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Covered with Glory: The 26th North Carolina Infantry at Gettysburg

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Gragg's book is so much better than most regimental histories that I wonder whether it should even carry this label. It reminds me more of Ambrose's Band of Brothers (101st Airborne in WWII) than a regimental history. Battles are best studied from multiple perspectives, but histories tend to cluster at the two extremes--from the Olympian optic of the Generals at one, to the eyes of individual soldiers at the other. Using the experiences of a single Regimental formation, Gragg not only provides an excellent history of the unit, but occupies the key terrain between these two extremes to shift the reader's attention from an understanding of critical developments in the overall battle to the experiences of these (almost incredibly) committed soldiers. Gragg also captures the great mystery of cataclysms like Gettysburg in which participants, while closely joined in space and time, nevertheless witnesss thousands of separate dramas, acts of herorism and human tragedies. Gragg corrected a number of misconceptions I had about the battle. As one example, I will never again think of the first day as only a bloody meeting engagement, overshadowed by the assaults on the right and in the center on the second and third days. He also religously refers to the famous assault on the third day at the Pickett-Pettigrew Charge--a much more accurate moniker. Be careful about reading the book on a week night, you will find yourself drawing your poor unsuspecting colleagues at work into conversations about Gettysburg and the 26th North Carolina Infantry.

This latest book from Rod Gragg is the best modern regimental history I have read. Written form the perspective of members of the regiment, it offers rich detail and a moving narrative. The photographs bring the text to life. Gragg has written two of my favorite Civil War books, Confederate Goliath (the fight at Fort Fisher, NC) and the Illustrated Confederate Reader (a must read). As a member of the 26th NC (reenactors) I must say that I am even more proud to be a part of the unit. I eagerly look forward to his next book!

The narrow focus of what the 26th is most famous for is wonderful because it allows for many details. For those that don't know, they took atrocious casulaties over a 48 hour period, basically 8 out of 10 men went down. Their action is legendary, lining up against the Union's most famous, Iron Brigade, and also being the unit that could claim the farthest penetration into enemy territory on day 3.

As always, a couple of more maps would have been extremely helpful, but that being said, the ones there are well done.

Day 1 is treated extremely well with intense description of the action, almost minute by minute as far the 26th was concerned. The reading is smooth however, and most won't get lost in the details.

Day 3 has some of the best coverage that I have read because the author expands the focus for the Picket-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge to cover many of the other units involved. Of course, the 26th still gets the lions share of the commentary.

This book isn't for novices, but at the same time, you don't need to be a hardcore student to get it. I think a simple 2 or 3 page synopses of the battle will help so you don't get bogged down with some of the names, but more so you understand the importance of the battle in an overall perspective.

Again, the focus is the 26th at Gettysburg with a very brief prelude and wrap up to their other action. Highly recommended for the ACW afficionada and casual reader.

My only little quibble is with the quality of paper and tiny font for the paperback. Come on publishers, put the better works on better paper so they'll last longer.

goes to Mr Gragg for his excellent book on the 26th NC Regiment. As a long time Union County resident in the "Old North State", I have often times looked at the Confederate Memorial located on the old courthouse lawn in Monroe listing all the various units which volunteered to do battle from this area. Units such as Co B, 15th NC Reg/ Co F, 35th NC Reg/ Co D, 37th NC Reg/ Co B, 43rd NC Reg/ Co A,E,F and I, 48th NC Reg/ Co I, 53rd NC Reg/ Co C, 10th Bat, NC Artillery/ Co F, 2nd Reg, NC Artillery (Jr Reserves) and of course ... Co B, 26th NC Regiment.

Who were these men, what were they like, what battles did they participate in, how many made it home and what were their lives like when they returned. Political Correctness has taken it's toll in the South, demonizing all those who participated in the Confederacy as extremists and traitors to the United States and so ... from the very towns and villages and hamlets where these men came from, little is known or even spoken of concerning these men today. Indeed, more roadside historical markers of the exploits of Gen Sherman exist today in this area than tributes to the men who defended their homeland.

It is true that the cause may have been all wrong ... men fighting for their own liberty and independence while denying the same to an entire race of people is hard to justify. I do suppose that "States Rights" must fit somewhere in the total picture of the war, but I am convinced that slavery was still the main cause of the war ... so in the end, I guess that we are only left with the devotion to duty, the courage and valor with which they performed that duty and the truly horrendous losses they sustained in trying to achieve their ends. But I do not judge men who lived so long ago by the standards of today and slavery was truly a world wide phenomona not so very long ago ... yes, the South held on to it a little longer than other sections of our country ... and it has paid a price for it ever since.

But Mr Gragg has put a face on those men of so long ago for me, one which I can put in my heart ... that of Col Lane ... who spoke at the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. If Mr Gragg would permit me I would love to quote from his book.

"When Lane spoke, the croud hushed. Looking down into the faces of his audience, he saw many who had witnessed the excitment, tragedy and horror of those unforgetable fields of fire. There too were many who could never imagine what he described; they were a new generation for whom those three days were merely history. "I was once a soldier ...", he began, and then spoke at length ... an old man telling a young man's story of smoke and fire and death. He tried to tell them about the shouts and volleys, about brave enemies in Black hats, about dressed lines and fallen color-bearers. He tried to tell them about the courage and confusion, about McCreery and Wilcox and Honeycutt ... and about Colonel Burgwyn, down and dying. He tried to tell them what it was like to look into the face of a twenty-one-year-old when the boyish light in his eyes was fading. He spoke of exhillerating victory and searing losses. "On the third day," he told them, "the remnant with colors flying stepped out, with hearts of oak, to take part in that memorable third day's charge." He gave them brutal numbers and awful statistics of bloody subtraction: 800 young and healthy men with homes and families and futures reduced to so few and then reduced again to nearly nothing.

Always, he came back to his men."Your valor is coming to be regarded as the common heritage of the American nation," he told them. "It no longer belongs to your State alone; it no longer belongs to the South; it is the high-water mark of what Americans have done and can do." He wept. In front of everyone and without apology, the old warrior looked at the tiny, aged remnant of the 26th North Carolina and he wept. "I give you the highest tribute," he told them, " ... a comrade's tears." A blue uniformed band of Pennsylvania veterans then broke into a spirited rendition of "Dixie," and the audience ... Northerners, Southerners, Americans all ... erupted in cheers.

Thank you Mr Gragg for pouring so much of yourself into this book, for in so doing you have given something priceless back to those of us who claim the Southern heritage. I can now look at that memorial in the courthouse lawn and feel a sense of pride for in the end ... the question is not what a man can scorn or disparage or find fault with, but what he can love and value and appreciate.

Regimental histories are often not the most compelling reading. Few authors find a way to balance good historical research with the kind of prose that pull the reader into the story. Rod Gragg has done this with "Covered With Glory". There is plenty of detail for those who want them, but the text flows so well the general reader would hardly notice. But Gragg has done his research as well. For instance, he is the first to make the case for the bloodstains on the regimental colors to be those other than the commander's. He also elegantly deals with the matter of the regiment's contact point with the Federal lines on July 3, an item that has been something of a controversy- whether they went in at base of "The Angle", or whether they made contact with Federals further north on the wall. When you are done, you are left with a feel for the men who made up the 26th North Carolina, and are saddened by their loss. But you are also inspired as well by that same sacrifice. Good Read!

I only read 6 or so books a year, always on the CivilWar and usually about Gettsburg. Rod Gragg is very easy to read, well documented and researched with very poignant photos. I look forward to my yearly July foray to Gettysburg as I retrace the movement of the 26th using "Covered With Glory" to guide me. Marvelous insight of the southern soldiers fighting invasion,defending their beloved state and doing "God's Will".

I'm pretty new to reading about the Civil War, but so far it seems that Regimental History books are my favorite. While other books try to do too much and cover many battles, generals and focus on troop movements, etc., Regimental History books focus on people and individuals.

Covered with Glory was particularly enlightening, as it sheds some light how Confederates felt about the war.

It is a very focused and straight forward read. Don't expect this to be a comprehensive book on the Civil War, but to experience a "little piece" of it, this is a great book.

An outstanding read! The author does not spend a great amount of time dealing with the formation and early days of the regiment. Instead and pleasantly so, he provides the reader with just enough information to get a feel for the regiment and its officers and concentrates on Gettysburg.

Additionally, the book is in simple and plain english allowing the reader to easily navigate troop movements, etc.. I especially enjoyed the "what happened to" part of the book, something which is missing from too many volumes.

Overall an excellent book about one of the ANV's best regiments -BUY IT!!!!!!

Writing a regimental history can be tricky. Their is a delicate mix between combat and camp. How much time do you spend on the raising of and training the regiment? How much personality and internal politics can the book contain? Can the author introduce enough people to build a human face or will we have one story after another? Additionally, the regiment's service needs to be something the reader can understand. An emphasis on one element means another is slighted or the page count grows. When an author finds the right mix, the results are entertaining and informative.
The 26th North Carolina has the distinction of the highest causality rate of any regiment in the Civil War. On the first day at Gettysburg, the regiment suffered badly fighting the Iron Brigade on Herr Ridge. Two days later, they were part of Picket's Charge. They went into the battle one of the larger regiments in the Army of Northern Virginia and came out one of the smallest.
Rod Gragg captures the 26th, drawing a word picture that is both personal and professional. He keeps the events and personalities in perspective placing emphases where needed. This results in an interesting story that never lags. The heart of the book is the battle for Herr Ridge and Picket's Charge. This is some of the best most realistic Civil War combat writing I have read. To say that the author puts the reader on the firing line is an understatement. We have enough knowledge to recognize causalities and understand the personal and professional loss. It is hard to write history that is a page-turner but the author did that.
This is a regimental history. As such, the concentration is at the regimental level with some consideration of Brigade. This is not a history of the battle for Herr Ridge or Picket's Charge but of one regiment's role. This is as it should be we only notice what is happening on the right or left when it affects us.
There is less information from Gettysburg to Appomattox but the writing is excellent capturing the heartbreak and dissolution of an army. "I was once a Soldier" and "Steadfast to the Last" cover the years after the war. These were years of pain, loss and reconciliation as the veterans age and the war's memory is written.

This book has brought even closer than before to the realization that men of the South, especically the 26th North Carolina, sacrificed so much for what they believed in. This book follows this unit from beginning to end, sharing all that they did during the War, but hilighting Gettysburg and the tremendous toll it took on this great unit. I was especially enthralled by the personal side that the author shared, delving into personal history of various members of the unit, especially its Boy Colonel. A great read for those who want to know more about the men and units who made up Lee's great Army.