My favorite line from Pickett actually came after the war, when a reporter asked him why the Union won at Gettysburg. Pickett replied "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it".
This is lacking some context, Pickett was most likely responding to former Confederates blaming fellow Ex-Confederates like for example Longstreet for the defeat while downplaying or seemingly ignoring the role, the Union army had in the defeat.
@@spacemarinechaplain9367 Exactly. Some people both back then and now seem to have this idea that the Union Army was just sitting around idly waiting for the rebels to beat them if only Lee or some other commander would make the right moves. The reality is the Union simply outperformed the Confederates at Gettysburg.
I am an unapologetic Southerner from the great state of Louisiana. I am also a historian with an open mind and a clear view of facts. One thing I will say about some of my fellow Southerners, especially those subscribing to "The Lost Cause," is they think all Lee had to do was something different at Gettysburg and the outcome would have been different. Granted, had Lee not done what he did history would have been different insomuch as maybe Gettysburg might have been a one-day battle and a minimal Confederate victory. But that does NOT mean that Lee would have ultimately prevailed in the campaign as a whole. The main fight might have occurred days or even weeks later and somewhere else, perhaps down in Maryland. What I rail against is the notion that Lee would have won, no matter what, as long as he avoided any big mistakes. And that the Union Army of the Potomac and its capable officers would have no say in the matter. In other words, Lee and his army could lose a battle, but no way could the Union have won a battle on its own merits. I reject that. Now, first, let me say that heretofore in the war in the east the Army of the Potomac didn't exactly have a sparkling record of success vs. Lee. But, the Union army was a VERY capable fighting force, staffed by good officers and Americans...and Americans like to win. What I am trying to say, and not doing a good job of it, is this. You do a disservice to Lee and his army IF you think the Union side was just a bunch of goofballs, incapable of conducting tactical and strategic operations, and that a Confederate soldier was equal to 10 Union soldiers, or some such nonsense. The Army of the Potomac, 90,000 strong, was a powerful force...one of the best armies to ever take the field in the world in the mid-19th Century. If you would have placed them in Europe in the summer of 1863, that Union army could have marched across it, defeating all comers. My point is, Lee did what he could, and his officers and his men did all that was humanly possible. It was not a case of the ANV losing a battle, it was just as much a case of the Army of the Potomac winning one. As Pickett summed up, the Yankees had something to do with it.
Lee apparently didn't care much for Pickett afterwards either. When told that Pickett was holding Five Forks, Lee allegedly said "is he still around?" Duty was Lee's religion, and he was apparently never able to forgive Pickett for being away from his post when his position was overrun.
@@indy_go_blue6048 Pickett was a newbie of sorts- his Division had not seen much combat relative to Hood and McLaws' and he had a reputation for being a bit of a dandy. Putting him in charge of that maneuver was rash and foolhardy, especially when all his brigade commanders died and many of his suboordinates were injured ,captured or killed. Virginia lost a lot of top men that day, shame its biggest man was still there to mourn it all.
SantomPh Either way, Lee’s decision for that major charge was a serious mistake. One that cost Pickett his entire division. Pickett had a right to be angry with Lee.
Seeing a General without his horse Without his hat, Without his rank, Without his sword, Without his stride Without his pride And worst of all, without his men...... Just the.....worst.....
i hear what you're saying. and i understand the intent of what you're saying. but i must protest. all that you said surely is the worst in Hollywood or books.... but what is truly the worst, is the 17 year old that will never see 18. the soldier lying mangled and perhaps missing a limb or more still yet unattended. the family that lost a husband, a father, a brother, a son or maybe more than one. those are the true casualties of war. the price of war which must never be forgotten. the somber general is merely a reminder, maybe even a distraction. to somehow feel the pain of the battle on a much lesser scale. the danger here is, if we only look at the living and see their pain, we somehow feel it's bearable. and that is what allows for further war. unfortunately.
@Cardinal Ximinez ....having fought in four, at the twilight of my own life, I can honestly say there are no victors in war only casualties....well said Sir, your post speaks truth to power most eloquently.
What makes it so poignant is how Pickett acted before the battle, hooting and hollering everywhere he went, complaining about how little action his men have seen. When Longstreet asks him if he can do it his only reply is a huge grin. Then to see him fall off his horse and beg his officers to tell him what's happening to his boys. This was some superb directing and acting.
This scene is especially touching. Knowing that the loss of his whole division destroyed his inner soul to the point Pickett became a hardcore alcoholic until the day he died to cope with the loss. My father who served in Vietnam compared his Captain to Pickett. Captain Cox cared so much about his men it ate him up inside whenever he lost a soldier
My dad served on the USS Hancock during Nam. He was an electronics tech who would work on the planes' electronics before takeoff and after landing. The CAG at the time was a very popular officer who was well liked and respected by the entire ship, enlisted and officers alike. One day, he didn't make it back from a sortie and eventually it was confirmed that he didn't survive. My dad talked about how the morale on the ship took a huge hit after that. My uncle, who was a specialist in the Army during the time would only talk about the funny stories. Not much else, except in very general terms. One exception was when he lost one of his eardrums after his APC went over a landmine. One of his squadmates was a week away from going home and lost and arm and a leg in the same incident. And don't get me started on the treatment they got when they returned home. That war was viscous.
The moment General Lee realizes the cost of the Big Lie (the lie that it was all about states rights), and has to ask himself if the war to save the fortunes of the south's wealthy plantation owners was worth the lives of nearly 300,000 of his compatriots?
jack ryan It's ironic because Pickett was eager to get his division into battle. But the manner in which it was employed was a waste of Pickett's men. It was a tactical miscalculation on Lee's part.
The "no division" comment is entirely true. Virtually every officer in Pickett's division above the rank of colonel was killed or captured. One regiment, I forget which, marshaled only nineteen men after the charge, commanded by a lieutenant.
The other part of the story is what was left of his Division escaped and made it North as far as Cleveland. They started playing football, changed their name to the "Browns," and continue to lose to this day!
I think it was the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment that was the one you were talking about. They sustained so many casualties throughout the war they were known as the "Bloody Eighth."
My ancestor in the 14th alabama made it. Surrendered at Appomattox and walked all the way back to Randolph County Alabama. Also had an ancestor in one of the Pennsylvania infantry units. Crazy.
Actually, that was rather intentional. His wife, Sally Corbell, had family connections to major Virginia papers. The Charge was glorified as Confederate Valour, and Pickett was written to be its gallant leader. He may have regretted the charge, but they didn't hate the press.
Given that there were slave states that fought with the union - and Lincoln himself had a view of the war in which the entire Union, North and South, was at fault for slavery, this is right.
I had a classmate who strongly disapproved of Martin Sheen as General Lee, although I think he did a credible job portraying Lee. Sheen doesn’t really look like the historical Robert E. Lee, however.
Ted Turner (of TNT) helped fund the movie so budget was never an issue. He is in the movie in a small role himself as one of Amistead's officers (he gets shot).
Brilliant scene..... "General Lee, I have no division." One sentence conveys the enormous gut-wrenching tragedy... and the camera captures it perfectly. The actors also handled it brilliantly.
The acting here is absolutely spot on. The look of pain and misery on Pickett’s face is so real and heart wrenching, and the guilt in Lee’s expression looks just as perfect.
Not Pickett’s fault, they got further than any other division could have. Stupid order to attack there anyway, anyone with any sense could have seen that. Looks easy on a map....
@CS-zn6pp I know! Such idiots. I’m not trying to Monday morning quarterback, but me or you could’ve led the army better than that because we are smart and he’s dumb.
General Lee afterwards tendered a letter of resignation to President Jefferson Davis over that failure in which he even admitted that he's to blame for the failure of the assault into Pennsylvania. I had numerous political and military family members who fought on both sides of the Civil War against each other and at Gettysburg a couple of which were General Armistead and President Davis. Lee wrote to Davis: " Mr. President, I respectfully resign my command of the Army of Northern Virginia over my failure in the Pennsylvania Campaign. The defeat at Gettysburg was entirely my fault, I asked more from the men than what was humanly possible and thought us invincible. As I have doubts in myself to achieve that victory which I also desire and bring an end to this contest I offer my resignation and believe that a younger more suitable Officer can be found". President Davis declined the resignation.
And sadly that was the kind of tactics that would be used. It was the kind of tactics that often were used in this period and the previous periods. What was making this period different though was weapons and tech was making the tactics and thinking utterly outdated faster than the heads who conducted war. It would become its most evident in WW1, which afterward we see even further tech development that would see alot of changes to military doctrine and fighting.
And even more tragically, the kind of tactics that'd be use through the first half of WW1 despite the advances in small arm weaponry and artillery. The Germans adjusted to it first with the "storm troops" but it wasn't until WW2 that tactics really changed.
It should be noted that 'storm trooper' was first used by the Germans in WW1 with reference to the speed and effectiveness of Canadian raids against their position. Later the Germans adapted the tactics, but oddly enough the Canadians were the first to be given the modern moniker of 'stormtrooper'. At least from the research conducted by S. Ambrose.
What is not usually brought out is that JEB Stuart was supposed to circle around and attack from the rear at the same time. Custer saw the Confederate cavalry and attacked 3,000 with 300 Union cavalry. It was enough to thwart the encirclement. Had Stuart been successful, it could've caused mass panic in the Union lines. When viewed with that in mind, it was not such a foolhardy plan at all.
@@2ravenrick When you have less men than the enemy and want to mount such an attack, you better be damn sure that your intel is solid and every single step worked out as planned before you commit the bulk of the infantry. That this course of events would happen in the absence of the counter-battery fire and other efforts to disrupt the Union lines succeeding was perfectly predictable. If you don't know that all pieces are, in fact, in place, attacking IS foolhardy.
Pickett would hate Lee the rest of his life and brood on the loss till his dying day. The look on Major Taylor's face when it sinks in how many men and material were lost and wouldn't be replaced. Richmond had nothing left to give
I especially love Pickett's answer whenever anyone asked him why the South lost at Gettysburg. He would always reply "I've always thought the yanks had something to do with it".
“General Lee I have no division now, Armistead is down , Garnett Is down , and Kemper is mortally wounded.” I can only imagine the pain going through Pickett at that moment
Jimmy Kemper actually survived despite his announcement that he was dying and became Governor of Virginia-and a relatively progressive one to boot. Armistead died in a Union hospital and Garnett's body was never found...
@@chrisflaherty8991 Not his place. Hill tried the day before to call off an attack or change strategy, to no avail. Lee’s tunnel vision was still too strong to accept anything less than his way or the highway. Hence why I believe Lee is inferior to Washington, Grant, Eisenhower, and Patton when it comes to US Generals. He has a great (as in talented not with morals, as many of them are slave owners) staff of officers telling him this is a dumb idea to frontal attack with supporting evidence and he’s not listening.
@@duxveritatis2569 Traitor to our country, the United States of America. NOT a tyranny. The south signed up for the same rules the north did. They just didn't get their way and started acting like cry babies. Lincoln sent in the union army to give the south the good ass whooping they deserved.
@@meatmissile8229 The north violated the US Constitution if anything they should be called traitors. The south was fighting for their established rights.
How did the north violate the US Constitution? They didn't. It's a common myth that southerners believe for some weird reason. The south was pissed because more states were adopting a non-slave ideal and the south began to realize they were going to lose the numbers to retain slavery.
@@duxveritatis2569 They didn't the southern confederation literally formed from what they thought Lincoln would do. They literally broke apart the country on a guess.you can even go and find Lincoln's inauguration speech and find he wasn't going to abolish it. But nope southerns thought he would because he made speeches why it's bad. It was only until the European powers started talking that he made the war about Slavery something the South decided it was about and made it so that all European powers couldn't do anything in the war since it was formally on both sides about Slavery as every other country had abolished it at that point.
Right after Pickett say his line, just that next moment, just perfect example of cinema there. The music, the way the camera zooms in on Sheen, even Sheens reaction, just perfect, showing that for General Lee, the full weight of this failure just hits him all at once, and he realizes just how badly he screwed up.
Pickets charge crossed about a mile and a half without firing one shot into the enemy until near 200yds all the while eating lead from the enemy across that distance in 87 degree hot muggy southern weather. Still pushing the larger northern line back to cemetery hill before having to turn back. A remarkable feat I have a hard time seeing as a failure.
@@Snarflelocker The first time I saw this movie, it was on an encrypted channel that I didn't suscribed for. I had just the image, and it was bad, no real sound, no music and yet, I still understood the meaning of the whole scene... Yes, really, a very good display of cinematic skill.
@@hatrivers8227 look at the results. it's easy to call it a failure. It was doomed from the start. Also, how was it Southern weather if they were fighting in Pennsylvania? "before having to turn back" is putting it lightly.
As a Brit, I feel that Lee knew that time and resources were hugely ranged against him, he gambled on an early and decisive battle, and that, sadly, is war. The bravery of soldiers never fails to astonish me.
As soon as Lee knew he had no advantage after Buford denied them Little Round Top and the other hills, he should have just fell back then. It would have been less a disgrace and a better chance for another day on another field of battle than striving against worse odds. Having that ass Stuart shot after he failed in his duty would have been another good choice. Going north to Gettysburg for perhaps an end to the war was a gamble, but it had plenty of opportunities to back away from it if they lost the opportunity of strength. Pushing after losing that opportunity cost them the war. It just took a while to sink in.
@@samsonguy10k Lee's failure to punish failed generals, especially Virginians was one of the worst handicaps for the Confederates. Stuart should have been immediately replaced as cavalry commander and sent to guard the rear of column. Trimble and Ewell should have been sacked after Day 1's fiasco at Cemetery ridge and Culps hill. Barksdale went down fighting because Lee didn't allow Hood to flank the Little Round Top and got Hood himself maimed. Lee should have rebuked himself and taken a desk job.
I believe that is correct. Lee’s decision making during this campaign was driven by his need to earn a decisive victory in 1863. The decision to send his last fresh division across a half mile of open ground into the muzzles of 6000 muskets and 100 cannon is no less ridiculous, but perhaps a bit more understandable knowing that.
@@bcask61 Lee genuinely believed that the Army of the Potomac was so thin in the middle of its line at the end of day 2, he felt that on day 3 a cannonade to break up and disorganized what opposition there was there in the center followed by an attack by sufficiently that a strong force of fresh troops could break the Union lines in half and cause a general rout to start in which there would be many Union casualties. It was a gamble. Thing is, he himself had been in Meade's position and won. He also knew Meade wasn't stupid and was a proven general, not some political appointee or army parade ground prima donna. Shelby Foote once said that Gettysburg was the price that the South paid for having Lee in charge. Improbable victories, kept the Confederates in the war far longer than they would have otherwise, but all that gambling and winning had to come with a bad beat at some point.
Pickett to Lee: "General Lee, I have no division". To hear him say that was devastating to Lee, to any military commander, that your unit has been wiped out.
General Armistead missing, General Garnett missing and figured to be dead, General Kemper down, seriously wounded. And of the 13 colonels in Pickett's Division,7 dead 6 wounded. Corse and Jenkins were the only two brigades left, because they were guarding Richmond.
@@mikegallant811 Effectively speaking, even though Pickett's Charge had thousands of survivors, Pickett did indeed have no division. At least nothing he could put in line the way Lee was wanting.
Technically, mathematically, about half of his division remained intact after the charge. It wasn’t wiped out. And he did still technically have a divisio
@@scipio8866 Well no he didn't. Pickett had a mass of disorganised, shellshocked men unfit for combat and with nearly every officer above the rank of major a casualty. Not only had the division itself suffered heavy casualties but it was effectively decapitated. Except for Pickett himself, there was no one left in command. The division would have to be completely rebuilt just about from the ground-up.
When Pickett met another General, John S. Mosby - he said full of grief: "That man destroyed my division." The inevitable answer was - "Yes, but he made you immortal." That a hell of an immortality... methinks.
Well, Longstreet meant by that, it made him immortal in history, as we still hear tails from him to this day. For instance, all 8.8 thousand Confederates who died in this charge, are nameless, mortals who are just seen as another casualty of war. While Pickett has magically survived, and became immortal to this day and history.
And that's when Lee knew that everyting was lost. Very good acting here. Of course, Lang is stellar with those iconic words.... but I would also really commend Sheen here for conveying so much shock and sadness in completely wordless physical expression.
Sheen is guilty here of what Actors call "indicating". Sheen butchered that scene as badly as Lee butchered that attack. I'm sure Sheen wanted that scene back.
The dead guy in the left middle from 0:00 to 0:16 is really a tremendous actor, I mean how can you get better at playing a dead guy then that? He should've won an Oscar by now.
Stephen Lang and Martin Sheen nailed it in this scene. The way Stephen Lang delivered the line "General Lee.....I have no division." and how Martin Sheen played the reaction to that ram home how much of a disaster Picket's charge was and the fact that Lee knew that moment was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
I've been to Gettysburg many times. Tromped and walked all over the place where various aspects of the battles took place. One of the hardest walks I took was tracing the steps of Pickett's charge. It's so open. You're alone, walking to a distant target. I tried to keep up a steady pace, the grass was high, modern roadways and obstacles. Still I thought of those 15k men doing this toward another 6k-7k Union troops. They faced cannon and mortar, then cannister and double cannister. Just incredible.
You'd think all the generals would have learned their lesson from Pickett's Charge, but there would be more of those suicidal attacks to come. Hell, Hood was present at Gettysburg and he made an more suicidal attack at Franklin in 64 that virtually destroyed his army
@@jd-if2fe they couldn't take the chance of being surrounded and cut off from supplies. It would have just been another Vicksburg with their inevitable surrender
One of my all time favorite films with a favorite actor, Stephan Lang whose performance in this scene still chokes me up and chills. So many fine actors. The music score also was fantastic. I know that many say WW1 was the war to end all wars but dammit, our Civil War was just as horrendous, brutal and barbaric. So many losses on both sides.
Ours was just a prelude to WW1. Brutal as it was, the French alone lost nearly a million men in the first 5 months of that war, and USCW losses for 4 years were equaled at Verdun alone in 10 months of battle. Once again technology had leaped over tactics, led by rapid firing and heavier artillery and machine guns.
For me, the Stephen Lang scene in this movie that stands out is one that takes place as Pickett is preparing to assemble his division for the charge and a haunted Longstreet asks him if he believes he can take the ridge. Pickett smiles broadly, eyes shining with the prospect of great glory, and gives an enthusiastic yell in reply as he turns to his task and you know this is the last time in his life that Pickett will ever be able to smile about anything. You just go cold knowing what is about to happen.
The Afghans wiped the Us and Uk forces, the vietnamese destroyed the great OO Ess A, the Egyptians stuffed the French and UK at Suez, and now Ukraine is giving it to the Russians. One day we may learn that war isnt immoral. Its stupid. Then the world may grow up. Maybe.
"General, soldiering has one great trap: to be a good solider you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death you and I. But there comes a time... We are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair. A salute to fallen comrades. But this war goes on and on and the men die and the price gets ever higher. We are prepared to loose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose all of us. And there is the great trap General. When you attack, you must hold nothing back. You must commit yourself totally. We are adrift here in a sea of blood and I want it to end. I want this to be the final battle."
I’ve seen vintage photographs of the 50th Anniversary of Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1913. Surviving Veterans gathered at Gettysburg from both sides as a symbol of reconciliation. The thoughts that raced through their minds that day 50 years later. The searing emotions confronting and overwhelming them as if it were the day after the attack. Gut wrenching.
If you haven't already, you need to watch "The Longest Day", "A Bridge Too Far", and "Waterloo" for excellent war movies without the seemingly mandatory romance attached. (I'd add "Midway" if not for that.)
After first watching this movie so many years ago, I felt gut wrenching sorrow about the brave men and boys who were led to slaughter with claims of honor, duty, and a righteous cause. Damn the oligarchs of the Southern rebellion.
My grandparents all arrived from Europe in early 1900's, well after the conclusion of US Civil War, and I've lived in New England my entire life. A few years ago though, I visited Richmond, Virginia, and by happenstance I came across the Hollywood Cemetery. Until I was on the grounds, I had no idea that it was a Confederate war cemetery, and was dumbstruck when I came upon the graves of the CSA dead from Gettysburg, and later the grave and memorial of Gen. Pickett. The entire are was pervaded by such an overwhelming sense or grief and loss, it was all I could do to not burst into tears on the spot. Whether you stand on the battlefield, or the grounds at Arlington or Hollywood, all can agree that the US Civil War was an epic tragedy.
The look on Lee's face seems to say "My God, what have I done?" When he told his troops that the result of the battle was all his fault, truer words had never been spoken
@@LtRiot yeah, they're finding bodies from both sides. Stalingrad was pure hell. A Russian man from the war even said, " I no longer believe in god, the war took care of that for me."
@@MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about all those brothers and mothers and dauthers and sons and uncles and aunts slaughtered and yet we still have wars today. So sad
Stalin was the embodiment of Satan. Human lives meant nothing to him. Another 20 M Soviet Day to have made it 40 M total would have been just fine for him as long as it meant he was the hero in the minds of the people he exploited and abused.
Stephen Lang is amazing in this movie. Wow. His dedication to always visit Gettysburg during important anniversaries shows his true passion. Thank you Stephen.
Longstreet knew they were doomed to failure at Gettysburg. But they had already been engaged by Buford's cavalry. Lee had no choice but to fight. Longstreet would have had the army retreat, but Lee knew that retreat was not an option.
Perhaps. A fair point. Longstreet seemed to favor a defensive position for sure and didn't seem to want to be deployed like they were in Gettysburg. Lee seems like he heard a clock ticking all the time; it was always the 4th quarter for him and for good reason, the south just couldn't resupply fast enough.
Shouldn't have fought there at all. Disengage, and head southeast towards Washington DC forcing the Union Army to follow them, fight them on the ground on the Confederate's chosing.
"General Lee...I have no division." That's some of the saddest words I ever heard from a great general like George Pickett. The loss of his soldiers, commanding officers, and his commanding generals, Garnette, Kimper, and my favorite Armistade
Sorry, but I can not point to any accomplishment of General Pickett that would qualify him as great. Actually I can't point to any military accomplishment of General Pickett at all.
@@edwardofgreene his loyal service to his men, his three generals that followed him into battle, loyalty to general Lee and to his home state of Virginia is Committable
At this point, firepower had advanced beyond tactics. The advantage lay with the defense. The only way to win was to out march your opponent and place yourself in a position where they had to attack you (preferably in prepared defensive positions). Lee made a bad call. Longstreet was right.
+bandholm Germans used doctrine of envelopment on operative and strategic level - look what they did to Austrians in 1866. and to French in 1870. Their frontal attack of their Guards corps - the elite units - at Gravelotte-St. Privaat costed them the carnage. The whole corps consisting of 2 divisions (4 brigades) had about 24.000. men. In the attack on entrenched French positions where the Frenchies had superior Chassepot rifle Germans lost 8.000. men without any gain. That is considered a catastrophe and carnage. Still they had numerical superiority of almost 200.000. men against 116.000. French. You must not forget that operational and strategic level - Germans used conscript army with huge numbers, while French and Austrians believed in relatively smaller but more professional armies. And what happened in reality? Conscript armies armed with modern firearms completely overwhelmed and encircled their slow, lazy and lacking in railways opponents. Germans managed to concentrate during mobilization much more troops. Besides Germans used Krupp's cannons that had the range of more than 4,5 km. Those cannons inflicted about 75% of French losses. Cannons in American Civil War were not powerful as those Germans ones which are, in fact, considered the breakthrough in development of artillery. Those are first modern cannons breach loaders, extremely fast reloading and deadly.
Sam Peckinpah was a classical composer Using doctrines on strategic and tactical levels does not talk against attacking... On the contrary, it means you have a better understanding and training of what is going to happen, and succeed... Yes the germans took unnecessary casualties in the war... All wars happens to include unnecessary casualties. Also most of your points are missing a couple, for one inflicting casualties is not really important, as long as the enemy is losing ground. And encirclement means that one army/unit of men are attacking.
General Stonewall Jackson was from Clarksburg, VA Present day Clarksburg, WEST Virginia. Even though West Virginia was a Border State, both Union and Confederate we are proud of Stonewall Jackson.
Pickett division was about 9k added in with elements of AP Hill Corp, there was about 12k on the charge. About 1200k died on the assault. 4000 wounded. 4000k captured. That's about an 50% casualty rate. His division was indeed shattered.
For anyone who doesn't know, nowadays a 30% casualty rate typically puts a unit out of action. Anything more than that is, or is approaching, disaster.
Not to mention most of his command staff were either killed or injured in the charge, sure you could reorganize an understrength division and put them on defensive. But you can't reorganize thousands of men with only a few junior officers.
And to think: Both sides stumbled and fell face first into a battle they never intended to have. No matter the victor, Gettsyburg was going to be a decisive victory for someone, and a war ending loss for the other. And this wasn't even the bloodiest battle of the war. That would be Antietam. In the opening hour of that battle, more people died than lives in my East Texas town. That would be like going to lunch, and my entire city, man, woman, and child, just vanished. And they were all Americans. *To those who think "America hasn't paid enough for the sin of slavery" I say: Your uneducated opinion isn't worth a bucket of warm spit.*
When I recall that each and every man in grey was a traitor to his country and a defender of slavery, in the service of a hypocritical and criminal rebellion, concocted by and for the befit of its rich.
@@JohnSmith-zf1lq ....another brain washed libtard frothing at the mouth with nothing but IGNORANCE to present !!!! Robert E. Lee had FARTS smarter than YOU !
Derp mcderpson you sound like another wise ass that has no idea about why the war was fought so stop talking shit like you think you are some sort of tough! Those guys had guts than your sorry ass ever will!!
Lincoln secured Pickett's enrollment at West Point and there was never an ill word between the 2 of them. i am sure upon hearing the news of Pickett 's losses in the field that day, Lincoln himself shed a few tears for his friend.
The cold hard facts prove that is a hoax. At the time, the only way to be appointed to West Point was through one's state's representative or by the President. Pickett enrolled in 1842, and his state's congressman was John T. Stuart, who happened to be Lincoln's former law partner (1837-1841). The story of Lincoln getting Pickett into West Point and their friendship was fabricated by the general's widow in her biography of her husband; she even fabricated letters.
There are many of us who view this moment as a victory. Not that I don't empathize with the defeated. It is heartbreaking, but I am still very happy they didn't prevail.
There are 2 scenes in Gettysburg that have me sobbing uncontrollably… The scene where a wounded Confederate General Lou Armistead finds out that his friend Union General Winfield Hancock has also been wounded.. General Armistead cries out “NO!!! NOT BOTH OF US… Not all of us!!” The 2nd scene is this one right here. Imagine losing everyone and everything you ever loved only to be the last person standing. The pain and anguish is pure Hell that can’t be described in words… Every man that fought in the Civil War thought they were fighting for their home, their land, their wives and children knowing full well that people on the other side in uniforms opposite theirs were close friends and relatives. I’ll never be able to imagine the exquisite pain they must’ve felt in having pointed guns at them and pulling the trigger.
I don't know what's more heartbreaking in this scene, the look on Pickett's face when he says he has no division... Or the reaction Lee gives when he realizes he got all of those men killed. Excellent acting on all parts here, you really do feel for these men, knowing the loss they had just suffered.
Thats a misquote from after the war. Pickett and Taylor went to visit Lee, and after the visit Pickett says to Taylor 'The Old Man had my division slaughtered'
This is what happens when you are so convinced of the righteousness of your cause that you try to force the hand of God. If he had any sense of honor, Lee would have blown his brains out at that exact moment.
No matter good or bad, a great leader inspires hope, love, and admiration from his men through respect formed over time. I served, and I know if we were demolished in battle and my captain ordered us back out I would go, without question.
I watch this vid every chance I get. When Pickett says he has no division, that was the beginning of the end of slavery in the USA. We have fought many battles since. But that was the moment. And I savor the look on the face of Pickett and Lee when it finally sinks in. Their way of life will end. Glorious.
As much as I hate traitors and confederates I do feel bad for them. There were still lots of people of character and lots without and those of the confederacy who stepped down with grace and accepted defeat are worthy of respect.
Very powerful..."General Lee, ....I have ...no Division..." Such heartbreak in his words...such guilt to carry over his men's slaughter upon the field of battle...
This is a great film, as was the book. Since some liberties were taken for the sake of story and film, one must wonder if R.E. Lee was somehow surprised or in disbelief that the frontal assault on the third day failed. Even more curious is to wonder if he could have been surprised that so much of his army was annihilated on the 3rd day. Lee saw first hand what the destruction of an Army looked like from the victor's point of view at Fredericksburg. To a lesser degree at Chancellorsville when Jackson rolled up the Union flank. Lee saw additional slaughter the following year when Grant threw relentless frontal assaults at him. There were not any decisive Confederate victories in 1864, but Grant the butcher whittled away at the ANV, knowing he had practically limitless reserves, whereas Lee had none.
I agree that at the time Lee encountered Pickett he must have already known how devastating the losses were. In the film, he seems to express surprise at how many were annihilated when Pickett rightly says he has no division.
he thought he could pull a Napoleon and break the Union line down the middle.What he did not count on was the artillery largely failing to hit the Union troops, and that unlike the armies of Austria,Prussia and Russia the Union was commanded and staffed by generals who mostly had seen warfare with men well trained and led, many with superior weaponry. the loss of Stuart turned the whole battle into a guessing game for the Confederates who were marching into completely unknown numbers of Union soldiers.
@@Ragnar6000 Stephen Lang is a great actor and he did the best job he could with Jackson, but when I look at a portrait photo of Jackson all I see are his big soulful eyes, and Lang seems somehow miscast.
My favorite line from Pickett actually came after the war, when a reporter asked him why the Union won at Gettysburg. Pickett replied "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it".
Ha! That's actually amazing. Dry humor at it's best.
This is lacking some context, Pickett was most likely responding to former Confederates blaming fellow Ex-Confederates like for example Longstreet for the defeat while downplaying or seemingly ignoring the role, the Union army had in the defeat.
@@spacemarinechaplain9367 Exactly. Some people both back then and now seem to have this idea that the Union Army was just sitting around idly waiting for the rebels to beat them if only Lee or some other commander would make the right moves. The reality is the Union simply outperformed the Confederates at Gettysburg.
@@TheStapleGunKid And outnumbered them. The US Army may take awhile to get where it's going... but you will absolutely know when they've arrived.
I am an unapologetic Southerner from the great state of Louisiana. I am also a historian with an open mind and a clear view of facts. One thing I will say about some of my fellow Southerners, especially those subscribing to "The Lost Cause," is they think all Lee had to do was something different at Gettysburg and the outcome would have been different. Granted, had Lee not done what he did history would have been different insomuch as maybe Gettysburg might have been a one-day battle and a minimal Confederate victory. But that does NOT mean that Lee would have ultimately prevailed in the campaign as a whole.
The main fight might have occurred days or even weeks later and somewhere else, perhaps down in Maryland. What I rail against is the notion that Lee would have won, no matter what, as long as he avoided any big mistakes. And that the Union Army of the Potomac and its capable officers would have no say in the matter. In other words, Lee and his army could lose a battle, but no way could the Union have won a battle on its own merits. I reject that. Now, first, let me say that heretofore in the war in the east the Army of the Potomac didn't exactly have a sparkling record of success vs. Lee. But, the Union army was a VERY capable fighting force, staffed by good officers and Americans...and Americans like to win.
What I am trying to say, and not doing a good job of it, is this. You do a disservice to Lee and his army IF you think the Union side was just a bunch of goofballs, incapable of conducting tactical and strategic operations, and that a Confederate soldier was equal to 10 Union soldiers, or some such nonsense. The Army of the Potomac, 90,000 strong, was a powerful force...one of the best armies to ever take the field in the world in the mid-19th Century. If you would have placed them in Europe in the summer of 1863, that Union army could have marched across it, defeating all comers.
My point is, Lee did what he could, and his officers and his men did all that was humanly possible. It was not a case of the ANV losing a battle, it was just as much a case of the Army of the Potomac winning one. As Pickett summed up, the Yankees had something to do with it.
The charge destroyed the friendship between Pickett and Lee as Picket never forgave him.
Lee apparently didn't care much for Pickett afterwards either. When told that Pickett was holding Five Forks, Lee allegedly said "is he still around?" Duty was Lee's religion, and he was apparently never able to forgive Pickett for being away from his post when his position was overrun.
@@indy_go_blue6048 Pickett was a newbie of sorts- his Division had not seen much combat relative to Hood and McLaws' and he had a reputation for being a bit of a dandy. Putting him in charge of that maneuver was rash and foolhardy, especially when all his brigade commanders died and many of his suboordinates were injured ,captured or killed. Virginia lost a lot of top men that day, shame its biggest man was still there to mourn it all.
"That old man had my division slaughtered" - General Pickett
SantomPh Either way, Lee’s decision for that major charge was a serious mistake. One that cost Pickett his entire division. Pickett had a right to be angry with Lee.
@@SantomPh it doesn't matter you could've put napoleon himself to lead that charge and it would've still failed, it was lee's mistake 100%
Seeing a General
without his horse
Without his hat,
Without his rank,
Without his sword,
Without his stride
Without his pride
And worst of all,
without his men......
Just the.....worst.....
i hear what you're saying. and i understand the intent of what you're saying. but i must protest. all that you said surely is the worst in Hollywood or books.... but what is truly the worst, is the 17 year old that will never see 18. the soldier lying mangled and perhaps missing a limb or more still yet unattended. the family that lost a husband, a father, a brother, a son or maybe more than one.
those are the true casualties of war. the price of war which must never be forgotten.
the somber general is merely a reminder, maybe even a distraction. to somehow feel the pain of the battle on a much lesser scale. the danger here is, if we only look at the living and see their pain, we somehow feel it's bearable. and that is what allows for further war. unfortunately.
Daniel Cannata....They're making a point...when he lost his men; he lost all of those things (those things didn't matter anymore).
@Cardinal Ximinez ....having fought in four, at the twilight of my own life, I can honestly say there are no victors in war only casualties....well said Sir, your post speaks truth to power most eloquently.
Here,here.
What makes it so poignant is how Pickett acted before the battle, hooting and hollering everywhere he went, complaining about how little action his men have seen. When Longstreet asks him if he can do it his only reply is a huge grin. Then to see him fall off his horse and beg his officers to tell him what's happening to his boys. This was some superb directing and acting.
This scene is especially touching. Knowing that the loss of his whole division destroyed his inner soul to the point Pickett became a hardcore alcoholic until the day he died to cope with the loss. My father who served in Vietnam compared his Captain to Pickett. Captain Cox cared so much about his men it ate him up inside whenever he lost a soldier
My dad served on the USS Hancock during Nam. He was an electronics tech who would work on the planes' electronics before takeoff and after landing. The CAG at the time was a very popular officer who was well liked and respected by the entire ship, enlisted and officers alike. One day, he didn't make it back from a sortie and eventually it was confirmed that he didn't survive. My dad talked about how the morale on the ship took a huge hit after that. My uncle, who was a specialist in the Army during the time would only talk about the funny stories. Not much else, except in very general terms. One exception was when he lost one of his eardrums after his APC went over a landmine. One of his squadmates was a week away from going home and lost and arm and a leg in the same incident. And don't get me started on the treatment they got when they returned home. That war was viscous.
"He who cannot look upon a battlefield dry-eyed is unfit for command."
~ Napoleon
The moment General Lee realizes the cost of the Big Lie (the lie that it was all about states rights), and has to ask himself if the war to save the fortunes of the south's
wealthy plantation owners was worth the lives of nearly 300,000 of his compatriots?
That like 1/3 of the army.
@@fredericksacramento677 re read this for yourself
1/3 of an army
Pickett never forgave Lee. "That old man had my division slaughtered".
jack ryan It's ironic because Pickett was eager to get his division into battle. But the manner in which it was employed was a waste of Pickett's men. It was a tactical miscalculation on Lee's part.
jack ryan "I'd always thought the Yankees had something to do with it..."
+TEXAStooTAL L 4th down and inches, and they're on the goal line. And Lee gets sacked. That's Picket's charge.
KilroyTheGreat Or rather, he tries a short pass...
+KilroyTheGreat That is a way to explain i like it
The "no division" comment is entirely true. Virtually every officer in Pickett's division above the rank of colonel was killed or captured. One regiment, I forget which, marshaled only nineteen men after the charge, commanded by a lieutenant.
one of my ancestors was there that day, wearing the grey. He was only one of four men in his company that survived that slaughter.
@@MisterHames damnedest half of it is, he did have 2 other brigades, but they were guarding Richmond. Corse's brigade and Jenkins's brigade.
The other part of the story is what was left of his Division escaped and made it North as far as Cleveland. They started playing football, changed their name to the "Browns," and continue to lose to this day!
I think it was the 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment that was the one you were talking about. They sustained so many casualties throughout the war they were known as the "Bloody Eighth."
My ancestor in the 14th alabama made it. Surrendered at Appomattox and walked all the way back to Randolph County Alabama. Also had an ancestor in one of the Pennsylvania infantry units. Crazy.
Poor Pickett, his name attached to a charge that wasn't even his own for decades and decades after..
Actually, that was rather intentional. His wife, Sally Corbell, had family connections to major Virginia papers. The Charge was glorified as Confederate Valour, and Pickett was written to be its gallant leader.
He may have regretted the charge, but they didn't hate the press.
Foksuh haha, poor confederate , please
I do not agree nor believe the reasons for the confederates to fight this war was right, but it is unwise to simply color wars as black and white.
Given that there were slave states that fought with the union - and Lincoln himself had a view of the war in which the entire Union, North and South, was at fault for slavery, this is right.
For decades? 155 years later and it's still "Pickett's Charge." It was valorous alright, insanely valorous.
All the actors they had in this movie were so good it really is amazing all the talent they got for this despite the budget for the time.
exception is martin sheen , given voice tone , & politics
I am not a fan of Martin Sheen’s performance.
Also all of the actors look exactly like the real people that fought in the civil war.
I had a classmate who strongly disapproved of Martin Sheen as General Lee, although I think he did a credible job portraying Lee. Sheen doesn’t really look like the historical Robert E. Lee, however.
Ted Turner (of TNT) helped fund the movie so budget was never an issue. He is in the movie in a small role himself as one of Amistead's officers (he gets shot).
Brilliant scene.....
"General Lee, I have no division."
One sentence conveys the enormous gut-wrenching tragedy... and the camera captures it perfectly.
The actors also handled it brilliantly.
You can call it a gut-wrenching tragedy, I call it an acceptable loss.
@@foolslayer9416 It's unfortunate you feel the deaths of hundreds of Americans was an "acceptable loss."
Stephen Lang. One of the most Underrated actor's EVER! Awesome talent.
He is a major ham and that goes a long way on the big screen .
He was the reenactors favorite actor on set.
Agreed...
Tremendous actor.
He also played Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals
The acting here is absolutely spot on. The look of pain and misery on Pickett’s face is so real and heart wrenching, and the guilt in Lee’s expression looks just as perfect.
or the Major lowering his head
Not Pickett’s fault, they got further than any other division could have.
Stupid order to attack there anyway, anyone with any sense could have seen that.
Looks easy on a map....
@CS-zn6pp I know! Such idiots. I’m not trying to Monday morning quarterback, but me or you could’ve led the army better than that because we are smart and he’s dumb.
And at that moment, that's when lee knew that he screwed up.
Thanks Captain Obvious! 😁👍
General Lee afterwards tendered a letter of resignation to President Jefferson Davis over that failure in which he even admitted that he's to blame for the failure of the assault into Pennsylvania.
I had numerous political and military family members who fought on both sides of the Civil War against each other and at Gettysburg a couple of which were General Armistead and President Davis. Lee wrote to Davis: " Mr. President, I respectfully resign my command of the Army of Northern Virginia over my failure in the Pennsylvania Campaign.
The defeat at Gettysburg was entirely my fault, I asked more from the men than what was humanly possible and thought us invincible.
As I have doubts in myself to achieve that victory which I also desire and bring an end to this contest I offer my resignation and believe that a younger more suitable Officer can be found".
President Davis declined the resignation.
It was at that moment Lee knew, he fucked up
Even after Longstreet warned him of the inevitable outcome of his decision.
I am shocked people actually reply to this comment still XD
To send thousands of troops over open ground straight into rifle and cannon fire was a slaughter.
And sadly that was the kind of tactics that would be used. It was the kind of tactics that often were used in this period and the previous periods. What was making this period different though was weapons and tech was making the tactics and thinking utterly outdated faster than the heads who conducted war.
It would become its most evident in WW1, which afterward we see even further tech development that would see alot of changes to military doctrine and fighting.
And even more tragically, the kind of tactics that'd be use through the first half of WW1 despite the advances in small arm weaponry and artillery. The Germans adjusted to it first with the "storm troops" but it wasn't until WW2 that tactics really changed.
It should be noted that 'storm trooper' was first used by the Germans in WW1 with reference to the speed and effectiveness of Canadian raids against their position. Later the Germans adapted the tactics, but oddly enough the Canadians were the first to be given the modern moniker of 'stormtrooper'. At least from the research conducted by S. Ambrose.
What is not usually brought out is that JEB Stuart was supposed to circle around and attack from the rear at the same time. Custer saw the Confederate cavalry and attacked 3,000 with 300 Union cavalry. It was enough to thwart the encirclement. Had Stuart been successful, it could've caused mass panic in the Union lines. When viewed with that in mind, it was not such a foolhardy plan at all.
@@2ravenrick When you have less men than the enemy and want to mount such an attack, you better be damn sure that your intel is solid and every single step worked out as planned before you commit the bulk of the infantry. That this course of events would happen in the absence of the counter-battery fire and other efforts to disrupt the Union lines succeeding was perfectly predictable. If you don't know that all pieces are, in fact, in place, attacking IS foolhardy.
Pickett would hate Lee the rest of his life and brood on the loss till his dying day.
The look on Major Taylor's face when it sinks in how many men and material were lost and wouldn't be replaced.
Richmond had nothing left to give
"The old man had my division slaughtered." -- Pickett said of Lee (pretty much to anyone dumb enough to ask Pickett about Lee).
I especially love Pickett's answer whenever anyone asked him why the South lost at Gettysburg. He would always reply "I've always thought the yanks had something to do with it".
Johnathan Lewis He visited Lee only once after the war.
Kathleen Wippel probably to knock his teeth out.....
And once Mosby answered him: Yes, but He made you immortal
“General Lee I have no division now, Armistead is down , Garnett Is down , and Kemper is mortally wounded.” I can only imagine the pain going through Pickett at that moment
Jimmy Kemper actually survived despite his announcement that he was dying and became Governor of Virginia-and a relatively progressive one to boot. Armistead died in a Union hospital and Garnett's body was never found...
Meh. It's not like these men were his sons.
@@cashewnuttel9054 But they were under his command and his responsibility.
Pickett, had he even a smidgen of awareness, would have prepared for this. He had too much at stake and could not see how futile Lee's plan was.
@@chrisflaherty8991 Not his place. Hill tried the day before to call off an attack or change strategy, to no avail. Lee’s tunnel vision was still too strong to accept anything less than his way or the highway. Hence why I believe Lee is inferior to Washington, Grant, Eisenhower, and Patton when it comes to US Generals. He has a great (as in talented not with morals, as many of them are slave owners) staff of officers telling him this is a dumb idea to frontal attack with supporting evidence and he’s not listening.
“It is all my fault” -Robert E. Lee after Pickett’s Charge.
@Doug Bevins Traitor to what? A tyranny?
@@duxveritatis2569 Traitor to our country, the United States of America. NOT a tyranny. The south signed up for the same rules the north did. They just didn't get their way and started acting like cry babies. Lincoln sent in the union army to give the south the good ass whooping they deserved.
@@meatmissile8229 The north violated the US Constitution if anything they should be called traitors. The south was fighting for their established rights.
How did the north violate the US Constitution? They didn't. It's a common myth that southerners believe for some weird reason. The south was pissed because more states were adopting a non-slave ideal and the south began to realize they were going to lose the numbers to retain slavery.
@@duxveritatis2569 They didn't the southern confederation literally formed from what they thought Lincoln would do. They literally broke apart the country on a guess.you can even go and find Lincoln's inauguration speech and find he wasn't going to abolish it. But nope southerns thought he would because he made speeches why it's bad. It was only until the European powers started talking that he made the war about Slavery something the South decided it was about and made it so that all European powers couldn't do anything in the war since it was formally on both sides about Slavery as every other country had abolished it at that point.
Right after Pickett say his line, just that next moment, just perfect example of cinema there. The music, the way the camera zooms in on Sheen, even Sheens reaction, just perfect, showing that for General Lee, the full weight of this failure just hits him all at once, and he realizes just how badly he screwed up.
Agree. This is one of the best - and most haunting - scenes in “Gettysburg.”
Is the music even necessary?
Pickets charge crossed about a mile and a half without firing one shot into the enemy until near 200yds all the while eating lead from the enemy across that distance in 87 degree hot muggy southern weather. Still pushing the larger northern line back to cemetery hill before having to turn back. A remarkable feat I have a hard time seeing as a failure.
@@Snarflelocker The first time I saw this movie, it was on an encrypted channel that I didn't suscribed for. I had just the image, and it was bad, no real sound, no music and yet, I still understood the meaning of the whole scene...
Yes, really, a very good display of cinematic skill.
@@hatrivers8227 look at the results. it's easy to call it a failure. It was doomed from the start.
Also, how was it Southern weather if they were fighting in Pennsylvania?
"before having to turn back" is putting it lightly.
"General Lee, I have no division." I felt that. Sterling performance. Great acting.
This broke Pickett for the rest of his life. Pickett still believed in the glory of it all.
I don't think they could have picked a better Pickett or Lee for this movie. They're both fantasic!
As a Brit, I feel that Lee knew that time and resources were hugely ranged against him, he gambled on an early and decisive battle, and that, sadly, is war. The bravery of soldiers never fails to astonish me.
As soon as Lee knew he had no advantage after Buford denied them Little Round Top and the other hills, he should have just fell back then. It would have been less a disgrace and a better chance for another day on another field of battle than striving against worse odds.
Having that ass Stuart shot after he failed in his duty would have been another good choice.
Going north to Gettysburg for perhaps an end to the war was a gamble, but it had plenty of opportunities to back away from it if they lost the opportunity of strength. Pushing after losing that opportunity cost them the war. It just took a while to sink in.
@@samsonguy10k Lee's failure to punish failed generals, especially Virginians was one of the worst handicaps for the Confederates. Stuart should have been immediately replaced as cavalry commander and sent to guard the rear of column. Trimble and Ewell should have been sacked after Day 1's fiasco at Cemetery ridge and Culps hill. Barksdale went down fighting because Lee didn't allow Hood to flank the Little Round Top and got Hood himself maimed. Lee should have rebuked himself and taken a desk job.
I believe that is correct. Lee’s decision making during this campaign was driven by his need to earn a decisive victory in 1863. The decision to send his last fresh division across a half mile of open ground into the muzzles of 6000 muskets and 100 cannon is no less ridiculous, but perhaps a bit more understandable knowing that.
And the stupidity of Lee.he should have taken Longstreet's advice.
@@bcask61 Lee genuinely believed that the Army of the Potomac was so thin in the middle of its line at the end of day 2, he felt that on day 3 a cannonade to break up and disorganized what opposition there was there in the center followed by an attack by sufficiently that a strong force of fresh troops could break the Union lines in half and cause a general rout to start in which there would be many Union casualties.
It was a gamble. Thing is, he himself had been in Meade's position and won. He also knew Meade wasn't stupid and was a proven general, not some political appointee or army parade ground prima donna. Shelby Foote once said that Gettysburg was the price that the South paid for having Lee in charge. Improbable victories, kept the Confederates in the war far longer than they would have otherwise, but all that gambling and winning had to come with a bad beat at some point.
Stephen Lang (general Pickett) is a undervalued actor.
Liked him as Ike Clanton in Tombstone
Pickett to Lee: "General Lee, I have no division". To hear him say that was devastating to Lee, to any military commander, that your unit has been wiped out.
General Armistead missing, General Garnett missing and figured to be dead, General Kemper down, seriously wounded. And of the 13 colonels in Pickett's Division,7 dead 6 wounded.
Corse and Jenkins were the only two brigades left, because they were guarding Richmond.
@@mikegallant811 Effectively speaking, even though Pickett's Charge had thousands of survivors, Pickett did indeed have no division. At least nothing he could put in line the way Lee was wanting.
Technically, mathematically, about half of his division remained intact after the charge. It wasn’t wiped out. And he did still technically have a divisio
@@scipio8866 in a way, yes. But the whole Army of Northern Virginia never recovered from their losses at Gettysburg
@@scipio8866 Well no he didn't. Pickett had a mass of disorganised, shellshocked men unfit for combat and with nearly every officer above the rank of major a casualty. Not only had the division itself suffered heavy casualties but it was effectively decapitated. Except for Pickett himself, there was no one left in command. The division would have to be completely rebuilt just about from the ground-up.
When Pickett met another General, John S. Mosby - he said full of grief:
"That man destroyed my division."
The inevitable answer was - "Yes, but he made you immortal."
That a hell of an immortality... methinks.
Well, Longstreet meant by that, it made him immortal in history, as we still hear tails from him to this day. For instance, all 8.8 thousand Confederates who died in this charge, are nameless, mortals who are just seen as another casualty of war. While Pickett has magically survived, and became immortal to this day and history.
I wouldnt want to be immortalized for a slaughter like this.....
I'm not gonna lie, I had the strong urge to cry during this scene
WHY PICKETTS CHARGE FAILED? "I believe the Union Army had something to do about that." George Pickett
0:31 I think I see a tear in Pickett's eye.
Yes, Great portrayal by Stephen Lang. The loss of his men bothered Pickett for the rest of his life. He never got over it.
Stephen Lang did a great job portraying Pickett, as he also did portraying Stonewall Jackson in “Gods and Generals.” Fine actor! 😊🤙🏼
@@alexblack8565 Pickett never forgave Lee after this we said "that old man had my division slaughtered"
You sure did, a sulfur tear.
@@stinkbug4321 only legends realizes this
And that's when Lee knew that everyting was lost. Very good acting here. Of course, Lang is stellar with those iconic words.... but I would also really commend Sheen here for conveying so much shock and sadness in completely wordless physical expression.
Sheen is guilty here of what Actors call "indicating". Sheen butchered that scene as badly as Lee butchered that attack. I'm sure Sheen wanted that scene back.
Everything I've seen actor Stephen Lang (Gen. Pickett) in, he's been outstanding. A fine actor and extremely versatile.
The dead guy in the left middle from 0:00 to 0:16 is really a tremendous actor, I mean how can you get better at playing a dead guy then that? He should've won an Oscar by now.
the look of incredulity on Picketts face when Lee says reform your division is priceless. wonderful acting.
Stephen Lang's face from 0:31 to 0:38 is heart wrenching. Amazing acting from an amazing cast.
Stephen Lang and Martin Sheen nailed it in this scene. The way Stephen Lang delivered the line "General Lee.....I have no division." and how Martin Sheen played the reaction to that ram home how much of a disaster Picket's charge was and the fact that Lee knew that moment was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
I've been to Gettysburg many times. Tromped and walked all over the place where various aspects of the battles took place. One of the hardest walks I took was tracing the steps of Pickett's charge. It's so open. You're alone, walking to a distant target. I tried to keep up a steady pace, the grass was high, modern roadways and obstacles. Still I thought of those 15k men doing this toward another 6k-7k Union troops. They faced cannon and mortar, then cannister and double cannister. Just incredible.
You'd think all the generals would have learned their lesson from Pickett's Charge, but there would be more of those suicidal attacks to come. Hell, Hood was present at Gettysburg and he made an more suicidal attack at Franklin in 64 that virtually destroyed his army
@@superintendentchalmers8034 They would have stayed in Atlanta and had Sherman attack them
To bad the generals and Leaders don’t fight the wars on their own.
What a waste of humanity
@@jd-if2fe they couldn't take the chance of being surrounded and cut off from supplies. It would have just been another Vicksburg with their inevitable surrender
@@superintendentchalmers8034You'd really think Lee would've learned to never do that at Fredericksburg
One of my all time favorite films with a favorite actor, Stephan Lang whose performance in this scene still chokes me up and chills. So many fine actors. The music score also was fantastic. I know that many say WW1 was the war to end all wars but dammit, our Civil War was just as horrendous, brutal and barbaric. So many losses on both sides.
Ours was just a prelude to WW1. Brutal as it was, the French alone lost nearly a million men in the first 5 months of that war, and USCW losses for 4 years were equaled at Verdun alone in 10 months of battle. Once again technology had leaped over tactics, led by rapid firing and heavier artillery and machine guns.
For me, the Stephen Lang scene in this movie that stands out is one that takes place as Pickett is preparing to assemble his division for the charge and a haunted Longstreet asks him if he believes he can take the ridge. Pickett smiles broadly, eyes shining with the prospect of great glory, and gives an enthusiastic yell in reply as he turns to his task and you know this is the last time in his life that Pickett will ever be able to smile about anything. You just go cold knowing what is about to happen.
The Afghans wiped the Us and Uk forces, the vietnamese destroyed the great OO Ess A, the Egyptians stuffed the French and UK at Suez, and now Ukraine is giving it to the Russians. One day we may learn that war isnt immoral. Its stupid. Then the world may grow up. Maybe.
one of the most dramatic and saddest moment of the movie and battle.
"General, soldiering has one great trap: to be a good solider you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death you and I. But there comes a time...
We are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair. A salute to fallen comrades. But this war goes on and on and the men die and the price gets ever higher. We are prepared to loose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose all of us. And there is the great trap General. When you attack, you must hold nothing back. You must commit yourself totally. We are adrift here in a sea of blood and I want it to end. I want this to be the final battle."
dclark142002
Every OCS in every military should have that quote on a plaq or two placed in important areas.
Great Quote 🤙🏼
Entering the 20th year in Afghanistan...
I’ve seen vintage photographs of the 50th Anniversary of Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1913. Surviving Veterans gathered at Gettysburg from both sides as a symbol of reconciliation. The thoughts that raced through their minds that day 50 years later. The searing emotions confronting and overwhelming them as if it were the day after the attack. Gut wrenching.
I seen grown men, with tears in their eyes at the intermission in the men's room...This movie stirred the soul...."
This is by far the greatest war movie ever made along with Saving Private Ryan historically speaking no love stories just the facts and great acting.
If you haven't already, you need to watch "The Longest Day", "A Bridge Too Far", and "Waterloo" for excellent war movies without the seemingly mandatory romance attached. (I'd add "Midway" if not for that.)
indy_go_blue60 I have all those movies except "Waterloo" that's the only one I haven't seen, Thank you for the recommendations.
@@indy_go_blue6048 #longestDay.. agree
@@sonnyblack71 Waterloo is on par with this film. Both great watches.
Tora Tora Tora! Was a great historical movie
After first watching this movie so many years ago, I felt gut wrenching sorrow about the brave men and boys who were led to slaughter with claims of honor, duty, and a righteous cause. Damn the oligarchs of the Southern rebellion.
My grandparents all arrived from Europe in early 1900's, well after the conclusion of US Civil War, and I've lived in New England my entire life. A few years ago though, I visited Richmond, Virginia, and by happenstance I came across the Hollywood Cemetery. Until I was on the grounds, I had no idea that it was a Confederate war cemetery, and was dumbstruck when I came upon the graves of the CSA dead from Gettysburg, and later the grave and memorial of Gen. Pickett. The entire are was pervaded by such an overwhelming sense or grief and loss, it was all I could do to not burst into tears on the spot. Whether you stand on the battlefield, or the grounds at Arlington or Hollywood, all can agree that the US Civil War was an epic tragedy.
The look on Lee's face seems to say "My God, what have I done?" When he told his troops that the result of the battle was all his fault, truer words had never been spoken
The beards in this movie are just outstanding
I have no division
Stalin: Ok, here is your another division.
The endless slaughter at Stalingrad made Gettysburg look like a middle school street fight. They are still finding mass graves there to this day.
@@MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee But the ones finding them are Russians, not Germans, so who are we to judge. Shit worked
@@LtRiot yeah, they're finding bodies from both sides. Stalingrad was pure hell. A Russian man from the war even said, " I no longer believe in god, the war took care of that for me."
@@MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about all those brothers and mothers and dauthers and sons and uncles and aunts slaughtered and yet we still have wars today. So sad
Stalin was the embodiment of Satan. Human lives meant nothing to him. Another 20 M Soviet Day to have made it 40 M total would have been just fine for him as long as it meant he was the hero in the minds of the people he exploited and abused.
Stephen Lang is amazing in this movie. Wow. His dedication to always visit Gettysburg during important anniversaries shows his true passion. Thank you Stephen.
"General Lee, I have no Divison." - One of the greatest lines from one of the greatest scenes in film history.
Should have listened to Longstreet.
Longstreet knew they were doomed to failure at Gettysburg. But they had already been engaged by Buford's cavalry. Lee had no choice but to fight. Longstreet would have had the army retreat, but Lee knew that retreat was not an option.
Lee annoyed the hell out of me because of that the entire movie.
Perhaps. A fair point. Longstreet seemed to favor a defensive position for sure and didn't seem to want to be deployed like they were in Gettysburg. Lee seems like he heard a clock ticking all the time; it was always the 4th quarter for him and for good reason, the south just couldn't resupply fast enough.
amen your right
Shouldn't have fought there at all. Disengage, and head southeast towards Washington DC forcing the Union Army to follow them, fight them on the ground on the Confederate's chosing.
"General Lee...I have no division." That's some of the saddest words I ever heard from a great general like George Pickett. The loss of his soldiers, commanding officers, and his commanding generals, Garnette, Kimper, and my favorite Armistade
A great general? He wasn't even a mediocre general.
@@Siddingsby he was a great general in my book
Sorry, but I can not point to any accomplishment of General Pickett that would qualify him as great. Actually I can't point to any military accomplishment of General Pickett at all.
@@edwardofgreene his loyal service to his men, his three generals that followed him into battle, loyalty to general Lee and to his home state of Virginia is Committable
@@jacobhunt8379 I would agree that he was Committable.
Still an iconic cinematic moment. One of the best scenes in the movie.
At this point, firepower had advanced beyond tactics. The advantage lay with the defense. The only way to win was to out march your opponent and place yourself in a position where they had to attack you (preferably in prepared defensive positions). Lee made a bad call. Longstreet was right.
+Jim Flowers exept the germans in 1870 and the japanese in the russo-japanese war have a fair bit of succes in the attack
+bandholm Germans used doctrine of envelopment on operative and strategic level - look what they did to Austrians in 1866. and to French in 1870. Their frontal attack of their Guards corps - the elite units - at Gravelotte-St. Privaat costed them the carnage. The whole corps consisting of 2 divisions (4 brigades) had about 24.000. men. In the attack on entrenched French positions where the Frenchies had superior Chassepot rifle Germans lost 8.000. men without any gain. That is considered a catastrophe and carnage. Still they had numerical superiority of almost 200.000. men against 116.000. French. You must not forget that operational and strategic level - Germans used conscript army with huge numbers, while French and Austrians believed in relatively smaller but more professional armies. And what happened in reality? Conscript armies armed with modern firearms completely overwhelmed and encircled their slow, lazy and lacking in railways opponents. Germans managed to concentrate during mobilization much more troops. Besides Germans used Krupp's cannons that had the range of more than 4,5 km. Those cannons inflicted about 75% of French losses. Cannons in American Civil War were not powerful as those Germans ones which are, in fact, considered the breakthrough in development of artillery. Those are first modern cannons breach loaders, extremely fast reloading and deadly.
Sam Peckinpah was a classical composer Using doctrines on strategic and tactical levels does not talk against attacking... On the contrary, it means you have a better understanding and training of what is going to happen, and succeed...
Yes the germans took unnecessary casualties in the war... All wars happens to include unnecessary casualties.
Also most of your points are missing a couple, for one inflicting casualties is not really important, as long as the enemy is losing ground.
And encirclement means that one army/unit of men are attacking.
bandholm what the fuck are you talking about?
Sam Peckinpah was a classical composer I could ask you the same question
I don’t agree with the Confederacy, but I would still salute all the veterans in this awful war, unfortunately they have all left us.....
"Well, we are fucked..."
General Pickett and General "Stonewall" Jackson are both ancestoral relatives of mine.
May they rest in peace.
Stonewall has always been my hero and fellow bro Christ.
General Stonewall Jackson was from Clarksburg, VA Present day Clarksburg, WEST Virginia. Even though West Virginia was a Border State, both Union and Confederate we are proud of Stonewall Jackson.
BOI GUN DOWN THE US GONNA TAKE OUR SLAVES and who put this stone wall here?
@Doug Bevins So were Washington, Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson.
Pickett division was about 9k added in with elements of AP Hill Corp, there was about 12k on the charge. About 1200k died on the assault. 4000 wounded. 4000k captured. That's about an 50% casualty rate. His division was indeed shattered.
For anyone who doesn't know, nowadays a 30% casualty rate typically puts a unit out of action. Anything more than that is, or is approaching, disaster.
4000k = 4000 thousand = 4 million. That's a lot! Lol
Not to mention most of his command staff were either killed or injured in the charge, sure you could reorganize an understrength division and put them on defensive. But you can't reorganize thousands of men with only a few junior officers.
The dead guy with his leg up in the left middle from 0:00 to 0:16 is a fantastic actor some of the best I've actually ever seen.
Totaly agreed!
And to think: Both sides stumbled and fell face first into a battle they never intended to have.
No matter the victor, Gettsyburg was going to be a decisive victory for someone, and a war ending loss for the other.
And this wasn't even the bloodiest battle of the war. That would be Antietam. In the opening hour of that battle, more people died than lives in my East Texas town. That would be like going to lunch, and my entire city, man, woman, and child, just vanished. And they were all Americans.
*To those who think "America hasn't paid enough for the sin of slavery" I say: Your uneducated opinion isn't worth a bucket of warm spit.*
And ur still tone deaf to the situation smdh
@Libertate Veritas Just think what a better country this would be today if slavery had never been brought to this country.
"I have no division". How can you not weep for the Americans (both sides) in this battle?
When I recall that each and every man in grey was a traitor to his country and a defender of slavery, in the service of a hypocritical and criminal rebellion, concocted by and for the befit of its rich.
@@JohnSmith-zf1lq ....another brain washed libtard frothing at the mouth with nothing but IGNORANCE to present !!!! Robert E. Lee had FARTS smarter than YOU !
John Doe, shut up you piece of shit!!
John McDonald shut up you dumbass, its obvious you have no idea why the war was fought
Derp mcderpson you sound like another wise ass that has no idea about why the war was fought so stop talking shit like you think you are some sort of tough! Those guys had guts than your sorry ass ever will!!
Even more so when you compare it to Pickett's behavior earlier in the movie, as well as what happened to Pickett later on in real life. Poor guy.
Although he had served in Mexico previously Pickett had never actually seen action for the Confederates prior to this, hence his confidence
This is the best scene of the entire movie!!!!
It's all in Pickett's eyes. They say it all.
well of course it is Stephen Lang after all
You do know it is a movie, right!?
uhh...that's an actor.
Lincoln secured Pickett's enrollment at West Point and there was never an ill word between the 2 of them. i am sure upon hearing the news of Pickett 's losses in the field that day, Lincoln himself shed a few tears for his friend.
The cold hard facts prove that is a hoax. At the time, the only way to be appointed to West Point was through one's state's representative or by the President. Pickett enrolled in 1842, and his state's congressman was John T. Stuart, who happened to be Lincoln's former law partner (1837-1841). The story of Lincoln getting Pickett into West Point and their friendship was fabricated by the general's widow in her biography of her husband; she even fabricated letters.
Pickett was actually appointed by Illinois Congressman John T. Stuart, a friend of Pickett's uncle and a law partner of Lincoln.
@@dancooter7487 and you know for a fact that Lincoln didn't pull strings with Stuart to make that happen?
This is one of the best scenes!!
Such a powerful scene. It's right there that Lee realizes the true cost of the battle.
Absolutely heartbreaking to see general Pickett returning.
There are many of us who view this moment as a victory. Not that I don't empathize with the defeated. It is heartbreaking, but I am still very happy they didn't prevail.
There are 2 scenes in Gettysburg that have me sobbing uncontrollably… The scene where a wounded Confederate General Lou Armistead finds out that his friend Union General Winfield Hancock has also been wounded.. General Armistead cries out “NO!!! NOT BOTH OF US… Not all of us!!”
The 2nd scene is this one right here. Imagine losing everyone and everything you ever loved only to be the last person standing. The pain and anguish is pure Hell that can’t be described in words…
Every man that fought in the Civil War thought they were fighting for their home, their land, their wives and children knowing full well that people on the other side in uniforms opposite theirs were close friends and relatives.
I’ll never be able to imagine the exquisite pain they must’ve felt in having pointed guns at them and pulling the trigger.
Lang was amazing in this and Tombstone! Both films came within months of each other. 1993 showed off his talents.
"That old man destroyed my division" -General George E. Pickett
Poor Pickett. The man never recovered from the charge. He was forever haunted by this day. I hope the man found some peace
I don't know what's more heartbreaking in this scene, the look on Pickett's face when he says he has no division... Or the reaction Lee gives when he realizes he got all of those men killed.
Excellent acting on all parts here, you really do feel for these men, knowing the loss they had just suffered.
That was a powerful scene. I read Pickett held a resentment toward Lee in till his death
Fun fact: Captain Pickett landed American Troops in San Juan island.
One of many terrific scenes in this fine movie...
"General Lee... I have no division."
This to me was the hardest part of the movie. The actor playing Pickett was perfect, he showed a man totally broken to the core.
The look of horror and the sound of heart break the actor presented was so real, so stunning
i think his exact words were " that old man had my boys slaughted"
Thats a misquote from after the war. Pickett and Taylor went to visit Lee, and after the visit Pickett says to Taylor 'The Old Man had my division slaughtered'
"General Lee, I have no division" :(
Stephen Lang a superb actor have been a fan of his since I first saw him back in the 80s in CRIME STORY
Stephen Lang is awesome
Every time I see my bank account. ''General Lee, I have no currency.''
"That old man had my division slaughtered at Gettysburg..."
Another scene that broke my heart. The actors where truly remarkable.
The pain he must of felt. If that doesn't move anybody than your not human.
Women: “Seriously, how can you *not* cry while watching _Titanic?_ God, do Men even have emotions?!”
Men: ...
I didn't watch the movie. I knew how it ended.
Cry during Titanic?
I replayed the part where DiCaprio sinks a million times! Wore out that part of the tape. Laughed my ass off! 😁😎🤓😂
Ya men think "My God all the lost lives", women think "oh the tragic lost love"
@Mister Albanian Not really. Most people believed the war would end quickly. Few expected a four year war that would kill 620,000 people.
@Mister Albanian Yes in most battles people die. But most in the North believed they would take Richmond with the first Bull Run.
This is what happens when you are so convinced of the righteousness of your cause that you try to force the hand of God.
If he had any sense of honor, Lee would have blown his brains out at that exact moment.
No matter good or bad, a great leader inspires hope, love, and admiration from his men through respect formed over time. I served, and I know if we were demolished in battle and my captain ordered us back out I would go, without question.
Pickett never forgave Lee and after the war told a reporter “That old man had my division slaughtered.”
Spoken with such distinction IMO.
I watch this vid every chance I get. When Pickett says he has no division, that was the beginning of the end of slavery in the USA. We have fought many battles since. But that was the moment. And I savor the look on the face of Pickett and Lee when it finally sinks in. Their way of life will end. Glorious.
As much as I hate traitors and confederates I do feel bad for them. There were still lots of people of character and lots without and those of the confederacy who stepped down with grace and accepted defeat are worthy of respect.
Very powerful..."General Lee, ....I have ...no Division..." Such heartbreak in his words...such guilt to carry over his men's slaughter upon the field of battle...
1:06 - That moment when you know you lost the Civil War with one terrible decision...
This is a great film, as was the book. Since some liberties were taken for the sake of story and film, one must wonder if R.E. Lee was somehow surprised or in disbelief that the frontal assault on the third day failed. Even more curious is to wonder if he could have been surprised that so much of his army was annihilated on the 3rd day.
Lee saw first hand what the destruction of an Army looked like from the victor's point of view at Fredericksburg. To a lesser degree at Chancellorsville when Jackson rolled up the Union flank. Lee saw additional slaughter the following year when Grant threw relentless frontal assaults at him. There were not any decisive Confederate victories in 1864, but Grant the butcher whittled away at the ANV, knowing he had practically limitless reserves, whereas Lee had none.
I agree that at the time Lee encountered Pickett he must have already known how devastating the losses were. In the film, he seems to express surprise at how many were annihilated when Pickett rightly says he has no division.
he thought he could pull a Napoleon and break the Union line down the middle.What he did not count on was the artillery largely failing to hit the Union troops, and that unlike the armies of Austria,Prussia and Russia the Union was commanded and staffed by generals who mostly had seen warfare with men well trained and led, many with superior weaponry.
the loss of Stuart turned the whole battle into a guessing game for the Confederates who were marching into completely unknown numbers of Union soldiers.
Grant had 18% casualties through the course of the war. Lee had 20% through the course of the war. Who was the "butcher?"
Best line in the whole movie!
The terrible reality of war is when even the best of commanders makes a mistake, men will die. Unfortunately in this instance the cost was so high.
" General Lee, I have no division. "
Steven Lang hit it out of the ballpark portraying Pickett.
and ten years later he hit a home run playing Stonewall Jackson!
@@Ragnar6000 Stephen Lang is a great actor and he did the best job he could with Jackson, but when I look at a portrait photo of Jackson all I see are his big soulful eyes, and Lang seems somehow miscast.
Pickett was a fool , he lost the war with his stupidity , Thank The Lord
Pickett was only 33 at the battle of Gettysburg but this movie makes him look 60?!