Best line I've ever read in a history book was by Shelby Foote (from memory so excuse any error) 'Thus did old Dan Sickles exit the war, to go on to other endeavors including a liaison with the deposed nymphomaniac Queen of Spain'
Now that sounds like an interesting story in its own right! I should buy some of Shelby Foote's books, he was definitely my favorite interviewee from Ken Burn's The Civil War.
I have visited Gettysburg several times and have stood at Sickles original position. I cannot understand why he abandoned that place. A beautiful spot to defend.
@@coryhoggatt7691 they sure could. Go and stand on that ground. Don’t say that you have, because if you did, you wouldn’t say that. Research before writing. It only takes a minute. Here’s your answer: Artillery Brigade (monument) Captain George E. Randolph (wounded July 2) Captain A. Judson Clark strength: 600 men, 30 guns casualties: 8 killed, 81 wounded, 17 missing, 106 total 1st New Jersey Artillery, Battery B (monument) Captain A. Judson Clark (^ July 2) Lieutenant Robert Sims 6 10-pounder Parrott Rifles 1st New York Artillery Battery D (monument) Captain George B. Winslow 6 Napoleons 4th New York Independent Battery (monument) Captain James E. Smith 6 10-pounder Parrott Rifles Rhode Island Battery E (monument) Lieutenant John K. Bucklyn (wounded July 2) Lieutenant Benjamin Freeborn (wounded) 6 Napoleons 4th United States Artillery, Battery K (monument) 1st Lieutenant Francis Webb Seeley (wounded July 2) 2nd Lieutenant Robert James 6 Napoleons
CSA Artillery on the far ridge had an advantage in elevation over Sickles’ first position, however, his second position was isolated from the rest of the Army leaving his flanks exposed, thereby rendering it untenable.
@@philiphales2109 that was not the impetus for General Sickles advancement to the next ridge . It was not a better position and it created a salient exposing both flanks. His assigned position was extremely strong and provided a marvelous defensive situation. Instead of moving forward, General Sickles should have used that time to create breastworks to improve his position. As to artillery, US army artillery was superior both tactically and technically to CS.
@@geraldcalderone5228-x2pIt delayed the Confederates. Messed up their timetable, not Longstreet. Blaming Longstreet has been an accepted trope too long by people who won't get past Lost Cause propagandists.
To say Dan Sickles had a colorful life is a vast understatement. I may have jumped the gun on this being mentioned, but Sickles publicly shot and killed Philip Barton Key the son of Francis Scott Key, for allegedly having an affair with Sickles' wife. This raised considerable excitement in the national press. Sickles was a major Tammany Hall politician but the murder was cut and dried. However, Sickles' lawyer, Edwin Stanton, created the defense of "temporary insanity" and Sickles was found not guilty. Sickles then took his wife back, a shrewd PR move. Sickles was a "War Democrat" and an important part of the Lincoln coalition. He was the only non-professional to command a Union army corps in the Army of the Potomac that I know of.
Another great report Ron. You are a true gift to us civil war geeks. Can’t thank you enough. Sickles is an endless source of fascination, comedy and interest- not to mention the source of the insanity defense in the American common law… One wonders if the insanity defense may have applied as well for July 2nd…
My great grandfather fought for the Northern Army as a PA volunteer 1861 to 64 and fought in the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg. His two brothers volunteered the same day but by 1862 were both dead somewhere in Northern Virginia. My hope is he avenged his brothers.
My great grandfather was a corporal in the Union Army and Dan Sickles was his commander way up the chain. He was from Elizabethtown, PA and him and some others talked about pretending to not know how the make it to Gettysburg, which they knew full well. Ultimately the decided to show up in time for Pickets charge. When it was over I am sure they had to change their undershorts along with the rest of the Union Army.
@@thenarrowroad7908 Believe me, it is a great comfort to any of us of a right mind, but not to those who ignore constant lies and projections of their own criminal acts onto their adversaries.
Sickles was not the only one who Lincoln shared his story of prayer with. I forget who it was, but he shared the same at his dinner table at some banquet he attended as well
On July 3rd, 1913, my Great-Great-Grandfather Arthur R. Carpenter of the 1st Minnesota Infantry received a 50th year anniversary medal from the state of Minnesota commemorating his unit’s critical role in the battle of Gettysburg. It was given to me by my Grandmother Brown-Carpenter in 1976, I still have it; with the political polarization and extreme fed over-reach affecting the 1st and 2nd Amendments, I have a profound appreciation for the Civil War vets, my G-G-Grandfather and even for the Confederate States Rights cause, despite their shameful slavery argument.
About 10 years ago, I went to Montpelier, VT for a visit. Very striking when you see monuments to soldiers who died in America's wars is that the greatest number are from the Civil War. As bloody as it was, I believe that it was a necessary war, and you and your family have a lot to be proud of.
I live 10 minutes from the Battlefield (Gettysburg), and have for the last 30 years. The confederates deserve no sympathy or admiration from any American today. They solely sought to destroy our nation and tear us apart. They killed many innocent people for the most horrific reasons. They deserve nothing from any Ametican today. I was born in VA, I'm a son of a combat vet, I too served, and know our civil war history very well. The south should only be forgotten or seen as infamous at best. They were awful and killed for awful reasons. Don't respect them at all, please.
I had always thought of Dan Sickles as the guy who almost lost the battle of Gettysburg for the federals. However, after touring the battlefield with a guide, it became apparent that Dan Sickles was the general most responsible for winning the battle. He did move his brigade out of the assigned position - which was certainly a cause for potential demotion. That said, the position he was assigned was completely misunderstood topographically (it was about 30 feet lower in elevation than the Peach Orchard), and it would have resulted in the annihilation of his own troops, as well as allowing the confederate line to roll up Little Round Top and Big Round Top. Instead, because Sickles and his soldiers were at the Peach Orchard, the confederate line had to change the position and direction of its attack. The discoordination that Sickles’ move caused the confederates to under-support their troops attacking the Round Tops, and break in the confederate line led directly to Pickett’s Charge the next day. No one liked the guy - that’s the real reason they were going to court-martial him.
Ah, Dan Sickles who killed his wife's lover. He was the first in the country to be declared innocent by reason of insanity. He was a proud peacock and kept his lost leg in a jar in his office for all to see.
@@samnichles447 thanks. Key’s kid would have called Roger B. Taney- uncle, since Taney was married to Key’s sister. Taney was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and writer of the Dred Scott decision opinion. The worst USSC decision in history and I believe contributed to the war. In his decision he lectured Northern states.
Often overlooked by Civil War 'scholars' is that fact that both Longstreet and E Porter Alexander, in their later writings, credited Sickles with winning the Battle of Gettysburg. It is very true that the hardest history to write is the history readers don't want to read. E Porter Alexander wrote that as soon as he arrived in the Peach Orchard to survey the larger field and the Union still in control of the full fishhook position, he knew the battle was lost. Longstreet might have first come to his conclusion as he waited to order Pickets Charge, but he wrote that he only came to that conclusion retrospectively when he learned more about the progress of the Union Army in the battle.
@@patferry4128 Precisely. Sickles did the same thing. He met the pro slave forces in advance of the best position and so had the best position to return to if necessary. Sickles biggest sin is that he didn't go to West Point, which is a place where they just love to teach Civil War history.
Yet they attacked there and drove him back because his position had created gaps. Can someone write a bit more about why his advanced position was believed by Alexander and Longstreet to have been determinative?
ChatGPT answered with these reasons: though tactically a poor move, the position 1. Disrupted Lee’s planned right hook by forcing Longstreet to deal with Sickles’ position. 2. The fierce fighting depleted Confederate strength before getting to any ridge or height. 3. May have bought the rest of the Army crucial time to reinforce key positions including Cemetery Ridge and Little Roundtop. Yes, Sickles should have covered Little Roundtop.
Had Longstreet attacked in the morning as Lee ordered, the Confederates would have blown the Union army off the field... There would have been no battles of the peach orchard, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den or Little Roundtop because Longstreet's divisions would have swept through those places unopposed. But fortunately for America, Longstreet was tardy, not launching his attacks until late in the afternoon, by which time General Sickles had realized his awful position in the swamp along the shank of Meade's so-called "fishhook" line, and Sickles, having endured bombardment from Confederate artillery at the previous Battle of Chancellorsville advanced his III Corps to the better, higher ground where are they did exactly the job they were supposed to: kill and bloody and stop the rebel attacks. It's a shame that 150 years later two-bit armchair generals can Melina general who suffered bombardment into horrific civil war battles and lost his leg
Say what you will about Dan Sickles' ability, when he was removed from the Peach Orchard on a farm house door, he was calmly giving orders to his Aide's de Camp. He was a brave man despite his poor tactical and strategic vision. Can anyone else say they'd behave half as well having a leg shattered and still be able to act calmly?
I really enjoy these. It is difficult for me to imagine such a time, so these letters and such really shine a light on the thoughts and opinions of those who were there. Soldiers on 'both sides' were our own grandfathers. While history books can give us a bigger picture, this fills in the blanks. July 1863, it was a hot and miserable time to engage in a battle of that magnitude. Might I add, it appears the treatment of veterans was a lot better back then than it is now. From my own experience none the less. He was in DC recovering well smoking a cigar in bed after 2 days with no medivac. Keep them coming . . . . there is way more to the Civil War than we realize. The President rode a horse over with his son and a friend, and a small squad of Calvary to pay him a visit and get his opinion on the battle. He can do that when he's not concerned with Ukraine, but has his focus on the entire Nation he leads. Then gave his honest reason he was not concerned when everyone else was. Wow, what an amazing insight to know at that critical time in our nation's history from the Commander in Chief at the time. The Rebs were knocking on his front door, the very President of the United States at that time! While the victory was reason to celebrate, it gave him no solution to end the divide but only deepened it. Now, we know his intimate thoughts and opinions of the battle. Which, in turn, gives us a better context for his state of mind giving the Gettysburg Address. That speech was his honest opinion of the battle and the current State of The Union, NOT a political speech. Man this is amazing stuff, thank you for bringing it to us. Where have all the Statesmen gone in America? Man do we have a rich heritage, even with our mistakes. We must never forget, but honestly seek the truth of the matter and not continue the divide. He was THERE, it was NOT GOOD. The call was to Unite, and that call still rings out today. We should listen to our TRUE Statesmen, they were telling us the lessons they learned so we don't repeat their mistakes. Learn from history, don't repeat it. This only peaks my interest to dig deeper for better understanding, we must stop allowing others to tell us what it means and do the work ourselves. They weren't there, and neither were we. The truth remains with those who were there, we have to dig up the real truth because the victors always slant the truth to their benefit. We must stop accepting the reality being given to us and seek the truth ourselves. This is an amazing platform to do just that. Thank you.
When asked late in life if it bothered him that he was the only high-ranking Union general not to have a statue in the Gettysburg battlefield, Sickles---who devoted his whole second term in Congress engineering the vote that created the Gettysburg National Military Park (and after the one-legged general allegedly beat up a land developer trying to create his own private park on that site)--replied "the whole damn battlefield is my monument." Sickles was indicted for embezzling thousands of dollars from the New York State Monuments Commission he chaired that were allegedly used to place the Daniel Sickles monument at the site where he lost his leg in 1901.
The English during those days was the best era of the language, imo, usa and england, especially. Please make an episode on Ambrose Bierce,he's a highly fascinating character. Very excellent channel, muchisimo gracias from San Diego 🛹
A "shrewd" political decision might have been that it was better for the Union cause to treat Sickles as a glorious hero rather than as a destructive, insubordinate general who nearly caused the Union defeat at Gettysburg or worse, and far more Union fighting men to be killed and wounded.
Sickles was not supposed to cover the Round Tops. At that point, Meade's interest was in extending the line to the S, which meant occupying a relatively low point between the current line and the Round Tops.
Lincoln had no faith. He read the Bible, but confessed he never understood it. No indication that he was ever a Christian. The North said they would never go in to free slaves. they went in for pillage, which is what they did, and Lincoln knew it.
Lincoln had no faith. He read the Bible, but confessed he never understood it. No indication that he was ever a Christian. The North said they would never go in to free slaves. they went in for pillage, which is what they did, and Lincoln knew it.
Been listening and enjoying your episodes. Our country is great danger again. We need a strong leader to guide us and the world to right ourselves. Pray America. Our country needs us.
Sickles was lucky that he had Lincoln in his corner because he easily could have been found guilty in a courts martial. To his credit, the actions of his men did slow Longstreet down, but at the cost of nearly 50 percent casualties. If I recall, Sickles leg was on display for some time, although I don't recall where. The 20th Maine and 1st Minnesota were actually the hero's of the day, not Sickles. Meade wasn't wrong, but Lincoln was the CIC, and Sickles did a great job of "politicking".
Imagine an American President saying that he got on his knees and prayed in todays world. I eould love him for it but I think most people would not. My how the country has changed.
Did Sickles have to have an additional amputation to above the knee? I could swear that I've seen a post war photo of Sickles with an above the knee stump.
Sounds typical, I served in AF. Air crew makes hard landing, brakes right landing gear. Can’t retract gear because of it, fly for hours burning off fuel & land. They get medals for saving the plane that f-ed up.
I find Mr. Lincoln's comments on the religiosity of his beliefs and on Sickles' aggressiveness quite insightful and recognizes the moral factors of combat. Genaral Meade was a general who appears to seek to avoid initiative and offense.
I bet he did! But Meade tells us that when he considered a counter attackd he spied Longstreet forming a defensive line to the rear. His calvary would have been decimated, They knew Longstreet all too well. Meade in advancing to Gettsburg from the original position had moved far from the railhead where his supplies are being unloaded. and all during the fight had had a hard time moving them forward by mule to Gettysburg. Further, Jeb Stuart’s movemwent had had the effect of disrupting th Union supply line including fresh horses for the cavalry, In short, as most people realize, Gettysburg was sort of Fredericksburg with the Conferderals making some of he mistake that the Federal had made at Fredericksburg. My personal conclusion ha always been that Lee’s heart attack had left him much weaker than before, and for a man his age, this would have affected his judgement, General Grant’s opinion that General Lee was too old to be in the field. Certainly when one compares the pictures of Lee in 1861 with the Greybeard of 1965, I think he aged pretty much as Lincoln did during those 4 years of high stress.
Sickle’s decision to move his Corps forward helped win the battle. He didn’t “disobey orders,” he saw that they could not get cannon onto Little Round Top, while the Peach Orchard just ahead was ideal… a gentle slope on which cannon could roll back from recoil and be quickly repositioned for another shot. He made Longstreet fight all the way to LRT, which at the end of the day WAS successfully defended.
Lincoln’s disclosure about praying is interesting. There has been quite a number of times in US history where the right person in the right place at the right time has prevailed, seemingly through devine intervention. Are we lucky or guided.
Amazing that Gen. Mead recommended Courts Martial for Sickles, and in the presence of "Old Abe." Even if he had a good point, it was probably not the right time to do so. On the other hand, so many soldiers getting unnesessarily slaughtered because of sheer incompetance cannot be left unattended under any circumstance, unless with the result of personal death included.
I hope if I'm lucky enough to enter the pearly gates. I see President Lincoln. It would be amazing to sit down on an old log next to a creek. Listening to Abe Lincoln tell stories.
Sickles was a poor general but one tough son-of-a-bitch. His amputated right leg is housed in the National Museum of Health. He lived to be 94 and would sometimes visit his leg.
Sickles was a politician and never should have been in the military. Too many lives were lost and the battle was almost lost because of him. He disobeyed an order and nothing was done about it. What would have happened to a regular military person if they would have disobeyed an order?
Sickles pushed 3rd Corps west beyond the Union lines on Cemetry Ridge (in real terms a slight rise in the terrain) The new line was on much more prominent terrain and included a peach orchard....His forces absorbed the initial onslaught from Longstreet's forces and did slow the momentum of a hard pressed assault. Sickles made the claim (with some justification) that his action prevented a breakthrough on Cemetry Ridge on 2nd July. A fair point especially as the Confederates did indeed manage a brief occupation of a small part of the ridge but were quickly repulsed. It has been speculated the Lee thought this brief success was an opportunity that could be exploited to the full given artillery support and sufficient infantry. You can guess what happened next................
When was the account of this conversation between General Sickles and President Lincoln written down? Since, in hindsight at least, it seems to foreshadow Lincoln's assassination (the story could suggest to the reader that there was a divine grand bargain, yielding a Union victory for Lincoln's life), being the sort of tale that was (and is) popular, giving further meaning to life via glimpses into a mysterious higher plan, I wonder if this report was a late embellishment to history, meaning, written after Lincolns death, or if indeed this occurred as described, and to top it off - was first written of before April 14, 1865 - and therefore would be, from our view, however such comes to be, rather prophetic. Of course, being written after the assassination wouldn't necessarily mean the story was or was not true - strange things happen, and odd events can and should be wondered about. Thank you for the story.
It appeared in his 1889 memoirs, 26 years after Gettysburg. Like many veterans of this period, and all of us today, memories of the past are shaped by the event itself, an what came after. Though we can never actually know what transpired between Lincoln and Sickles, it is fair to state that this was his memory.
It is possible that Sickles' MOH citation is accurate while at the same time having displayed incompetent and/or insubordinate behavior in his decision to move into the Peach Orchard.
Barksdale and Kershaw would be (with Semmes and Wofford behind them) to Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top. Sickles would have been on the ridge with Sykes behind him and Hancock would not have been sending the brigades of II Corps to the Wheatfield all evening. Leaving the middle of the line open to Wright and Wilcox of Anderson's Division. Law and Robertson ended up doing what Barksdale and Kershaw would have been doing. McLaw's and Hood's Division effectively destroyed Sickles Corps.😮 Sickles left III Corps exposed on both flanks after deciding his original position was harder to defend. He decided to "improve" his position even if it was a mistake. Against orders. A military case of do something, even if it is wrong.😅 The end result would have been better for the Army of the Potomac allowing for a possible counter attack on the 3rd day. Which turned out to be an unnecessary risk. Lincoln thought alls well that ends well.😂
Dan Sickles was the man who actually did “Walk out to 5th Ave (Lafayette Square), shoot a man and got away with it.” Unlike another politician who,so far, has just talked the talk.
In my opinion after having been to the battle site, I think Sickles did the right thing. He blunted Longstreet's attack with cannon fire. If he stayed where he was the cannons would have no line of site, he moved forward to the top of a small rise, couldn't see over it, giving the artillery position which they target the oncoming masses. The Union line would have been overrun before the cannon could really be engaged had he stayed in position IMO.
Oh, so Robert E. Lee wasn’t the only humble, Christian man who sought intervention by our God, that His will be done in the war… you’d think otherwise given the enormous lauding Lee receives for being such a man.
Everyone was surprised at sickle’s movement that after, Longstreet had no strength to exploit his victory. If sickles had stayed the battle most likely would have been a southern victory and we would all be speaking southern.
When speaking about Sickles you should also mention that he was a murderer . He killed Philip Key in cold blood in 1859 and was defended at his trial by Edwin Stanton on the grounds of not-guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Both Lincoln and Stanton knew Sickles' character. Sickles was a general because he was a politician, a war democrat, who was tremendously useful to Lincoln who was fighting a massive political war as well as the military war. It was politically impossible to get rid of Sickles and the cannonball did the USA a great favor by providing an excuse to keep him off the field. Sickles understood the truth that his reputation was hanging by a thread because of his blunder at Gettysburg and spent a great deal of time afterwards blackening Mead's reputation, especially with fellow congressmen, to bolster his own case.
Lincoln's law partner once described him as "the greatest infidel" (i.e. atheist). Though not being a Christian was acceptable in the days of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin (who argued that Hell was more useful than real), it had ceased to be so during "the Age of Reaction" that began in 1815.
Gen. Sickles is one of those people, who despite seeming to be successful in other areas of life, was utterly incompetent as a general officer during war. If one had taken him aside when he got his star, and drawn a straight line and a squiggle in the dirt, and told him "make your troops like like this straight line. avoid squiggles at all cost" and he had followed that, he would have done better than he did at Gettysburg.
On February 27, 1859, in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House, Sickles shot and killed Philip Barton Key II, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the son of Francis Scott Key. Sickles had discovered that Philip Key was having an affair with his wife. Sickles defense was the first use of temporary insanity in the United States, and it was successful. "You are here to fix the price of the marriage bed!", roared Associate Defense Attorney John Graham, in a speech so packed with quotations from Othello, Judaic history and Roman law that it lasted two days and later appeared as a book.
Gettysburg was a victory by committee. I honor Meade’s victory but, he was no great captain (although he was a solid division commander). Sickles was an anomaly which came into being due to the of lack of success among the professionals from West Point. Had the academy actually developed trained killers instead of engineers, Sickles would’ve never become known to history.
How do the "experts" know that Sickles moving to his new line didn't in fact actually save the victory for the Army of the Potomac? I know what they say, but yet that doesn't make it true. Lee's forces BROKE THROUGH the line, what would have happened if that break through occured on Cemetary Ridge instead of the Peach Orchard?? That would have certainly been disastrous for Meade.
Well, there is this thing called mutual support which he moved beyond. Shorter lines to be reenforced which his decision negated. Lengthening his front thus diluting his firepower. But the most telling of expert opinion was the victor and hero of Gettysburg, Gen. Meade. Please look at his face to face dressing down of Gen. Sickles when he learned of his move.
@@Sodbusterrod I don't disagree with anything you said. We still will never know what would have happened if the attack pierced the main line. We just think we do.
That cannonball that took his leg was probably all that saved Sickles from a court-martial.
Agreed.
Nah, they wouldn’t have court martialed him. They would have promoted him to a position of lesser importance.
The answer from President Lincoln was priceless and wise.
What an amazing answer from President Lincoln. ❤
Dan Sickles sure knew how to work the system. A legend in his own mind! Thanks for sharing
ken - "History is written by the victors"
Best line I've ever read in a history book was by Shelby Foote (from memory so excuse any error) 'Thus did old Dan Sickles exit the war, to go on to other endeavors including a liaison with the deposed nymphomaniac Queen of Spain'
That man could turn a phrase! It makes me want to read all three-volumes again.
My kind of general!
Now that sounds like an interesting story in its own right! I should buy some of Shelby Foote's books, he was definitely my favorite interviewee from Ken Burn's The Civil War.
It’s amazing how the written language has changed since 1860’s.
Was this true?? New one on me- history is great we learn everyday. !!!
Wow! Great story, Ron. Thank you.
I have visited Gettysburg several times and have stood at Sickles original position. I cannot understand why he abandoned that place. A beautiful spot to defend.
Because they couldn’t get cannon up there.
@@coryhoggatt7691 they sure could. Go and stand on that ground. Don’t say that you have, because if you did, you wouldn’t say that.
Research before writing. It only takes a minute.
Here’s your answer:
Artillery Brigade (monument)
Captain George E. Randolph (wounded July 2)
Captain A. Judson Clark
strength: 600 men, 30 guns
casualties: 8 killed, 81 wounded, 17 missing, 106 total
1st New Jersey Artillery, Battery B (monument)
Captain A. Judson Clark (^ July 2)
Lieutenant Robert Sims
6 10-pounder Parrott Rifles
1st New York Artillery Battery D (monument)
Captain George B. Winslow
6 Napoleons
4th New York Independent Battery (monument)
Captain James E. Smith
6 10-pounder Parrott Rifles
Rhode Island Battery E (monument)
Lieutenant John K. Bucklyn (wounded July 2)
Lieutenant Benjamin Freeborn (wounded)
6 Napoleons
4th United States Artillery, Battery K (monument)
1st Lieutenant Francis Webb Seeley (wounded July 2)
2nd Lieutenant Robert James
6 Napoleons
CSA Artillery on the far ridge had an advantage in elevation over Sickles’ first position, however, his second position was isolated from the rest of the Army leaving his flanks exposed, thereby rendering it untenable.
@@philiphales2109 that was not the impetus for General Sickles advancement to the next ridge . It was not a better position and it created a salient exposing both flanks. His assigned position was extremely strong and provided a marvelous defensive situation. Instead of moving forward, General Sickles should have used that time to create breastworks to improve his position. As to artillery, US army artillery was superior both tactically and technically to CS.
@@geraldcalderone5228-x2pIt delayed the Confederates. Messed up their timetable, not Longstreet. Blaming Longstreet has been an accepted trope too long by people who won't get past Lost Cause propagandists.
A hidden gem of a YT channel!
Wow ! This is like a window into the past. Great video
To say Dan Sickles had a colorful life is a vast understatement. I may have jumped the gun on this being mentioned, but Sickles publicly shot and killed Philip Barton Key the son of Francis Scott Key, for allegedly having an affair with Sickles' wife. This raised considerable excitement in the national press. Sickles was a major Tammany Hall politician but the murder was cut and dried. However, Sickles' lawyer, Edwin Stanton, created the defense of "temporary insanity" and Sickles was found not guilty. Sickles then took his wife back, a shrewd PR move. Sickles was a "War Democrat" and an important part of the Lincoln coalition. He was the only non-professional to command a Union army corps in the Army of the Potomac that I know of.
“War Democrats, while supporting the war, objected to Republican economic policies and to President Abraham Lincoln’s abrogation of civil rights.”
Greetings from Denmark. I love your Civil War stories, Ron! Keep them coming.
Sickles was a political appointment. Common that day.
Another great report Ron. You are a true gift to us civil war geeks. Can’t thank you enough. Sickles is an endless source of fascination, comedy and interest- not to mention the source of the insanity defense in the American common law… One wonders if the insanity defense may have applied as well for July 2nd…
The argument to give him a stature really didn't have a leg to stand on.
🌞
LOL!! GOOD ONE!! 😂😂😂👍👍👍
A one-legged statue would be interesting
Very good reviewermen
Ron, thank you very much.
That's really cool! Thank you for putting this out for us. Wished I could have met Lincoln but I was born about 89 years too late, lol.
Fascinating story--thanks for sharing it with us. These are the type of historical details that otherwise get lost.
My great grandfather fought for the Northern Army as a PA volunteer 1861 to 64 and fought in the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg. His two brothers volunteered the same day but by 1862 were both dead somewhere in Northern Virginia. My hope is he avenged his brothers.
Thanks for sharing. What were their names and regiment/regiments?
The Civil War was honestly the first Bolshevik Revolution. Good Ole' Abe Springstein vs Judah P Benjamin
fabulous. thank you.
My great grandfather was a corporal in the Union Army and Dan Sickles was his commander way up the chain. He was from Elizabethtown, PA and him and some others talked about pretending to not know how the make it to Gettysburg, which they knew full well. Ultimately the decided to show up in time for Pickets charge. When it was over I am sure they had to change their undershorts along with the rest of the Union Army.
Fascinating, as always.
Excellent episode Ron
Well done sir…
Sure wish we had Presidents like good 'ol Abe to lead us now!
Well if it's any comfort, you have Kamala now, along with Special Advisor Joe Biden assisting her😊
@@thenarrowroad7908 Believe me, it is a great comfort to any of us of a right mind, but not to those who ignore constant lies and projections of their own criminal acts onto their adversaries.
biden and harris are the worst. biden bad, harris way, way worse.
Orange 🍊 man 👨 2024 👨🏿🦰🙋🏿♂️
@@hifinsword what?
Thank you Ron. Sickles was an asp whole.
Sickles was not the only one who Lincoln shared his story of prayer with. I forget who it was, but he shared the same at his dinner table at some banquet he attended as well
“…with WHOM Lincoln shared his story.”
All prepositions (with) take objective case.
@@georgesotiroff5080 hi that guy.🙄
On July 3rd, 1913, my Great-Great-Grandfather Arthur R. Carpenter of the 1st Minnesota Infantry received a 50th year anniversary medal from the state of Minnesota commemorating his unit’s critical role in the battle of Gettysburg. It was given to me by my Grandmother Brown-Carpenter in 1976, I still have it; with the political polarization and extreme fed over-reach affecting the 1st and 2nd Amendments, I have a profound appreciation for the Civil War vets, my G-G-Grandfather and even for the Confederate States Rights cause, despite their shameful slavery argument.
Guess it'll one day be ok to think it's all good to be proud of a Nazi relative too....
About 10 years ago, I went to Montpelier, VT for a visit. Very striking when you see monuments to soldiers who died in America's wars is that the greatest number are from the Civil War. As bloody as it was, I believe that it was a necessary war, and you and your family have a lot to be proud of.
It's strange, but the states fighting to preserve the union then,are the ones today that are trying to destroy it,and the Constitution.
@@robertward8035 NASA named a building after NAZI scientist Wernher Von Braun.
I live 10 minutes from the Battlefield (Gettysburg), and have for the last 30 years. The confederates deserve no sympathy or admiration from any American today. They solely sought to destroy our nation and tear us apart. They killed many innocent people for the most horrific reasons. They deserve nothing from any Ametican today. I was born in VA, I'm a son of a combat vet, I too served, and know our civil war history very well. The south should only be forgotten or seen as infamous at best. They were awful and killed for awful reasons. Don't respect them at all, please.
I had always thought of Dan Sickles as the guy who almost lost the battle of Gettysburg for the federals. However, after touring the battlefield with a guide, it became apparent that Dan Sickles was the general most responsible for winning the battle.
He did move his brigade out of the assigned position - which was certainly a cause for potential demotion. That said, the position he was assigned was completely misunderstood topographically (it was about 30 feet lower in elevation than the Peach Orchard), and it would have resulted in the annihilation of his own troops, as well as allowing the confederate line to roll up Little Round Top and Big Round Top.
Instead, because Sickles and his soldiers were at the Peach Orchard, the confederate line had to change the position and direction of its attack. The discoordination that Sickles’ move caused the confederates to under-support their troops attacking the Round Tops, and break in the confederate line led directly to Pickett’s Charge the next day.
No one liked the guy - that’s the real reason they were going to court-martial him.
Lee had already ordered Longstreet to disregard Little round top and hit Sickles before Sickles moved into the peach orchard
I couldn't disagree more. Thanks for posting.
Thank you
Thanks for posting this entertaining video. Keep them coming!
WELL DONE THANK U.
Ah, Dan Sickles who killed his wife's lover. He was the first in the country to be declared innocent by reason of insanity. He was a proud peacock and kept his lost leg in a jar in his office for all to see.
Weird Factoid: The victim of Sickles’ revenge was the son of Francis Scott Key.
@@samnichles447 thanks. Key’s kid would have called Roger B. Taney- uncle, since Taney was married to Key’s sister. Taney was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and writer of the Dred Scott decision opinion. The worst USSC decision in history and I believe contributed to the war. In his decision he lectured Northern states.
The Australian author, Tom Keneally wrote a great book about that. ‘American Scoundrel’
Often overlooked by Civil War 'scholars' is that fact that both Longstreet and E Porter Alexander, in their later writings, credited Sickles with winning the Battle of Gettysburg. It is very true that the hardest history to write is the history readers don't want to read. E Porter Alexander wrote that as soon as he arrived in the Peach Orchard to survey the larger field and the Union still in control of the full fishhook position, he knew the battle was lost. Longstreet might have first come to his conclusion as he waited to order Pickets Charge, but he wrote that he only came to that conclusion retrospectively when he learned more about the progress of the Union Army in the battle.
The “Buford” of day 2
@@patferry4128 Precisely. Sickles did the same thing. He met the pro slave forces in advance of the best position and so had the best position to return to if necessary. Sickles biggest sin is that he didn't go to West Point, which is a place where they just love to teach Civil War history.
Yet they attacked there and drove him back because his position had created gaps. Can someone write a bit more about why his advanced position was believed by Alexander and Longstreet to have been determinative?
ChatGPT answered with these reasons: though tactically a poor move, the position 1. Disrupted Lee’s planned right hook by forcing Longstreet to deal with Sickles’ position. 2. The fierce fighting depleted Confederate strength before getting to any ridge or height. 3. May have bought the rest of the Army crucial time to reinforce key positions including Cemetery Ridge and Little Roundtop. Yes, Sickles should have covered Little Roundtop.
Rusling's invaluable book is available as a free download from the internet archive
Dan F-ing Sickles was personally responsible for the ultimate sacrifice that the 1st Minnesota Volunteers made that second day at Gettysburg
I'm with Meade; Sickles should have been court martialed. Sickles jeopardised the entire army by disobeying orders during battle.
Agreed 💯
I can’t help but think, Sickles, mistake gave Lee false hope and the rest is history.
Meade is grateful for your support , he can finally rest easy
Sickles disobeyed Mead's order of July 1, by showing up at Gettysburg at all.
Had Longstreet attacked in the morning as Lee ordered, the Confederates would have blown the Union army off the field... There would have been no battles of the peach orchard, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den or Little Roundtop because Longstreet's divisions would have swept through those places unopposed.
But fortunately for America, Longstreet was tardy, not launching his attacks until late in the afternoon, by which time General Sickles had realized his awful position in the swamp along the shank of Meade's so-called "fishhook" line, and Sickles, having endured bombardment from Confederate artillery at the previous Battle of Chancellorsville advanced his III Corps to the better, higher ground where are they did exactly the job they were supposed to: kill and bloody and stop the rebel attacks.
It's a shame that 150 years later two-bit armchair generals can Melina general who suffered bombardment into horrific civil war battles and lost his leg
No memorial statue at the battlefield but there is a short connector road named Sickles Ave.
Say what you will about Dan Sickles' ability, when he was removed from the Peach Orchard on a farm house door, he was calmly giving orders to his Aide's de Camp. He was a brave man despite his poor tactical and strategic vision. Can anyone else say they'd behave half as well having a leg shattered and still be able to act calmly?
I really enjoy these. It is difficult for me to imagine such a time, so these letters and such really shine a light on the thoughts and opinions of those who were there. Soldiers on 'both sides' were our own grandfathers. While history books can give us a bigger picture, this fills in the blanks. July 1863, it was a hot and miserable time to engage in a battle of that magnitude. Might I add, it appears the treatment of veterans was a lot better back then than it is now. From my own experience none the less. He was in DC recovering well smoking a cigar in bed after 2 days with no medivac.
Keep them coming . . . . there is way more to the Civil War than we realize. The President rode a horse over with his son and a friend, and a small squad of Calvary to pay him a visit and get his opinion on the battle. He can do that when he's not concerned with Ukraine, but has his focus on the entire Nation he leads. Then gave his honest reason he was not concerned when everyone else was. Wow, what an amazing insight to know at that critical time in our nation's history from the Commander in Chief at the time. The Rebs were knocking on his front door, the very President of the United States at that time! While the victory was reason to celebrate, it gave him no solution to end the divide but only deepened it. Now, we know his intimate thoughts and opinions of the battle. Which, in turn, gives us a better context for his state of mind giving the Gettysburg Address. That speech was his honest opinion of the battle and the current State of The Union, NOT a political speech. Man this is amazing stuff, thank you for bringing it to us. Where have all the Statesmen gone in America?
Man do we have a rich heritage, even with our mistakes. We must never forget, but honestly seek the truth of the matter and not continue the divide. He was THERE, it was NOT GOOD. The call was to Unite, and that call still rings out today. We should listen to our TRUE Statesmen, they were telling us the lessons they learned so we don't repeat their mistakes. Learn from history, don't repeat it. This only peaks my interest to dig deeper for better understanding, we must stop allowing others to tell us what it means and do the work ourselves. They weren't there, and neither were we. The truth remains with those who were there, we have to dig up the real truth because the victors always slant the truth to their benefit. We must stop accepting the reality being given to us and seek the truth ourselves. This is an amazing platform to do just that. Thank you.
When asked late in life if it bothered him that he was the only high-ranking Union general not to have a statue in the Gettysburg battlefield, Sickles---who devoted his whole second term in Congress engineering the vote that created the Gettysburg National Military Park (and after the one-legged general allegedly beat up a land developer trying to create his own private park on that site)--replied "the whole damn battlefield is my monument." Sickles was indicted for embezzling thousands of dollars from the New York State Monuments Commission he chaired that were allegedly used to place the Daniel Sickles monument at the site where he lost his leg in 1901.
The English during those days was the best era of the language, imo, usa and england, especially. Please make an episode on Ambrose Bierce,he's a highly fascinating character. Very excellent channel, muchisimo gracias from San Diego 🛹
Lincoln was an even better politician than I thought! He knew that story would get out .... and he needed the votes for reelection. Smart man!
Thanks for the story. I had never heard of President Lincoln's faith in God for certain. This story confirms that he did have faith.
Thanks!
THANKS! Hazel Grove Reborn in Gettysburg!
Sickles was lucky he got his story in first. Had Meade got the first story in he might have been reprimanded. But it all did work out close as it was.
A "shrewd" political decision might have been that it was better for the Union cause to treat Sickles as a glorious hero rather than as a destructive, insubordinate general who nearly caused the Union defeat at Gettysburg or worse, and far more Union fighting men to be killed and wounded.
Sickles was not supposed to cover the Round Tops. At that point, Meade's interest was in extending the line to the S, which meant occupying a relatively low point between the current line and the Round Tops.
World could use today a man of faith with clarity of vision like Abe Lincoln.
💯%
last thing we need is another globalist in charge
Lincoln had no faith. He read the Bible, but confessed he never understood it. No indication that he was ever a Christian. The North said they would never go in to free slaves. they went in for pillage, which is what they did, and Lincoln knew it.
Lincoln had no faith. He read the Bible, but confessed he never understood it. No indication that he was ever a Christian. The North said they would never go in to free slaves. they went in for pillage, which is what they did, and Lincoln knew it.
Hindsight is always 20/20.
Been listening and enjoying your episodes. Our country is great danger again. We need a strong leader to guide us and the world to right ourselves. Pray America. Our country needs us.
Excellent Historical perspective. I have subscribed nd cannot wait for the next episode
Wow. Very interesting. Dan S lived a remarkable if controversial life. I highly recommend American Scoundrel by Thomas Keneally.
Good story, and well read, Sir.
Perhaps this meeting with the wounded Sickles explains Lincoln's shabby treatment of the battle's victor, General Meade.
Sickles was lucky that he had Lincoln in his corner because he easily could have been found guilty in a courts martial. To his credit, the actions of his men did slow Longstreet down, but at the cost of nearly 50 percent casualties. If I recall, Sickles leg was on display for some time, although I don't recall where. The 20th Maine and 1st Minnesota were actually the hero's of the day, not Sickles. Meade wasn't wrong, but Lincoln was the CIC, and Sickles did a great job of "politicking".
Bone can be seen in the Smithsonian
Say what you will about Sickles, he was a real MAN. Tough as nails.
Imagine an American President saying that he got on his knees and prayed in todays world. I eould love him for it but I think most people would not. My how the country has changed.
Did Sickles have to have an additional amputation to above the knee? I could swear that I've seen a post war photo of Sickles with an above the knee stump.
Sounds typical, I served in AF. Air crew makes hard landing, brakes right landing gear. Can’t retract gear because of it, fly for hours burning off fuel & land. They get medals for saving the plane that f-ed up.
With his leg off, he tried to get a leg up on the story of what he did at the battle.
excellent choice of wording
I find Mr. Lincoln's comments on the religiosity of his beliefs and on Sickles' aggressiveness quite insightful and recognizes the moral factors of combat. Genaral Meade was a general who appears to seek to avoid initiative and offense.
I bet he did! But Meade tells us that when he considered a counter attackd he spied Longstreet forming a defensive line to the rear. His calvary would have been decimated, They knew Longstreet all too well. Meade in advancing to Gettsburg from the original position had moved far from the railhead where his supplies are being unloaded. and all during the fight had had a hard time moving them forward by mule to Gettysburg. Further, Jeb Stuart’s movemwent had had the effect of disrupting th Union supply line including fresh horses for the cavalry, In short, as most people realize, Gettysburg was sort of Fredericksburg with the Conferderals making some of he mistake that the Federal had made at Fredericksburg. My personal conclusion ha always been that Lee’s heart attack had left him much weaker than before, and for a man his age, this would have affected his judgement, General Grant’s opinion that General Lee was too old to be in the field. Certainly when one compares the pictures of Lee in 1861 with the Greybeard of 1965, I think he aged pretty much as Lincoln did during those 4 years of high stress.
Sickle’s decision to move his Corps forward helped win the battle. He didn’t “disobey orders,” he saw that they could not get cannon onto Little Round Top, while the Peach Orchard just ahead was ideal… a gentle slope on which cannon could roll back from recoil and be quickly repositioned for another shot. He made Longstreet fight all the way to LRT, which at the end of the day WAS successfully defended.
Lincoln’s disclosure about praying is interesting. There has been quite a number of times in US history where the right person in the right place at the right time has prevailed, seemingly through devine intervention. Are we lucky or guided.
Why would Zues have an interest in a battle in Pennsylvania?
Rusling's book is available as a free PDF from the Library of Congress website.
Dan Sickles was a character.
You could do hours on his controversies
Amazing that Gen. Mead recommended Courts Martial for Sickles, and
in the presence of "Old Abe."
Even if he had a good point, it was probably not the right time to do so.
On the other hand, so many soldiers getting unnesessarily slaughtered because of sheer incompetance cannot be left unattended under any circumstance, unless with the result of personal death included.
Lincoln was Great.
I hope if I'm lucky enough to enter the pearly gates. I see President Lincoln. It would be amazing to sit down on an old log next to a creek. Listening to Abe Lincoln tell stories.
Sickles was a poor general but one tough son-of-a-bitch. His amputated right leg is housed in the National Museum of Health. He lived to be 94 and would sometimes visit his leg.
Sickles would have been Snoop Dog's inspiration if he was a dj!
Lincoln was amazing. So many of those 'Old-Timers' were!
Sickles was a politician and never should have been in the military. Too many lives were lost and the battle was almost lost because of him. He disobeyed an order and nothing was done about it. What would have happened to a regular military person if they would have disobeyed an order?
Consider this: Democrat is all you need to know.
Dan Sickles, first person to use the temporary insanity defense to escape a murder charge.
Do you have a reading list of civil war histories? I’ve been reading various books. Grant and Sherman memoirs etc. but looking for more
Sickles pushed 3rd Corps west beyond the Union lines on Cemetry Ridge (in real terms a slight rise in the terrain) The new line was on much more prominent terrain and included a peach orchard....His forces absorbed the initial onslaught from Longstreet's forces and did slow the momentum of a hard pressed assault. Sickles made the claim (with some justification) that his action prevented a breakthrough on Cemetry Ridge on 2nd July. A fair point especially as the Confederates did indeed manage a brief occupation of a small part of the ridge but were quickly repulsed. It has been speculated the Lee thought this brief success was an opportunity that could be exploited to the full given artillery support and sufficient infantry. You can guess what happened next................
EXACTLY!
I'm getting that book! 😊
Dan Sickles was unafraid to make a bold decision. He did exactly that on July 2 1963, rightly or wrongly.
continue to wonder what would have happened if Sickles had not moved up - we will never know, and not sure Sickle does not get a biased analysis
Love this. Thank you. More historical pictures - less of you.
When was the account of this conversation between General Sickles and President Lincoln written down? Since, in hindsight at least, it seems to foreshadow Lincoln's assassination (the story could suggest to the reader that there was a divine grand bargain, yielding a Union victory for Lincoln's life), being the sort of tale that was (and is) popular, giving further meaning to life via glimpses into a mysterious higher plan, I wonder if this report was a late embellishment to history, meaning, written after Lincolns death, or if indeed this occurred as described, and to top it off - was first written of before April 14, 1865 - and therefore would be, from our view, however such comes to be, rather prophetic.
Of course, being written after the assassination wouldn't necessarily mean the story was or was not true - strange things happen, and odd events can and should be wondered about. Thank you for the story.
It appeared in his 1889 memoirs, 26 years after Gettysburg. Like many veterans of this period, and all of us today, memories of the past are shaped by the event itself, an what came after. Though we can never actually know what transpired between Lincoln and Sickles, it is fair to state that this was his memory.
It is possible that Sickles' MOH citation is accurate while at the same time having displayed incompetent and/or insubordinate behavior in his decision to move into the Peach Orchard.
Barksdale and Kershaw would be (with Semmes and Wofford behind them) to Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top. Sickles would have been on the ridge with Sykes behind him and Hancock would not have been sending the brigades of II Corps to the Wheatfield all evening. Leaving the middle of the line open to Wright and Wilcox of Anderson's Division. Law and Robertson ended up doing what Barksdale and Kershaw would have been doing. McLaw's and Hood's Division effectively destroyed Sickles Corps.😮 Sickles left III Corps exposed on both flanks after deciding his original position was harder to defend. He decided to "improve" his position even if it was a mistake. Against orders. A military case of do something, even if it is wrong.😅
The end result would have been better for the Army of the Potomac allowing for a possible counter attack on the 3rd day. Which turned out to be an unnecessary risk. Lincoln thought alls well that ends well.😂
Dan Sickles was the man who actually did “Walk out to 5th Ave (Lafayette Square), shoot a man and got away with it.” Unlike another politician who,so far, has just talked the talk.
There are two types of officers that you cannot have.
Those that can’t follow orders..and those who ONLY follow orders.
In my opinion after having been to the battle site, I think Sickles did the right thing. He blunted Longstreet's attack with cannon fire. If he stayed where he was the cannons would have no line of site, he moved forward to the top of a small rise, couldn't see over it, giving the artillery position which they target the oncoming masses. The Union line would have been overrun before the cannon could really be engaged had he stayed in position IMO.
I misread the title at first as Don Rickles and Abe Lincoln...
Had he lived we would have had a different world.
Maybe when Lincoln said he would stand by God he meant and didn’t tell them that he’d offered his own life for victory
What malarkey! Sickles murdered the son of Francis Scott Key, & got his divisions destroyed.
Oh, so Robert E. Lee wasn’t the only humble, Christian man who sought intervention by our God, that His will be done in the war… you’d think otherwise given the enormous lauding Lee receives for being such a man.
Everyone was surprised at sickle’s movement that after, Longstreet had no strength to exploit his victory. If sickles had stayed the battle most likely would have been a southern victory and we would all be speaking southern.
When speaking about Sickles you should also mention that he was a murderer . He killed Philip Key in cold blood in 1859 and was defended at his trial by Edwin Stanton on the grounds of not-guilty by reason of temporary insanity. Both Lincoln and Stanton knew Sickles' character. Sickles was a general because he was a politician, a war democrat, who was tremendously useful to Lincoln who was fighting a massive political war as well as the military war. It was politically impossible to get rid of Sickles and the cannonball did the USA a great favor by providing an excuse to keep him off the field. Sickles understood the truth that his reputation was hanging by a thread because of his blunder at Gettysburg and spent a great deal of time afterwards blackening Mead's reputation, especially with fellow congressmen, to bolster his own case.
The Civil War was never about slavery. It was about tariffs and the beginning of a taxation system. Lincoln was not an abolitionist.
States rights....
@@mr.invisable6919 Yes...I think he wanted to be a king.
Ive often wondered if the war might've made Lincoln a little more religious. This account almost confirms it for me.
Lincoln's law partner once described him as "the greatest infidel" (i.e. atheist). Though not being a Christian was acceptable in the days of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin (who argued that Hell was more useful than real), it had ceased to be so during "the Age of Reaction" that began in 1815.
Gen. Sickles is one of those people, who despite seeming to be successful in other areas of life, was utterly incompetent as a general officer during war. If one had taken him aside when he got his star, and drawn a straight line and a squiggle in the dirt, and told him "make your troops like like this straight line. avoid squiggles at all cost" and he had followed that, he would have done better than he did at Gettysburg.
On February 27, 1859, in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House, Sickles shot and killed Philip Barton Key II, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the son of Francis Scott Key. Sickles had discovered that Philip Key was having an affair with his wife. Sickles defense was the first use of temporary insanity in the United States, and it was successful.
"You are here to fix the price of the marriage bed!", roared Associate Defense Attorney John Graham, in a speech so packed with quotations from Othello, Judaic history and Roman law that it lasted two days and later appeared as a book.
Politicians. Nothing has changed
Gettysburg was a victory by committee. I honor Meade’s victory but, he was no great captain (although he was a solid division commander).
Sickles was an anomaly which came into being due to the of lack of success among the professionals from West Point. Had the academy actually developed trained killers instead of engineers, Sickles would’ve never become known to history.
And now...let's hear from the experts.
How do the "experts" know that Sickles moving to his new line didn't in fact actually save the victory for the Army of the Potomac? I know what they say, but yet that doesn't make it true. Lee's forces BROKE THROUGH the line, what would have happened if that break through occured on Cemetary Ridge instead of the Peach Orchard?? That would have certainly been disastrous for Meade.
Well, there is this thing called mutual support which he moved beyond. Shorter lines to be reenforced which his decision negated. Lengthening his front thus diluting his firepower. But the most telling of expert opinion was the victor and hero of Gettysburg, Gen. Meade. Please look at his face to face dressing down of Gen. Sickles when he learned of his move.
@@Sodbusterrod I don't disagree with anything you said. We still will never know what would have happened if the attack pierced the main line. We just think we do.
These "experts" also wouldn't make a pimple on Sickles' backside, IMHO.