it's the third of July. The fourth of July
is an important date for Americans, but so is the third. You see today in 1863 was
the third, and last, day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
And if you're wondering why I'm talking about this on this day in Scottish history, then you're gonna have to come with me on a train journey. Let's go. Hiya
I'm Bruce Fummey. If you're interested in the people events and places in Scottish
history then subscribe to Scotland history tours and click the bell symbol
to be notified of new videos. In the meantime, let me tell you a story. OK, so
today we're focusing on America, but trust me there's a reason for that. Oh listen. If you're from the USA can you please
let me know. Actually you know what would be even better is to find out where everyone comes from.
Can everyone just state their Nationality down in the comment section below. That
would be really interesting to find out where everyone's from. And so this video
is American, but it's also Scottish. I can probably let my mask slip, there's
nobody in the carriage. I should also probably point out that in
early stages of America there were three different types of Scots. There were Highland Scots, typically Episcopalian or Catholic, the product of the clan system.
You get the idea. There were Lowland Scots; Presbyterian, austere,
more modern in their outlook. And there were Scotch Irish. Now these were
the Scots Presbyterians, who a few generations before have been planted in
the north of Ireland and moved to the Americas. Now these Scotch Irish were
closer to Lowland Presbyterian Scots than either Highland Scots or Irish Irish, but they all had ginger here so the distinction's kind of unimportant. Half an
hour to wait in Stirling station. I should have planned this trip better. Scots had
quite an impact in the formation of the USA. They were both hated and adored. They
were heated because Scots, and particularly Highland Scots, tended to
support the British crown during the American Revolutionary War. Rebellion.
However the ideas upon which America was based were philosophical ideas
emanating from the Scots enlightenment. Now if I said that we were heading to a
monument to one of those Scottish philosophers some of you might guess the
name of the town. After all we've left Perthshire and were changing in Stirlnig, so... The name of the philosopher is, of course, David Hume. I'm sure we'll
cover him again at some point in the future, but David Hume once said: 'I'm
American and my principles and I wish we would let them alone to govern or miss
govern themselves as they think proper.' I wonder what he'd think today. Anyway that
must be half an hour eh? Not only that, a camera on a train platform? Nobody
wants to look like a trainspotter. The cultural influence of American
films and TV shows is such that I'm guessing most of us have eard of the Battle of
Gettysburg. It was a turning point in the American Civil War and probably, as much
as any other battle, defines what America is today. The war was a vicious and brutal struggle,
between southern slave states, who wanted to break from the Union, and
northern Union states who wanted to limit slavery, as America expanded to the
west. More importantly, they wanted to prevent those southern states secceding
from that group of United States that should control the continent from Atlantic to
Pacific Oceans. The conflict was made all the more bloody because it was the first
all-out war to use bullets rather than musket balls.
I better get my ticket. No not all-pro slave states joined the
Confederacy. The Battle of Gettysburg came about because, after grinding
battles in Virginia, the Confederates made a push north in the hope of
bringing non Confederates slave states on their side; and to demonstrate to the
what North that they could win. In truth Gettysburg was the beginning of the end
for the Confederates. On this day, the 3rd of July, they basically made the last row
of the dice, as 12,000 men threw themselves into withering union rifle and artillery fire across a male wide open field, like ghosts of Highlanders at
Culloden; with similar results. Incidentally, if you're American and you
think: This Scotsman's got no idea what he's talking about.'
then feel free to add any corrections below. Now Scots immigrated all over
America and it should come as no surprise that they were found and both Union and
Confederate side. Calton Hill, here in Edinburgh, is a place of monuments. One
famous Confederate General, who's statues are probably tumbling all over America
as we speak. was Stonewall Jackson. His granddad was Scotch-Irish, from Colraine. Convicted of larceny, he was sentenced to seven years penal transportation.
Jackson's grandmother was sentenced to the same thing, also for theft, but a
different crime. Now I'm not sure if their conviction reformed them, because
when they met on the transport ship to the colonies, they stole each other's hearts. Little did they know that 270 years later we'd be arguing about their grandson's
statues. He didn't make it to Gettysburg, because he was accidentally shot by his
own troops two months before. And Americans want to
be trusted with guns eh? Now the man who built and led the Union Army of the
north wasn't at Gettysburg. George B McClellan
That sounds Scots. Of course! Good old Scots, standing against slavery. Well apparently
he didn't actually main slavery that much. He just didn't like the idea of
states seceding from the Union. Now the general who led the Union Army to the
end of the war wasn't it Gettysburg either, but this is a busy weekend for
the American Civil War re-enactors societies, because a day after the
carnage of Gettysburg on the Fridy a place called Vicksburg surrendered after
a long siege in the Saturday. And the commander of that siege was put in
charge of the whole Union Army, and he led the army to the end of the war. I'm
sure you've heard of him. Ulysses S Grant Grant sounds Scottish, doesn't it? Yes from
Grantown on Spey in fact. Now Grant went on to become president United States. In
all seventy-five percent of US presidents have descended, in one way or
another, from Scots. Grant was in fact the first US. president to visit Scotland,
although he did this during his globetrotting days after his reiral. He was given the
freedom of Inverness during a Council meeting in the halls in Union St
Inverness. He never made it to Grantown on Spey, which
is a shame because there's a wee tea room there called Chaplins and it does the most
incredible millionaire shortbread oh... OK, so the reason I brought you here is that I
wanted you to have a look at this monument. The statue is of Abraham
Lincoln, with an emancipated sleeve giving thanks at his feet. I know! But the black
guy is holding a book. Not only is he free, he's also now educated. How very Scottish is that, and okay equality in
education still something to strive for, but it's a high-minded ideal. Look, I
didn't design the statue. You might want to go and watch my video at the Highland
Clearances in the Scottish slave trade OK! But for now let's focus on the
position and purpose of the statute rather than its propriety. It's the
American Civil War Memorial, and it stands here in the old Calton Cemetery
at the East End of Princess Street and below Calton Hill. It stands next to
the memorial immediately behind me; the large one to David Hume, the great Scots
philosopher whose thinking formed the basis and the idea of what became
America. This is the only statue of Abraham Lincoln in Scotland
incidentally. it's the first statue to a US president an outside America, and it's
the only monument to the American Civil War outside the United States. So why is it here?
It was dedicated in August 1893. It was funded by the US, and proposed to
Edinburgh Council by the then United States consul, who went by the name
incidentally of Mr. Wallace Bruce. You can see where they sent him to Scotland.
The monument is dedicated to Scotsmen who fought on the side of the Union in
the American Civil War. Now I've given you a couple of names of generals
but ordinary guys in the trenches, and not only that, there's so many Scots that have
impacted on the growth of America. I'll leave a link in the description below
for anyone wants to buy this book. It's called How the Scots Made America. You
might like it. Although, to be honest, I've got an Apache mate, and he he wasn't
impressed. Scots have made quite an impact on the world, both for good and
for bad, and 157 years on from Gettysburg there's still a cross Atlantic connection. We
still grapple with their ideas of David Hume, the after-effects of slavery, the
nature of statues, and countries created by
unions. I wonder what next year will bring. Obviously I'd love you to like and share
this video. If you enjoy these videos that I make then there's also a link
below now. You can click and buy me a coffee, or support on a
regular basis to help fund train fares to Edinburgh for example, so that I can
make videos like these. It's got obligatory, its optional. Whether
or not you feel able to do that... Tha mi an dochas gum bith lath math leibh. Tiorridh an drasda
