“History Channel’s Biased View of Gettysburg ”
Champion of "Political Correctness", the History Channel, has produced another of it’s one sided portrayals of American History. Their so-called "information-packed" production of Gettysburg is yet another of their attempts to re-invent the past.
"Here is their description of the documentary –
GETTYSBURG strips away the romanticized veneer of the Civil War to present the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg in a new light–a visceral, terrifying and deeply personal experience, fought by men who put everything on the line in defense of their vision of the American future. Cinematic in scope, GETTYSBURG is an information-packed look at the turning points, strategic decisions, technology and little-known facts surrounding the battle. Developed in collaboration with highly esteemed Civil War historians, GETTYSBURG reflects hundreds of individual accounts of the battle–the unique voices of struggle, defeat and triumph that tell the larger story of a bitterly conflicted nation."
It’s hard to see where it is "information-packed" and tells a "larger story" when so much of the story is left out and a great deal of the information is more likely misinformation.
I’m sure that most viewers did not notice the screw-top canteens, the erroneous insignia on hats and uniforms or that the landscape that looked nothing like Gettysburg but there were some glaring omissions and erroneous portrayals. Neither Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain nor Confederate General James Longstreet was ever mentioned. Although one of the most remembered characters of the event, Confederate General George Pickett was mentioned, no characterization was ever shown and the Confederate Commander, General Robert E. Lee was only shown only once and riding a WHITE HORSE. What an insult to Lee’s trusty mount "Traveler".
One of the highlights of the whole 2 hour event was the GEICO caveman commercial of his buddies playing Civil War re-enactors. I doubt that there were many true historians or history buffs that took the film seriously.
It has long been known that the History Channel and its parent Company A & E Networks attempt to remove the Southern view of the War Between the States. In the fall of 2010, Vice-president Nancy Alpert of A&E Television blocked the broadcast of 12 advertisements paid for by the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans stating that they were beyond the guidelines for any advertising on AETN because they represented nontraditional view. I suppose that cavemen in Union uniforms do?
On the Web: http://www.true-south.net/present/history_channel.html