Inside Lee's Gettysburg HQ | History Traveler Episode 128

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  • čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
  • Part 3 of the Gettysburg series.
    If you want to see an amazing success story of a battlefield recovery, watch this episode. In the years after the Battle of Gettysburg, the home that was used by Robert E. Lee as the headquarters for the Army of Northern Virginia become something of a tourist trap. But when the American Battlefield Trust obtained ownership of the property, they did the work of restoring it back to the way it looked in 1863. In this episode, we're exploring the area around Lee's HQ and going into the house itself. So much history here!
    Map animations courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org). Check out their CZcams page here: / americanbattlefieldtrust
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    Other episodes that you might enjoy:
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    - Andersonville: 26 Acres of Hell (EP 87): • Andersonville: 26 Acre...
    - Religion & Death at Gettysburg (EP 127): • Religion & Death at Ge...
    - HIDDEN SECRETS of a Civil War Mansion (EP 109): • HIDDEN SECRETS of a Ci...
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Komentáře • 639

  • @TheHistoryUnderground
    @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +46

    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. Click here: czcams.com/users/thehistoryunderground
    Thanks!

    • @kylelittle5867
      @kylelittle5867 Před 2 lety +5

      I hate how all the Confederate statues have been removed. We had so many in town and in Mississippi as a whole but they just had to remove them cause people blamed a statue for what happened over 100 years ago. History deserves to be out in the public. People needs to know history is history and leave it at that. Why do we have to take history away from people who learn wanna learn about it.

    • @TheRealJohnJ10
      @TheRealJohnJ10 Před 2 lety

      I really enjoy your content. Keep up the great work.

    • @harolynallison6889
      @harolynallison6889 Před 2 lety +1

      Mathew Brady was never at Gettysburg he sent one of his photographers that worked for him his name was Alexander Gardner. Mr. Gardner took all the pictures Gardner was under contract with Mr. Brady that gave the credit to Mr. Brady. Mr. Gardner had enough and broke the contract with Brady, Mr. Gardner opened a photography shop 3 blocks from the white house. He became the official photographer to Abraham Lincoln and he took the famous cracked plate photograph and the famous picture of Lincoln sitting at a table with his son tad with his elbow on the table. Alexander Gardner took all the photographs at the Gettysburg battlefield and Brady gets the credit mr. Gardner took the picture of a soldier dead at a snipers nest as well. But the soldier was not killed there mr Gardner found this boy and the body not decomposed yet he brought the soldier to the nest and posed the soldier with a rifle he found for effect. He is the photographer that was the beginning of the whole aspect of posed photography.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 2 lety +1

      @@harolynallison6889 Gardner was one of the first on the scene but Brady himself was there two weeks after.

    • @harolynallison6889
      @harolynallison6889 Před 2 lety

      @@TheHistoryUnderground Gardner took the photos Brady got the credit no wonder Gardner left Brady employment

  • @michaelwestfort3798
    @michaelwestfort3798 Před 3 lety +83

    I was hoping you might cover this in your Gettysburg series. Mary Thompson is my wife’s 5th great grand mother, and my kids 6th. We were there a few years ago in the gift shop. Glad to see the restoration.

  • @stever4181
    @stever4181 Před 3 lety +5

    Coming from Minnesota Gettysburg was a long way away. I have been there twice. The last time was in 1988 for the 125th anniversary of the battle. I was 1st Sgt in 1st Minnesota Regiment Co. A. We slept on the battlefield, did the 1st Mn charge and saw Pickett's charge. All on July 1,2,3 1988. It was and remains a very emotional event and one I still talk about and will never forget.

    • @WonderfulEagle-mm1vj
      @WonderfulEagle-mm1vj Před 21 dnem

      I wanted to be there on the anniversary

    • @WonderfulEagle-mm1vj
      @WonderfulEagle-mm1vj Před 21 dnem

      I went there as a child but I didn't understand what I want to go back to the town bi want to see the things I've seen on this video back when I was a kid one could walk on the battlefield

  • @philbivins7133
    @philbivins7133 Před rokem +4

    What an awesome transformation! Well done to the men and women who have made it possible. Thank you!

    • @2pugman
      @2pugman Před 8 dny

      I believe it was 1991 that we were inside that building when it was a gift shop.

  • @rm1082
    @rm1082 Před 3 lety +28

    I absolutely love Gettysburg, and when walking the battlefield it's impossible to not feel the presence of the men who fought there.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +3

      No other place like it 🇺🇸

    • @MrMetallax
      @MrMetallax Před 2 lety +2

      I agree with this! Grew up going there and don’t live that far from there

    • @michaeldavis5775
      @michaeldavis5775 Před rokem

      I retire soon. I plan to visit all the battlefields then.

  • @tedebear108
    @tedebear108 Před 3 lety +5

    Good morning. It's Ted from Texas. Are used to visit Gettysburg an average of 10 times a year when I lived in New York. I've always loved the town and the history of holes. It's tough to walk the battlefield and think of all the men who gave their life fighting for what they believed in. Both North and South. I have stayed at that Motel a lot. I've been through the museum in number of times. On my last trip to Gettysburg I stopped at the renovated General Lee's headquarters. I am happy that they preserve the history to way it looked the famous day. Thank you for the great job you do and preserving history of Gettysburg. Keep up the good work

  • @xvsj5833
    @xvsj5833 Před 3 lety +72

    Sobering visit , I’ve been there 3 times and never have I walked away , but with a new perspective of respect for those fallen Americans 🇺🇸 Thank you for sharing 🇺🇸

  • @jvleasure
    @jvleasure Před 3 lety +4

    Heading back from there right now!

  • @Cat-ik1wo
    @Cat-ik1wo Před 10 měsíci +1

    Moving from Fl. To Pa. Back in 2019, we decided to stay at a hotel on a stop. It was late and we were tired from driving. The desk clerk said " welcome to Gettysburg. I was shocked. I said, " THE GETTYSBURG?" one on my bucket list. We stayed 3 days and did as much of the tour we could fit in and see in 3 days. It was a surprise gift to me from above.

  • @fastsetinthewest
    @fastsetinthewest Před 3 lety +5

    I have donated to the Battlefield Trust. I was at Gettysburg in 1959 as a boy of about 8. We drove with our car in places at Gettysburg one couldn't go now. I was last in Gettysburg in 1997. Wow, this looks "grand". Nice videos. 👍. Go look at Battlefield Trust write up on T. Stevens because the Trust, at this moment, does not mention a thing about his Gettysburg house. I've had an issue with the Trust preserving Southern monuments. I got a nice letter from the Trust, but the letter did not adequately address my concerns with preserving Southern monuments.

  • @douglaskeith2789
    @douglaskeith2789 Před 3 lety +17

    In the 1960's, my uncle lived in Gettysburg, so we used to go there a lot. Even with all the tourist clutter, Lee's HQ made a big impression on my young mind. I must pass that way again soon!

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +3

      I think you visit 100 times and still learn new things.

    • @savanahmclary4465
      @savanahmclary4465 Před rokem

      Go to Stone wall and do a complete 360 degree view of the entire battle field.. It is sobering.
      The Confederate arny came on the battle field from the West. And the Union entered the field from the South. And Jeb Stuart had been battling Custer North of battle field a number of days.

  • @davemartin4183
    @davemartin4183 Před 3 lety +58

    It's so cool knowing that our history is being restored and not lost. So much has been destroyed. Great video!

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +4

      Agreed. Thanks!

    • @billpiunti768
      @billpiunti768 Před 3 lety +6

      Yeah to bad the evil democratic party and the far left are trying to burn are history down 😠

    • @xJamesLaughx
      @xJamesLaughx Před 3 lety

      It has been something else watching the Battlefield go from what it was when I moved here to Gettysburg at 7 yrs old from Michigan to what it is now with all the restoration going on. I am now 48 and the amount of work they have done at restoring and not destroying this battlefield over the years is nothing short of amazing.

    • @marcuslaker5876
      @marcuslaker5876 Před 3 lety

      They’ll leave Albert Pikes statue up. And in another 100 years the battle was won on the back on Dan Sickles courageous charge unanimously nominated by his peers for the CMH and conveniently absent for many of the battles leading up to Gettysburg.

    • @mstrdiver
      @mstrdiver Před 2 lety +1

      @@marcuslaker5876 - General Sickles' corp commander level battlefield memorial remains uncompleted to this date as the funds for the memorial, approximately $5,000 in late 1800s money, mysteriously vanished and was never found or applied to the memorial's completion. Another fun fact is that Congressman Sickles also sat on the US Congresses Battlements Commission during which time the money went missing.
      General Sickles has other notoriety after his push forward from Cemetery Ridge toward the Devil's Den during the battle and his wounding by Confederate cannon fire.
      While Sickles was later a New York Congressional representative, he shot and killed Francis Scott Keys son, Philip Burton Key, who was rumored to have had a 'dalliance' with Sickles' wife.
      Sickles was seen to have shot Key in the street bordering DC's Lafayette Park within a block of the White House, later standing over Keys to give him a final and conclusive head shot. Sickles was then successfully defended in the first US recorded use of the Temporary Insanity defense for his killing of Phillip Key. History is strange, isn't it?
      Mstrdiver - US Army - 1973 to 1995 -- Amatuer CW historian

  • @steveschlackman4503
    @steveschlackman4503 Před 3 lety +4

    You are a good person for mentioning the American Battlefield Trust and what the Trust did.

    • @steveschlackman4503
      @steveschlackman4503 Před 3 lety +1

      The American Battlefield Trust has just put out a number of videos on the Petersburg Campaign and the Ft Fisher and the Wilmington campaign. Lots of great videos. Check them out.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      I'm a big fan of what they do. Hope to do some more collaborations with them in the future.

    • @steveschlackman4503
      @steveschlackman4503 Před 3 lety +1

      @@TheHistoryUnderground The Trust has just put out a large number of videos on the Petersburg campaign and the Ft Fisher and the Wilmington. campaigns.
      Great organization for you to collaborate with.

  • @richardhotaling6992
    @richardhotaling6992 Před 3 lety +4

    I stayed in the very hotel they tore down..was in the Lee headquarters too..I am thrilled they restored all this back to original..great video and keep em coming!!

  • @stflaw
    @stflaw Před 3 lety +12

    The American Battlefield Trust did an extraordinary job of restoring the building and surrounding area.

  • @acer3573
    @acer3573 Před 3 lety +23

    I vaguely remember the Lee Museum complex from my first time in Gettysburg in 1980 when I was 6 1/2. There was also the cyclorama and observation tower on the battlefield and the town was filled with wax museums and was a huge tourist trap. Glad they did so much restoration!

  • @robertmoyer175
    @robertmoyer175 Před 3 lety +3

    Glad you showed the preservation from what Gettysburg was becoming due to commercial growth to what it is today. It was sad to see then and a blessing of what it is today. Unfortunately in other areas of the U.S. we are losing valuable historical areas to commercial growth. Perhaps someday you can address this in a video.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety

      Definitely plan to support what the American Battlefield Trust is doing wherever I can.

  • @lakotawise3720
    @lakotawise3720 Před 3 lety +4

    Thank You Again For Taking Me Places I Would Never Be Able To Go, Good Job !!

  • @mattstrevig287
    @mattstrevig287 Před 3 lety +63

    Love to see our history saved and brought back from modern day life.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +3

      👍🏻

    • @michaelvaughn8864
      @michaelvaughn8864 Před 2 lety +3

      Indeed, Mr. Strevig👍 It's dying a slow death moreover with each passing year, sir. Public schools don't delve into it like they used to when I was a student. It's a sad state of affairs, sir😣

  • @johnstup4479
    @johnstup4479 Před rokem +1

    I can remember visiting Lee's headquarters during school field trips back in the 70's and seeing the hotel surrounding the building. I travel by this location several times a month for work and saw the hotel closed then eventually get torn down. It's great to see this location restored to it's original condition. I'm going to have to stop one day and check it out.

  • @Navet63
    @Navet63 Před 3 lety +3

    I'm surprised the predecessor to the American Battlefield Trust would even allow such an historical site to be commercialized. Glad to see the place to be restored to its original glory.

  • @MrHubbmuscle
    @MrHubbmuscle Před 3 lety +5

    What a great video! TY!

  • @dawndickson2156
    @dawndickson2156 Před 3 lety +4

    Simply humbling ! I am so grateful for the American Battlefield Trust. Another amazing job young man. Thank you.

  • @trinaroe5132
    @trinaroe5132 Před 3 lety +3

    FABULOUS restoration!!!

  • @pherylihy58
    @pherylihy58 Před 3 lety +4

    Incredible transformation. I am so happy to see the great work that the National Battlefield Trust has engaged in.

  • @michaelevans205
    @michaelevans205 Před 3 lety +2

    About 25 years ago my father and mother visited this place as part of their Great American Adventure on his retirement from the Royal Air Force. He is a lifelong Civil War buff.....we even spent many years together re enacting Civil War battles on various English country estates for the delectation of the public and the enjoyment of ourselves, (there was, as I recall, a substantial amount of warm English beer involved in these weekends).
    Dad was a little saddened at what he found. Now he's on End of Life care in a nursing home and, due to the dreaded virus, I've only been allowed to see him from this week. It will be a great pleasure for me to tell him of developments at R. E. Lee's HQ and show him this video.
    Thank you.

  • @ruthgallagher1168
    @ruthgallagher1168 Před 2 lety +2

    Got to stay in the house when it was a motor lodge. Being able to stay there was sobering. I'm glad they restored it, but it was still an incredible experience

  • @whiterabbit-wo7hw
    @whiterabbit-wo7hw Před 3 lety +6

    Thank you, sir for this outstanding visit. Semper Fi.

  • @zegotashalom3881
    @zegotashalom3881 Před rokem +2

    Thank you for honoring and preserving our history, so many today wish to erase the pain and death on both sides. I pray we never forget the price of war...God Bless.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před rokem

      Thank you. Hopefully, people are sharing these videos out and helping to spread the history.

  • @thenebbish7709
    @thenebbish7709 Před 3 lety +4

    I'm glad. That motel they removed was an eyesore to begin with 🤣

  • @naybur74
    @naybur74 Před 3 lety +7

    especially now with all the statue removal that was going on last year, keeping these sites from disappearing is an amazing job, and i'm glad as a civil war buff that it's being done..."HUZZAH"!

    • @randybecker55
      @randybecker55 Před 3 lety +7

      The statues are all still there because when "they" were coming to tear them down ... a huge group of law abiding local citizens showed up with many, many weapons ... and the park service praised them for their courage!
      No one was messing with our little town! 😇😂
      Yeah 2nd Ammendment!

  • @patrickfairchild2330
    @patrickfairchild2330 Před 3 lety +7

    BEAUTIFUL restoration - was neglected because the Union army broke and ran here and the place survived as a tourist trap.

  • @vikingzombie2487
    @vikingzombie2487 Před 3 lety +2

    I heard Gettysburg at night is a very harrowing experience with all the killed soldiers around there! I live in Murfreesboro, TN and the civil war battle field there is harrowing. Still see bullet holes in the rock formations at stones river.

    • @logicaredux5205
      @logicaredux5205 Před 3 lety

      Walking around Culp’s Hill at 3:30 am. That was fun.😉

  • @sfm5s
    @sfm5s Před 3 lety +5

    Been to Gettysburg over 15 times and every time I go there I learn something new. Absolutely amazing history that really wasn’t that long ago.

  • @theparrotrescuer3042
    @theparrotrescuer3042 Před 3 lety +4

    One of your best videos to date.

  • @brakel8r
    @brakel8r Před 3 lety +2

    Ill never forget my first trip to visit Civil war battlefields. I was about 7 or 8 and we were in a gift shop. There was so much stuff to choose from. I was standing in front of soldiers hats...there was Blue and Gray. To make a long story short I asked my Mom which one i should get. After much conversation and education from my Mom...i asked.."weren't both sides Americans?" She said well..yes they were. My simple 8 year old brain decided to ask if i could get both and did so. Thank You Mom and all the other Mom's out there that allow us to be us as individuals and educate without any agenda. God Bless and thanks for all your hard work.

  • @dianawingate8887
    @dianawingate8887 Před 2 lety +1

    RIP James Wingate. Thank you for your service

  • @chrismassey9035
    @chrismassey9035 Před 3 lety +5

    To bad they can't do this with the Alamo. Great job on the restoration. And video.

  • @Jerry-fn5nx
    @Jerry-fn5nx Před 2 lety +1

    Wow! The before and after pics are amazing. Very happy the American battlefield trust tore down that old tourist trap and restored a part of that battlefield's history

  • @rayoeler3055
    @rayoeler3055 Před 3 lety +2

    Been there and done gettysburg ! if YOU have not been there YOU owe it to YOURSELF to do it ! Amazing !

  • @charocarrandi5868
    @charocarrandi5868 Před 3 lety +11

    I just went for Easter break and I loved Gettysburg, what an amazing place to learn about the Civil War.

  • @pennsyltuckyden9823
    @pennsyltuckyden9823 Před 3 lety +12

    Gettysburg is a true national treasure. ABT has done an amazing job preserving this site.

  • @jamiewatson9886
    @jamiewatson9886 Před 3 lety +6

    I visited Gettysburg after I returned from deployment to Kosovo in March of 2004. I remember the old hotel from the before and after pictures.
    Its so awesome to see that someone returned the landscape to as close to original as possible to truly get that authentic perspective.
    I can't wait to return to Gettysburg and experience it all over again. It truly is a humbling experience when you have even a basic understanding of what happened those few days of the civil war.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      Completely agree. It really is something else.

    • @tedlahm5740
      @tedlahm5740 Před 10 měsíci +1

      I stayed in the motel just before the destruction of it.

  • @johnkeenan5404
    @johnkeenan5404 Před 3 lety +6

    For those who are appreciative of the restoration of this important battlefield, join the American Battlefield Trust and contribute to battlefield preservation.

  • @flaminglaughter
    @flaminglaughter Před 3 lety +6

    This is an incredibly interesting vid. Thanks!!

  • @michaelpfister1283
    @michaelpfister1283 Před 3 lety +2

    Wow. We were there in 2009. I remember the hotel and gift shop. We were there on July 2, 2009, and there were reenactors there, including General Lee himself. One of his aids accused my daughter of being a Union spy. They let us depart unhindered when we showed them our Alabama drivers licenses. They had some nice displays there when we were there, but the whole battlefield aspect was gone and the house itself was basically a gift shop and museum, which we decided not to pay to see. We did buy a magnet there, though. :-) Your video really makes me want to go back again. My great-great-great grandfather was posted on Cemetery ridge during the battle with Union artillery (2nd West Virginian) and finding his unit's posting was special.

  • @neneg4340
    @neneg4340 Před 3 lety +6

    been so many times, we lived 30 miles from Gettysburg for over 6 years, and went often.Also to Antietam, Harpers Ferry and other places. history rich area.

  • @cynthiacronin2794
    @cynthiacronin2794 Před 3 lety +14

    Glad they are restoring these places to their original appearance. What I noticed about the widow' s house were the beautiful floors. Great video. But I knew it would be.👍

  • @Inkling777
    @Inkling777 Před 3 lety +14

    Thanks, I'd always assumed that Lee had been tented during the battle. I've love to see the interior turning into a diorama featuring Lee conferring with his generals over a map.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      That would be cool. Supposedly he slept in a tent outside.

    • @mstrdiver
      @mstrdiver Před 2 lety +1

      His entire headquarters element was tented across the Cashtown Pike from the Thompson house on the reverse military slope of Seminary Ridge to forestall any enemy [Union] observation and possible artillery fire from Cemetery Ridge emplaced to the south of the town proper. That headquarters placement is denoted by the upsidedown cannon barrel monument commonly erected for any general officer headquarters during the battle.

  • @Wreckdiver59
    @Wreckdiver59 Před 3 lety +18

    They did an amazing job bringing the property back to what it was. I'd be willing to bet they're not finished either. Thanks for the video 👍.

  • @ralphrandolph2475
    @ralphrandolph2475 Před rokem

    I am fascinated with this episode. The last time I visited Gettysburg, I stayed at the Old General Lee Headquarters Hotel. It was a Days Inn Motel at the time, but was an old motor lodge that was built around the house back in the 50's or 60's. The house was surrounded by parking lot on three sides, had fallen into disrepair. It was hard to imagine the fighting that had taken place in the area while sitting poolside. I am glad to see that it has been returned to its former glory and that someone visiting the area today can envision what both armies were up against that day.

  • @fredohnemus7685
    @fredohnemus7685 Před 3 lety +6

    When I was there in 2000, The Thompson house was pretty much about like it is today as I recall. The house had period furnishings, not original and was open for visitation even though it was private owned. It was amazing, all the thoughts racing through my mind, standing in that house. Can't even imagine what was going through Lee's mind. I don't remember that complex being there then. Many memories fade as time goes by, but my memory of Gettysburg still seems bright and clear to me 21 years later. It doesn't matter though now, just glad it is restored today. Your doing a great job on this Gettysburg series and thank you.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      Thank you for sharing that!

    • @xJamesLaughx
      @xJamesLaughx Před 3 lety +1

      Well the Thompson house renovation to what it looks like in this video did not start until 2015 when the Civil War Trust acquired the property and ended in 2016. So the way it looked prior to how it is now with all the modern buildings was what it looked like in 2000. I live right outside of Gettysburg and am so glad to see all these renovations being done to preserve history and not destroy it under modern stuff

  • @maryannkelley7039
    @maryannkelley7039 Před 3 lety +3

    Really nice restoration of this property.

  • @ColonelBandit
    @ColonelBandit Před rokem

    I've been privileged to visit Gettysburg twice from the UK - an amazing place - I shall definitely return

  • @skunkape2
    @skunkape2 Před 2 lety

    We are very fortunate that the United States is such a young country because we're able to conserve so many important sites and buildings from our history. Thanks to the people who are conserving these sites.

  • @puddysue
    @puddysue Před rokem

    That is wonderful that all these people worked so hard to restore this land to what it was during the Civil War.

  • @VAhistTeach
    @VAhistTeach Před 3 lety +3

    I remember going into that museum/gift shop during my first trip to Gettysburg in the 90's.

  • @rosseganjr9402
    @rosseganjr9402 Před 3 lety +3

    general Robert e. Lee is one of the greatest generals in u. s. history! it's a shame his statues are being removed!

    • @susiepittman601
      @susiepittman601 Před 3 lety

      They belong in national parks or museums. He stood for preserving evil and must not be in the public square where everyone is forced to see them.

    • @georgiapines7906
      @georgiapines7906 Před 3 lety

      I agree, Ross, with all my heart. Thank you.

    • @midgebarker4022
      @midgebarker4022 Před 3 lety

      Amen Ross! One of the Greatest Military minds ever to come out of West Point. Never received a single demerit at the Academy.

  • @robertcunningham6476
    @robertcunningham6476 Před rokem +3

    JD, you’re genuine enthusiasm for wherever you travel is so contagious. Great work as always!!!

  • @bradbalderson8172
    @bradbalderson8172 Před 3 lety +4

    Another great video JD, I'll just say if your watching this and have never been to Gettysburg make the trip because you won't regret it.

  • @stevensloat4756
    @stevensloat4756 Před 3 lety +3

    When I was a kid on calendars there would be pictures of Presidents and other famous Americans..I noticed that Robert E Lee and I share the same birthday and I have done much reading about him...

  • @trish5556
    @trish5556 Před 3 lety +1

    Visited Gettysburg many times in the 1990's until 2003 when my sister had a cottage on Marsh Creek. I always disliked the touristy side of the town. I am so glad to hear some of it has been restored to its historical roots.

  • @bjones7073
    @bjones7073 Před 2 lety

    In 1956 my family drove from NE Ohio to Gettysburg and we stayed upstairs at this Lee's headquarters building. Not in the hotel but upstairs from the gift shop. We squeezed 5 of us in there. During that trip I found an expended bullet out on the battlefield and it is my most prized possession to this day.

  • @americanschweitzer45
    @americanschweitzer45 Před 3 lety +6

    I have witnessed the transformation of the Lee HQ! Visiting year after year it was awesome to see the saving of Civil War and Revolutionary Battlefields! The American Battlefield Trust has a lot of resources for learning about the Civil War! They also save these battlefields we love! Thank you American Battlefield Trust!

  • @garykorzelius5930
    @garykorzelius5930 Před 3 lety +16

    The last time I was there it was a gift shop with a small museum. I remember the hotel too. Wow what a difference! I also subscribe to the Battlefield Trust videos, and yes they are a very good organization. Thank you once more for a very well done video.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      The American Battlefield Trust is the best!

    • @iamsteverogersakacapamerica041
      @iamsteverogersakacapamerica041 Před rokem

      I was there when there was a hotel and the gift shop I was just a kid and I happened to walk towards the grass from where the Parking lot for the hotel was and I found a giant screw and a giant nut I don’t know if they were from artillery or what but I brought them back home with me because I thought It was interesting.

  • @stelladonaconfredobutler9459

    Dude, you rule!!! this series has been both full of wonder and Andersonville. you are a truthsayer, keep it up. that house was so lovingly restored. Thank you American Battlefiled Trust, I have donated after watching this show. Your CZcams site is remarkable!

  • @vernonsanders371
    @vernonsanders371 Před 3 lety +2

    This American history is so relevant now I feel we are more divided now than before an during civil war .We must learn from the past so we do not repeat it

  • @JB-hl1qx
    @JB-hl1qx Před 3 lety +3

    Anyone remember going up in the old observation tower?

  • @Cookie-gn4qk
    @Cookie-gn4qk Před 3 lety +8

    Gosh, I love getting to see these places. I wonder if they will ever stage the house with period furniture to give a total feeling of what that looked like when Lee took it over.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety

      I hope so!

    • @mstrdiver
      @mstrdiver Před 2 lety +1

      That is the province of the National Park Service [NPS] who now controls the property. Previously, when the house was under the control of the hotel owners, it held several walls of displayed weaponry and other battlefield artifacts which I found fascinating to view. The now sterile walls really hold minimal interest for me and in fact when I was last there at New Years, 2020, pre-COVID, access to the building was not allowed by the NPS but I hope that policy changes soon when tourism picks back up after the pandemic.

  • @SandhillDigger24
    @SandhillDigger24 Před 2 lety

    visited this location years before the restoration and wife and I had a fried chicken dinner in the restaurant next door, even though I was excited to have a meal "at Lee's Headquarters" it just did not seem right. We did not even visit the museum at that time.I was at the same time disappointed that the property was compromised and commercialized. I was so excited to hear of sale of the property in 2014 and the restoration efforts. It now looks like it is supposed to. Thanks for this video, enjoying the series very much.

  • @milepost465historyhobbies4
    @milepost465historyhobbies4 Před 3 lety +27

    I’m really appreciating this series. Gettysburg isn’t one story, it’s several hundred or several thousand pieced together by the soldiers and civilians that lived abs died here. Although my GGGreatgrandfather (28th Va Co G)was in the Pickett / Pettigrew charge of 3 July, the story is much much more than that. Your videos are like opening a good book!

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +2

      Thanks! Pretty amazing that you had an ancestor in the final charge.

    • @thiest1205
      @thiest1205 Před 3 lety +2

      Well said 👏, very enjoyable viewing, and hearing about your GGGreatgrandad was lovely story, they don't make ppl like him anymore, sad really

    • @ivanlowjones
      @ivanlowjones Před 3 lety

      Your GGGrandfather was on the losing side, ICYMI.

    • @ivanlowjones
      @ivanlowjones Před 3 lety

      @@thiest1205
      Sad that people that endorsed slavery aren't around these days, you mean?

    • @thiest1205
      @thiest1205 Před 3 lety

      @@ivanlowjones i don't blame one individual for the actions of a government, slavery was wrong, you know the Irish were slaves in America before Black slaves became popular, 1776 they no longer wanted convicts working on the plantations so out with the Irish, ln with Africans

  • @ricklipford8762
    @ricklipford8762 Před 3 lety +3

    Great video as usual cannot wait till the next one

  • @amypeterson4615
    @amypeterson4615 Před 3 lety +10

    It was Larson's Quality Inn, the best lodging on the battlefield. Stayed there a few times and loved eating at the adjacent restaurant while enjoying an ABC beer. I'm all for battlefield preservation, but I miss Larson's.

    • @mstrdiver
      @mstrdiver Před 2 lety +1

      As do I. My favorite room was the upper king suite in the barn loft and my family was the last occupants before they dismantled the hotel building on New Years Day. It was a great place to gather when friends and family were touring the battlefield and vicinity and we have very fond memories of our multiple stays there.
      Larson's Inn at General Lee's Headquarters was the first tourist inn consisting of tourist cabins used by returning 50th anniversary battle participants to have any sort of guest lodging in the area. It to became part of the battlefield's iconic history.
      Mstrdiver - US Army 1973 to 1995

    • @4thamendment237
      @4thamendment237 Před 2 lety

      Thank goodness it's gone.

  • @cclyon
    @cclyon Před 3 lety +2

    Watched this then went down a rabbit hole at the Gettysburg Daily archives. There will always be arguing over what to(or not to) restore but it appears that for the most part they've done an amazing job.

  • @michae8jackson378
    @michae8jackson378 Před 3 lety +35

    I agree w you! I’m glad they destroyed the “tourist trap” and restored it to as original as possible!👊👊👊🥂

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +3

      100% improvement

    • @michae8jackson378
      @michae8jackson378 Před 3 lety

      @@TheHistoryUnderground yes, yes it is!

    • @richardea4223
      @richardea4223 Před 2 lety

      AMEN!!!😎

    • @mstrdiver
      @mstrdiver Před 2 lety +1

      One man's "tourist trap' is another man's favorite hotel. Please note that because of the limited restoration that took place here, the Civil War Trust [CWT] of which I continue to be a contributing member, did not restore the Widow Thompson's barn [now only a partial stone wall shell] behind the house as it had been converted to a two-story set of king suites for the former Larson's Inn at Seminary Ridge [A Choice hotel facility].
      That barn is significant in that it was the structure to which General Lee took his wayward Cavalry leader, General J.E.B Stuart for a 'solo nighttime discussion' after the Confederate Cavalry made a second ride around the Union Army, finally rejoining the main body of Confederate troops at Gettysburg.
      The significance here is that General Lee wasn't receiving intelligence reports from Stuart while he on this flamboyant ride. As the 'nighttime discussion' between these two generals remains unrecorded, as even their aides were excluded from the meeting, several theories have been pushed forth as to the depth of the conversation with some speculation postulating that the meeting was more akin to a 'woodshed' gathering where General Stuart was possibly chewed out thoroughly for his liberal, and oftimes cavalier 'stretching' of General Lee's orders once Stuart was outside of Lee's general control.
      Lee was known to be 'loose' in his command structure and allowed his senior subordinate officers to make tactical field decisions, but it was also reported that General Lee was furious with General Stuart's actions and his lack of intelligence reporting during this crucial time leading up to Gettysburg Battle.
      That 'woodshed' meeting took place in your 'tourist trap' barn and remains a matter of extensive debate for many historians on what actually took place during that meeting.
      Mstrdiver - US Army - 1973 to 1995 and amateur CW historian

  • @hunterliggett
    @hunterliggett Před rokem

    History has many layers. "Preservation" oft means destroying some layers. I applaud what the American Battlefield Trust has done. Indeed, am a member. But I mourn for some lost layers. In July 1971 the family took a trip to Gettysburg. Our Dad had become enamored with the battle. That trip hooked me into 50 years of study, books, magazines, trips to other fields and well - the journey many have taken. When we arrived from the west down the Chambersburg Pike Dad stopped at the "Lawson Motel" looking for lodging. The proprietor apologized that he was full. Dad turned to leave with an apparently dejected look and the proprietor said, in an embarrassed way, "well we do have an option if you want it" It was several rooms on the second floor of the "Lee Museum." Of course, Dad jumped at the opportunity. My first visit to Gettysburg included staying several days in the "Lee Museum."" I cannot but look at images of the the restored Thompson House and the two top windows on the southwest side and remember looking out of them onto the field in July 1971. An experience cementing devoted study of that tragic conflict. That layer of history - a very personal one - is gone. History is a complex thing.

  • @patricialenaburg6553
    @patricialenaburg6553 Před 3 lety +5

    Amazing preservation, it's hard to even get a gist of what something may have looked like, when there are so many obstacles in the way. It's like looking through the window to a different view on history, it was there, all along. Loving this series, thanks J.d.

  • @billd.iniowa2263
    @billd.iniowa2263 Před 3 lety +3

    Thanx JD. Notice Lee picked a stone house. That would offer good protection from musket balls. There was a girl killed in a house in town during the battle. I believe it was wooden.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +1

      Yes, that’s true. Decent chance we’ll hear more about that story in the future 🙂

    • @johnkeenan5404
      @johnkeenan5404 Před 3 lety +1

      It was Jennie Wade who was killed and a musket ball penetrated the wooden door of the house. The last time I was there the bulletin hole was still in the door.

    • @billd.iniowa2263
      @billd.iniowa2263 Před 3 lety

      @@johnkeenan5404 Ah, thanx for that.

  • @jmsiii4751
    @jmsiii4751 Před 3 lety

    The American Battlefield Trust has done a fantastic job!

  • @ramp7t
    @ramp7t Před 3 lety +1

    When I was a young kid, the Family drove to Tennessee to visit the Grand Parents Farm. We stopped at Gettysburg and stayed right next to Lee's Headquarters. I presume this is the spot. Great work.

  • @justinmiller3754
    @justinmiller3754 Před 3 lety +4

    10:15 that kid had the greatest "I was born the day before the battle of Gettysburg" story of all time.

  • @markoneill8987
    @markoneill8987 Před 3 lety +6

    Yes. Been waiting for this. All the best from sunny scotland. Love your channel.

  • @thinktonka
    @thinktonka Před 3 lety +7

    I missed this on my trip to Gettysburg! Good excuse to go back! Great video!

  • @laurier8369
    @laurier8369 Před rokem

    I love your Gettysburg series .. we stayed at that hotel a few times through out the years … I understand taking the battlefield back .. but tbh I miss the hotel and the feeling that we were on the battlefield.. we would get lost in the history !! Thank you again .. awesome work !! I watch this series over and over !!

  • @cynthiaplace5251
    @cynthiaplace5251 Před 2 lety +1

    I rember this years back and stayed in the hotel can’t wait t visit Gettysburg again

  • @XxBloggs
    @XxBloggs Před 3 lety +4

    Have been looking forward to this episode

  • @timothymcknight9485
    @timothymcknight9485 Před 3 lety +3

    Great video once again, JD! I definitely will be checking out the American Battlefield Trust's website!

  • @SandervkHistory
    @SandervkHistory Před 3 lety +11

    Amazing work from the AmericanBattlefieldTrust!! That is really awesome what they did!

  • @df5295
    @df5295 Před 2 lety

    When I was there it was a gift shop and museum. What a difference!

  • @samantharedden3906
    @samantharedden3906 Před 3 lety +3

    Your videos are great!!!

  • @kbhistoryquest9675
    @kbhistoryquest9675 Před 3 lety +7

    Very cool! I love all the work that they have done!

  • @BrodyLevesque
    @BrodyLevesque Před 3 lety +3

    While you are there I hope that you had an opportunity to visit the Eisenhower Farm as his story is linked to the history of that area.

    • @TheHistoryUnderground
      @TheHistoryUnderground  Před 3 lety +2

      That was the plan, but it was shut down due to Covid. Gives me a good excuse to come back.

  • @mrDCunningham
    @mrDCunningham Před 3 lety +5

    I really like this series JD. Nice work 👍🏻😎

  • @livinlifeadventures6711
    @livinlifeadventures6711 Před 3 lety +3

    Been waiting for this next one!

  • @deborahhartman7548
    @deborahhartman7548 Před 3 lety +2

    It is so cool to stand where history took place. I remember climbing up to little round top.
    I watched the movie Gettysburg after I went and it was so significant to me.

  • @pigybak
    @pigybak Před 3 lety +6

    what month were you there? seems like the right time to be there. not HOT!

  • @sandramosley2801
    @sandramosley2801 Před 3 lety +4

    Gorgeous work! As my Photographer Dad, Jerry would have said (and so do I): “You have an eye!”

  • @shellydehart8217
    @shellydehart8217 Před 3 lety +5

    So grateful that Pennsylvania want to preserve history. I know in my own heart that I’ll never be able to place my feet (to me) on sacred ground. Thought I’d share this. My grandson is 8 yrs. old n he’s getting onto history. ( since they don’t teach that in schools anymore) wants me to send him your channel on Utube. I think that’s pretty cool n I know he’s going to enjoy it tremendously. Thanks JD
    ♥️♥️😊👍👍

  • @craigconn7424
    @craigconn7424 Před 3 lety +3

    Thanks for the great video it is amazing what they did with Lee Headquarters. Love your channel keep up the great work. Take care God Bless

  • @matthewbaker7540
    @matthewbaker7540 Před 3 lety +7

    Great work! Such a short video :( Can’t wait until Wednesday! Always leaving us wanting more.