The Bloody Lane of Antietam stands out as a spot where some of the most horrific violence of the battle occurred. One of the Confederates who found himself on receiving end of that violence was a man named John B. Gordon, who was the regimental commander of the 6th Alabama Infantry Regiment. And when you see the volume of injuries that he sustained, you’ll be shocked that this man survived.
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at https://www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com
Check out @Vlogging Through History to see the other side of the collaboration that we did at Antietam.
Battle maps in this series provided courtesy of @American Battlefield Trust. Check out the full battle map here: https://youtu.be/_8ybkoGmHww
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Other episodes that you might enjoy:
– The Dunker Church: Antietam’s Epicenter of Violence (w/ GARRY ADELMAN!) History Traveler Episode 249: https://youtu.be/YmWatQ8sNPU
– “Dead on the Field”: Walking Antietam’s Bloody Cornfield | History Traveler Episode 248: https://youtu.be/poI7nWgABl0
– Where the Battle of Antietam REALLY Started History Traveler Episode 247: https://youtu.be/4GoCc_EDnP4
– The LOST ORDER That Led to ANTIETAM!!! | History Traveler 245 Lost Order: https://youtu.be/KpRRUjB41Ps
– HIDDEN JAPANESE GUNS IN THE WWII JUNGLES OF GUAM! | History Traveler Episode 238: https://youtu.be/2A1LF52_LAg
All drone flights conducted by a Part 107 licensed pilot outside of the park boundaries
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Another incredible video!! Loving the Antietam series. I just have one question where do you get your intro music at? That piano was amazing.
Next best thing to being there is watching one of your videos. In my mind I could see and hear the slaughter of battle. To stay and fight must have taken such remarkable courage over preservation of one's life. Always a very special feeling to walk in the very footsteps of those who made the history we are studying. Peace be to their spirits.
I have stood in the "bloody-lane' and I can tell you that on a misty September morning when the meadowlarks sing among the monuments that there are ghost that stand with you.
Once again, we just have no idea what these poor fellows went through, nor would I want to find out.
Well a great job on this battle and historical story. I learned alot. Yes I'm a military historian and your comments to me last time was pass this on to the younger generations. Well my kids are 41 and 32 they are not interested and they have 3 children they don't even know what the civil war was. It's all about the schools. My kids told me they didn't learn about the civil war till college. In public schools the racial issue here in the south blocks these stories and history
My mom was a history teacher in 60s 70s 80s. She taught civil war history
Excellent! JJ
It’s a shame that it’s known for such a bloody battle, it’s a really beautiful area. Have a good week man.
John Brown Gordon went on to become a Lt General and became governor of Georgia after the war.
That was strange a guy walking across the that hill
The sunken road was definitely a hot place to be. If I remember right my gg grandfather was on the far right. Comp I 8 Alabama emerald guards
Great story love it. I would love to visit those battle field one day especially this one. A Swede who used to live in good ol USA in Utah
Absolutely love these Civil War videos, you present such a tragic period of American history so well.
Thanks for the info. Antietam a great place to visit and close to Gettysburg. Wild flowers on the battlefield of Antietam were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Beauty and carnage, all mixed into one. God Bless our soldiers.
Israel Richardson is an interesting fellow to study. Known unofficially as 'Greasy Dick' Richardson he was a first-rate combat commander. I think Antietam would have turned out drastically different had Richardson and Barlow not gone down wounded at nearly the same time because both of them were rallying and reforming their commands for the final push after piercing the Confederate line.
Thumbs Up, JD!!!
I remember climbing that tower and looking on the Battlefield. Goose bumps moment it was so cool.
When we honor our war dead regardless of what war it is or who fought in it, we should try to remember that each of those men are human beings not a collective enemy. The loss is a human one. Reasons for the battle remain, the honor and the loss of the human Carnage should not be forgotten. Neither should it be carried into the future to take future generations. Isaiah says come let us reason together.. that is pound our swords into plowshares and make war no more.
I’m a descendant of n.c. Veteran great great grandfather charnick Cox company g 34th n.c. Shot twice at Gaines mill va and lived people were cut from different cloth back than thank you for keeping our history alive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZHgAvPbOkc
As always thank you for not only giving a history lesson of where you're at but for posting yet one more excellent video of the Civil War. It's been years since I've been to Antietam and watching your video I got a whole new perspective of this battle and the feeling like I could actually see the fighting which took place and the carnage which took place afterwards. Keep up your excellent work of keeping Civil War history alive for all to see and learn.
Was it necessary to make the sarcastic remarks about the ghosts? Are you upset that people disagreed with you in your Halloween post, or what? Just talk about the history, don't make fun of your viewers. It sours what is otherwise great content. This is supposed to be a history channel, not a ghost channel, right? Please just stick to that. Thank you.
Thanks JD for another well done video. I definitely have a much better understanding of the battle. Now I have to check Chris’ channel.
I've read quite a bit about Gordon, and the fact that he was grievously wounded over and over in combat, yet survived the war and lived on for nearly 40 years after the war. He wasn't just unlucky, he was aggressive and audacious in command, leading from the front. Modern historians tend to pan the famous stories about Gordon's interactions with Francis Barlow and Joshua Chamberlain, but none of the three ever refuted them. All 3 men were wounded severely in different battles and lived to tell of it.
Thanks for this Antietam series! Great stuff and very informative. Just this past year I started reading more about General Gordon. What a life he led. Started in law school, went in the mining business. Elected captain of the raccoon roughs with no military experience. He has to be one of the most over looked generals of the war. I think(?)he went to PA before Gettysburg and was instrumental in capturing the city of York and on to Wrightsville where the Union burned down the bridge over the Susquehanna. I’m making my way through his memoirs now. Great read
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MENTION THE REAL HEROES OF ANTIETAM: BLACK TRANS WOMEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. They saved so many lives on that battlefield.
I walked that sacred ground and brought home a walnut from a tree at that very site. Worth the visit.
I have a letter that John B. Gordon wrote while staying at the Maxwell House. In it he describes the days and reasons of his promotions. “To Brig Gen after the battle of Sharpsburg in Maryland—in which battle I was shot five times. I do not remember the precise date of this commission.” Later, he writes about “promotion to Maj Gen was in consequence of my repulse of Hancock at Spotsylvania C.H where he broke our lines” and further on “I was placed in Command of the 2nd Corps in December 1864 and commanded it to the end of the war & after the retreat from Petersburg and Richmond I commanded one half the army and Longstreet the other”. I’d like to share more, but don’t know the right way to do so. Can someone from Gettysburg museum reach out to me please?
Antietam is absolutely a magical place. The area around the Bloody Lane just screams "Civil War." All of my preconceptions of what I thought of that battlefield matched reality. I can't wait to return.
16:12 into video, you are pointing out things from the top of that tower, and I couldn't help but notice the corn field near you had a big empty hole where I'd assume corn would be planted. Is there a story behind the bald patch at all? Kind of like the field in France that has a patch that won't grow because a plane burned there.
I almost missed this one. I'm glad I clicked save right away when I saw it posted for the first time. Iv been I'll the last few days and I was smart, I automatically gave it a thumbs up in support of your channel and I saved it to watch later. And then I was I'll again all yesterday. I'm glad I did a Smart, I always enjoy your uploads
this battle although brought a terrible loss of life.. it was enough of a victory for president lincoln to issue the emancipation proclimation.
I love your videos. Keep doing the great work.
I'm not surprised about the foot thing. I lost my leg to what started as a blister.
I bet the CCC guys built that observation tower.
You have my dream job! When are you coming back to the Black Hills?!
Very interesting have a good week sir.
Another great video JD I enjoy them all keep up the great work
Terminator totally painted the right picture to this one. You talked about the guy being hit four times and I couldn't help but imagine the evil cop terminator getting those big silver holes blow in him while he just keeps walking 😝
Enjoy the videos!
All these wooden barriers we see, are these original or put there post-battle kinda thing?
On my bucket list of places that I must visit. Great video!!!!!!!
God bless dixie and there heroes , stand with your ancestors ,
Tis but a scratch!
I spent one wonderful spring day here with only a handful of other visitors. I met a guy who was metal detecting in a farm field. Turns out there is a lot of private farms right in the middle of the battlefield. He handed me a piece of shot and an unfired Minie ball, which I still have. Very bucolic and hard to imagine the slaughter.
As a youngster I had the pleasure of metal detecting the farm of Mr. Miller the owner of the Roulette farm. My Father was a very good friend of Mr.Miller and we were given exclusive permission to detect the farm. In the mid to late 1970's we detected there. I know every inch of that farm. I was about 12 when we started. Mr Miller told us about a area in front of the tower, that when he would plow a certain section he could feel a hollow section in the field. He told my father and older brothers while I was standing right there about his thoughts of soldiers being buried there. We all decided not to detect that area, we didn't want to disturb any graves. It was a conscious and ethical decision not to dig or disturb any soldiers remains if there. In later years after we stopped detecting as much because I was pursuing a baseball career, my brother was diagnosed with brain cancer and my father had a heart attack and double bypass surgery. A person from Ohio detected that area and dug up those graves. There are articles describing the find from that person and the park service. Mr Miller and my family knew there were graves there but we had morals and standards not to disturb a man or men's gravesites. I also know some facts about the barn that Mr Miller told and showed us. To this day I really don't know if these facts are known about by anyone else. These facts are real and amazing and i hold them dear to my heart and can be proven. I have every artifact that we found documented, I can remember by heart where most of these artifacts were found. We spent countless hours and hard work doing what we loved. I took special pride in the collection and I was in charge of cleaning and documenting each find from each hunt at the age of 12 till we stopped detecting. There are many great memories of those times with my father and brothers in those fields of the Roulette farm. My oldest brother took many photographs of the farm and of us detecting and of some of our finds. We have some amazing photographs from the 70's. There are lots more facts I could tell but not enough time to do so on here. From one history lover to another. God Bless and Take Care!