Customer Reviews

Gettysburg 1863: High tide of the Confederacy (Campaign)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a decent quick and dirty introduction to the battle of Gettysburg. It has some nice visuals (maps of the battlefield from day to day). If one really wants to understand the battle, go to Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, and so on. But for a brief introduction, this is serviceable.

There are some things one might wish to see done differently. There is no map showing the Union forces' "fish hook" position. Given the heavy use of visuals (photos, drawings, maps, etc.), it is surprising that there are not more maps.

There are also some idiosyncratic judgments. At one point, he speaks glowingly of Slocum (whose nickname was "slow come") and Howard as leaders showing "inventiveness and an ability to work with others to achieve a goal. . . ." I am not sure that a huge number of Civil War experts would agree. Howard's performance was adequate, but no more. Slocum was somewhat dilatory getting to the battlefield (although one can understand his caution, moving into the unknown). But compare Reynolds' aggressiveness and spirit before his untimely death with Slocum's performance, and I'm not sure that the latter comes off so well.

Nonetheless, this slim volume has some value. Again, for those wanting a brief introduction to Gettysburg, this is adequate.

Please, do youself a favor and do not waste your money on this book. This is probably the worst book ever written on the battle of Gettysburg. I have read hundreds of volumes on the subject and have never seen anything approching the amount of errors in this work. I feel pretty confident that the author has never been to Gettysburg. The interpretation of the battle is childish. There are multiple errors on the maps, and most of the photographs are just copied out of other Civil War books. Oh! And I think is is obvious that the previous review was written by someone with a personal interest in the book. It may be of interest to note that the Gettysburg National Military Park book store refuses to carry this book on its shelves. Simply put, this book should not have been printed.

Another Carl Smith Osprey effort, though this one isn't quite as bad as his Chancellorsville. The maps by Adam Hook are quite good, but I found it annoying that there wasn't a _single_ overhead view of the battlefield showing the reader the distinctive "fish hook" formation of the Union lines. The problem, though, isn't with the maps, it's with the text.

Like his other Osprey books, Smith's text has a number of factual errors and sloppy editing. Some of the errors are fairly minor, like Captain W. A. Tanner of the Courtney Artillery (Confederate II Corps artillery) being named Turner, but when there are so many of them you start to really wonder about the accuracy of the work. For instance, he suggests that Buford heard about the Confederates marching through Gettysburg on the 26th when he arrived in the town on the 30th. In actuality Buford knew of this _before_ he entered Gettysburg because Union troops went through the town on the 28th.

A previous review mentioned the wounding of Hancock, and how it shows Smith's accuracy and the "bar he set for himself". This is rather ironic as Smith gets the incident wrong. In the book he makes a big deal of a bullet smashing the pommel of Hancock's saddle, sending shrapnel and a nail into his thigh, and bouncing off his belt buckle. The buckle supposedly saved Hancock's life, leaving him with a wound that was "merely painful". I would like to know the source of this (there are no footnotes or end notes), for that's not what happened. According to Earl Hess (_Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg_) and Jeffry Wert (_Gettysburg: Day Three_) the bullet hit the pommel and entered Hancock's leg. A nail was removed from his leg, but the bullet remained until August when it was finally pulled out. The bullet broke part of his hip, and he spent most of the rest of his service in the war riding in an ambulance. As for the "smashed" pommel, that is not mentioned in the other books. In fact Hess brings in evidence to suggest that the nail did not come from the pommel but might have been in the musket when it was fired! In any case, Smith appears to have made up the part about the belt buckle.

There are plenty of books about Gettysburg, but admittedly the Osprey book fills an important niche: a short overall volume on the battle. The many errors, however, perpetuate inaccuracies in the minds of those who use this as their only reference to the battle. I'd give it 1.5 stars due to its length and the maps but 2 stars is too generous. Osprey has a reputation for poorly edited books. While most of their books are much better than this one, for some reason their Campaign series -- particularly the American Civil War campaign books -- are notably poor. I _can_ recommend Osprey's 6 volume Order of Battle series for Gettysburg, though the format is not much use for newcomers to the battle. If you want a single short book on the battle buy the guide they sell at the battlefield instead.

If you want a clear and concise book about the battle of Gettysburg... BUY THE BOOK, I have been to the battlefield and this book really puts everything into prespective. I like the photos and the maps. I especially like the original art work and the detailed order of battle. If you want boring, go to the museum at the battlefield. If you want information that anyone can use. BUY THE BOOK.

This book, while graphically and aesthetically pleasing, is not all that it could be. It has the general idea of the battle, but there are numerous historical as well as grammatical errors throughout. the maps are okay, and can be a little confusing. Overall, I would only reccommend this book for a beginner history reader, so they can get a feel for this momentous battle.

Carl Smith always does a nice job in researching his material. I have studied the battle of Gettysburg in-depth. This would not be a good book for a beginning researcher, but a good companion for a trip to Gettysburg. Overall, the book gave great detail. Only a few minor things were left out. This is one of the better books currently on the market for study of the Battle of Gettysburg. I do recommend it.

This book is a typical Osprey product. Is exhaustive in his data and very well documented. Of course, it is not a novel, so you are not going to find "The killer angels", but is well written and clear. In my opinion the most remarkable is that this work is full of portraits of the men that fought this battle in both sides. All the major events, Bufford's retarding action, Little Round Top fight and, of course, Pickett's charge, are described in detail and with its own maps. In addittion some other minor engagements are covered too, as the action at Culp's Hill in the second day and the cavalry battle in the third day.

The plates from Adam Hook describing the events of the battle are very well detailed, although to my view, they are a little "static". Graphics and maps are excellent and usually clear in its explanations of the timeline of the action. There is one thing to improve, the chronological descriptions of the panoramic views should be ordered in a different way. The reader must "search and jump" from one explanation to other as their location in the view does not correspond with its chronology.

To my belief, the major drawback of this book is the complete absence of a general view of the battlefield. I know that anyone that have read about this battle knows the famous "fishhook shape" of the Union defense. But Pickett's charge is most famous and the action is described in a panoramic view. If you don't have a photographic memory, you should consult a general view map from another book in order to understand some of the movements, fights and problems faced by the comanders during those three days of battle.

To cut a long history. A "must" if you like American Civil War History.

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This is a great book to read either before or right after a visit to the Gettysburg park. It really helps tie these events together. The publisher strays from its normal format and adds an additional 20+ pages. This is a great bonus and they should think about doing that for some of more complex battles they write on (such as Waterloo and Leipzig).

The text provides very good biographical information on the various commanders, giving the reader insight into their personalities and leadership styles. The only complaint I have is that the maps don't give the reader a clear indication of the famous 'fishhook' shape of the Union defenses, but that is readily available with other resources.

I've read many of the Campaign Series books and this is one of the best!

This book, while graphically and aesthetically pleasing, is not all that it could be. It has the general idea of the battle, but there are numerous historical as well as grammatical errors throughout. the maps are okay, and can be a little confusing. Overall, I would only reccommend this book for a beginner history reader, so they can get a feel for this momentous battle.

I wanted to like this book, if for no other reason than it is compact and could have been a nice, easy to use overview of the Battle of Gettysburg. As we prepare to visit that battlefield once again, I thought it might come in handy. I own several Osprey titles, and generally find them useful.

Unfortunately, nobody seems to have edited this volume - I lost track of questionable "facts" (I started to circle them in pencil, and gave up) and the writing is, at times, too casual and even clunky. In a few cases, this lack of editorial oversight applies to the illustrations and maps. The painting of Buford's cavalry shows all the troopers with yellow stripes on their trousers (should only be N.C.O.'s). Looking at a map for the second day's fight, I knew I was in trouble when I noticed the infamous Peach Orchard was placed on the wrong side of the Emmitsburg road. In another case, the time listed for an event shown on the map is off by several hours. Ouch.

As an illustrator and historian, I personally understand how one can make the occasional mistake. This is why I always try to have experts check my work before it goes to print, and even then, accidents may happen. It pains me to write this, but in this case, there are simply too many small mistakes in this volume to rely upon it with any degree of confidence.