Gettysburg Companion: A Guide to the Most Famous Battle of the Civil War

by Mark Adkin

- Unlike any Gettysburg book now available with comprehensive, blow-by-blow account of the celebrated Civil War battle - Lavishly illustrated with color maps, diagrams, charts, drawings, paintings, and period photos along with modern-day photos that are overlaid with markings to show troop movements - Covers uniforms, equipment, and weaponry as well as orders of battle and tactics There have been many books about Gettysburg, but never one to rival this in scale or authority. Based on extensive research, The Gettysburg Companion describes the battle in detail, drawing on firsthand accounts of participants on all sides in order to give the reader a vivid sense of what it was like to experience the carnage at Gettysburg in early July 1863. The many full-color maps--all specially commissioned for the book--and the numerous photographs, charts, and diagrams make this book a feast for the eyes and a collector's dream.

Genres: Military History, History, Civil War, American Civil War, Civil War Eastern Theater, Military Fiction

544 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2008

About the author

Mark Adkin became a professional soldier in 1956. After leaving the British Army he was one of the last British District officers (in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) and as the Caribbean Operations Staff Officer he participated in the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. He has written several books on military subjects, including Urgent Fury, Goose Green, Prisoner of the Turnip Heads and The Charge.

Reviews

[Gregg Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the finest and most comprehensive resource on the battle I've found. Like Mark Adkin's other two "Companions" on Waterloo and Trafalgar, the reader will find Gettysburg details, data, maps, and descriptions of every type in this work. A treasure to enjoy cover to cover, or to dip into at random. As someone who grew up near Gettysburg, has visited the Battlefield many times, and continues to study its lessons, I recommend this fine resource highly.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good as a mid-level introduction to the Gettysburg Campaign (a step above The Gettysburg Campaign by Albert Nofi). While this book has a lot of information about the campaign and battle, those readers (like me) who have read extensively about the battle before are unlikely to learn anything new. An exception for me is that on July 2nd, Lee expected to find the Union line along the Emmitsburg Road rather than Cemetery Ridge, which is why he ordered Longstreet's corps to attack along, and perpendicular to, the road.

For sections two through six, on the individual combat arms, plus command and control, these parts mostly could apply to any Civil War battle, not just Gettysburg (although I still found them interesting). The orders of battle section has some good and interesting information on each division but not on the individual artillery battalions/brigades.

[Ian Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most detailed historical books I have ever read. The amount of information is overwhelming and anyone who wants facts and figures about this single battle need go no further. It is an excellent go-to book and should be kept close to your work station.

A beautiful volume loaded with vibrant drawings of uniforms and equipment combined with modern photos of the battle site with notes on positions and movements. Just fun to thumb through for the mildly interested or for study by the serious student of the Battle of Gettysburg and always the first to be picked up from the coffee table. I love my copy and congratulate Mark Adkin for the vast amount of research and work that went into this book.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great illustrated book about the battle of Gettysburg. This has it all! I love all the updated pictures of the battlefield today and the drawings of where each regiment was.

[John Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite reference books on Gettysburg.