The Maps of Gettysburg : An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863 [Paperback]

Bradley Gottfried (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2009

After two editions and four printings in hardcover in just twelve months, the bestselling The Maps of Gettysburg is now available in a sturdy trade paperback!

Thousands of books and articles have been written about Gettysburg, but the operation remains one of the most complex and difficult to understand. Bradley Gottfried's The Maps of Gettysburg: An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863 is a unique and thorough study of this multifaceted campaign.

The Maps of Gettysburg breaks down the entire operation into thirty map sets or "action-sections" enriched with 144 detailed full-page maps comprising the entire campaign. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental and battery level and include the march to and from the battlefield and virtually every significant event in between. At least two-and as many as twenty-maps accompany each map set. Keyed to each piece of cartography is a full facing page of detailed text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which makes the Gettysburg story come alive.

This presentation makes it easy for readers to quickly locate a map and text on virtually any portion of the campaign, from the march into Pennsylvania during June to the last Confederate withdrawal of troops across the Potomac River on July 13, 1863. Serious students of the battle will appreciate the extensive and authoritative endnotes and complete order of battle. They will also want to bring the book along on their trips to the battlefield.

Perfect for the easy chair or for stomping the hallowed ground of Gettysburg, The Maps of Gettysburg is a seminal work that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the battle.

About the Author: Bradley M. Gottfried, Ph.D., is the President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried is the author of five books, including Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg (2002). He is currently working with co-editor Theodore P. Savas on a Gettysburg Campaign encyclopedia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No academic library can afford not to include "Maps of Gettysburg" as part of their American Civil War Reference collections." --8/2007 Midwest Book Review, J.Cox --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Bradley M. Gottfried , PH.D.,is the President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried is the author of five books, including Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg (2002). He is working with co-editor Theodore P. Savas on a Gettysburg encyclopedia. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Savas Beatie; 1st/3rd edition (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932714359
• ISBN-13: 978-1932714357
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new Maps of Gettysburg book, July 1, 2007

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863 (Hardcover)

This book works on several levels; first as an atlas of the Gettysburg campaign, second as a history of the campaign and last as a reference work. That it excels at each level is a testament to the author's knowledge and skill. Any book on Gettysburg by Bradley Gottfried is subject to high expectations. His "Roads to Gettysburg" and "Brigades of Gettysburg" are essential works on the campaign and battle. This book exceeds our expectations and raises the bar for his next work. The author's style of writing requires a minimal number of words to convey essential information, making for a very informative narration that does not require pages of text. This produces an informative but easy to read text of the essential action for each map just as it did for each brigade in his last book.

144 full-page color enhanced maps that cover the advance, battle and retreat. Facing pages have a map on the right page and text on the left one. This simple idea puts everything together, ending flipping pages trying to understand the action. The second requirement is short time intervals and detailed maps. Again, the author manages this difficult idea. The 29 map set present in chronological order the campaign from Virginia to Gettysburg and back to Virginia. Each map set presents a specific action and contains from three to 21 maps and text covering this phase of the campaign. The scale is from 12 miles for campaign maps to 220 yards to the inch for the detailed regimental maps. The lower scale maps have contour lines indicate woods, cornfields, orchards and grain fields with worm, post & rail or stone fences. Roads, railroads and buildings are included. This makes for a busy map and takes some study before easily reading the tactical maps. Since this is Gettysburg, most readers know where these items are located and can find the symbols on one of the maps

The largest map set is the advance of the armies to Gettysburg starting on June 3rd and ending on July 2nd. The maps for the first six days of the campaign are in two-day increments. From June 12th to July 2nd, the maps are daily. Included as part of the approach are map sets for the battle of Second Winchester and Stephenson's Depot. Eleven map sets and one evening July 1- 2 map, cover the fighting on July First. Ten-map sets cover July Second with one evening July 2 - 3 map completes the day. July Third has four map sets. The detail is impressive, using July Third for an example the map sets: are Culp's Hill remains in Union Hands, five maps, The Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge, seven maps, The East Cavalry Field, four maps and The South Cavalry Field 3 maps.

Reading the text and viewing the maps can be a sequential process giving the reader a detailed account of the campaign and the battle. A second approach is using the book as a reference for a specific action. The text and maps provide a good detailed study that allows the reader to follow the action on the map. Lastly, you can use this atlas with any Gettysburg book and to answer specific questions about the battle.

The obvious questions is "Should I replace my existing Maps book?" Color makes a huge difference in readability enhancing the usefulness and value of the book. Until I laid the two books side by side, I did not realize how much difference it would make. My answer is "YES", it is a worthwhile upgrade. Gettysburg is like someone we went to grade school with and have known all our lives. We fit comfortably and enjoy a companionship of shared experiences and memories. We can always find out more about our friend and always enjoy hearing from them. This book is a wonderful visit with our old friend.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The NEW field guide for Gettysburg, July 3, 2007

By 

J. Petruzzi (Brockway, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863 (Hardcover)

By way of disclosure, I will first state that I was one of the editors for this book.

Having said that, I was extremely impressed with this work in progress before ever signing on to help edit the manuscript and maps. The book is wonderfully set up so that the reader can take it right out onto the field - on each left side page, there is detailed explanatory text for each action, with the corresponding map on the right side page. No flipping around to find maps. Never before has there been one, concise book that contains maps of the entire Gettysburg Campaign from beginning to end - so if you ever plan to visit the field, you need this book and will enjoy it over and over. And anyone interested in the battle and campaign must have this book. It is, in effect, the NEW field guide for the battle and campaign, one not likely to be surpassed in our lifetimes.

As a long-time student of the campaign, I can attest to the accuracy of both maps and text. I especially spent a lot of time with both Brad and the publisher making sure that the portions dealing with the cavalry were accurate (I have one book and many articles published on Gettysburg/Civil War cavalry operations). Everyone involved with this book went the extra mile to make sure that no errors crept in that we couldn't catch.

And as for the maps - I'm astonished at the amount of time and effort Brad put into them. As a novice cartographer, he did an admirable job. The level of detail is commendable, and the battlefield walker will easily understand them. On the field, instead of lugging dozens of books and map sets around with you, all you'll need is this book. Then, if you have a particular detailed interest in one part of the field, you can go to works and maps that have finer detail. The maps in this book will get you easily oriented, all the while explaining the actions. Divided chronologically by each section of the field, the reader/walker will easily follow each hour's events without having to flip back and forth - it's all right in front of you.

With all the books coming out on Gettysburg and that continue to appear, I've never been as excited to see one in print as this one (except for my own!) and I know it belongs on the shelf of every battle/campaign student and in the hands of every battlfield stomper. When you own this book, you'll have the Number One tool you need to explore the Hallowed Ground of Gettysburg.

Buy this book - yesterday!!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Field Guide, Companion Atlas, Campaign History, July 9, 2007

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863 (Hardcover)

Bradley Gottfried's "The Maps of Gettysburg" is an unmatched resource for studying the Battle of Gettysburg and the campaign surrounding the battle. The maps are superb: easy to understand and comprehensive. A veritable mountain of books about Gettysburg have been published over the years, both general histories (such as those by Coddington and Sears) and specialist studies that focus in upon narrower aspects (like the books of Harry Pfanz). Gottfried's work will serve well as a supplement to those older books, clarifying their works with detailed, clear maps to show the action in progress. And it will serve well as a battlefield guidebook; I look forward to my next trip to Gettysburg when Gottfried's maps will enhance my understanding on the ground of just who was where. And for those less familiar with the battle, "The Maps of Gettysburg" provides a solid narrative history of events to accompany the maps. All in all, "The Maps of Gettysburg" easily climbs to the top of that mountain of Gettysburg books, and it can lay claim to a spot on the bookshelves of almost any Civil War enthusiast.