Customer Reviews

Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg (Crown Journeys)

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I've been lucky enough to live within thirty-five miles of Gettysburg almost my entire life and luckier still to have been a frequent visitor to the battlefield. While my knowledge of the field and the battle itself likely do not rival McPherson's, I know exactly what he means when he says the place is like a second home. I love Gettysburg. So, too, does McPherson, and his passion permeates this slim little book. Easily read in a couple of hours, Hallowed Ground is part travel journal, part guidebook, part history, deftly woven together by this gifted historian and storyteller.

For those familiar with Gettysburg the battle and the place, reading Hallowed Ground is like visiting with an old friend. For those who have never been, it is an invitation. All the sites are there: the Round Tops, Seminary and Cemetery Ridges, Culp's and Cemetery Hills, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, the Peach Orchard, the McPherson Farm (no relation to the author). But McPherson goes deeper, to the monuments and their stories, even to the observation towers that old hands will recognize. The emotions are here, too. The strange elation you feel driving beneath the trees on Seminary Ridge or climbing the boulders at Devil's Den (at least in your younger days), knowing that men, great and small, walked these same paths, stood on the same ground, fought here for cause and comrade. And yet, knowing that many of these men died here--maybe in the Wheatfield--you feel the solemnity of the place, the horror of tens of thousands of casualties. You sense your own smallness and are awed by the actions that took place here; you are both proud and grateful.

None other than Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who acted heroically at Gettysburg, captured these sentiments and emotions. "In great deeds, something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate the ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them..." The spirit of Chamberlain's words pervades McPherson's book, a work that should appeal to buffs as well as neophytes.

Before reading, though, beware. If you can put this book down without wanting to visit Gettysburg (again or for the first time), you have greater will power than I.

James McPherson is no stranger to the American Civil War in general and the battle of Gettysburg specifically; his book on the war, Battle Cry of Freedom, won the Pulitzer Prize, and he has led many guided tours and walks of Gettysburg in the past. Hallowed Ground, in essence, is a short but compelling combination of both: a history of the battle and a walk/guided tour, worked into a small hardback book a little over 140 pages in length.

Mr. McPherson's narrative takes the reader through a walking tour of the battlefield from the beginning of the battle on July 1, 1863 and sequentially leads the reader from one section of the battle to the next, nearly sequentially as they happened on the battlefield. Occasionally there is a slight detour to other geographic or historic areas of note. At the same time, Mr. McPherson describes how that part of the battle took place, pointing out specific locations where there is a statue or interpretive marker and why it's there.

Other odds and bits, like frequent Gettysburg myths, mentioned include the one about statue's hooves and the fate of the rider, or the ever-persistent "fought because of shoes" idea. Strangely enough, Mr. McPherson seems to take offense to various monuments and other events that, while providing stirring examples of Union and Confederate veteran unified nationalism, seemingly forgot what the war was all about in the first place. Such criticisms seem out of place given the context of the book.

Book-ending the description of the battle and the guided battlefield tour is an account of the creation of the park itself, and some of the geographic changes that have occurred since 1863. At the end is Lincoln's poignant Gettysburg Address. Three maps detail the major locations and movements of forces during each day of the battle, but there is no map depicting the tour itself or even the location of park buildings, or how the battlefield stands today. There is no index or bibliography, though Hallowed Ground really doesn't need them.

Finally, Mr. McPherson's tone is readable and very down-to-earth, and even inserts a joke or two, even a bad pun, which may seem a bit strange but doesn't really feel out of place.

A few small criticisms aside, Mr. McPherson's newest work on Gettysburg accomplishes what it set out to do: provide a short history and tour of the battlefield, cover all the high points, and entertain the reader, all of which he more than adequately accomplishes.

In the abstract, the notion of a book replacing an actual tour of the Gettysburg battlefield would seem a little far fetched...until one considers that this assignment is performed by the estimable Civil War author James McPherson. Under his pen, we get an amazingly new and unique perspective on this seminal battle that all Civil War readers should treasure as I certainly did.

Taking a walking tour of the battlefield and having the many anecdotes and stories that McPherson has developed over time and developing it into a small book (about 175 pages), the reader is treated to an intimate session with the master Civil War historian and undoubtedly learns many new and unique things previously lost to time and history. A study devoted to the battlefield as opposed to the battle, McPherson lets us in on things that never made the campaign studies of Coddington, Trudeau, Phanz or Sears...like the fact that many acres of the battlefield are being judiciously reformed back into the state it took in 1863...from clearing land that has since grown over, to re-growing woodland that has been cleared since the battle, or even, amazingly, culling wooded areas to make them resemble the partially wooded areas in 1863, thus giving the touring historian a feal for what that particular area was like back then. An explanation of the many monuments that dot the fields and the many stories associated with their placement will surely entice Civil War buffs with many new stories that add to the Gettysburg legend. All this is interspersed with a summary level discussion of the battle and the main players...all told in McPherson's unique way that combines both the military and the political climates of the times.

A marvelous gem of a book and one that features many new views associated with a battle and time in history that has been covered in many different ways, James McPherson has performed a marvelous service, again, to history and to the general reader. If you're like me, this work will be a vital part of my Gettysburg visit and, frankly, should be a focal point that the National Park Service stresses as a literary companion. A great book!!

For the last two years, I've been planning various trips to the United States, trips that will focus (in addition to the more regular tourist attractions) on historical events and places which interest me, chiefly ones connected with the American War of Independence, the Ante-Bellum South, the US Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement. The trip keeps getting postponed and altered, but I hope to go around April-May, and one place I will certainly visit is the best known of America's Civil War battlefields, the greatest defeat of Robert E. Lee, and the place where the Union was (arguably) saved: Gettysburg.

James McPherson, distinguished scholar of the Civil War and Pulitzer Price winning author of 'Battle Cry of Freedom' is an ideal tour guide for Gettysburg, and "Hallowed Ground: A Walk in Gettysburg" describes his tour.

As usual, McPherson's prose is effortless and delightful. McPherson explains well the battle events, from the points of view of generals and privates, both Federal and Confederate. He discusses various historical controversies, and the post CW commemorations, which sometimes served purposes which were not entirely historical. McPherson also draws on his own scholarship, notably on his book 'For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War' to explain various aspects of the fighting, and especially the courage of soldiers, such as those in Pickett's charge, who fought uphill against a screen of fire and died in the thousands.

When McPherson reaches the end of the tour in the Confederacy's high water mark - the furthest places where Pickett's men reached - you get a clear understanding of the structure of the battle in Gettysburg, and in the role of key divisions and men, from Custer and Chamberlain to Lee, Longstreet and Meade.

Although both entertaining and insightful, McPherson's book has several weaknesses. Firstly, from a value for money point of view, it is short and expensive. It contains only four maps and no photographs.

The maps are not very clear, and I (an admitted novice in Gettysburg geography) often struggled to understand where several places were. The map of downtown Gettysburg is almost entirely useless, and there is no map of the tour itself!

Although McPherson is as insightful and interesting as I've come to expect of him, he recycles himself a bit, repeating anecdotes and quotations that appear in his other works. Also, relatively little attention was paid to the history of Gettysburg in the 140 years since the battle. Stories of later events are anecdotal, with no attempt to structure or put things into context. The book contains neither endnotes nor a bibliography, so the reader cannot use this book as a jump point for further studies (Unlike McPherson's 'Battle Cry of Freedom', which contains one of the best bibliographical essays I've ever encountered).

Finally, from a practical point of view, 'Hallowed Ground' contains absolutely zero "getting there and around" information. We are not even given an estimate for how long the tour of Gettysburg should last. Is it doable in a full day? Two?

I genuinely enjoyed 'Hallowed Ground', and I understand Gettysburg much better after having read it, and if you're interested in the American Civil War, this is a worthy addition to your book collection.

This is a great little book...the title says it all, it is exactly what you get but with personality. I have only been to Gettysburg once, and only for a couple hours. While there I had wished for some additional info to be available, to better understand the event that place there over 100 years ago. That battle helped shape and define our country, but the facts would be lost if not for writers like James Mcpherson. The book literally walks you thru each battlefront and adds personal touches to make it more than a history book. If you have never been to Gettysburg, this book will surely inspire you to visit the site. If you have been there, like me, it can only enhance your memories and provide detail that is easily overlooked. And, it has inspired me make plans to return to Gettysburg, but with book in hand.

I got this book in the mail from Amazon the week I was leaving for Gettysburg - good thing it was so short and to the point. It took 2 nights to read, but it was very well written and did a great job of explaining the things to look for on the battlefield while also giving a pretty good overview of the different aspects of the battle itself.

Essential reading for anyone who plans on visiting the battle field or is just interested in the battle and does not want to invest the time to read "The Killer Angels."

What a beautiful little book about a very sacred place. It covers all the major elements of the battle, and goes through some interesting anecdotes on the battle and the area. Like the story of Generals Barlow and Gordon, Sallie the dog, John Burns, the oldest combatant at Gettysburg, Amos Humiston, etc..
I like the pages on General Longstreet and his new monument erected in 1998. This is one of the high points of the book.
Of course, there are also many pages on Colonel Chamberlain and 20th Maine. But, then, other important regiments are covered like the 1st Minnesota (that lost 82% of the their ranks in a doomed charge to save the day) or the 140 New York, and Paddy O'Rorke, who came to save the day on the other side of Little Round Top from the 20th Maine. Paddy O'Rorke was killed in this action.
Then there is the beautiful scene of the Irish Brigade and the Father Colby who gave them absolution before the battle. The Irish Brigade played a key role in stopping the Confederates in the Wheatfield.
These stories are very readable tied to a trip around the battlefield and connected to markers.
This is the best tour guide book that I've ever read on what is the most sacred ground on our soil.
I highly recommend it.

James McPherson's "Hallowed Ground" provides an admirably concise history of the most famous battle of the Civil War, and offers an excellent tour of that well-known, highly revered field. He takes the reader on a step-by-step journey across space and time, explaining why the battle was fought on this spot, what happened, what the ground looked like then, and what it looks like today. If you've ever been to Gettsyburg, this book will surely help to reinforce and unlock your memories; and it's certainly the next best thing to an actual visit if you've never been there. McPherson's gifts as a historian and a storyteller also help the reader to understand why this battle has claimed such a prominent place in the hearts and memories of generations of Americans. It's a lot to offer in 140 pages, but McPherson delivers on all he promises--and more.--William C. Hall

Whether you are a "history geek" like I am, and read every historical marker or you want something to loosely refer to while visiting Gettysburg, "Hallowed ground" is very much like having your very own history professor serve as a travel companion. Beautifully written, James Mcpherson's prose is the perfect travel accompaniment. He shares with you what you need to know to imagine the people and events, but doesn't interrupt your experience with needless "chatter". On more than one occaision, his commentary coupled with what I was seeing, moved me to tears. I toured the battlefield by bike, which worked particularly well with his recommended tour.

This is simply the best, most well written, concise story of Gettysburg I have ever read. Stop looking, you have found it! If you are a first time visitor or have been there many times, this book will refresh your memory and fill you with excitement.

One mistake bothers me however. McPherson continually refers to the rock at Little Round Top and Devil's Den as "granite". It is diabase, the exact opposite of granite. Granite may sound more romantic or literary, but it is not what it is.