers, the remnants of the 20th Maine Regiment of Volunteers. They were out of ammunition, and so could not remain where they were. If they retreated, the Union army would be flanked just like in the previous battle at Chancellorsville. The North would lose the battle and possibly the war. So they fixed bayonets and charged with unloaded rifles. Jeff Daniels plays the commanding officer Joshua Chamberlain, whose life was so extraordinary that a truthful movie about him would seem like Hollywood melodrama. (Postwar he was governor of Maine, president of Bowdoin College, and lived in pain for 50 years after he was wounded so severely it was thought to be mortal. His death was erroneously reported and he was given the only postmortem, it was thought, promotion to general in the history of the Army of the Potomac. He was one of the Union generals who was given the honor of receiving the surrender of flags and weapons of the Army of Northern Virginia. According to Chamberlain's memoirs, as the Confederates were dejectedly laying down their arms, on his own initiative he called his men to attention as a sign of respect, a gesture much appreciated by the Confederates. Unfortunately, this story from Chamberlain's memoirs, published posthumously and after the deaths of nearly all other witnesses, might be an exaggeration.) 11) At 15:12, OverSimplified says the entire town of Gettysburg was turned into a hospital to care for the "scores" of wounded men. Yes, about 1000 score (20,000)! In the 3-day battle the Union suffered 23,000 casualties: more than 3000 killed, more than 14,000 wounded, and more than 5000 captured or missing. Confederate casualties were 23,000-28,000 (I've heard speculation they were even higher). All of the Union wounded and 8000 of the Confederate wounded and captured were left in Gettysburg, at least for a while. There were only 2400 residents of Gettysburg. Also, there were more than 3000 dead horses from the battle. Their corpses were burned in giant pyres, which made the locals violently ill. 12) The nurse Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881. 13) The guy who spoke for 2 hours before Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address was Edward Everett. He had a distinguished career as a pastor, an orator, president of Harvard, ambassador to the UK, Governor and Senator of Massachusetts, and U.S. Secretary of State. After their speeches Everett wrote to Lincoln "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." I would recommend also reading Lincoln's magnanimous Second Inaugural Address, given just weeks before the war's end when victory was in sight. Like the Gettysburg Address, it's quite short and contains beautiful prose. Remarkably, Lincoln had one year of formal education. These 2 speeches are engraved on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. www.nps.gov/linc/learn/historyculture/lincoln-second-inaugural.htm 14) At 16:20, the photo on the calendar is of the Korean "K-Pop" band BTS. 15) Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest (the guy with the funny statue) is famous for being one of the best cavalry commanders in military history, which is especially remarkable because he had had no military training before the war. He is infamous for being the first "Grand Wizard" of the terrorist organization the Ku Klux Klan after the war.

You might want to try Vlogging Through History. It's mostly reactions, but it's has videos of the historian who runs it visiting various sites across the US and telling us the history behind the sites.

Robert E Lee had served 30 years in the US Army, had been commandant of west point military academy, the US equivalent of Sandhurst, all before resigning and serving the confederacy.

11:18 Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was an American college professor from Maine who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army.

It's funny you call Sherman a tank. Because the M4 Sherman Tank the U.S. is famous for during WW2 was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman. Also. His march to the ocean is so famous, his soldiers wrote a song about it "Marching Through Georgia" that is still regularly played at parades and military events to this day. It's pretty good too!

"Until we can repopulate Georgia it is useless to occupy it, but utter destruction of its roads, houses, and people will cripple their military resources. By attempting to hold the roads we will lose a thousand men monthly and will gain no result. I can make the march and make Georgia howl." Sherman kept good on his promise.

I grew up in Georgia and in our history class we learned about general Sherman and what is now known as the Sherman march. Not only did he ripped up the railroads he tied the railroad tracks around trees. And make sure nothing would reusable. It's very interesting and how much it did turn the war and how bad it messed with Georgia. It also reshaped a lot of politics in Georgia. You get a chance you should look up Sherman's march.

Highest ranking native american on both sides of the war was confederate General Stan Watie, a Cherokee chief.

Lee was actually related to George Washington. Both men were descended from Augustine Warner, Sr., and Mary Towneley Warner (George Washington by way of their son, Augustine, Jr., and Lee by way of their daughter, Sarah. Also Lee married the granddaughter of John Parke Custis who was Washington’s stepson

Not sure if you are a big reader, but Sherman wrote a pretty terrific memoir. It’s interesting reading his own thoughts as he grappled with the idea of total war. Sherman was teaching in Louisiana when the war broke out. He joined the north because he didn’t believe the union should be split up. The weird thing about the civil war is how almost all of the military leaders on both sides knew each other well from going to school at West Point, teaching at West Point, or serving in the Mexican-American war.

Threw up 4 times still gotta watch this guy made my day

A lil fun fact since you mentioned you currently live in Maine. That Union regiment that saved the army at Gettysburg was the 20th Maine, led by a college professor named Joshua Chamberlain.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

So Chamberlain’s bayonet charge at Little Round Top was in part pure desperation because his men were essentially out of ammunition so he led his men of the 20th Maine charging down the mountain bayonets drawn and won.

My homestate of Iowa had alot of men who served with Sherman and took part in his famous March To The Sea. This is where Iowa boys saw first hand the evils of slavery as they liberated plantations. Many wrote back to their families distraught by the abject horors they saw. Sherman also had rules of engagement regarding his soldiers as they marched, including not destroying civilian property in areas where enemy militias didn't attack his men. If enemy militias attacked his men or obstructed their path, force including destruction of civilian property was permitted.

Lee got Napoleonitis. He thought he was invincible because he had always won. Also Lee is generally considered the better battlefield general, But he was up against McClellan... Grant did pretty well most of the time. But Grant was much better at the bigger picture. Grant after the war is a fascinating chapter in itself. Also he fought through Virginia against a enemy on home turf behind long and strongly built defenses all the time. Lincoln and Grant knew it was gonna be nasty.

Grant is almost always in the top 10 lists of best generals and best US presidents ever. He had weaknesses and was looked down upon by past historians. The more I learn about him the more I like him.

24:23 i get it general Sherman / Sherman Tank. fun fact: Sherman Tank are named after General Sherman.

Fun fact: the last shots of the war were actually fired by a CSA warship at a US whaling vessel off the coast of Alaska in November of 1865, who hadn't yet heard the news of the CSA's surrender. After hearing the news from a British ship, and not wanting to be taken into Union custody, they then abandoned their planned raid on San Francisco, sailed to the UK and surrendered the ship to British authorities in Liverpool

In the Battle of Gettysburg, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, they guy who led the bayonet charge on the Union left, he held off multiple waves of rebels before he was running low of ammunition, and called in for the bayonet charge that he led personally. As for Picket's Charge, Lee interpreted since most of the battle were held in the flanks, he had the thought that the center was weakened since they would have sent reinforcements to the flanks, but it wasn't the case. Before the charge, the 2 sides were shooting each other with their cannons which is the biggest artillery barrage in American history.

Fun fact. The day Texas surrendered 1 county called Van Zandt. Seceded from Texas, The Confederacy, and The United States to be their own country. They drew up a constitution and had a successful vote for it. When a union general found out he sent troops to quell it. The union lost that fight. The "Van Zandtians"(?), in celebration had a party and got super drunk. That next day the Union general came back just picking up people up off the street drunk as hell, and arrested them. They technically never surrendered, but were also never acknowledged as anything legitimate. Before people making accusations they were also against the original movement of Texas seceding, and considered themselves a free county.