The First Shots
" If properly led, these men can do anything we ask," General Lee told a commanding officer as Confederate forces began their march into Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863. National Park Service Ranger Eric Campbell explains how they were put to the test on the most historically underestimated day of the battle.
Length 2:06:00 - Taped 2003

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The Rose Farm
The Rose Farm is the bloodiest single farm in all of American history. So abundant were the dead that the Roses moved as many bodies as they could in order to protect the family's well water. Photographs shown by Licensed Battlefield Guides Timothy Smith and Gary Adelman attest to some of the 9,000 casualties suffered here.
Length 1:10:00 - Taped 2003

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The 13th Vermont Infantry
National Park Service Ranger Scott Hartwig follows - with some park visitors - the path of a regiment who after the battle reported they "could not walk upright without drawing the ball of a Confederate sharpshooter."
Length 1:10:00 - Taped 2004

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Bucktail Brigade
The petty theft of a tail plucked from a drying deerhide gave rise to the Bucktail Brigade. By the time Col. Roy Stone's fighting men got to Gettysburg, every soldier had pinned a tail from a Pennsylvania buck to his cap to show their pride. National Park Service Ranger John Heiser leads park visitors to the precarious position the Bucktails had been ordered into during the battle.
Length 1:35:00 - Taped 2005

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General Meade After Pickett's Charge
After the South retreated, questions for the North's General Meads began. Why didn't Meade finish off the South when he had the chance? Why didn't Meade pursue more vigorously General Lee's retreat back to Virginia? National Park Service Ranger Troy Harman explores the three most controversial hours of Meade's career.
Length 1:49:00 - Taped 2005

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Spangler's Spring
This landmark saw both the tranquility and intense fighting. After being refreshed by its cool water on the evening of July 2, 1863, soldiers charged into the last day of the battle. Licensed Battlefield Guides Garry Adelman and Timothy Smith show numerous maps and photos.
Length 1:57:00 - Taped 2006

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Lee's Retreat Through Monterey Pass
After Pickett's Charge on July 3, General Lee engineered an exit strategy for the Confederate army from Gettysburg. That night, with Union cavalry nipping at their heels. Lee’s troops still had some fighting ahead of them, National Park Service Ranger Troy Harman and Licensed Battlefield Guide Mike Vallone explain what happened around midnight in the torrential rain when the Union caught up with the Confederates.
Length 2:06:00 - Taped 2006

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Cemetery Hill
In spite of heavy cannon fire from the Union army on this hill, Confederates routed an enemy line that had been positioned near its base. As Confederate climbed higher up the hill, Union troops discovered they couldn’t lower their cannons enough to take aim, and reinforcements were called in. National Park Service Ranger Eric Campbell explains how the terrain played an important role for both armies on July 2, 1863.
Length 2:19:00- Taped 2006

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Herbst Woods
At the time of the battle, John Herbst farmed 160 acres of land next to this wood lot near Gettysburg. By the time waves of Union and Confederate soldiers had swept across his property on the first day of the battle, Herbst and other farmers had made some tough decisions. National Park Historian Scott Hartwig describes the fighting and the appalling aftermath.
Length 2:25:00- Taped 2006

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The Road to Gettysburg - Battle of Chancellorsville - The Wounding of Stonewall Jackson
Convinced they were shooting at the enemy, Confederates fired into the darkness. The result was three bullets finding their way into the body of their own most celebrated field General. National Park Service Historian Frank O'Reilly explains how historians found the spot at which Stonewall Jackson fell, and how his perilous journey on a stretcher and a pre-existing health condition may have been factors in his demise.
Length 39 mins., 28 sec. - Taped 2006

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The Road to Gettysburg - Battle of Chancellorsville - Jackson's Flank Attack
Even military leaders in the 21st Century have given credit for their success to a general whose career reached its zenith in 1863. National Park Service Historian Frank O'Reilly explains how Confederate General Stonewall Jackson became the hero of a generation, while the 11 th Corps of the Union Army suffered not only defeat but public ridicule for years to come.
Length 48 mins., 38 sec. - Taped 2006

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The Road to Gettysburg - Battle of Fredericksburg - Prospect Hill
"For years we've put the wrong emphasis on the wrong end of the battlefield," explains National Park Service Historian Frank O'Reilly. "Everybody's impression of Fredericksburg is Marye's Heights and the Stone Wall. But in a military sense, the most important part of the battlefield is where we're standing."
Length 1:17:00 - Taped 2006

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The Road to Gettysburg - Battle of Fredericksburg - The Sunken Road
National Park Service Historian Frank O'Reilly explains the defensive advantages of this now-famous position, which still has a section of the original wall intact that once held up the barrels of Confederate guns. Historians believe the Union Army learned more from their defeat here than the Confederate Army did from their victory.
Length 1:04:00 - Taped 2006

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Major General Robert Rodes & Cemetery Hill