but one of the things longstreet always said was that by moving forward, sickles took forward longstreet's ability to maneuver and act. they simply cut down the approach. there is a legitimate reason why you can argue in favor of longstreet's statement that. point many of you have seen the photo by this point. we have sickles we, have longstreet butterfield, and joshua chamberlain. perhaps the guy who nobody would've heard of today if sickles had it moved him around so much. joshua chamberlain and club with something to dan sickles. mark twain got to know sickles late in life. to quote, the general valued his leg -- and perfectly sure that is if he had part with either one of them is the one that he is not. that summarizes how sickles the war hero played up the missing leg. but there's another quote here that i don't use as much that i want to kind of close with. tween added this, i will also see this, sickles never made an ungenerous remark about anyone. he spoke severely of this and that and the other person. officers in the war but he spoke with dignity and courtesy. there was no mullig

longstreet said that by moving forward, sickles cut down longstreet's ability to move and act. there is a legitimate reason why you could argue, you know, in favor of longstreet's statement at that point. not many of you have seen the photo at this point but again, over here we've got sickles, we've got longstreet, butterfield is in here and joshua chamberlain, the 20th main, perhaps a guy nobody would have heard of today. the joshua chamberlain fan club owes something to dan sickles. mark twain got to know sickles late in life. two great quotes, quote, the general valued his leg, way above the one that is left. i am perfectly sure that if he had had to part with either one of them he would part with the one that he has got, right, kind of summarizes how sickles the war hero played up the missing leg. but there's another quote here that i don't use as much that i want to kind of close with. twain added this. i will also say this, sickles never made an ungenerous remark about anybody. he spoke severely of this and that and the other person, officers in the war. but he spoke with

that brigade is really breathtaking when you're up there and longstreet comes to him and says this is great. you have 15,000 men could not take this position but he does it anyway and he talks about what was he thinking in that tell him what were his strategic decisions and what was that moment in the war. >> a lot of people ask this question and they are at the angle looking out towards seminary ridge and they say what could he have been thinking? even soldiers across the open area could get slaughtered and of course what was the result? the result was defeat so what could lee have possibly been thinking. people of suggested while he was suffering from health problems and that affected his decision-making process. it is true he experienced health problems during the war, serious ones. he was probably the most senior of the major commanding figures of the civil war. he was much older than grant and much older than mcclellan and historically speaking older than most of the greats. he was older than napoleon and some say perhaps he should have been in a more -- position in command on th

he thinks he's coming to help longstreet who is not a mason. he gets there and they introduce each other and armistead identifies hancock as an old and valued friend. and he gives in him a quote which enumerates six years later i've done him and done you all an injury which i shall regret or it can't do longest stay i live. a lot of people think that armistead was recanting. everything i've ever read about armistead i can't imagine he was recanting. he was a proud confederate soldier. armistead is carried to the field hospital and if you have not been down there please go down there. it's the civil war hospital. the union doctors do not think his wounds are fatal if he dies two days later on july 5. they don't know much about germs and there were rumors about avengers they may have missed and there's a story that may have been a blood clot in his leg. yes. in a shallow grave in the dug up not long afterwards by an enterprising gettysburg doctor who thinks armistead's relative may -- pay for the body and is right. his cousin in baltimore the son

longstreet comes to him and says this is crazy. 15,000 men could not take this position. and he does it any way. can you talk about what was he thinking in that battle? what was the strategic decision? we'll figure in to that really pivotal moment in the war? decisions and what was>> you kne asked this question and they stand there at the angle looking out towards seminary ridge and the virginia monument. and they see, what could he have been thinking? you're going to send soldiers across that open area, they're going to get slaughtered. and of course, what was the result? the result was defeat. so, people think, what could lee possibly have been thinking? maybe there was something that was impairing his thinking. people have suggested well lee with suffering health problems. and that affects his clarity in the decision-making process. well, it is true. he experienced health problem during the war. serious. once he was probably the most senior of the major commanding figures in the civil war. is much older than grant much older than mclelland. much older in fact, historic

you get the rationalization, as you mentioned with longstreet. we only have a few minutes left. as we said earlier, lee had an abbreviated post-civil war action. it's much, much older. had heart attacks at that point. it was quite an impactful figure after the war and then having kind of a reaction after that. he was no longer the confederate general. >> there's so many surprises in the life of robert e. lee. when the war is over, he's indicted for treason. he's never brought to trial but he's indicted to treason. he's looking around for some form of employment. he's looking around that will get him as far from the prying eyes of people in washington as he can get. >> he's offered the job of president of washington college. you want to talk about a dead end job. washington college was this little college in lexington, virginia in the upper end of the shenandoah valley. it hardly had a pulse at the end of the war. yet the trustees decide they will make an offer to lee. they send one of the members. they have to dig into their pockets to buy a suts for limb so he can look decent w

lee in front of general longstreet the enemy held the position from which if he could be driven it was thought our artillery could be used to advantage in assaulting the more elevated ground beyond. guess what? robert e. lee wanted that position for artillery i would say imagine that robert e lee being out guest by dummel dan sickles, right? i do have a friend who always says well, you know, even a blind squirrel can get a nut sometimes so there's that possibility too, but all joking aside. it's very clear from robert e. lee's reports that he valued this position for artillery very much, you know kind of the chancellorsville fear that sickles had in the first place. so so, you know in a couple prominent historians have kind of said no lead didn't do that sickles made that up, you know? no that's not true. and i'm not i'm not gonna name his story. it's good. i don't do that. i'm a nice guy, but some prominent historians have written it's sickles manufactured the confederates interest and the peach orchard and that's not true. that's not accurate. it's in robert lee's report. so there's

i rather strongly suspect that much of longstreet's protests that way got elaborated and embroidered as time went by after war, especially after lee's death. i have the the very strong suspicion that longstreet, whatever reservations he expressed at that time, didn't express severe enough reservations to cause lee to have any doubt. but ultimately, rationale that justifies what lee did can be seen by looking at what you can call thet cognate wars of the te american civil wariments -- war. if you look to the crimean war at the the great battle, exactly the the same kind of headlong, straightforward attack against russian positions that are entrenched with artillery and scores a tremendous victory. same thing happens with napoleon the iiid. in 1859. any free thing that people could have learned from military example in the 1850s would have suggested that lee is doing exactly the right thing. the proof is in the pudding. it almost worked. the con fed rate forces came within an ace of breaking through that federal line. and if they had, claire, what was there behind that a line to keep t

he thinks he's coming to help longstreet, who is not a mason. he encounters armistead. they introduce each other. armistead identified hancock as an old and valued friend. then he gives bingham a quote, which bingham writes six years later. i have done him and done you all an injury which i so regret or repent, where forget the exact words, the longest day i live. causing controversy to this day. a lot of people think that armistead was recanting. everything i have ever read about lewis armistead before and after, i can't imagine he was recanting. whatever you think of him, he was a confederate soldier, but that's what bingham wrote. armistead is carried to the field hospital. if you have not been down there, please go down there. the foundation has done a great job restoring that place. civil war hospital. his doctors, the union doctors, do not think his wounds are fatal, yet he dies two days later, july 5th. they don't know much about germs. there are rumors of injuries they may have missed. there's a story he might have had a blood clot in his leg that went to his lu

longstreet, we thank you so much for joining us this morning. we'll get those green bean casseroles ready. >>> coming up on "good morning america," amy's adventure to antarctica and what she discovered on the frozen continent. continent. alright, here we go, miller in motion. wha — wait, wait, is that a... baby on the field?? it looks like it, craig. and the defensive linemen are playing peek-a-boo. i've never seen anything like that before. harris now appears to be burping the baby. that's a great moment right there. the ref going to the rule book here. what, wait a minute! harris is off to the races! we don't need any more trick plays. touchdown!! but we could all use more ways to save. are you kidding me?? it's going to be a long bus ride home for the defense. switch to geico for more ways to save. it's going to be a long bus ride home for the defense. ♪ your whole team can see your upper thigh ♪ ♪ pour that smooth roast and aim that camera up high ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up is folgers in your cup ♪ every moment together

he takes longstreet's entire first core and stops the marching north. this is too important and will put the minute the gaps so if these yanks get through stuart they will not see what is going on. upperville is the last one, the most intense, the most complex that ultimately is going to lead to a lot of frustration on the part of pleasanton but this is interesting because you have infantry involved in the fight. there was infantry also at the station flight and in both cases pleasanton misuse the infantry, did not use to his full advantage so that is what is happening at this point. upper jenkins. how many of you know about albert jenkins? outside chambersberg. he liked to visit chambersberg. he has two raids. albert jenkins, nobody wants to claim robert jenkins, they are considered mountain infantry with long rifles and they are not very really. they are undisciplined. he's going to first have a raid on the fifteenth. he's going to ride all day to chambersberg. around midnight, thundering into chambersberg with 2000 rebels riding in and they are going

has also come back and is filling in the position along prospect he'll enjoining with division from longstreet corner which was already and position. on the morning of december 13, 81862 pelham gets this idea. nothing much is happening. it's kind of a quiet morning foggy and they know their union troops out there in front of jackson's position. pelham asked permission and gets permission to take it single canon out in front of the confederate alliance he goes out and finds grounds that he really likes. he's using photography to help shelter himself a little bit and the fog is hiding him as well as the land itself gets his gun into position and he orders the crew to fire. their shell goes into waiting union troops who are toured the area of what is now slaughter penfield. those unionists were in for surprise and so surprised they think what's going on? who were shooting at us? territory mend the ones in blue had a little too much and they call the commissary. they are thinking some drunk union can in ears are fighting on their own men. they think this is friendly fire. who would have the canon

and is filling in the position along prospect hail and adjoining at divisions from the corps of war longstreet. and then pell i'm gets this idea, it's a quiet warning, it's foggy, but we know there are union troops out there in front of jackson's physician. pelham asks permission and gets permission to take a single cannon, out in front, out in confederate lines, wide away, he finds some ground that he really likes. the account say it was a bit of a hollow, using it to shelter himself a little bit and the fog is hiding him as well as the land itself. he whips his gun into position or does the crew to fire. and their shell goes into waiting union troops, out toward the area of what is now slaughter pen field. those troops are in for a surprise and in fact they are still surprised and i think what is going on? who was shooting at? us this is our artillery man, the ones and blue, did they have a little too much? they call it commissary. [laughs] they are thinking some drunk union cannon men are firing on their own in. they think this is friendly fire. who would have a cannon out there so far in a