Ed Bearss on JEB Stuart at Gettysburg, highlighting the Black Horse Regiment of Northern Virginia, which was under Stuart. Continued in Part 2: • Ed Bearss on JEB Stuar...
Just saw and spoke with Prof. Bearss this past Friday at a friend's retirement form the Marine Corps. Walked with Mr. Bearss a few years back over the ground of Pickett's Charge. Will always treasure the experience.
Saw Mr Bearss at Kernstown one time around 95. He was giving a tour, and I got pretty excited. My brother and friend looked at my funny and asked? Who’s that? I said if there was ever such a thing as a famous historian, that that guy right there!
Co. H 4th Va.,primarily men from Fauquier and Prince William Counties, noted at First Bull Run in charging the retreating Federals and helping route them . This unit was the communication link between Lee ( with Longstreet ) and Jackson at 2d Bull Run, as they were most familiar with the area before the two wings were united. Raised in 1859 in Warrenton, this unit is well known. Thanks Ed, you've amazed us for a long time from Bull Run to Appomatox , with anecdotes at every stop.
Stuart has been unfairly blamed in this campaign. Lee made a mistake by giving Stuart contradictory orders, and asked far too much from such a small force.
Gen. Stuart even rode up to Carlisle, Pa., looking for Gen. Lee! I totally agree with you. There were, and apparently still are, way too many people still trying to blame Gen. Stuart for this entire mess, when it wasn't even his fault. Maybe Gen. Lee decided that Gen. Stuart would make a great scapegoat, especially in light of the mistakes that Gen. Lee himself had made! He wouldn't even listen to Gen. Stuart, when he tried to explain what had happened! If I have to say it, then I will:Gen. Lee should've never given contradictory orders to both Gen. Stuart, and also to another one of his subordinates, concerning attacking the Union Lines to the Northeast of him "If practical". The General that I reference here has fought under Gen. Stonewall Jackson, and Gen. Jackson had told this particular General to only follow orders from any Higher-ups, if there was no contradictions or questions. Anyway:I digress. Gen. Stuart even told Gen. Lee that he had brought confiscated Wagons and Supplies, to which Gen. Lee snapped:"Yes! And they are an impediment to me now"! I wish, now, that Gen. Lee had never gone into "Enemy Territory", like he did back in 1863. He'd of been better off staying here in Virginia. He made one blunderous decision after another...and then, the very next day after his contentious meeting with Gen. Stuart, he made the most disastrous decision of all, by sending at least 15,000 Confederates across an open field, with those Men having to travel at least a mile over that field, encountering enemy Cannon Fire, that tore huge gaps in his lines... having to cross at least one, maybe even two, picket fences, then having to charge straight into the Union Center, which, by the way, had become the strongest part of the entire Union Line. Needless to say, at least of those Brave Men of the Confederacy, that took part in that charge... Never came back. It was then, and only then, that Gen. Lee realized what he had done. He should've never ordered Pickett's Charge. Ever!
@@ronaldshank7589 It's unknown exactly what Lee said to Stuart on 2 July. As for Pickett's charge- Lee had no other alternative unless he was prepared to abandon the campaign in failure. His general idea was in line with the Napoleonic "strategic battle". Meade however, was well familiar with the idea of the strategic battle and foresaw it, which is why he told Gibbon that any attack on the 3rd would be on Gibbon's front (in the Union center). Meade rushed approximately 20,000 reinforcements to the Union center when the Confederate attack came, and they crushed the attack. Cheers...
My great-grandfather, who was at Gettysburg, had a story to tell about one of the officers in the Black Horse Regiment of Northern Virginia who was killed. Do you know how or where I can find a list of 4th Va. officers killed at Gettysburg? You can reply to me at kaaina at mac.com
@@billyo6710 Yup. Really. The mistake was on the part of the commenters who said otherwise, which is easy to understand. The "l" sound comes either immediately before or after the "v" sound in distinguishing the two words, with the weak schwa following the v in "cavalry." That's why so many get confused between the two. When the two words are spoken at normal speed, that can be too fast for the listener's ear to distinguish where the "l" was. Master historian Ed Bearss got started in his career by his keen interest in JEB Stuart as a boy. He knew his cavalry from his Calvary and how to pronounce each of them. If you have doubts about that, listen again.
