⭐ If you've watched a few episodes and feel like I've earned it, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any new content when it comes out. Also be sure to check out The Gettysburg Museum of History and their store at gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com. Thanks!!!
Can we get countdowns or start times for next videos so we can set reminder. Also is there anyway you can give us a heads up list of the different stories you’ll be doing to build excitement?
Great Videos. I really enjoy watching Them. I used to live in the USA.. and i am really interesed in the American Civil War since i was a Child. Keep up the good work greetings from Germany
Thank you for these fantastic, well-produced videos. I'm pretty well-versed on Antietam, Scout-mastered in Maryland for many years, and took our troop there for many years during the luminaries (later than actual anniversary). Very moving; every year we put out 23,110 luminary bags to represent the number of men that lay dead or dying from one single day's battle. The public then drives through at night time... moving, haunting, and very emotional.
I've been a subscriber and a fan of yours for a few years. I want to say thank you for all that you do for us on the channel. It's much appreciated. Myself and a friend have been to Antietam. Being from Florida, we did have one battle in our state near Jacksonville. Why History Channel has not offered you a job yet, is beyond me. I'm intrigued at all the battlefields of the Civil War. Thanks J.D.
I've visited the Sharpsburg Battlefield since I was old enough to drive. We won't get into years. The one thing I love about it is the fact that it is relatively unchanged from the time of the battle. Not commercialized like Gettysburg and some other sites. You really get a feel for what the troops saw 160 years ago. When we did the 135th anniversary battle out near Hagerstown in 97' we went out to reenact the battle of the cornfield at 4:30 in the morning. If it was anything like the real battle (other than the dying of course) it must have been a bedlam of confusion back then.
That reenactment in ‘97 - wasn’t that the one just off Rench Road and Downsville Pike? There’s an office building there where I was working, half a mile or so from the “fighting.” You guys were so loud I had to stop a conference call because your noise was all anybody on the conference call could hear. No sweat. We had the call a couple days later but man, we didn’t get much done at all while the “battle” was going on.
Is it strange that at the point of mentioning the soldiers cry for a messenger, I could feel the emotion even without standing on that ground. Intense sadness and complete awe. I’m completely invested and captivated by this series as I have been with the history of the war for a number of years. As a Georgia man, being a descendant of those who fought with long forgotten stories that I was told second hand by my grandmother years back, I thank you for your service and devotion in what you bring to us all. May this history never be forgotten and never be erased and may you be blessed in all your work. Thank you.
I'm getting to the point in life where I've forgotten half the stuff I've learned. So yeah, thanks my man for re-learning me things I've forgot and learning thing's that I did not yet know.
Awesome! I took part in the liberty rifles portraying the 4th Texas at the anniversary of Antietam last month. The fog over the Battlefield is so strong early in the morning coming from the Potomac River. Couldn’t imagine having to fight in that fog. But getting up early in the morning after sleeping on the hard cold ground “It was really too cold to sleep” Then Marching to the cornfield and all you can see is the dark forms of the soldiers marching in front of you. It really gives you a period rush as living historians call it.
I know exactly what you mean. I'm a French and Indian War reenactor and those special moments at Fort Ticonderoga when the Highlanders with bagpipes blaring march out of the fog and smoke or the natives singing on an island at dusk on Lake George, just for a brief moment transport you back to a moment in time. I cherish them.
@@swampyankee Nice! The American battlefield trust filmed a lot of what we did that weekend and will be using the footage for future videos. Witch is awesome for me because they are one of my favorite RU-vid Channels. Gary Adelman even dressed up in period clothing and my pop up in some scenes.
@@TheHistoryUnderground l see in this video you have film of all th e white flowers. I was living in Northern Alabama a few years back. And got a hold of some literature about Madison County and Huntsville. One day short of the firing on Ft. Sumter, Huntsville surrendered. The mayor didn't want the town burnt. Anyway,getting back to the flowers. When the bluebellies marched in,one made reference to the flowers. A local didn't savvy at first until the soldier pointed out a field. The local laughed and said that's cotton you dumbass. Me, l'm from Texas and my ancestors were with Hood's Texas Brigade 4th.Reg. Co.K. And Texicans don't know how to surrender neither. It's roothog or die where l come from. Like cornbread& chilcken.
Love the old upper bridge. Amazing how it's still there and useable after 190 years. Hard to imagine how that scene of peace today was once a scene of utter carnage
Antietam Creek is spanned everywhere by these old bridges that date from the early 1800s. The very few that were ever replaced were replaced because they were only one lane wide and traffic got heavier. There is one in Funkstown, and my favorite (which is a double arch because it spans both the creek and an old mill rush) is just south of Funkstown on Poffenberger Rd.
I have volunteered for years, working at both Antietam and Gettysburg. Gettysburg got Disneyfied over the years, but Antietam has stayed somber, respectful, owing largely to the locals who have lived there over the past 160 years and kept out even McDonald's and WalMart. Plenty respect is due the organizations who reclaimed the field for the Park Service, removing more modern houses. At Antietam, you get a better feel for what happened, and what happened is that thousands died and were wounded so that the USA might continue as a democratic republic under its Constitution, without the cancer of slavery.
Awesome video, thanks!! I was just studying Antietam yesterday - because of your other videos! I wish the Middle Bridge still existed because a veteran from my hometown led the 4th U.S. Infantry across that bridge on September 16. There is a marker there, but the bridge is long gone.
I was hoping before you left the South Mountain area you would cover Crampton's Gap. My husband's great-great grandfather was Third Corporal Jeremiah T Hancock, Company H, 50th Regiment, Georgia Infantry. He was killed at the battle of Boonsboro Gap also known as the battle of South Mountain (In some places it says Crampton's Gap) on 14 September 1862. My researched information said that it was estimated 325 Soldiers killed at Boonsboro, were left to be buried by Union Troops, because the Confederates were retreating from the battle. The Soldiers were buried in trenches where they fell in battle. Governor Bowie in 1869 requested the task of moving the Confederate dead to a Federal Cemetery. The Soldiers were buried at Washington Confederate Cemetery in 1874. They don't have individual markers because only a small amount of the Soldiers were identified by name. It was decided, it would be best that all Soldiers be buried in unmarked graves. I would have like to have seen more of the area where he fought. He was only 24 and left behind a 2 year old son who was my husband's great grandfather. Another sad war story.
This episode is intriguing, My High school girlfriend, Cindi Hood,her Grandfather's GreatGrandfather was General Hood. Their facial features are erie in comparison!
So good to see the upper bridge again. I was there on that wooded hillside in 1987 with an alabama regiment for the 125th reenactment. That bridge stood in for the lower bridge. We walked from harpers ferry that day all the way there with AP Hills corps. I've never since been so tired. I'm an old man now and walk with a cane. One day I hope to see it again in person.
That bridge is a testament to the person who built it. To still be in use today is amazing. When you stop and think about 160 years ago people used the it to come and go on their daily lives just like today. So many of these battles don’t get told. September 16 is just important because it sets up what’s going to happen on the 17th and what will happen on the days after. Thank you for another great video. I’m really loving this series with you and Chris. 😁👍
Absolutely my favorite battlefield to visit, I know most folks love Gettysburg, that would be 2nd for me. You could do a series on Antietam and never run short of content. You always do such fantastic work!!
Sorry to say that although I've been to Antietam 5 times, I've never been to the Upper Bridge. Hmmm....another road trip is definitely in order. Thanks for the preview.
We love the history of the Civil War because for a lot of us, its only a couple of generations back who fought in it. My grandfather remembered his grandfather telling him about fighting as a Union Soldier, talking about the various cannon, etc. I did not get to hear these stories from my grandfather, as he only told this to my dad. I heard pieces. Another grandparent, my grandmother, her grandfather and 7 of his brothers all fought together in for the Confederacy. And so forth. So I heard tales. I remember my great grandfather , seeing him when I was a child, he was born after the war, his own father fought with the rebels from 1861 to 1865, surrendering with Lee at Appomattox.
I likewise had a great grandfather who fought for the Confederacy. I still live on land my 4x great grandfather received as a Revolutionary War pension. I am in my 50s but my father could have been my grandfather as his grandfather could have been to him & his father to him ( the veteran of the Civil War). Of course the other 2x great grandfathers were soldiers in the Confederacy & one 3x great who was Captain of the home guard. Most of them are buried near to where I live. Several have the Confederate headstones.
I think you are one of the better detailers, I think I have jumped in the middle of your episodes, so I am not sure if this can be episoded on YT, or labeled by time line, give the video a DATE, or some way to watch in series, maybe you should take all of your videos and compile them in a series, I am serious, and use the battle maps to augment your timelines. Seriously, you compile that video collection and I would buy the series, you are that good. I think better than some, not to mention names. God Bless and Hope you make good on this message, I am sure it will take a couple, but worth the wait !
I love your videos. The bridge you showed in the fist of this clip , I always look at he base of it and think to myself,, wow, these very stones were laid back in,, 18 whenever . It just brings it to life when you do that. Who laid that stone,, who said,, yes that's good or no its not... Or a house still existing from that time when the foundation was laid. A road that was traveled by the soldiers on BOTH side and who knows they may have stopped at that very spot that you're showing. One place in particular that comes to mind is when I visited Chancellorsville. The SPOT where Jackson and Lee held their " cracker box counsel". Just knowing it happened right THERE , well , you know what I'm saying,,,,,, You make history come alive and I thank you for that!
Interesting information regarding the initiation of the battle. If your in that skirmish line and lead is flying in your direction that for sure is the start of a battle.
It's nice to hear a bit about the politics of the time along with the description of the action. It gives you a fuller understanding of what was the motivation behind each side. 👍
In school we learned of the Battle of Antietam from books with still B&W photos from the battle. But watching your video fills in gaps, shows the terrain with blue skies and so on which makes for a fuller story. Thanks JD for your time and work - - - - "No Erik"
I love your videos. I would like to see you do some kind of summary video of the best or most memorable places of the year or all time that you have been to. Since most of us can't go to all the spots, it would provide info on which sites to visit.
I was born on September 17. My mom was a civil war buff. Spent at least one birthday watching a reenactment. Also went to the went to the sunken road at midnight with thunder all around us. Freaky. Especially with the corn fields and the stories of the tower being haunted. We could almost feel the soldiers running through the fields.
Glad to see someone cover this pre-battle skirmish. The action taken place on the 16th, allowed Lee to get an idea of what McClellan was planning and allowed Lee to see two corps we’re now on the western side of the Antietam. Hopefully, the visitors center is done its renovations and you’ll be able to see it firsthand. Even if it’s not, stop in and pick up “Antietam a soldiers battle” by my friend John M. Priest. This book was a collaboration of hand written letters by the soldiers and what they went through in the battle
You are the best! As always thank You for all that you share and do! I absolutely love your channel and learning fascinating history, Mostly information that I never knew.
JD, what an episode! I was totally into your story. So much so that my wife had to call me 3 times before I answered. but well she should have known if I'm doing history LOL
One very important note of what happened on the 16th is that because Hooker’s advanced other troops up the Keedysville rd beyond the Smoketown rd and now secured the Hagerstown Pike. And unbeknownst to him, McClellan had met his objective, which was to cut Lee off from advancing any farther north. Lee had no choice but fight, survive and retreat!
For the last 10 days, I had the pleasure of staying at my cousin's in Middletown. I was able to explore the area to get the feel of the battles from South Mountain to Antietam to Shepherdstown, and Harpers Ferry as well. But, the trees have yet to produce leaves, so it it is good to see how the battlefield was in late summer.
JD, sweet that your are doing these videos. I love that area, it’s is so beautiful. Still one of my favorites after Gettysburg. And I appreciate the attention it’s getting. Great video as always.
You should go to Phillipi West Virginia and do a episode there. That would be awesome. Me and my dad visited there not too long ago it’s pretty awesome just a little town but a big battle in the Civil War.
JD......Thank you for yet another great vlog regarding the Civil War. Your vlogs make these battles come alive for your viewers. We can almost hear the bullets flying. Thank you again for taking us on your journey. How is your son Eric doing?
The very opening shot of the bridge, countryside and other features (power lines etc) could have been in many locations in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, beautiful and picturesque, at first I thought 💭 “what are you doing in the U.K JD, I thought this was an episode about the American 🇺🇸 Civil War, not the English Civil War.”, then of course I remembered that America 🇺🇸 isn’t just desert 🌵 scrubland and canyons, there are some pretty amazing green places just like home, green places that, like home, have seen to much of our fellow countrymen’s blood. Thanks as ever for an excellent episode JD, no bucket list tick this time though, I am sure you will tick another for me again soon. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴🇺🇸🇺🇦
One could also say the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg began on Sept 14 at South Mountain. Or that it never would have occurred at all had McClellan taken advantage of the info gained from finding Lee's Lost Order No. 191 (by the 27th Indiana Infantry).
JD: The British and, for that matter, the French played a delicate game of not quite recognizing the south. A big problem was the blockade. If they recognized the south there would be demands that these two nations provide naval escorts to guard their merchant ships entering southern ports. That would lead to a shooting war with the north. The British especially recognized that getting on the wrong side of the north with its million man army could mean trouble for Canada. The French had designs on Mexico (remember emperor Maximilian) and saw the south as not being satisfied with Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California but wanting to bite off more of Mexico and create more slave states. I think that it’s fair to say that when the north clearly got the upper hand there were sighs of relief across the pond. Plus the fact that anti-slavery sentiment was strong in both countries, especially England.
Some years ago a drunk driver wrecked at night across from the visitor center at Antietam. There were injuries unfortunately. He swore up and down he swerved to miss a horse drawn carriage full of men.
How did you learn about the man calling out to get a message to his wife, that is crazy, I need to finish the Book Grant and the information they have on him is INSANE !
I love your work. That said, McClellan was given the gift of the CW. It could be argued he could have shortened the CW by at least a yr. Think about it, if he captured Lee, AP Hill, maybe Longstreet or Jackson. Or in any combination, no trading. It might have been over in an yr at most
Late to the party here but you mentioned the British thought of officially recognising the Confederacy because we was low on cotton supplies basically, I wonder how differently the course of the US Civil War would have played out if European powers like the British or French stepped in 🤔
6:53 This hunters designation comes from the Germanic Hunters Branch (Schuetzenbruch). Since most of the Pennsylvanians were Germanic this tradition goes to the hunt of cloven hoof from their ancestors and passed down. Yet the signatory device originally was was a branch dipped in fallen beasts blood, not a tail. The branch is then placed on a hunting hat and presented to the successful hunter with the word “Waidmannsheil”. The hunter answers “Waidmannsdank” and places that branch at the right side of his or her hat with the upper side of the branch pointed outward. More actually this device and awarding probably predates much further into the pagan days of the wilds of Germany a thousand years before.
@@winstondietz Thanks, AH thought the strongest Germans (hearty risk takers) had moved to the US in the 1800s. He felt he had to motivate and lead what was left of meek ancestral stock that elected not to immigrate to the US. As for the sample of that era, Nimitz and Eisenhower were two great examples of men with German genealogy leading US forces.
