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The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership

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A slim but useful collection of four essays by noted scholars.

I found Nolan's article on Lee's leadership particularly useful in its examination of the cavalry's role and of Lee's actions in general, although I'm not as convinced as Nolan that going into Pennsylvania in the first place was a bad idea. Krick's analysis of the appalling incompetence of two Confederate brigadiers is both horrifying and hilarious -- his vivid writing creates clear images of egregious individuals who sound like characters in a movie, except that unfortunately they were real.

I felt that all of the essays contained strong scholarship that supported its arguments with evidence from primary sources such as the OR, diaries, official communications and personal letters, treating memoirs with caution while not avoiding them absolutely. This is what one would expect in a book of this kind and to my observation it was not lacking here. Nolan's analysis of Lee's orders to Stuart, in which he categorically lists four ways in which the text of these orders offered insufficient direction, is one example of the clear and incisive work to be found here.

A little limited in its contents -- based on the publication date I wonder if this was one of Gallagher's first collections -- but definitely a useful text.

The Battle of Gettysburg, (July 1 --July 3, 1863) is widely regarded as the pivotal battle of the Civil War and as one of the defining moment of our country's history. The battle ended Robert E. Lee's second invasion of Union soil and put the Confederacy in a defensive posture from which it never recovered.

"The First Day at Gettysburg" is the first of three collections of essays edited by Professor Gary Gallagher devoted to the three days of the battle. It consists of four detailed and lengthy studies examining critical leadership decisions on both sides of the line. On the first day of the Battle, portions of the Union and Confederate armies collided north and west of Gettysburg. The fighting continued for most of the day. At the close of the day Union troops from the First and Eleventh Corps were pushed back through Gettysburg onto the heights of Cemetery and Culp's Hill northeast of Gettysburg. The Confederate command did not attempt, at the close of the first day, to take these heights, a decision that will be forever debated. Thus, ironically, the Confederate Army won a victory on day 1 at the cost of pushing the Union Army to an overwhelmingly strong position. This is the stuff of the discussion of the events of July 1.

Thie first essay in this volume "R.E. Lee and July 1 at Gettysburg" is by Alan T. Nolan. Most of Nolan's work is critical of Robert E. Lee, and this essay is no exception. The essay argues that Lee erred fundamentally, after the Battle of Chancellorsville, by invading the North at all. Thus, for Nolan, there should have been no Battle of Gettysburg. He argues that any likely benefits of the invasion were not worth the risk to the Army of Northern Virginia and to the loss of manpower. Nolan also criticizes General Lee's role in allowing "Jeb" Stuart to ride around the Union Army and for failing to exert sufficient control over his Corps commanders, particularly General A.P. Hill on July 1.

The second essay "Confederate Corps Leadership on the First Day of Gettysburg: A.P. Hill and Richard S. Ewell in a Difficult Debut" is by Professor Gallagher himself. This is a good follow-up essay to Nolan's study. As Gallagher emphasizes, Generals Hill and Ewell were new to Corps command. They received this responsiblity following Lee's reorganization of the Army after the death of Stonewall Jackson. Both Hill and Ewell have been criticized for their conduct on the first day. Hill has been criticized for rashly bringing on the Battle and for failing to follow-through at the conclusion of day 1. Ewell has been criticized for his failure to attempt to take the heights -- Cemetery and Culp's Hills -- following the defeat of the Union Army. Gallagher offers a balanced account of the actions of the two Confederate Corps commanders during the first day together with an account of the command decisions of General Lee. He argues that both Hill and Ewell performed adequately, but not with any special distinction, and that responsiblity for Confederate military decisions on July 1 ultimately rested with Lee as the commanding general.

A. Wilson Greene's essay "From Chancellorsville to Cemetery Hill: O.O. Howard and Eleventh Corps Leadership" is the only essay in this volume that focuses on leadership. The Union 11th Corps and its commander, General Oliver Howard, have been much criticized for their role on July 1. As does Gallagher's essay on Hill and Ewell, Greene's essay attempts to rehabilitate the 11th Corps, its commanders, and General Howard. Greene offers an account of the disaster that befell the 11th Corps at Chancellorsville and emphasizes how that Corps was determined to redeem itself at Gettysburg. He argues that the Corps fought bravely on July 1 and was instrumental in the Union goal of delaying the Confederate attack to allow the concentration of the Union Army and the occupation of the heights. Although he is critical of certain decisions that General Howard made in placing the Eleventh Corps, and the First Corps as well, Greene argues that Howard's approach to the action on July 1 was sound and saved the day for the Federals. He also credits, as did Congress, General Howard with earmarking Cemetery and Culp's Hills for the anchor of the Union position.

The final essay in this volume "Three Confederate Disasters on Oak Ridge; Failures of Brigade Leadership on the First Day of Gettysburg" by Robert S. Krick, offers a more straightforward description of events on the Battlefield than do the three companion essays. Krick explains how and why three Confederate brigades came to grief on July 1 amidst the Confederate victory. He also explains the consequences of these failures on the subsequent course of the Battle. Only two of the three disasters Krick discusses occured on Oak Hill. The first disaster, involving the Brigade of Confederate General Joseph Davis occured in the fabled railroad cut at Gettysburg in the morning fighting. Krick does a good job in explaining what happened, the consequences, and how the loss could have been averted. The two disasters on Oak Hill during the afternoon of July 1 involved the brigades of Colonel Edward O'Neal and General Alfred Iverson under the command of Major General Rodes of Ewell's Corps. Iverson's and O'Neal's attacks constituted two of the poorest led actions of any during the Civil War resulting in needless loss of life. The result was that Rodes took Oak Hill, the linchpin of Confederate success on July 1, but at an exorbitant cost in casualties that would haunt the Southern Army for the remainder of the Battle of Gettysburg.

This book does an outstanding job in setting forth many of the controversies surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg. The essays will give the reader a good idea of the fascination this struggle continues to exert. The book will be of most interest to those students who already have a good basic understanding of the events of the Battle.

Instead of overstated positioning and endless biography, Civil War Historian Gary Gallagher and other noted historians have come together to offer their views on various leadership tactics involved during the first day of battle. Alan Nolan covers Confederate strategy and Lee's leadership role in the Pennsylvania campaign how certain maneuvers lead to dire consequences. Gary Gallagher offers his thoughts in the role of A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell and questions their leadership during the fighting. Could they have been more involved? Did they listen to Lee's orders? Was Ewell fairly treated in his reasons for not advancing further on the late afternoon of the 1st? Gallagher opens and answers these questions while prompting new insight.

Wilson Green explores Union tactics and leadership involving Howard and the 11th Corp operations. Did Howard coordinate and properly lead this Corp at Gettysburg? Could disaster been avoided? Robert Krick brings to life the failure of Heth's approach in bringing in his weakest brigade, Iverson and Oneal's poor executions leading to disastrous failures along Oak Ridge.

Finally, this book isn't for those just looking to understand the 1st Day, it is for those who have a higher knowledge of the the battle and are looking for answers in regards the above mentioned. Does it get in to all of the issues of the 1st Day? No. It does exactly what the cover says, it explores leadership on popular issues.

A good look at the leadership during the first chaotic day at the battle of Gettysburg. Robert Krick's "Three Confederate Disasters on Oak Ridge" was my favorite reading of the four. I do wish there was a reading on Doubleday and his command after Reynolds was killed. I would recommend this to anyone with a knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg who would like four new looks at General leadership.

Edited by Gary W. Gallagher, The First Day at Gettysburg offers several fresh looks at leadership from both Union and Confederate perspectives. As an essay book, it quite naturally should cover topics that are controversial, yet the essays in this book seem to dance around the issues and not really make a firm statement. With the exception of A. Wilson Greene, the authors of these essays do not take a clear position and provide evidence to support that position. The first two essays by Alan Nolan and Gallagher ruminate on the Confederate high command's leadership on July 1st. Nolan attempts to show that Lee did not give enough direction to the Confederate movements on that day, and that this is what led to heavy casualties and incomplete victory. Nolan gives a very good, succinct account of Lee's reasons for invasion, and the decisions that led to a battle on July 1, 1863. However, he fails to prove that Lee did not provide leadership, and actually spends most of his writing discussing A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell. From his writing, it appears that Nolan does not fully believe what he is trying to prove, but is instead writing according to his reputation as a Lee detractor. Gallagher falls into a similar trap in discussing the leadership of Hill and Ewell. While he is more on topic, he spends an inordinate amount of time discussing Lee-something that Nolan should have done. His conclusions are not definite, and he does not offer any view of the two generals that has not already been discussed at length. Robert Krick's essay seems out of place in this book. He concentrates on three incidents of poor brigade leadership in the Confederate army. While interesting to read, he does not show how these failures altered the outcome of the first day. Also, his obsession with Jackson is very clear and detracts from the point of the essay. It seems that the three essayists on Confederate leadership keep coming back to the Jackson question, but it is most out of place in Krick's writing. It is fun to ask what if, however it does not deserve a place in a supposedly analytical book. Only Greene seems to accomplish his goal in his essay. He methodically shows that the reputation of the Eleventh Corps and its much-maligned commander was misplaced. This is the sort of writing that is to be expected in such a book-fresh, insightful, and informative, not merely a recitation of facts that many people already are aware of. Though an excellent look at what happened on July 1, 1863, just west of Gettysburg, The First Day at Gettysburg, does not answer the why questions nor provide any new perspectives on the action that occurred. In this way, the book fails to accomplish its purpose.