What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gettysburg Campaign: The History and Legacy of the Civil War’s Most Famous Campaign
*Includes pictures*Includes accounts of the fighting by soldiers and generals on both sides*Discusses the controversies surrounding the campaign, such as Stuart's ride before the battle and who's to blame for the Confederate loss*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents“The failure to crush the Federal army in Pennsylvania in 1863, in the opinion of almost all of the officers of the Army of Northern Virginia, can be expressed in five words—the absence of the cavalry.” – Confederate General Henry Heth “I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.” - George PickettWithout question, the most famous battle of the American Civil War took place outside of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which happened to be a transportation hub, serving as the center of a wheel with several roads leading out to other Pennsylvanian towns. From July 1-3, Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia tried everything in its power to decisively defeat George Meade’s Union Army of the Potomac, unleashing ferocious assaults that inflicted nearly 50,000 casualties in all. Day 1 of the battle would have been one of the 25 biggest battles of the Civil War itself, and it ended with a tactical Confederate victory. But over the next two days, Lee would try and fail to dislodge the Union army with attacks on both of its flanks during the second day and Pickett’s Charge on the third and final day. Meade’s stout defense held, barely, repulsing each attempted assault, handing the Union a desperately needed victory that ended up being one of the Civil War’s turning points. After the South had lost the war, the importance of Gettysburg as one of the “high tide” marks of the Confederacy became apparent to everyone, making the battle all the more important in the years after it had been fought. While former Confederate generals cast about for scapegoats, with various officers pointing fingers at Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and James Stuart, historians and avid Civil War fans became obsessed with studying and analyzing all the command decisions and army movements during the entire campaign. Despite the saturation of coverage, Americans refuse to grow tired of visiting the battlefield and reliving the biggest battle fought in North America. The Gettysburg The History and Legacy of the Civil War’s Most Famous Campaign analyzes the entire campaign and its major battles, from Brandy Station to the retreat of Lee’s army after Pickett’s Charge. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Gettysburg campaign like never before, in no time at all.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2015
92 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Charles River Editors
5,652 books279 followersCharles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 9, 2016
Seeing the pictures of the Generals and learning their stories was very interesting to me. I enjoyed hearing about the ridiculousness of parading around before a battle when the enemy can see you. Putting this battle into perspective for me allowing me to visualize the battle of all battles. It was great. So many events led to the battle that day and it's outcome. So many unexpected events. If you love history, this is a wonderful way to learn about the most famous battle of the civil war.
April 10, 2016
Not without some editing issues (whole paragraphs sometimes repeated word for word), but a decent introduction. I've been trying for some time to learn more about the Civil War and to be interested in the war itself instead of only the social and cultural aspects. Full review to come.
+++++++++++++
http://allthebookblognamesaretaken.bl...
www.facebook.com/AllTheBookBlogNamesA...
www.twitter.com/SarahsBookNook
I have been trying for some time to find an interest in the Civil War. It is easily one of the most important series of events in the history of the United States, yet it is something I have never really been interested in. I'm not sure why, because when I was younger I loved learning about the 1800s and I wanted to be a pioneer (I know right?!). But I definitely do not enjoy reading about military history, war, weapons, battle plans, etc. I am interested in the social and cultural aspects of the war, and was looking at this one to supplement that and start small, by looking at one battle. And naturally, I had to choose the most famous battle of them all.
Overall this was a decent introduction to a very dense and complex topic. I really enjoyed the fact that there were so many photographs included, especially of the many generals and other military men when they were discussed. I find this especially helpful in non-fiction texts, particularly when there are a lot of players involved and it is a new topic to me. There were also multiple instances of primary sources included, which I can always appreciate. The editors included many, many parts of whole letters from various generals to their wives, to fellow generals, or their superiors. It is always interesting to have insight into historical figures in this way, to get the words directly from their mouths or pens.
The book is, however, not without issues. These seem to be editing issues for the most part. Especially early on, I was finding whole paragraphs, or at least sections of paragraphs, repeated within pages of one another. This was incredibly distracting, especially on a Kindle. I would read a section and then suddenly be reading it a few paragraphs later, and I would think I had somehow gone backwards. This is something that must be taken care of in order for the book to be taken seriously, as it reflects poorly on the scholarship and the text itself.
I found this quote wryly amusing: "Perhaps none other than George Pickett himself put it best. When asked (certainly ad nauseam) why Pickett's charge had failed, Pickett is said to have tersely replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.""
I can recommend this with some hesitation due to the above-mentioned editing. Luckily the issues do not occur throughout the entire book, otherwise this would be one I would not have finished.
+++++++++++++
http://allthebookblognamesaretaken.bl...
www.facebook.com/AllTheBookBlogNamesA...
www.twitter.com/SarahsBookNook
I have been trying for some time to find an interest in the Civil War. It is easily one of the most important series of events in the history of the United States, yet it is something I have never really been interested in. I'm not sure why, because when I was younger I loved learning about the 1800s and I wanted to be a pioneer (I know right?!). But I definitely do not enjoy reading about military history, war, weapons, battle plans, etc. I am interested in the social and cultural aspects of the war, and was looking at this one to supplement that and start small, by looking at one battle. And naturally, I had to choose the most famous battle of them all.
Overall this was a decent introduction to a very dense and complex topic. I really enjoyed the fact that there were so many photographs included, especially of the many generals and other military men when they were discussed. I find this especially helpful in non-fiction texts, particularly when there are a lot of players involved and it is a new topic to me. There were also multiple instances of primary sources included, which I can always appreciate. The editors included many, many parts of whole letters from various generals to their wives, to fellow generals, or their superiors. It is always interesting to have insight into historical figures in this way, to get the words directly from their mouths or pens.
The book is, however, not without issues. These seem to be editing issues for the most part. Especially early on, I was finding whole paragraphs, or at least sections of paragraphs, repeated within pages of one another. This was incredibly distracting, especially on a Kindle. I would read a section and then suddenly be reading it a few paragraphs later, and I would think I had somehow gone backwards. This is something that must be taken care of in order for the book to be taken seriously, as it reflects poorly on the scholarship and the text itself.
I found this quote wryly amusing: "Perhaps none other than George Pickett himself put it best. When asked (certainly ad nauseam) why Pickett's charge had failed, Pickett is said to have tersely replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.""
I can recommend this with some hesitation due to the above-mentioned editing. Luckily the issues do not occur throughout the entire book, otherwise this would be one I would not have finished.
March 20, 2020
In as far as historical novels go this was just so-so. I am somewhat of a Civil War buff and found this book on BookBub and placed it in my library. Recently I chose this book to read during this ConV crisis as a way to pass the time. I would have to agree with another reviewer on this book, "Not without some editing issues (whole paragraphs sometimes repeated word for word), but a decent introduction". I concur that in spite of the editing issues this was a pretty decent and accurate introduction to the Gettysburg Campaign. I would caution other readers that are looking for a more in-depth study to look for another source. To the Charles River Editors credit, this was a decent superficial/broad look at the Gettysburg Campaign.
May 9, 2019
It was easy to read
As history books go, some are hard to get through but this was easy to read and sometimes humorous. It was written as a personal account and made the battles come alive. Some times the account got a little jumbled up so I got lost. An interesting battle to be sure for Civil War buffs.
As history books go, some are hard to get through but this was easy to read and sometimes humorous. It was written as a personal account and made the battles come alive. Some times the account got a little jumbled up so I got lost. An interesting battle to be sure for Civil War buffs.
September 3, 2018
Informative but dry
Very informative, but dry. Lots of long quotations that made it difficult to keep events straight and tell which side each player was on
Very informative, but dry. Lots of long quotations that made it difficult to keep events straight and tell which side each player was on
March 27, 2019
Gettysburg
This book could have been a little more detailed but as a whole this was a good campaign walk through.
This book could have been a little more detailed but as a whole this was a good campaign walk through.
Read
August 6, 2016"The Gettysburg Campaign: The History and Legacy of the Civil War's Most Famous Campaign" is a pretty good introduction to the events that marked the high tide of the Confederacy.
Technically, the portraits were clear on my Kindle, although the landscape pictures were not. I would expect the pictures to be clearer if I were reading on a tablet. There are some significant editing issues; for example, some sentences and even paragraphs are reprinted verbatim in multiple locations. It reminds me a bit of a term paper, written with a lot of good research and some insight that needed really good proof-reading before it is ready to be submitted.
The author has drawn on some of the best resources to describe the activities leading up to the battle itself with focus on how these contributed to decisions made by the generals and to the ultimate outcome of the action. Eye-witness accounts are liberally used although the narrative never falls back on sentimentality. The author is even-handed in his assessment of responsibility for the final results, and does not romanticize what occurs.
The narrative is just that, narrative with some insights and a limited analysis. A good introduction for someone who wants to have a broad overview of the Gettysburg campaign.
Technically, the portraits were clear on my Kindle, although the landscape pictures were not. I would expect the pictures to be clearer if I were reading on a tablet. There are some significant editing issues; for example, some sentences and even paragraphs are reprinted verbatim in multiple locations. It reminds me a bit of a term paper, written with a lot of good research and some insight that needed really good proof-reading before it is ready to be submitted.
The author has drawn on some of the best resources to describe the activities leading up to the battle itself with focus on how these contributed to decisions made by the generals and to the ultimate outcome of the action. Eye-witness accounts are liberally used although the narrative never falls back on sentimentality. The author is even-handed in his assessment of responsibility for the final results, and does not romanticize what occurs.
The narrative is just that, narrative with some insights and a limited analysis. A good introduction for someone who wants to have a broad overview of the Gettysburg campaign.
July 20, 2016
Precision research and writing
The Charles River Publishers have produced yet another concise historical events. This is one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest in American history and this writing covers it well. It brings the tension and angst experienced by all those leaders, the unfortunate decision by Lee, the decision that brought down the Confederacy. He wrestled with the fact that he held the territory and asked the question: How can we retreat when we've won the field? As typified by Pickett's Charge, most of the battle was a hellish blood bath for the South.
I really enjoy these photographs. It is so interesting to see the clothes and facial hair styles, but even more revealing to witness the at-the-moment, steely determination of these heroic men on both sides.
As a 34 year educator and a 26 year history teacher, I can recommend this book for high school and college U.S. History classes.
The Charles River Publishers have produced yet another concise historical events. This is one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest in American history and this writing covers it well. It brings the tension and angst experienced by all those leaders, the unfortunate decision by Lee, the decision that brought down the Confederacy. He wrestled with the fact that he held the territory and asked the question: How can we retreat when we've won the field? As typified by Pickett's Charge, most of the battle was a hellish blood bath for the South.
I really enjoy these photographs. It is so interesting to see the clothes and facial hair styles, but even more revealing to witness the at-the-moment, steely determination of these heroic men on both sides.
As a 34 year educator and a 26 year history teacher, I can recommend this book for high school and college U.S. History classes.
February 11, 2017
I thought this book was an interesting study of what led to Gettysburg as well as the battle itself. The pictures and quotes from the various generals involved gave more life to them than I have seen in some other books on the same subject.
However there were some editing issues which made it difficult to read at times, and I had some trouble trying to visualize what was going on. I think it would have benefited from some diagrams of troop movements during the battles to make it easier to understand.
However there were some editing issues which made it difficult to read at times, and I had some trouble trying to visualize what was going on. I think it would have benefited from some diagrams of troop movements during the battles to make it easier to understand.
March 8, 2016
Southern mistakes
Enjoyed reading of the planning and eventual events of those 3 days in July which helped the Union to remain in tact. Would have liked to have seen some maps and diagrams to help visualize the troop movements. Highly recommend to anyone interested in Civil War history.
Enjoyed reading of the planning and eventual events of those 3 days in July which helped the Union to remain in tact. Would have liked to have seen some maps and diagrams to help visualize the troop movements. Highly recommend to anyone interested in Civil War history.
January 26, 2017
Charles River presents another historical account of three days of the battle of Gettysburg. I liked the way the author analyze this campaign. In particularly I enjoyed reading the actual words those who were there. This added to understanding the mindset of those in command and involved in this battle.
February 23, 2017
I really found this a bit ho hum. Maybe I've read too much Civil War history to be objective. We ran here, got shot at, and shot back. Ran somewhere else, got shot at, shot back. And so on. Maps of army locations and movements would make a huge positive difference.
March 7, 2016
Excellent Read
If you love the history of the Civil war especially of individual battles then you will enjoy this book it's not real long but it is packed with history of the Gettysburg battle I picked it up and read it cover to cover in one setting
If you love the history of the Civil war especially of individual battles then you will enjoy this book it's not real long but it is packed with history of the Gettysburg battle I picked it up and read it cover to cover in one setting
March 17, 2016
How the South Lost at Gettesburg
Mostly about Southern general staff failures, but in final analysis, Mead and the federals simply outfought them. The battle symbolizes as much as anything the lost cause of the Confederacy.
Mostly about Southern general staff failures, but in final analysis, Mead and the federals simply outfought them. The battle symbolizes as much as anything the lost cause of the Confederacy.
May 10, 2016
Battle of Gettysburg
Good account of one of the Civil War greatest and decisive battle. The battle is easily explained how it unfolded and came to a conclusion. Great to read the words written by some of the Civil Wars greatest generals.
Good account of one of the Civil War greatest and decisive battle. The battle is easily explained how it unfolded and came to a conclusion. Great to read the words written by some of the Civil Wars greatest generals.
May 18, 2015
A comprehensive introduction to this vital part of the War Between the States
March 3, 2016
Gettysburg
Excellent book, also horribly, horribly sad. I can see why the war is still so fresh in the hearts and minds of the families that fought in it.
Excellent book, also horribly, horribly sad. I can see why the war is still so fresh in the hearts and minds of the families that fought in it.
April 27, 2016
Easy to read. picks up easy to do light reading.
March 22, 2016
Short Thorough History
An enjoyable and thorough analysis and history of the battle that turned the tide of the CivilWar, complete with period photos.
An enjoyable and thorough analysis and history of the battle that turned the tide of the CivilWar, complete with period photos.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews