Customer Reviews

High Tide at Gettysburg: The Campaign in Pennsylvania

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Glenn Tucker's "High Tide at Gettysburg" is an extraordinary piece of work. Tucker, unlike many historians describes the officers, where they came from, and who they were. He also points out little tidbits that make the whole story of Gettysburg more interesting. For anyone who is interested in the Battle of Gettysburg, I encourage him/her to read this.

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863) is the most - discussed battle of the Civil War. It provides endless materials for discussion on questions ranging from the reasons for the Confederacy's invasion of the North, the factors leading up to the battle, the strategy and tactics employed by the armies, how close the South came, or could have come, to achieving victory, and -- most importantly -- the significance of it all for our country.

Even with such recent studies of Gettysburg as those by Steven Sears (2003) and Noah Trudeau (2002) Tucker's 1958 book, "High Tide at Gettysburg" remains worth reading. There are immeasurable perspectives on this battle. I am finding that the reader can only work towards an understanding of it by reading several accounts. Tucker's book is less detailed than are the studies of Sears and Trudeau. But it is an easier read, it is well told, and it features many interesting biographical detail an many of the key figures of the battle. In terms of getting a grasp of the complex military actions, it might be better for the reader to start with Tucker before approaching Sears or Trudeau.

Tucker differs from Sears and Trudeau in that he takes a pro-South perspective. His focus is on the Army of Northern Virginia and on its heroics -- and its failures -- during the battle. There are moments when I felt Tucker was downplaying the Union effort at the battle to such a degree that he thought that the ultimate success or failure of the Southern effort was entirely in the South's hands. (Many years after the battle General George Pickett was asked why his charge failed. He replied "I think the Union Army had something to do with it.")

Tucker also takes a markedly Southern view of the meaning of the War. He sees it as a War for Southern Independence which reached its high tide at Gettysburg. He tells his story with drama and passion. He greatly downplays slavery as a motivating factor for the Civil War, contrary to most more recent accounts of Civil War History. Again, he also tends to minimize the moral force of the Union's commitment, exemplified by the determination of President Lincoln to hold our country together as one nation rather than have it divide in two.

Tucker's approach is valuable because it emphasizes how people on both sides of the conflict were fighting for what they perceived as ideals. This is sometimes forgotten in more recent accounts and it goes a considerably way to explain the ferocity of the fighting. There is a great deal to be learned from Tucker as long as the reader approaches the book critically.

There has been endless discussion about why the Battle of Gettysburg turned out the way it did. In the final chapter of his book Tucker offers a list of his reasons. His list is thoughtful if not particularly surprising to students of the battle. The list will help the reader focus on the critical events of this fascinating battle and to reflect for him or herself on their meaning.

When the movie on Gettysburg was first released in Australia I tried desperately to find a book to read about the battle. I found this one and I enjoyed it a great deal. It may not be the most detailed account available but I found it to be one of the best that gave a complete overview of the 3 days fighting without getting lost or bored. The authors style of writing was refreshing and enjoyable and I found it hard to put the book down. Still one of my favourite books on this battle although I have read many since.

Tucker takes the entire battle beginning to end and places it together for the novice reader. Where does the "first-timer" look for a well rounded book on the battle? He or she may find it here. Tucker does an excellent job getting the basis for the battle complete while covering issues such as Lee's Campaign, Heth's attack, Longstreet's flank march, Little Round Top, Culp's Hill, the Pickett/Pettigrew charge and of course Lee's retreat from Pennsylvania. Don't let the word novice scare you or the fact that it was written in the late fifties sway your decision. Tucker includes many details and backs them up with roughly 400 pages of information valuable to anyone looking to gain further insight on Gettysburg. Does Tucker grab everything common in books covering certain days or events in Gettysburg? No. Though for someone trying to understand and get the general format of the battle, this is the book to read.

Glenn Tucker takes the time to cover just about all aspects of the Battle of Gettysburg in this book. However by doing so the writer seems to be bored at times, feeling he has to convey what happened though it has no consequences or historical value only that it, in fact, happened (Stuart and the calvaries on the third day). At the same time, the profiles of the individuals involved in this great battle (their personal histories and even physical appearances) are supurb and add a touch of familiarity. Also, there are moments when the author's prose is truly eloquent, haunting, vivid, and beautiful at the same time.

This 1958 classic by one of the great historians of his era was ahead of its time in providing an objective history of Gettysburg without getting sucked in too deeply in which Confederate lost the war at Gettysburg. Tucker writes in an easy to read style and captures many interesting side stories of the battle aside from well done descriptions of the attacks/defenses and biographies while writing chapters with numbered sub headings with their own subtitles. One such example is the chapter on "McPherson's Heights" with subtitle 2 called "A Quaker with an Iron Brigade", which is Tucker's introduction to the Iron Brigade that includes a colorful description of their North Carolina Quaker and commander, Major General Solomon Meredith. The sidebars are very interesting such as the chapter called "The Story of the Missing Canteens" concerning the attack on Little Round Top that went awry for many reasons such as the stubborn union defense but possibly contributed to by a lack of water and the failure of the water carriers to return to the Confederate firing line. Tucker also offers a compact and reasonable analysis of the battle laying out the reasons for victory and loss. And in categorizing the truth about Longstreet, he writes" His loss of prestige had its inception not so much in what he did or failed to do at Gettysburg, but in defending his course at Gettysburg. His fame among his contemporaries would have been greater had his pen been more discreet." Tucker's ability to write history in an objective vain with a fluid and entertaining writing style always made his books a joy to read.

This is one of the best written short books about the Battle of Gettysburg. Glenn Tucker writes and tells the story of Gettysburg like a novelist. It's an extremely readable book, covering a large multi-faceted battle in easy to understand terms. He brings so many of the soldiers to life, you feel like you know them.

4 stars as I am just supplying info on date of publication and that seems to be the consensus.

Like many who have read Shaara's books or seen the movie Gettysburg, I wanted to know more about this battle. This is a great introduction and enough to turn an amateur into a Civil War Buff. Much more readable than other books on the subject. I really enjoyed the prose style.

Be aware that this book is a reprint. I can't remember when it originally came out - the 40s maybe? So some of the casualty numbers don't match with what is understood today.

Definitely worth adding to your collection.

As the title above suggests, I hold a different opinion of Tucker's work than the authors of the other reviews here assembled. I do not disagree that Mr. Tucker invested considerable amounts of time and energy into this work and one glimpse at the work's notes will tell you that he did his research. Bias, however, can have a profound impact on the outcome of a work of historical scholarship and in this instance Mr. Tucker's bias has out and out diluted his work. An example to assist in making my point: On page 376 on this work Tucker gives a list of reasons why the charge of July the 3rd failed; absent from this list is any mention of the superb performance of the Federal troops on Cemetery Ridge. Contrary to its performance on any number of other occasions, the Army of to Potomac stubbornly held its ground and refused to retreat in the face of the Confederate advance. While scholars and historians may disagree on the extent to which their performance affected the outcome of the charge, I find it hard to believe that any respectable historian or scholar would hold the position that the Army of the Potomac had no effect on the day's events. In a more general sense, it is my opinion that Tucker's Confederate sympathies impaired his ability to objectively analyze the general course and specific events of the battle of Gettysburg.