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Gettysburg

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The Civil War, particularly the Battle of Gettysburg, retains its hold on the imagination of Americans. We seek to understand our country by studying the events of these terrible but formative years. The Civil War did indeed lead to a "new birth of freedom" in the United States. We still struggle to understand and to develop the implications of this "new birth".

Stephen Sears is a distinguished military historian of the Civil War who has written in this book an outstanding account of the pivotal battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863). This battle ended the Confederacy's second invasion of the Union (the first invasion ended with the Battle of Antietam in September, 1862). Coupled with the Confederacy's surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4, 1863, Gettysburg ended the South's ability to wage an offensive war and probaby ended as well its chance of winning the war.

Sears gives a full account of the battle and of the events leading to Lee's second invasion of the North, beginning with Lee's victory over the Union Army at Chancellorsville in May, 1863. Sears explains well how the invasion was linked to the impending Confederate loss at Vicksburg. General Lee put forward the invasion to Jefferson Davis as a calculated gamble and a means to counteract this loss.

The book offers detailed pictures of the march into Pennsylvania of the preludes to the Battle of Gettysburg, of the battle itself, and of Lee's subsequent retreat into Virginia. There are excellent pictures of each of the three days of the battle, beginning with the two great armies stumbling on each other on day one, continuing with the ferocity of the Southern charge on the Union left (Little Round Top) on day two, and concluding climactically with General George Pickett's doomed charge at the center of the Union line on day three. I found the story of Pickett's charge dramiatically and poignantly told. The book describes Lee's retreat and Meade's pursuit into Virginia following the battle. Sears, in general, exonerates Meade from the charge that he failed to pursue Lee adequately following the battle, to destroy Lee's army, and to bring the War to an end.

At least as important as the factual development of the events of the campaign, Sears gives the reader an analysis of why events developed as they did. In particular, Sears views the battle as a result of Southern overconfidence and arrogance -- hubris -- resulting from the many victories attained by the Army of Northern Virginia in the early years of the War. General Lee felt contempt for the fighting spirit of the Union Army and for its leaders which led him to underestimate the spirit of the Federals, especially when they were called upon to defend their own land.

Sears also points out many failures in the Confederate High Command during the invasion. The primary failure, I believe, involved Lee and his cavalry commander Jeb Stuart. Stuart left the invading army at a critical time and as a result Lee was deprived of knowledge of the whereabouts of the Union Army, its size, and of the terrain at Gettysburg. The Union enjoyed an overwhelming field position during the second and third days of Gettysburg.

There is a great deal made in Sears's' book of Lee's relationships with his other generals, particularly General James Longstreet. Longstreet objected vigorously to Lee's plans of battle on the second and third days, even while carrying out faithfully and aggressively his duties as a subordinate officer when the decisions had been made.

Sears contrasts the Southern command with that of the Union commander, George Meade, who had assumed command only four days before the battle. Meade was cautious and thorough. He assumed personal command of the Union operations at Gettysburg (unlike Lee who delegated heavily), consulted with and listened to his subordinates, and performed both brilliantly and stolidly at the time of the Union's great need.

The writing style of this book is outstanding. It flows inexorably from one chapter to the next and from event to event. The reader can follow the story, from the complexities of the troop movements, to Sears's discussions and reflections on his story. It is a style suited to a prose epic, and it kept me riveted throughout.

This is an excellent treatment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

There are two Civil War writers who concentrate on the Eastern Theater of the war, and are prominent enough to garner attention outside their field. One is Stephen W. Sears, the other is Noah Andre Trudeau. Sears has concentrated on the first half of the war, mostly writing about the campaigns of George McClellan, while Trudeau has worked in the last half of the war, making a name for himself as the best-known chronicler of Grant's Overland Campaign in 1864. Last year, Trudeau presented us with Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, a long and very good account of the battle and its consequences. It seems these two historians have met in the middle of the war, because we are now presented with Stephen W. Sears' simply titled Gettysburg.

Sears is a different writer than Trudeau, and he presents the battle in a different fashion, the book in a different manner. While Trudeau's book is long and dense (no illustrations, ca. 600 pages of text), Sears' book is considerably shorter, and more accessible. It has illustrations, either photographs of the participants or artwork done by participants or witnesses. Since they take up space on the page, and I would judge the font to be a point or two larger, my guess is this book is a good 25% shorter than Trudeau's. That makes it more accessible (as does the inclusion of illustrations, one shortcoming of Trudeau's book) and easier to read. It's not, however, a book for beginners.

Sears is of course interested in the battle and why it came out the way it did, not just recounting what happened during the fighting. He echoes many of Trudeau's judgements, differs with some others, but makes some of his own. Most of his verdict on the battle and the performance of the generals involved is nothing new to Civil War buffs, and won't make fans of R.E. Lee happy. Each of the generals who were active on the battlefield gets some treatment of his effect on the battle.

One illuminating section was on the Military Intelligence branch Hooker had set up, which Meade kept, called the Bureau of Military Information. The officers in charge of this kept track of intelligence, assimilated, evaluated, and sorted it, and presented it to Meade regularly during the campaign. Lee had no such organization, and of course Stuart, who performed some of the duties involved, was away riding around the Union army. This provided Meade with a considerable advantage: he knew which Confederate troops were on the battlefield, and was aware he would be facing an attack led by Pickett's division on the third day, because the B.M.I. hadn't interrogated any prisoners from that division yet. Lee, by contrast, fought the battle under the impression that only part of the Union army was on the battlefield, because the Confederates didn't do the same thing.

In direct comparison with Trudeau, Sears is perhaps a bit of a better writer, but Trudeau provides more detail. Sears' narrative is sorted conventionally, with the fighting on a particular part of the battlefield being dealt with before he moves on to the next portion. The author even puts the cavalry action to the east of Gettysburg, and Farnsworth's charge, into an after-the-battle chapter, recounting them after telling the story of Pickett's charge, even though the cavalry fight took place before. Trudeau spends a lot of time dealing with individual regimental colonels, and their fights: Sears largely confines himself to brigade commanders. Both books try to place the battle in the larger context of the Civil War and American history. Both books discuss, briefly, the Gettysburg Address.

So, which book do you buy? I would think buffs of the battle or the war will want both. If you're a general reader who wishes to read something on the battle itself, Sears' book is more accessible than Trudeau's because of length and illustrations, but that's the only real difference between the two.

I'm not exactly sure why every book on Gettysburg "has" to plow new ground in order to be accepted. Perhaps its because the grognards feel they have to read everything written about the battle and are disappointed if they don't learn something new. Not everyone wants, or needs, to delve into new research. New research, after all, can be flawed. Unless you follow Civil War scholarship through the peer review process, you may take as gospel something that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Sears' _Gettysburg_ doesn't have much in it that's new, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! Those of us who have studied the Civil War for some time tend to forget that every few years we _need_ an easy to read, single volume history of important battles that utilizes current research. _Gettysburg_ by Stephen Sears is such a book.

The first book I read about Gettysburg was _They Met at Gettysburg_ by Gen. Stackpole. It was a bit out of date even when I read it, and it was terribly slanted against certain historical figures, but at the same time it was engaging and very easy to read. That book started me on a 15 year discovery of the American Civil War. Reading _Gettysburg_, I was reminded of how I felt when I read Stackpole's book. I really wish that this book had been my first introduction to the battle. It may not be a must read for every Civil War enthusiast, and it is certainly _not_ as detailed as Pfanz or Hess' books (nor is it meant to be) but it's definitely an important contribution to the field. Someone coming at Gettysburg for the first time could do _much_ worse than this volume.

The book begins where _Chancellorsville_ leaves off, with Sears showing the opening moves of Lee and Hooker. Sears' view of Hooker is rather more positive than that of most writers, an off shoot of his argument in _Chancellorsville_ that Hooker has long been the victim of character assassination. (I see that at least one reviewer finds Sears' arguments in _Chancellorsville_ about Hooker hard to take. In a recent article in Military History Quarterly, Noah Andre Trudeau acknowledges the validity of Sears arguments. Apparently the peer review process is slowly coming around to the idea that the view of Hooker coming unglued at Chancellorsville needs to be reassessed.)

In just over 500 pages (not including the index, notes, or orders of battle) Sears discusses the campaign leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and a little about the battle's aftermath (which I felt could have been done in more detail). His writing style is perhaps the books best attribute. You won't get bogged down in the minutae of the battle, or fall asleep due to lifeless prose. Even having known most of what Sears had to say, I found the book engaging.

The maps by Greg Skoch are plentiful and clean. I was surprised, and pleased, to see a good overview map of the battle of Winchester, June 13 - 15, 1863. I've read other accounts of Gettysburg that mention this engagement, but usually they don't bother including a map. This was a pleasant surprise.

The illustrations and photographs are all from the period. The included sketches were all done by someone present at the battle. This is a very nice touch.

For anyone starting to look at the Civil War (and for many that begins with Gettysburg), I have no hesitation in pointing them to _Gettysburg_ by Stephen Sears. If they get into it in a serious manner, then I'll point them to Pfanz and Hess, but if they go no further than Sears they are still well served.

Sears' "Gettysburg" is hardcore and not for the faint of heart. Those with only a passing interest in the battle should rent the movie or read the Shaara historical fiction. This book describes the battle in DETAIL. It was meticulously researched and reconstructed from the disparate histories and correspondences of those involved in the battle, both civilian and military on both sides. Sears also pulls in all historical context as well, mentioning Lincoln's political situation and international issues where appropriate. I was, however, slightly disappointed that he did not do a more comprehensive job of discussing Gettysburg in relation to the entire history of the war.

I found this telling to have a more matter-of-fact style than Sears "Landscape Turned Red". I remember that chronicling of Antietam to read more like a novel than "Gettysburg".

I found the politics in the top echelon of the Confederate army very interesting; one does not usually learn of this when hearing of Lee and his generals, as history usually paints Lee as a near omnipotent leader. One has to wonder how the battle would have turned out had Stuart shown up on time to provide intelligence and Lee had taken Longstreet's suggestions. I also found the treatment of Meade interesting too, as history typically paints all Union generals prior to Grant as inept and weak.

Gettysburg plays on the magnificence of battle, and talks of generals and their actions much like we discuss football coaches and teams today; however, like any respectable Civil War book, it acknowledges the carnage, the death and suffering of men and horses, and how horrible a thing war is.

Stephen Sears has written some of the best accounts of major Civil War battles going--Antietam (Landscape Turned Red) and Chancellorsville (Chancellorsville). And he may well have written the best rendering of the Gettysburg battle--including the gold standard of such histories, Edwin Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign. Coddington's work is almost forty years old now, and Sears can take advantage of additional material available since then. He does so nicely.

The tale begins with the aftermath of Chancellorsville, the defeat of the Army of the Potomac, largely the result of General Joseph Hooker's loss of resolve and injury in battle. It takes the reader through the march of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia north to Pennsylvania and the subsequent pursuit by Hooker's army; the meeting engagement precipitated by General John Buford's interposition between Hill's Corps and Ewell's Corps and Gettysburg; the rapid gathering of both armies; the bloody three day conflict, culminating with the perhaps inappropriately termed Pickett's Charge; Lee's subsequent retreat with Meade's army nipping at his heels.

In the process of explaining the complexities of this campaign, great detail is provided, even more so than the estimable recent volume by Trudeau. Indeed, if one were to purchase only one book on Gettysburg, this volume might well be it.

Special mention for the readability of this book (Sears writes very well), the nicely done maps (that illustrate very well the geography of battle), the standard set of relevant photos.

In the final analysis, then, this is a genuine 5-star book and ought to be in the personal libraries of those interested in the Civil War.

The carnage was epic. The bravery was legendary. The names are etched in history. Stephen Sears has given us a most remarkable book, and one which gives us both the facts and his compelling interpretations of the flow of events captured by the name "Gettysburg." In the process you will get all your questions answered: Why did Lee invade Pennsylvania? What made Gettysburg the destination? Why was Hooker relieved, and Meade appointed days before the battle? Who was James Gettys? How did the battle begin? What was Longstreet's objection and what alternative did he prefer? Would Sedgwick's position have defeated Longstreet's plan? In what sense was Gettysburg a Fredericksburg in reverse? Why was Jeb Stewart AWOL, and what were the repercussions? What, in God's name, was Sickles up to? Why was Lee so inflexible? So damned inflexible? Day Three: why the middle of the Union line? Why Pickett? Which commanders showed initiative and which fell short? How actively involved was Meade in the battle? Lee? Why does Sears write of "Lee's lack of oversight," "A. P. Hill's negligence," and "Longstreet's inattention?" Did Lee ever admit that the defeat was his responsibility? What were his explanations? Did the wounding of Hood keep the Alabama 44th out of Pickett's Charge (sparing my great great grandfather's life)?

The flow of facts is stunning. All but two of Pickett's regimental commanders were killed or wounded. One board in a fence which Pickett's men had to vault, which was 16 feet long and 14 inches wide, was perforated by 836 musket balls. Sears takes us into the heat of the action, and we sit with the generals as they plan their strategies. He gives us maps of every stage of the action, drawings of the landscapes, and photos of the protagonists.

Most likely the reason this book is so popular, though, is the writing: "Major Harman was tackling the bridge problem with his usual mixture of energy and profanity." "The Yankee pursuit of the retreating rebels was like a mule chasing a grizzly bear; catching up was the last thing they truly wanted." "On July 1, Ewell had acted decisively enough, but when the guns cooled, his decisiveness cooled as well." "While General Lee sought to excuse his defeat, General Meade was in the particular position of defending his victory."

When you turn the last page, you will want to revisit the battlefield, and you will understand the awe with which Lincoln set pen to paper to compose the Gettysburg Address. And you will come away with renewed respect for the sacrifice made by both sides.

The contemporary Civil War historian is truly limited with respect to new revalations concerning most of the major struggles...it becomes the author's challenge then to present a fresh perspective while covering the "same old ground". The 1863 battle at Gettysburg meets or exceeds this challenge...no other ACW struggle has been covered as completely or as comprehensively as Gettysburg. So why does the renowned Stephen Sears offer us another one volume narrative on something that has been covered completely before? It's because Sears can WRITE and he surely realizes (and thus the general reading public must also realize) that under his talented pen, he can still offer much to the literary cache that is Gettysburg and provide a useful and meaningful new study for modern readers.

Sears's approach is refreshing in that he does not try for revisionist history...he uses his abundant talents to tell the story honestly and comprehensively and in the process, he gives yet another keen perspective to this battle that should be read by all ACW and Gettysburg readers. Starting with R.E. Lee's decision to invade the North in light of his recent victory at Chancellorsville (another excellent Sears study by the way...) and the seemingly imminent Confederate defeat at Vicksburg, Sears recounts the details and tactics that led to the battles at Brandy Station and Winchester and the invasion details that almost led to the Confederate taking of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Sears gives a clear account of these sometime complex manueuvers and expertly sets the stage for the ensuing three days battle.

Troop movement and high level military strategy abound as the battle begins on July 1st...beginning with judicious biographies of the key 1st day players (John Buford, John Reynolds, Henry Heth and Richard Ewell...), Sears lays out the results and discusses the "might have beens" had certain key elements moved differently. The Federal attainment of the high ground south of town clearly gives the Union the advantage and Sears shows how all parties more or less come to this same conclusion. The second day struggles are shown to be an offspring to the strong disagreement in the Sr. level of the Confederate leadership as James Longstreet and Lee vehemently disagree on that day's battle strategy...Longstreet proves to be right, of course, and this assertion no doubt enhanced his career as far as history is concerned. Sears maintains that had Longstreet's plan been enacted, this would have been a very different battle. Regardless, Sears is deft at descrbing the action that actually took place as he gives glowing accounts of the battle action at the Rose Farm (and villifies Dan Sickles in the process), the Wheatfield, Devils Den and of course Little Round Top where any Joshua Chamberlain fan will be impressed with Sears coverage. The expert analysis is continued with the third day events as Pickett's Charge is described in as clear and concise terms as I've ever read. The two day struggles for Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill are interspersed with this main line action and Sears completes his impressive work with the cavalry action both at the beginning and the end of the main fighting. Finally, the Confederate retreat back to Virginia and the inevitable explanations for the Union (George Meade) in-action at pursuit are given a fresh look and Sears's discussion puts a different and (in my opinion) more realistic spin on this important period post battle.

So given the rich amount of available works on the battle at Gettysburg, why would anyone want to buy this new one? Again, Stephen Sears is an expert writer, historian and researcher and when someone like this publishes a full-length study of such an important period in American history, it's almost the history reader's duty to indulge...my point here is that if readers take this approach, they will not be disappointed.

I read about this book in a "Five Best books about..." list in the Wall Street Journal and got it (second hand) off Amazon less than a month ago. It is an outstanding one volume work on the Confederate ill-fated "invasion" of Pennsylvania, culminating in the decisive Battle at Gettysburg, on July 1-3, 1863.

Once I started it, I found it hard to put down, but it's not for a person with a casual interest in the Battle of Gettysburg - the text is 514 pages long.

At times the text is a breezy read, as Sears has fascinating human interest stories, or discusses the various generals. At other times it is excruciating - almost painful to read the battle scenes. On some of the scenes I'd have to take a break after half a page. "War is Hell" as Sears let's you know in no uncertain terms. The courage exhibited by both sides is astonishing, the casualty levels horrendous (almost one-third of Lee's army was killed, wounded, or taken prisoner - or "missing."), some of the generals are brilliant and inspiring. Others - you kind of wished their own troops had shot them.

How did Lee, the great general of the Civil War, lose this battle so decisively? He was overconfident, he didn't communicate well with his generals at Gettysburg, and he persisted in attacking the Union army when they were dug in on the high ground. The famous Picket's Charge on the third day, had no realistic chance of success.

Meanwhile, the Union general, George Meade, who'd only been the commander for three days when the battle began, handled his units quite skillfully. In this battle, he out-generalled Robert E. Lee.

The only quibble I had with the book, is that it could have had more maps. There were 19, but a few more would have been useful.

So if you've more than a casual interest in the Battle of Gettysburg, this book is for you. Halfway through, it had piqued my interest enough to plan the quick family vacation to Pennsylvania, and a trip to Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the, if not THE turning point of the American Civil War. Fought in the span of 2 days in a small town in Pennsylvania, the battle was the climax of 2 years of relentless & bloody struggles in the Eastern Campaign of the conflict. General Robert E. Lee's huge & decisive gamble to bring the war to Northern soil for the second time culminated in a clash which determined the course of the war & American history forever.

Stephen W. Sears, author of several acclaimed works on the Civil War, brings his writing talents to the page once again in this riveting page-turner. He narrates with verve & clarity the numerous events which led to the great campaign, the complexities involved, & the battle itself, leading to it's aftermath. He shows how the war-addled South needed to adopt a different strategy to alter the course of the war, despite it's shattering but inconclusive victories to that point, the reason which prompted Lee to move North, hoping to assuage the burden of Southern farmers off the war while relying on gaining European recognition with a victory on Northern soil. He contrasts the shambles that the Southern high command had turned into after the death of "Stonewall" Jackson with the efficient coordination of Union leadership. He seamlessly blends the strategic & tactical events with soldier's & civilian's narratives, giving a fine overview of the entire conflict. Instead of the usual smattering of numerous photos that frequent many books of this era, the volume contains more sketches by soldiers who were involved in the battle, & a few from civilian eyewitnesses, giving the work a warm, charming, & authentic feel. Good maps help the reader follow the course of units & the battle.

There is a Northern bias in the text, which the author manages to balance to a respectable degree. The maps are good, but could have been better in being more comprehensive, as several places mentioned in the text are not included in the maps, making it impossible for the reader to follow track-by-track the sequence of events.

Published in the 140th anniversary of the battle, "Gettysburg" is a worthy tribute & an addition to the huge canon of work that this period justly deserves. A stellar & very well-written tome that serves as a good introduction & overall coercive read, "Gettysburg" shows, in this current time of hostility, that sacrifices & triumphs of great men in history serve as an inspiration to us to transcend the mistakes of the past for the maturity & betterment of the future.

Written in the author's consistently clear and accessible style, and supported by years of research, Stephen W. Sears's Gettysburg is both an authoritative work of impressive scholarship that will appeal to academics and a dramatic story that will fascinate Civil War buffs.

The author of six award-winning books on the Civil War--including George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon; Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam; To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign; and Chancellorsville, Stephen W. Sears is one of the best Civil War historian writing today.

Fought in and around a sleepy Pennsylvania town, the three-day Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the "granddaddy" of Civil War battles--the largest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere.

On those three hellish days, two contending armies--the (Confederate) Army of Northern Virginia, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee, and the (Union) Army of the Potomac, led by Gen. George Gordon Meade--suffered 45,438 casualties. During the six-week Pennsylvania campaign their joint losses came to more than 57,000, including some 9,600 dead.

Prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, "Johnny Reb" had twice defeated "Billy Yank"--at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Nevertheless, the outlook for the Confederacy was grim. In a war of attrition, the advantage of the Union in superior manpower and materiel meant that the South would slowly be squeezed to death by superior forces.

Sears points out that Lee faced a Hobson's choice (an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative). He could remain on the defensive and face slow strangulation or he could seize the initiative ("We should assume the aggressive," Lee had written to Confederate President Jefferson Davis) and roll the die in a desperate gamble--the invasion of the North.

The two armies blundered into each other at Gettysburg, a battlefield on which neither general had wanted to fight. The desperate charge made by Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble on Day Three of Gettysburg marked "the high-water mark of the Confederacy." "In command and capability," writes Sears, "indeed in offensive power, the Army of Northern Virginia would never recover."

In this outstanding battle study, Sears chronicles, in minute details, the events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, an almost blow-by-blow description of battlefield maneuvers during the three days of action, and the aftermath of battle, as Lee's army took "the long road back," retreating into Virginia.

It's all here: the battle for McPherson's Ridge, Seminary Ridge, and the clash in the streets of Gettysburg (Day One); the struggle for Culp's Hill (on the right flank of the Union Army) and the horrific encounters on the left flank of the Union Army, at the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, the Devil's Den, the Slaughter Pen, Rose Woods, the Valley of Death, Spangler's House, the Trostle House, and Little Round Top (Day Two); and the renewed attack on Culp's Hill and the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge, a massive assault on the center of the Union line (Day Three).

"Pickett's Charge," as it is popularly known, was the greatest military blunder of Lee's otherwise brilliant career (except, perhaps, for his choosing to fight for the Confederacy after being offered command of the Union army). Lee's "Old Warhorse," Gen. James Longstreet, strongly disagreed with Lee and advocated instead an attempt to flank the Union's left flank. With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, we can see clearly that Longstreet was right and Lee was wrong.

After his masterful documentation of this titanic struggle, Sears concludes, "The fact of the matter is that George G. Meade, unexpectedly and against the odds, thoroughly outgeneraled Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg."

Readers who approach the subject for the first time can, and perhaps should, resort to other more general accounts, but Civil War buffs looking for an authoritative, detailed account of troop movements, leadership, tactics, and strategy, should snap up this book with alacrity. It surely is the best one-volume account available on the Battle of Gettysburg.