Winfield Scott Hancock: A Saddle Nail at Gettysburg and the 1880 Election

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Winfield Scott Hancock, born in Pennsylvania in 1824 and named for the War of 1812 hero, graduated 18th of 25 at West Point and missed the assault on Mexico City while sick with fever. Before the Civil War he served in California, where his close friend Lewis Armistead wept at their parting before leaving to fight for the Confederacy. George McClellan's dispatch after Williamsburg earned him the name "Hancock the Superb," and on the first day at Gettysburg George Meade sent him ahead to take command and anchor the Union line on Cemetery Hill.

On the second day he sent the 1st Minnesota, about 262 men, against a far larger force to close a gap, and they suffered 87 percent casualties. During Pickett's Charge he rode the line under bombardment, was struck in the thigh, and pulled out a bent saddle nail while Armistead fell mortally wounded nearby. After the war he oversaw the hanging of Mary Surratt, burned an abandoned Cheyenne village on the Plains, and issued General Order No. 40 in Texas and Louisiana returning power to civilian courts. As the 1880 Democratic nominee he lost to James Garfield by fewer than 40,000 votes.

He joked that the Confederates must be running short of ammunition if they were firing scrap metal at him.
Told to dismount under fire, he answered that there are times when a corps commander's life does not count.
The Indian Peace Commission later found that faulty reports, including George Custer's, had misled him on the Plains.
Republicans attacked his party's "tariff for revenue only" plank as a threat to Northern factory jobs.
Leading Ulysses S. Grant's funeral procession in 1885, he silenced the crowd that began applauding him.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min