Customer Reviews

Gettysburg--The First Day (Civil War America)

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Harry Pfanz, a former historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired Chief Historian of the National Park Service, is well known in American Civil War literary circles for his excellent work on Gettysburg - The Second Day and its companion volume, Gettysburg - Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Both are definitive works featuring new interpretations and fresh looks on both known and more obscure facets of the famous battle.

Now Pfanz has written Gettysburg - The First Day, which continues his excellent research and writing to cover the marches to Gettysburg leading to that fateful first day. Pfanz details the personalities behind the first day's fighting, down to the brigade level (and occasionally the regimental level). He handles the day's fighting in somewhat chronological order (see below), and as major units arrive he details their command and personality individually and succinctly. Controversial and contradictory events or decisions -- such as who fired the first shot of the battle, the Union XI Corps' rout, the battles at the railroad cut, the work of the Union cavalry at the beginning of the day, and Ewell's lack of attack at the end of the day -- are covered (as well as many others) on a factual and well-thought basis. I couldn't find myself arguing with any of the points he brought up to any great extent, and there doesn't appear to be any kind of side bias.

One of Pfanz's great strengths is his ability to recreate the terrain of the battlefield in various ways and the deployments therein, giving the reader a visual capacity to understand the peculiarities, vulnerabilities, and practicalities of various positions over others -- the advantage of I Corps's position on the afternoon of July 1 over that of XI Corps, for instance. When Pfanz describes Schurz's anxiousness at the beginning of Chapter 19, you can feel it.

The other great ability of Pfanz is to describe the fighting in such a way that the reader can identify with it - typically by a mixture of describing how the regiments and sometimes even companies were moved and deployed, mixed with a description of that particular event and how the survivors on either side recalled it. With literally hundreds of tons of writings about the battle from its survivors, there is a lot of good material to choose from, and Pfanz has chosen wisely. Of course, it seems like every little action or scrap was the "hottest" the speaker had ever been in, but that is understandable given the circumstances.

What the reader doesn't get is a great sense of is the serious of movements that led to Gettysburg. While Pfanz describes them somewhat, it can still be hard to visualize, and the maps provided that lead up to July 1 are not particularly helpful. On the other hand, the tactical maps that help describe the action (and have textual footnotes) are completely wonderful and accompany the text very well. Pfanz also doesn't seem to dwell on the events that led up to Gettysburg or the political machinations (aside from Meade replacing Hooker) that took place before the battle, which is thankful.

Another thing the reader may find annoying is that while the battle unfolds in a chronological fashion (as it should), it is not entirely in order. For instance, the multiple attacks by Daniel's brigade near the railroad cut and the huge flanking attack by Early on the XI Corps right is fully featured before cutting back to Heth's attack against the I Corps, though the latter is mentioned during the former. It's not that big of a problem, but to those not initially educated about the battle it can be a little disconcerting because the reader may quite honestly have no idea what was going on at the other flank.

Despite a few quibbles Gettysburg - The First Day is a wonderfully researched (with a meticulously detailed end notes section), complete with first-rate tactical maps, an order of battle (shortened for the units that fought on the first day only), and some interesting appendices of related or side stories. Gettysburg - The First Day is another great work by this well-respected author and I recommend it.

I had the greatest pleasure in spending the first week of my retirement reading this account of the first day's struggle at Gettysburg and it's outlying areas. Pfanz continues as absolutely one of the greatest Civil War historians writing today.
So much has been written about the struggle for Little Round Top, Chamberlain's exploits, Pickett's Charge, and all of the other events which followed the first day's events, however, this book is an essential read for those who really want to examine how day two and three evolved. It is certainly understandable why the average reader would be drawn to the flashier confrontations which followed, however after day one it became clearer and clearer that the Confederate states could not conceivably win this battle.
The beauty of this account is that it is studded with maps which is a definite plus to anyone not particularly familiar with the outlying geography of the battle. And the dominant sites such as McPherson's Woods, the Railroad Cuts, Oak Ridge, the various farms all become focus points for the reader to see how the battle surged back and forth. Pfanz also details the battle unit by unit and interlaces his narrative with wonderful inserts of recollections by the participants.
The first day of the battle will also introduce the casual reader to soldiers both north and south who are not the usual suspects in Civil War accounts. People like Buford emerge as heroes and corps commanders play lesser roles. The effect of combat on civilians is also greatly documented and gives a real picture of the total impact of war in the 19th century.
This is not a work for the casual reader who would just want to pick up a book on Civil War history. However, for those who have a humble introduction it is very approachable and for those who have done additional reading it is a valuable resource.
Thanks for writing this one Mr. Pfanz.

Whenever a Civil War study receives the kudos of Gary Gallagher and the redoutable Ed Bearss a lover of history should take notice!
In this excellent book Pfanz describes in great details the fighting in the Oak Hil, McPherson Ridge area northwest of Gettysburg the fighting of the first day of the battle on July 1st.
Pfanz has included an impressive bibliography and the work contains many maps. He gives thumbsketch portraits of the commanders and common soldiers who took part in this opening round of the three day bloofest that makes Gettysburg the most famous battle of the Civil War.
This book is not for beginners since it is detailed and the battle actions are complex in his descriptions.
The book is well illustrated but more maps are needed to clarify the description of the actions.
The author knows the battle perhaps as well or better than anyone else writing history. This book is well recommended!

I awaited the arrival of Pfanz's The First Day with great anticipation - having read his treatment of the second day and used it as the standard for walking the southern end of the battlefield and understanding the events of 2 July 1863. This work lives up to the great expectations generated by Pfanz's earlier work. It is - without a doubt - the standard treatment of how much can be known about who was where when and in what force, who said what when, on 1 July, 1863 where the roads meet at Gettysburg. If there is a quibble - and for a work of this value, it's a small one - it is that Pfanz does not offer up an opinion on the controversies surrounding the first day. He obviously has a great store of knowledge, and he understands the arguments that still run hot - whether Ewell could have or should have taken Cemetery Hill (or more likely Culp's Hill) at the end of the day, for example - but he doesn't offer up his judgement. He does his best to prove or deny claims or events leading up to critical decisions - but does not go on to render his own decision. He leaves it to the reader to judge - which is perhaps, after all, the best approach. One real complaint - there are numerous obvious typos that the editors of the North Carolina press should have corrected (mostly in the unit annotations to the maps). Difficult to understand that sort of lapse in what is a recognized academic work.

I've been to Gettysburg several times and concentrated on the famous sites: Little Round Top, Cemetary Hill, etc. My knowledge of the battle's first day was largely limited to overviews in Ken Burns' Civil War and the Gettysburg movie. I wanted that to change.

I picked this book up at the Gettysburg visitors' center on my way through town to somplace else and returned several days later to walk the sites of the first day's battle. I hadn't read too much of the book when I explored the actual battlefield, but already I was looking for spots on McPherson Ridge and Herr Ridge that I had read about. As I read the book over the following week, I was able to visualize what Pfanz was describing very clearly. I could see in my head the chaos of battle north of town and the withdrawal from Seminary Ridge. I wish I had been able to read the book while sitting on the battlefield itself - would have been splendid!

That brings me to my only complaint. If you're *not* familiar with the sites of the first day's battle, you might find it hard to follow some of what's going on. Pfanz is a good descriptive writer, but the fighting was so confused at times that it would require a top-notch dramatist to make it flow into any sort of narrative. Not to say that a history has to have a narrative, but Pfanz does tend to focus exclusively on one section of the battle before backing up to deal with another section that was happening at the same time.

But that's a minor quibble. I found this book to be quite informative and I now feel like I know more about the first day of the battle of Gettysburg than the two other days combined...

Harry Pfanz, a former historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired Chief Historian of the National Park Service, is well known in American Civil War literary circles for his excellent work on Gettysburg - The Second Day and its companion volume, Gettysburg - Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Both are definitive works featuring new interpretations and fresh looks on both known and more obscure facets of the famous battle.

Now Pfanz has written Gettysburg - The First Day, which continues his excellent research and writing to cover the marches to Gettysburg leading to that fateful first day. Pfanz details the personalities behind the first day's fighting, down to the brigade level (and occasionally the regimental level). He handles the day's fighting in somewhat chronological order (see below), and as major units arrive he details their command and personality individually and succinctly. Controversial and contradictory events or decisions -- such as who fired the first shot of the battle, the Union XI Corps' rout, the battles at the railroad cut, the work of the Union cavalry at the beginning of the day, and Ewell's lack of attack at the end of the day -- are covered (as well as many others) on a factual and well-thought basis. I couldn't find myself arguing with any of the points he brought up to any great extent, and there doesn't appear to be any kind of side bias.

One of Pfanz's great strengths is his ability to recreate the terrain of the battlefield in various ways and the deployments therein, giving the reader a visual capacity to understand the peculiarities, vulnerabilities, and practicalities of various positions over others -- the advantage of I Corps's position on the afternoon of July 1 over that of XI Corps, for instance. When Pfanz describes Schurz's anxiousness at the beginning of Chapter 19, you can feel it.

The other great ability of Pfanz is to describe the fighting in such a way that the reader can identify with it - typically by a mixture of describing how the regiments and sometimes even companies were moved and deployed, mixed with a description of that particular event and how the survivors on either side recalled it. With literally hundreds of tons of writings about the battle from its survivors, there is a lot of good material to choose from, and Pfanz has chosen wisely. Of course, it seems like every little action or scrap was the "hottest" the speaker had ever been in, but that is understandable given the circumstances.

What the reader doesn't get is a great sense of is the serious of movements that led to Gettysburg. While Pfanz describes them somewhat, it can still be hard to visualize, and the maps provided that lead up to July 1 are not particularly helpful. On the other hand, the tactical maps that help describe the action (and have textual footnotes) are completely wonderful and accompany the text very well. Pfanz also doesn't seem to dwell on the events that led up to Gettysburg or the political machinations (aside from Meade replacing Hooker) that took place before the battle, which is thankful.

Another thing the reader may find annoying is that while the battle unfolds in a chronological fashion (as it should), it is not entirely in order. For instance, the multiple attacks by Daniel's brigade near the railroad cut and the huge flanking attack by Early on the XI Corps right is fully featured before cutting back to Heth's attack against the I Corps, though the latter is mentioned during the former. It's not that big of a problem, but to those not initially educated about the battle it can be a little disconcerting because the reader may quite honestly have no idea what was going on at the other flank.

Despite a few quibbles Gettysburg - The First Day is a wonderfully researched (with a meticulously detailed end notes section), complete with first-rate tactical maps, an order of battle (shortened for the units that fought on the first day only), and some interesting appendices of related or side stories. Gettysburg - The First Day is another great work by this well-respected author and I recommend it.

Normally I would have given Pfanz's First Day a hearty 5 stars. His knowledge of GB is astounding. However, I believe, after reading Pfanz and then Martin's July 1st book back to back, that Martin comes up on top.

Sometimes, two books on the same subject work very well together as far as offering different view points, style, etc. But in this case, I found Martin's book a better, more thorough, more analytical, and more detailed recounting of the battle of day 1. I am sure that I will re-read Martin many times, but I don't think I ever need to reread Pfanz's First Day because Martin covers it better.

Again, there is nothing wrong with Pfanz's book and it is a great read. However, the only advantage over Martin's is that Pfanz's is about a couple hundred pages shorter. Therefore it's a quicker read and a little more concentrated with info. Martin has a lot of "as previously noted" type comments.

In short, I like to have a big Civil War library, so I bought both books, but if you're looking to save money, you can get away with just Martin. Either book is for the more experienced student of Gettysburg, so don't start your general interest here or you'll be lost in the details. I'd recommend Trudeau as a good overall campaign start, then go to the micro studies of particular days or actions (i.e. Little Round Top, Wheatfield, Culps Hill, etc.)

Also, there's a couple of minor errors on one or two of the first maps which kind of turned me off. I love the summary of actions at the bottom of the maps, but why no state designation for the units (i.e. 26th North Carolina is noted simply as 26)

Mr. Pfanz has contributed an unprecedented work of importance on the battle of Gettysburg. I couldn't claim to have read everything of worth on this pivitol, but I have read many. This one is the best.
Almost minute by minute coverage of the battle with detailed troop movements, the reader is transported back to July 1, 1863. Fair treatment is given to both Confederate and Union participants, not always common among some modern authors. Major characters are developed with enough detail to make them interesting, but not so much that the book threatens to become a biography of actors and not a story about the battle itself. I especially like the inclusion of residents of Gettysburg into the coverage. This group is too often ignored.
I think anyone with even a mild interest in this battle would agree that reading this book is not a waste of time. I can't wait to read Gettysburg the Second Day originally published in 1987 but missed by me.

Harry Pfanz has done it again with this fascinating book about the underappreciated first day at Gettysburg. As with his other books on the battle, the focus is on unit action at the brigade and regimental levels, liberally interspersed with interesting anecdotes about the actions and experiences of individual soldiers. As has been said by others, Pfanz seems to have learned everything that it is possible to know about the battle, and it shows in this book. The level of detail is, at times, staggering, but the writing style is so fluid that the reader is carried along nicely.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book, though, concern decision making at the division and corps levels. For instance, Pfanz takes Barlow to task for advancing his division to the knoll that now bears his name, arguing that its original position at the outskirts of the town was preferable. Pfanz also takes pains to describe Ewell's decision not to attempt an assault of Cemetary Hill on the evening of July 1; given all of the factors to consider, Ewell's decision comes across as quite reasonable if perhaps somewhat lacking in aggressiveness. Unfortunately, Pfanz does not give the same attention to Lee's refusual to support such an attack with available troops from Hill's corps.

The book is not without its flaws. In addition to some occasional editing slips, like his other books this one could use more maps. There are fairly frequent references to geographical features that do not appear on any of the maps in the book. The most serious students of the battle will want to read this book with additional maps at hand.

Overall, though, this is a superb work. If your interest in the battle goes beyond the surface, then you will be well repaid for reading this book.

Pfanz is probably the premier choice when it comes to authors who cover the battle from start to finish. As I suspected from reading his Day #2 book first, this book was just as enlightening. Pfanz careful honest attention to details, timelines, people and strategies are presented well. I liked his attention in how he brings in a key person to a battle situation and not only do we get the fine details, but we also get a biography of that indvidual that helps build the story. Pfanz doesn't miss any action from the build up of the Day #1 conflict and result. Details about Confederate movement into town and the Federal defense such as the fight at Oak Ridge was very interesting. Each regimental movement is carefully written about and covered. To add more punch, maps are a bonus in the chapters that I found helpful to designate certain positions and movements. I had questions in regard to Iverson's movements in the morning of the 1st which Pfanz covers since he doesn't miss any of the action. Pfanz easily pieces the battle together as a lot of the action took place at the same time throughout the field. Another helpful tool is the fact that Pfanz talks about the 1st and 11th Corps of the Union and brings them to the field as if they were coming up. He starts out writing about their earlier positions south of Gettysburg and the timeline is covered perfectly. Pfanz also covers the Confederate beginnings of the 1st Day as well. Pfanz's stucture in presenting the many personalities that were involved in the conflict is outstanding! To get a great feel and total coverage for the 1st Day this is the must have book!