Customer Reviews

Early Photography at Gettysburg

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The majority of most military histories tend to dwell solely on the combatants and the battles fought, and ignore non-military life as it occurred before and after the event. This masterpiece by Frassanito investigates the battle of Gettysburg, paying attention to the town life of Gettysburg before the battle and after the battle.
Frassanito has made his imprint in military history by focussing on the photographic legacy that has remained. This book examines hundreds of photographs of the battle in minute detail. Included are the photographic studies made famous by Alexander Gardner and Matthew Brady, including the rebel sharpshooter lying dead in Devil's Den. Also included are the rare photographs, such as shots of the afore mentioned sharpshooter lying in the field where he actually died, before Gardner dragged him to the spot where he was immortalized.
But the most important element of the book is the way that Frassanito examines life (by photograph) of the town of Gettysburg before and after the battle. He provides the historian with many invaluable aids, including panoramic shots of the town, and a photo study of the creation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. He introduces the reader to the inhabitants of the town so well you come to almost know them. During a recent visit to the battlefield, I stopped at the Evergreen Cemetery and was surprised at the sense of attachment I had to people who had died almost one hundred years before I was born, especially Peter and Elizabeth Thorn, the keepers of the cemetery Gatehouse, which features prominently throughout the book.
This is truly one of the greatest treasures of Civil War history, and one no historian should be without.

This book presents the whole impact of the Gettysburg battle during our Civil War. Life at Gettysburg and related skirmishes are described beautifully. The text flows smoothly while not compromising historical facts. But the photographs just bowled me over. I have seen numerous Civil War photographs but Frassanito has rendered us a jewel here. Rare and not so rare photographs are described relative to events and places. Many show the locale as it appears in the present day. What a treasured work that obviously took immense effort, knowledge, and a genuine love of history.
If you are into history or even a casual peruser of history get this volume. If you are a Civil War buff then you probably have this book. If you do not. Get it. Excellent work.

One would think with it being so many years after Gettysburg and with so many books written about the battle that there would be little room for anything truly unique on the subject. However unique is a great word to use in describing this book.

This isn't just any Civil War book and William Frassanito isn't your normal Civil War author. He's a trained photo interpreter and the first man to truly take a careful study of the early photographs of the Gettysburg battlefield. The result is an amazing book that changes our perspective of many famous Gettysburg photographs and in some cases finds important new information.

For example, Frassanito in his book shows a photograph never published before of the remains of soldiers being interned in the National Cemetery. The only problem is the graves are in a straight line and the gravemarkers today at the Cemetery are in a curved line meaning the markers likely don't accurately mark the positions of the soldiers. Another photograph in the book is the famous snipers nest photo. Frassanito however shows proof that the soldier was moved to that position and that the picture was staged. He even found the dead soldier in another photograph of dead on the battlefield.

This book is a must have for anyone seriously interested in Gettysburg. It will not so much help you understand the battle as much as help you understand the battlefield.

While most volumes of this genre tend to emphasize
research over readability, Frassanito manages to combine
both to produce this authorative work. A sequel to his
excellent "Gettysburg, A Journey in Time", this book can
be devoured by the casual Civil War buff, as well as
the researcher needing solid reference documentation.
Over 400 pages of seldom seen photographs of the
battlefield at Gettysburg cover everything from the battle
itself to the history of the photos and the photographers.
With a price of $49.95 this Thomas Publication is a must
for any history collection.

Although the majority of this book is about the battle that took place in Gettysburg, as well as its after-effects, I have to mention that there is quite a bit of scholarly information on the town itself. The pictures, and especially the accompanying text for each photo, gives the reader a window-through-time view of the little village shortly before and just after the events of early July 1863 so one can see exactly what those who were there saw. Gives me chills just thinking about it.
I never realized just how well photographically documented this particular battle was until I flipped through the pages of Mr. Frassanito's books. The then and now photos are fantastic, and the maps of each section where the shots were taken was an excellent inclusion.
Having been to Gettysburg twice in the last two years, I made myself a promise that I will not return without this author's two books ('Journey Through Time' is the other I am alluding to) as I find these to be an invaluable resource that, when I do return in '08, will help me to get a better understanding of the lay of the land, so to speak.
Truly a great and complete overview of that horrific battle. A must for Civil War fans.