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When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg
In July 1863 the bloodiest and most decisive battle of the Civil War was fought near the sleepy town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. While many books have been written about the landmark battle, When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg differs from the rest by detailing the horrific aftermath of the battle, detailing what it takes to put a town back together after two armies have fought through its streets and across the surrounding countryside. The small town of 2,400 inhabitants was faced with the enormous problem of burying more than 7,000 dead soldiers and caring for 20,000 wounded men who had been left behind by both armies. Fields that just days earlier maintained crops and livestock were now littered with firearms, munitions, and swords, and nearly every building still standing was turned into a field hospital with mounds of amputated limbs left behind after the surgeons had completed their grizzly work.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg provides firsthand accounts of life in the town and on the battlefield in the days and months following the brutal fighting. Included are stories and vivid descriptions from soldiers, reporters, civilians, doctors, and nurses. Good Samaritans came to help the wounded and the dying, and profiteers and souvenir hunters were not far behind. Then came the politicians, followed by legions of families seeking the remains of their fallen sons.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg presents the heart-breaking human misery resulting from his battle and by the ongoing war wherever it went. From the backbreaking chore of clearing the battlefield of the wounded and dead to nursing the amputees, one can learn much of the battle by seeing what ordinary people who were pulled into the war did to survive and rebuild their lives.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg provides firsthand accounts of life in the town and on the battlefield in the days and months following the brutal fighting. Included are stories and vivid descriptions from soldiers, reporters, civilians, doctors, and nurses. Good Samaritans came to help the wounded and the dying, and profiteers and souvenir hunters were not far behind. Then came the politicians, followed by legions of families seeking the remains of their fallen sons.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg presents the heart-breaking human misery resulting from his battle and by the ongoing war wherever it went. From the backbreaking chore of clearing the battlefield of the wounded and dead to nursing the amputees, one can learn much of the battle by seeing what ordinary people who were pulled into the war did to survive and rebuild their lives.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2003
13 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
George Sheldon
119 books1 followerGeorge Sheldon is a journalist and author, based in his hometown of Lancaster, PA. He is the author of 31 published books. He is actively writing and working on several more books. His books have been about history, business, and writing. He is also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He is currently writing another history book and a true crime book. "
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 5, 2020
Having visited the town and battlefield of Gettysburg often in my lifetime, this book was of particular interest to me. I've read many books about various aspects of the Civil War, but this one was unique in its subject matter. Most of those books were about the battles, how they came to occur, army positions, troop movements, engagements and the end result of victory or defeat.
This book was mostly about the town itself and the civilian population that were dramatically affected starting in late June and lasting for months after the end of the battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.
What happened to the town and its people was nothing less than catastrophic. The author used many sobering firsthand accounts-letters and diaries-to form a gruesome picture of the carnage and aftermath of the battle.
Little is written of what happens after a major battle is over and the process of getting back to some sense of normalcy as soon as possible. This book covered that part of war in great detail and gave a fresh perspective of the destruction that occurs to both life and property.
Well-written, the book also covers the formation of a national cemetery, national park, early tourism, veterans reunions, todays Gettysburg and much more.
Recommended for readers of war history.
This book was mostly about the town itself and the civilian population that were dramatically affected starting in late June and lasting for months after the end of the battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.
What happened to the town and its people was nothing less than catastrophic. The author used many sobering firsthand accounts-letters and diaries-to form a gruesome picture of the carnage and aftermath of the battle.
Little is written of what happens after a major battle is over and the process of getting back to some sense of normalcy as soon as possible. This book covered that part of war in great detail and gave a fresh perspective of the destruction that occurs to both life and property.
Well-written, the book also covers the formation of a national cemetery, national park, early tourism, veterans reunions, todays Gettysburg and much more.
Recommended for readers of war history.
February 27, 2021
This is a story that gives the reader the dirty, ugly side of history. The side that reveals the price paid to achieve the desired goal of a historic event. What you will learn in reading this book is what the people that lived through the event endured and sacrificed for the achievement that they had no part in agreeing to or in planning. This is the story of Gettysburg and the people that lived there before, during, and after the battle that transformed this little town into a Mecca of American history.
This is a relatively short book written by a journalist rather than a historian. For that difference we can be thankful since this is the kind of history rarely taken up by historians. However, this is just the sort of thing a journalist would take to heart. So what we don't have here is an academic treatment written for the benefit of other academics. What the author has give us is a book for the average reader and probable visitor to Gettysburg. However, having said this I will also say that the writing is not the best. While it is readable it suffers from noticeable repetitions of mundane factual details but this is a minor detail. The book gives a brief history of the town as well as a a brief overview of the battle primarily as it might have been viewed by the residents remaining in town as the battle progressed. Following this the book gets to what the reader is expecting and that is what happened after the "the smoke cleared".
What happened after the shooting stopped and the armies left is almost never dealt with in any sort of detail in histories but it should be. In my opinion it the aftermath of historic events that would probably contain the greatest lessons and would go further in preventing the repetition of history. After reading this book the reader will probably understand why battlefront news and especially visual reports are censored by the governments involved. It will also have you realize how important the TV news during the Viet Nam Conflict was in igniting the protests to that war. Once the average person saw how ugly and horrific real battles are they wanted no part in them. Gettysburg was no exception to this belief and it was one of the first battles to receive photographic treatment even though newspapers didn't have the ability to include photos in their publications.
The Civil War was probably the last war fought by this country that was fought overwhelmingly by untrained amateurs from the highest to the lowest ranks of the military. Raise a regiment of your hometown men and you were a colonel. Then your men meet and vote for their captains and lieutenants etc. If you were an ambitious politicians or a friend of such person you could easily become a general and this sort of process was practiced on both sides of the conflict. Needless to say this lead to a great deal of ineptitude in every facet of military conduct. But the amateurs were not the only inept characters and those with West Point credentials were more than capable of blundering from simple lack of experience and planning. General Mead was no amateur but he ordered medical trains with all their equipment and supplies to be moved to the rear in order that they not interfere with ammunition being moved to the front. Consequently, medical resources were 25 miles to the rear and couldn't be moved forward until a day or two after the battle. Gettysburg and its aftermath were a logistical nightmare that cost unknown numbers of lives. The post battle conditions were primitive at best and the medical service and practitioners were almost medieval in their understanding of battle illnesses and wound treatment. You simply have to read the book to understand what a hell that town was for months following the battle. To have lived through this battle either as a soldier and especially a wounded soldier or a civilian and not be traumatized by the experience is beyond comprehension. I have visited Gettysburg in recent years and now I want to return in order to see it in the light of what I have read in this book. If you have never been there then you should make it point to make the effort but be sure to become familiar with the history before going. Enjoy.
This is a relatively short book written by a journalist rather than a historian. For that difference we can be thankful since this is the kind of history rarely taken up by historians. However, this is just the sort of thing a journalist would take to heart. So what we don't have here is an academic treatment written for the benefit of other academics. What the author has give us is a book for the average reader and probable visitor to Gettysburg. However, having said this I will also say that the writing is not the best. While it is readable it suffers from noticeable repetitions of mundane factual details but this is a minor detail. The book gives a brief history of the town as well as a a brief overview of the battle primarily as it might have been viewed by the residents remaining in town as the battle progressed. Following this the book gets to what the reader is expecting and that is what happened after the "the smoke cleared".
What happened after the shooting stopped and the armies left is almost never dealt with in any sort of detail in histories but it should be. In my opinion it the aftermath of historic events that would probably contain the greatest lessons and would go further in preventing the repetition of history. After reading this book the reader will probably understand why battlefront news and especially visual reports are censored by the governments involved. It will also have you realize how important the TV news during the Viet Nam Conflict was in igniting the protests to that war. Once the average person saw how ugly and horrific real battles are they wanted no part in them. Gettysburg was no exception to this belief and it was one of the first battles to receive photographic treatment even though newspapers didn't have the ability to include photos in their publications.
The Civil War was probably the last war fought by this country that was fought overwhelmingly by untrained amateurs from the highest to the lowest ranks of the military. Raise a regiment of your hometown men and you were a colonel. Then your men meet and vote for their captains and lieutenants etc. If you were an ambitious politicians or a friend of such person you could easily become a general and this sort of process was practiced on both sides of the conflict. Needless to say this lead to a great deal of ineptitude in every facet of military conduct. But the amateurs were not the only inept characters and those with West Point credentials were more than capable of blundering from simple lack of experience and planning. General Mead was no amateur but he ordered medical trains with all their equipment and supplies to be moved to the rear in order that they not interfere with ammunition being moved to the front. Consequently, medical resources were 25 miles to the rear and couldn't be moved forward until a day or two after the battle. Gettysburg and its aftermath were a logistical nightmare that cost unknown numbers of lives. The post battle conditions were primitive at best and the medical service and practitioners were almost medieval in their understanding of battle illnesses and wound treatment. You simply have to read the book to understand what a hell that town was for months following the battle. To have lived through this battle either as a soldier and especially a wounded soldier or a civilian and not be traumatized by the experience is beyond comprehension. I have visited Gettysburg in recent years and now I want to return in order to see it in the light of what I have read in this book. If you have never been there then you should make it point to make the effort but be sure to become familiar with the history before going. Enjoy.
December 6, 2020
The Aftermath Of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1--3, 1863) was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, resulting in over 51, 000 casualties. The Battle itself was only the climax of Robert E. Lee's Pennsylvania campaign which also included a raid on Gettysburg by Confederate General Jubal Early on June 26, and a long difficult retreat back to Virginia by Lee's defeated army following the battle.
The story of this great battle has been told many times. Although there are also good accounts of the aftermath of the battle and of the effects of the battle on the town, they are not as numerous as the books devoted to the combat and, frequently, tend to be devoted to specific issues (such as the care of the wounded following the battle).
George Sheldon's book "When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg" (2003) performs a real service. It presents a good overview of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg in a simple clear way. The book is intended for non-specialists with an interest in the battle and in the Civil War. On the whole, it is ably written and well researched. I learned a great deal from it.
Mr. Sheldon begins with a good and appropriate overview of the history of the town of Gettysburg before the Civil War, including its demographics (about eight percent of the residents of Gettysburg were African American) and politics. There is a discussion of the effect on the town of the pending Confederate invasion during June, 1863 and of the effect of Early's raid late in June. This is followed by a brief treatment of the Battle itself. There is an excellent picture of the Confederate Army's retreat through the mud and the rain beginning on July 4 and of the hardships the retreat imposed on many wounded soldiers.
The book depicts the carnage of the Battle and the strain that burying the dead and caring for the wounded put upon a small Pennsylvania town of 2400 people. The horrors and unsanitary conditions of the field hospitals are well described. The book also offers a good basic treatment of the assistance provided by the United States Sanitary Commission and the United States Christian Commission in caring for the wounded at Gettysburg. It discusses the history of Camp Letterman, the hospital facility that the military established east of Gettysburg two weeks after the battle to care for the wounded. The information is given in sufficient detail to be useful but it does not purport to be a full history of the subject.
The effect of the Battle of Gettysburg on the civilian population is described with good, clear, and specific references to some of the townspeople who wrote memoirs of their experiences. Again the coverage was sufficient to be informative without making a pretense of being exhaustive. The book also pays attention to African Americans in Gettysburg and the effect of the Battle and of Lee's invasion upon them. This is an area that has not been fully studied, and Mr. Sheldon's book helps fill a real gap.
The book discusses the burial of the dead of Gettysburg and the exhumation and reburial of many of them in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. There is a short treatment of the dedication of the Cemetery and of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The concluding section of the study offers a short history of the creation and administration of the Gettysburg Military Park, currently administered by the National Park Service, and of the reunions of veterans at Gettysburg in 1913 and 1938. The book bears eloquent, if brief, testimony to the importance Gettysburg has assumed to many Americans over the years.
"When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg" is written in a popular, journalistic style, but it should not be underestimated. Mr. Sheldon has done his research and has succinctly told the basics of an important story. This is a good book for the student of the Battle of Gettysburg and of the American Civil War.
Robin Friedman
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1--3, 1863) was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, resulting in over 51, 000 casualties. The Battle itself was only the climax of Robert E. Lee's Pennsylvania campaign which also included a raid on Gettysburg by Confederate General Jubal Early on June 26, and a long difficult retreat back to Virginia by Lee's defeated army following the battle.
The story of this great battle has been told many times. Although there are also good accounts of the aftermath of the battle and of the effects of the battle on the town, they are not as numerous as the books devoted to the combat and, frequently, tend to be devoted to specific issues (such as the care of the wounded following the battle).
George Sheldon's book "When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg" (2003) performs a real service. It presents a good overview of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg in a simple clear way. The book is intended for non-specialists with an interest in the battle and in the Civil War. On the whole, it is ably written and well researched. I learned a great deal from it.
Mr. Sheldon begins with a good and appropriate overview of the history of the town of Gettysburg before the Civil War, including its demographics (about eight percent of the residents of Gettysburg were African American) and politics. There is a discussion of the effect on the town of the pending Confederate invasion during June, 1863 and of the effect of Early's raid late in June. This is followed by a brief treatment of the Battle itself. There is an excellent picture of the Confederate Army's retreat through the mud and the rain beginning on July 4 and of the hardships the retreat imposed on many wounded soldiers.
The book depicts the carnage of the Battle and the strain that burying the dead and caring for the wounded put upon a small Pennsylvania town of 2400 people. The horrors and unsanitary conditions of the field hospitals are well described. The book also offers a good basic treatment of the assistance provided by the United States Sanitary Commission and the United States Christian Commission in caring for the wounded at Gettysburg. It discusses the history of Camp Letterman, the hospital facility that the military established east of Gettysburg two weeks after the battle to care for the wounded. The information is given in sufficient detail to be useful but it does not purport to be a full history of the subject.
The effect of the Battle of Gettysburg on the civilian population is described with good, clear, and specific references to some of the townspeople who wrote memoirs of their experiences. Again the coverage was sufficient to be informative without making a pretense of being exhaustive. The book also pays attention to African Americans in Gettysburg and the effect of the Battle and of Lee's invasion upon them. This is an area that has not been fully studied, and Mr. Sheldon's book helps fill a real gap.
The book discusses the burial of the dead of Gettysburg and the exhumation and reburial of many of them in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. There is a short treatment of the dedication of the Cemetery and of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The concluding section of the study offers a short history of the creation and administration of the Gettysburg Military Park, currently administered by the National Park Service, and of the reunions of veterans at Gettysburg in 1913 and 1938. The book bears eloquent, if brief, testimony to the importance Gettysburg has assumed to many Americans over the years.
"When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg" is written in a popular, journalistic style, but it should not be underestimated. Mr. Sheldon has done his research and has succinctly told the basics of an important story. This is a good book for the student of the Battle of Gettysburg and of the American Civil War.
Robin Friedman
April 25, 2012
In When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg, Lancaster journalist George Sheldon takes a refreshingly different approach in considering the Civil War's Pennsylvania Campaign and the crucial Battle of Gettysburg. Rather than analyzing combat strategy and tactics -- Robert E. Lee's poor decisions, George Gordon Meade's competent if uninspired ones -- Sheldon focuses on the difficulties that the people of Gettysburg faced after the battle. Sheldon's post-battle Gettysburg is a landscape of absolute horror -- summer fields filled with the putrefying bodies of men and horses, churches and homes turned into emergency field hospitals with piles of severed limbs outside. Sheldon follows this account by discussing how the National Cemetery at Gettysburg came to be established, and how Abraham Lincoln came to give his immortal speech there in November of 1863; the subsequent history of the battlefield and the borough receive some emphasis as well. Yet what the reader is left with after finishing the book is a sense of how Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, became a hell on earth not only during the battle but for quite some time afterward. If there is anyone out there who still thinks about the American Civil War in romanticized terms, this book should provide a helpful corrective.
March 24, 2021
This is a story about the Battle of Gettysburg from a completely different perspective: that of the townspeople and the ordinary citizens of Gettsyburg, Pennsylvania. Gettysburg was a previously unassuming, small town prior to the Battle which brought them a lot of unwanted attention. The author of this book covers a brief history of the area and the Battle itself, and then spends the majority of the book writing about how the people were left with a giant mess. There were approximately 7,000 dead men that needed burial, and 20,000 men who were left wounded. Additionally there were hundreds of fallen horses and broken military equipment that was abandoned. Most of the Union and Confederate armies left town after the Battle, leaving the townspeople to clean up after them. The author relies quite a bit on journal entries, letters, or other written accounts by townspeople, allowing them to tell the story in their own words. This is really a story of ordinary citizens caught up in extraordinary circumstances of history doing what needed to be done. It is very similar both in structure and style to a completely different story, 138 years later, of the people in Gander, Newfoundland on 09/11/01, which is recorded in the book "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim Defede. If you liked that book, I think you would like this book. This is a really interesting look at life during the Civil War and I quite enjoyed it.
March 10, 2013
See this review on 1776books.net...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2010/07...
I happen to have the good fortune of living about 2 hours from Gettysburg; therefore, a yearly fall trip is always on our calendar. While there, we visit the usual memorials and museums. After reading this almost minute-by-minute account of the 3-day battle where so much blood was shed, I have a much better understanding of the horror that happened there.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg not only focuses on the battle, but also the before and after. The reader is able to create vivid pictures in the mind through diary accounts of Gettysburg residents, surgeons, and nurses. We learn that free African Americans, if captured by the Confederacy, would be marched to the South into a life of slavery. We learn about Tillie Pierce, whose diary accounts are studied thoroughly by historians today. We learn about the new practice of embalming the dead, so that soldiers could be shipped back to their loved ones for proper burial. We learn the minute details of the fascinating 50th and 75th reunions of the blue and the gray.
This book is not for the faint of heart, as the descriptions and especially the photos, are very graphic. However, When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg is not a dry textbook rendition of the battle. Sheldon takes a humanistic approach, which no textbook could ever compete with.
MY RATING - 5
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2010/07...
I happen to have the good fortune of living about 2 hours from Gettysburg; therefore, a yearly fall trip is always on our calendar. While there, we visit the usual memorials and museums. After reading this almost minute-by-minute account of the 3-day battle where so much blood was shed, I have a much better understanding of the horror that happened there.
When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg not only focuses on the battle, but also the before and after. The reader is able to create vivid pictures in the mind through diary accounts of Gettysburg residents, surgeons, and nurses. We learn that free African Americans, if captured by the Confederacy, would be marched to the South into a life of slavery. We learn about Tillie Pierce, whose diary accounts are studied thoroughly by historians today. We learn about the new practice of embalming the dead, so that soldiers could be shipped back to their loved ones for proper burial. We learn the minute details of the fascinating 50th and 75th reunions of the blue and the gray.
This book is not for the faint of heart, as the descriptions and especially the photos, are very graphic. However, When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg is not a dry textbook rendition of the battle. Sheldon takes a humanistic approach, which no textbook could ever compete with.
MY RATING - 5
January 23, 2011
The author, apparently a local historian, seems to be very committed to his subject. He’s done his research and has some great stories to tell. He dispatches with the actual battle in a few short chapters and focuses on local residents, which is fine--I find military history pretty tedious. Unfortunately, he’s just not a very good writer. I blame the editor (if there was one--maybe this is a vanity publication?). Awkwardly constructed sentences, repetition, typos. And even at only 260 pages, it was too long. It seems there were really only a few, obvious problems after the battle. Dealing with the incredible number of wounded and with the dead. Not to discount these--I’m convinced it was a horrible situation. But there are only so many ways to tell those stories without repeating yourself, and that’s what the author does. This would have been a bit better if it were shorter.
July 14, 2017
Very provocative look into how people handled the deadliest battle that took place in a small farming and trade town. So much is said about the battle, but this is about the people of the town, how they helped the soldiers who were left behind, the creation of the cemetery, and how they got on with their lives afterwards (if they were able to).
This is truly the story about the people behind the scenes whose lives were forever changed by those 3 eventful days.
This is truly the story about the people behind the scenes whose lives were forever changed by those 3 eventful days.
May 21, 2012
I chose this book because all of the other books I'd ever read about the Battle of Gettysburg dealt only with the battle itself, not the town or its people. This book cleared up a lot of misconceptions that I had about the aftermath of the battle. It is concise and well written. I would have liked to see more of the background details of the town's inhabitants though.
October 21, 2010
I often wonder what it must have been like for the people left behind after the great battles of the Civil War. George Sheldon's book does an excellent job of putting the reader back in Gettysburg "after the smoke cleared".
November 14, 2008
A side of the battle not often mentioned or studied.
August 20, 2012
As a quick note, I didn't think this was nearly as good as Gregory Coco's book "Strange and Blighted Land".
September 3, 2013
Excellent read about the aftermath at Gettysburg. Research is phenomenal and author George Sheldon keeps the story moving.
June 4, 2014
Very frustrated that this book didn't have a map!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews