Gettysburg: Beyond the Battle (with Ken Burns!!!) | History Traveler Episode 279

Please don't undersell yourself and the amazing content you consistently publish. You're not just some guy with a camera, you're the "Ken Burns" to this next generation of history buffs!

“I don’t know if I’d call myself a filmmaker” JD, you are an absolute artist. Your videos are second to none and some of the best educational media out there. You are 100% a filmmaker. And a damn good one, too.

I just wanted to tell you my appreciation of this channel. I’m a fellow historian and have dedicated most of my life to studying and teaching what many people would like to be forgotten. It gets frustrating and I can’t tell you how much it means to see other historians working so hard to preserve and teach our world’s history. Instant sub here!

Ashokan Farewell featured in the Ken Burns Civil War documentary was my grandmother's favorite song. It has a special place in my heart!

From start to finish, you can sure hear and see the excitement in his voice and the bounce in his step. Sounds like this was a very special day for the host, the channel and our community.

You and Gary are national treasures. Thank you both.

I’m so grateful that the story of the battle at Gettysburg is finally being told from the context of its geography, history and citizens. Most people don’t realize that the battle and the skirmishes beforehand covered a much larger area than just the perimeter of the national battlefield site. My dad was a Civil War history buff who took me to visit the places that most tourists miss when they visit there. The two of us spent hours roaming around the greater Gettysburg area. I had no idea that the area was so extensive! We also conjectured what it must’ve been like for the citizens of the town to be under siege for three days, especially if in their cellars all they could do was listen to the horrible slaughter going on around them outside and praying that a mortar shell wouldn’t blow up their homes and instantly kill them or that Confederate soldiers wouldn’t loot their homes and murder them. And then to finally emerge from their cellars and be greeted with scenes of carnage and death everywhere for miles. Too bad that PTSD (shell shock) wasn’t an identifiable condition back then so that the civilians and soldiers could get the necessary help that they needed to process what had just happened and had irrevocably changed their lives forever. The physical and emotional scars inflicted on all of them must’ve been beyond comprehension!

J .D. while you may not have the entire "Hollywood" production at your disposal your video's are more than just some guy with a camera. I and many of us find your videos informative and entertaining in a way that only a guy dedicated to his craft can bring us. You have developed a group of steadfast followers and that does not come easy. Us history buffs are a strange bunch and we come from all walks of life brought together by one thing, the love of learning and understanding the events of our past. Keep up the great work.

You are a regular dude with a camera….with an amazing creative ability and passion to go along with it. Thank you, Andrew

What I like about Ken Burns series on the Civil War would be personal letters between soldiers and family. I don't know how old he was when he presented the documentary, but it was amazing that a young man has such a gift for telling the story. On a personal side my great-grandmother had her own experience when she was about 12 years old (as the story past down from her to my mother) They would bury their flour etc. to hide it from the Union Soldiers.

Love the work that Ken Burns shot at the Alaskan National Parks. Incredible footage and he’s an exceptional story teller! J.D. don’t sell yourself short. You are becoming a really good story teller. Keep up the great work 👍👍

JD you are absolutely a filmmaker and Great teller and chronicler of History, your videos make history enjoyable and interesting to learn about Thank you

Thank you, JD for bringing this to our eyes and ears. Thanks to you, I’ve been to all these places in a way yet not actually having being to these places in person. One day I pray I will visit these places you’ve shown us on your channel. Blessings…

JD you and Gary are so awesome thank you guys so much!

That was truly, "Pretty Dang Cool!" Thank you as always JD!

JD you are a historian and a filmmaker. Your channel is proof of your skills as both. Just got home from work to finish watching from this morning.

Wow, Jeff Shaara and Gary Adelman too! Great stuff as always. I definitely want to go to that Museum.

I love your video’s from Gettysburg. You make the battle come alive. Thanks to you and Eric.

Visited here in 1984 and 2003. I'm amazed at how the National Park Service has preserved Gettysburg as accessible, educational, beautiful and as historically authentic as possible.

You do a great job of humanizing what most people only know from what is written in books. You show emotion and feeling, and you help the viewers see through your eyes what they may never see but have a passion for.