Just think 150 years ago tonight would be the eve of the largest bloodiest land battle on U.S. soil

Today U.S. General John Buford comanding Cavalry has passed through Gettysburg and set up a line of defense west of town on the Cash Town Road...

He Knows Confederate General Heth Division commander under A.P. Hill's 3rd corp is coming down the road and He want's to surprise them at day break..He spotted Heath Yesterday camped at Fairfield and earlier Today Buford was spotted coming into Gettysburg by General Pettigrew a brigade commander under Heath....

Pettigrew did not engage them then but pulled back to Heths position west of town and reported what He saw....

Heth Dismisses the Cavalry as Local militia and say's they will push them out of the way in the morning...But in Heaths words to General Lee later on .."They would not leave"

Buford sees the terrain around Gettysburg and knows Lees whole army is coming and He being a west point graduate know's/ sees the high ground will be lost so by this time of night 150 years ago today He has his cavalry dug in...theres not alot of them but He Just has to hold them till General Reynolds can get into town with the 1st corp the Iron Brigade the black Hats they were called...He has one advantage his men have the Spencer repeating carbine's....The rebs have single fire muskets and rifles and the terrain is tight and the road is narrow so they have to come is slow and cautious.. He plan's on using the firepower and terrain to His advantage...

But this time 150 years ago tonight He sweating it out and Lee is not yet ready to fight he wants to fight on ground of his choosing and has gave strict orders not to engage the enemy....But Heth does engage the enemy at 8 a.m. the following morning..July 1st and a chance engagement kicks off the bloodiest battle ever on the North American continent..

I wish I could go dig one Minnie ball out of one Heth's camps west of Gettysburg today..what a prized possesion it would be....

If you have 4.5 hours to kill over the Holidays enjoy one of my favorite movie's
[www.youtube.com]

Keith



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2013 03:54AM by Keith Southern.

Thats some interesting info there Keith you swinger's in the south make me... no wait I'M FIXIN TO GET ILL! (LOL) Hate to throw conspiracy theory in this(most people likely know) Lincoln was assassinated for trying to bring back greenback dollar not for his stance on slavery?HH from a yankeeREBEL!

Look where the U.S. is now.

Not talking about Foreign Policy either.

Dug a Civil War cent last week.

[img.photobucket.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/01/2013 04:36AM by TheOtherLeggoHead.

I don't live too far from there. Two counties over. But I can tell you that the 150 year celebration is in full swing. The Confederate troops never made too much of an impact on my county. The locals burned the bridge over the Susquehanna River to keep them from crossing. And that was after a failed attempt to blow it up. One of the most ironic things you will ever hear is that while burning the bridge the town on the Confederate side caught on fire. It was said that the entire town of Wrightsville probably would have went up, but the Confederate troops actually helped to fight the fire.

Thanks for the reminder Keith. Hard to believe the loss of American lives in just three days battle with the weapons they had at that time. About a year ago, guys, Keith Southern helped figure out where my Great Great Grandfather was positioned in that battle, as he was wounded by a sniper on the second day. I have the Minnie ball in my possession that was handed down, along with the original discharge paper.
Thanks again Keith.

Hey Keith cool bit of history there, thanks.

Gettysburg is great, what do you think of Gods and Generals?

I thought Stephen Langs portrayal of Jackson was great.

Aaron

Nice story Keith. I live about 30 mins from Gettysburg. My brother has had the pleasure to detect private ground there and has found one of the nicest US belt plates i have seen. Hopefully someday i will have the same luck.

If the south would have had Stonewall Jackson they probally would have won Gettysburg and maybe the Civil War! He was Lee's right hand man and best strategic General.IMHO.

I took the kids up there ( 2 hrs. from the house ) about a month ago.
51,000 men perished in 3 days there. 23,110 in 1 day at Antietam
The guide told us that there was so much lead being fired across those
battlefields that they found shot that had collided in mid-air and fused together.
Such was the determination of good men back then . . . now fast forward to today.

there's been a lot of times I 've often wondered what the future would have been like if the south would have won? you look at government today and say to yourself if the south would have won what would have the government been like? being up here in maine I have a lot of cemetarys near me with the 20th maine regiments buried plus revolutionary massachuestts 4th voluntary as well

Hey Javelin Do you see the election of 1860 as the end of a true Representative Government in certian way's.??

Hey Aaron...I really do enjoy Nathan Lang in any movie He does especially the Historical pieces...In Gettysburg I thought He brought his Pickett role to life better than any other actor's roles in the film.I thought Sheen was mediocore as Lee though...and Berringer was excellent as Longstreet...

In Gods and Generals He was awesome as Stonewall...

His role of Ike Clanton in Tombstone to me was only equaled by Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday....That's another one of My favorite Film's and probably the best western I have ever seen....So its no coincidence He's in some Of my favorite films...

Hey Harold yes if Stonewall would of been a Gettysburg I think things could of went very different...would it of changed the outcome of the war?Very possible..

I dont think Stonewall would of waited till morning to move some militia out fof the way as Heth thought they were..I think stonewall would of pushed through Gettysburg on the evening of the 30th and tore Poor Buford's 2500 cavalry troops apart....And then He would occupied the High grounds and Probably engaged Reynolds 1st core while they were on the March the next morning...it could of been devistating for the North if more aggression was used...But Lee was cautious plodding though enemy country especially for the first Time.. And He was blind Without His cavalry reports from Stuart...Lee Needed Nathan Bedford Forrest pushing ahead of Him in that country...That would of been a heck of a War machine for the Army fo Northern Virginia when they Pushed North would it not...Stonewall still alive and Forrest just plain on a seek and destroy take no prisoner's Mission out in front...

Others of you you who said you have been to the Battlefield I am very envious of you...I hear they are expecting a Million plus there this week for festivities..
Maybe one day I can get up there and spend a week or two just exploring and hopefully getting permission to hunt some on the retreat route...thast My dream to hut some retreat route Camps.!!

Ozzie--- again glad to have helped what little I did...

Keith

Yes Keith I agree, TOMBSTONE is a great movie, my favorite western too. It was Val Kilmers best part he ever played, and Lang was a great Ike Clanton.

I think it's time to bust out the Gettysburg and Gods and Generals DVDs!

Keith - As astute and compassionate as you are about American History . . .
you should absolutely see Gettysburg and Anteitam

It is a life changing event to some people . . . the guides are awesome and
1st rate. You won't be disappointed. It's free unless you want a private guide.
There are bldg's still there with the original bullet and cannon holes showing.
The museum with all of the firearms & uniforms etc. is very impressive.
Glad I finally went . . .

From the south . . . Rt.83N to Rt.216W to Rt.116W

Wow, thanks for the write-up, Keith (and yes, Tombstone is one of my favorite movies of all time, and Val Kilmer acted an INCREDIBLE Doc Holliday role...)

I have been to Gettysburg (grew up in Western PA), but only as a kid too young to appreciate it. I would love to visit it today...

Steve

With the declining maintenance of these historic battlefield sites I wonder why the Feds don't offer the government land up for hunting for a fee. Charge $100 per day and screen the finds; common stuff can be kept and valuable stuff is turned in with compensation. It seems to me a waste that all the relics on protected government last are destined to decay and be lost forever.

"Hey Javelin Do you see the election of 1860 as the end of a true Representative Government in certian way's.?? "

Nope.

That happened with the "ratification" on the 16th amendment.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2013 02:20AM by TheOtherLeggoHead.

I had the pleasure of taking the kids to the 140th anniversary,it was a pretty neat experience. I think Picketts charge is what lost Gettysburg plus the Union held all the high ground. Lee made a huge blunder by ordering Picketts charge? it was a slaughter.If Stonewall was there this may of not happened.
I think if Gen Stonewall was around during the rest of the war that they would of still not won, persay, maybe struck a deal but the North evan with all their incompendant leaders had numbers,manufacturing with unlimited supplies. Once Gen. Grant took over the war was over. They couldn't stop Gen. Sherman, Gen Thomas,and so on as the Union was destroying the Confederacy in the western campaigns,once they got control of the railroads and the Miss.river and the Gulf, it pretty much strangle them.My wife's greatgrandad served with Gen. Sherman in his march to the sea and walked into Atlanta with him.
Don't know what this nation would be like if the Confederacy won but right now she is in a sad state.
If anyone has a chance to go to Gettsyburg , do it. Well worth it.

Hi Keith, I live in Carlisle Pa its about 28 miles north of Gettysburg. Gen Ewell had had two of his divisions in Carlisle before the battle. I have a couple of his camps that I hunt. Robert Rhodes had the largest division in the ANV. He was poised to take the state capital. Lee sent word to him to bring his corps to Cash town. Lee predicted that he would bring on a battle there. Ewell was very upset at this. He had the capital of PA within his reach. He was said to have made the remark that he didn't want to die in a place called Cash Town. What's strange is he had Johnsons division with. He sent him back towards Shippensburg to take 997 to rt 30. This delayed him from getting to Gettysburg until late the 1st. He had Early & Rhodes divisions on day one of the battle. He was a division down. If he could have had all of his men the first day it would have been very different. I really can't see it any other way though. How would our nation be if the union was torn apart. Like Europe. The war between the states was a terrible time in our history. Many hardships & loss North & South. WE ARE ALL BROTHERS. GOD BLESS THE USA.