My Enemy, My Brother: Men and Days of Gettysburg [Paperback]

Joseph E. Persico (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1996

In July 1863 the invading Army of Northern Virginia, confident from its victory at Chancellorsville, unexpectedly encountered the Army of the Potomac, still without a general Lincoln could trust, at a small town in Pennsylvania. And there, among the verdant hills, rich fields, and sparkling brooks around Gettysburg, the two armies slaughtered each other in fearful numbers. My Enemy, My Brother is a remarkable re-creation of that battle, told not as military strategists have told it, but the way soldiers, doctors, shopkeepers, farmers, and wives lived it. Drawn from the letters, diaries, and memoirs of the people at Gettysburg, Persico's powerful work chronicles the passions and beliefs, the day-to-day routines, the pain and the terror of those caught up in the epic conflict that, for thousands, became their last role on earth.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph E. Persico is the author of many acclaimed books, including Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial, Piercing the Reich, and Edward R. Murrow, and has collaborated with Colin Powell on the general's memoir, My American Journey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306806924
• ISBN-13: 978-0306806926
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,029,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!, February 17, 2002

By 

Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Enemy, My Brother (Hardcover)

An excellent, blockbuster of a book. There is more history crammed into its 246 pages than I ever imagined could be accomplished in so short a span. Well written, fast moving and riveting, the author examines The Battle of Gettysburg from the participants' view: military and civilian, high and low ranking, male and female, Union and Confederate. Extreamly well done.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Accurate History, March 25, 2007

By 

Rosebud (West Virginia , USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Enemy, My Brother: Men and Days of Gettysburg (Paperback)

At first I liked this book until I realized that a lot of things the author say happened, just did not happen. And a lot of things he says some of the Generals said, they didnt say them. One of the most telling is when Lewis Armistead was wounded after going over the stone wall in Pickets Charge, The Author says that Armistead said to a union soldier to take his personal belongings and see that his wife got them. Since Armistead was a widower and had been since his last wife died in 1855, I doubt very seriously that he said this. Also the Author says that Armistead is told then that he was morally wounded and would die. But according to history when Armistead died a few days later the Union surgeon was surprised because his wounds were not life threatning.
This is just a small amount of the inaccuracies in this book. There are many more. I know this book was written some years back, but I like to read a book that has been researched and know that some truth lies in the pages. I have read many books on Gettysburg, (not that Im an expert,) but I do know the difference between historical research and a writer making up events that did not happen.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, readable overview of the Battle of Gettysburg, January 21, 1998

By 

Roly Hermans ([e-mail]) (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Enemy, My Brother: Men and Days of Gettysburg (Paperback)

What a great way to get an overview of the Battle of Gettysburg. No dry, humourless tome, this one. Rather, a very readable book that looks more at the views of the common soldiers than the moves and countermoves of the generals. The format of following many different participants and viewers of the battle (all real-life) makes for a story that reads more like a thriller. How accurate it is, I cannot say, not being an expert on the battle. However, I do note that Persico does not have what is now accepted as the true story behind the very famous photo of the dead sharpshooter at Devil's Den (it is now believed that the photographer moved and arranged the body to set up the photo). He instead believes the photographer's story that that was how he found the body. Overall, I found this an enjoyable read, and I found it easily put into place for me (for the first time in any Civil war book I have read) all the intracacies of that conflict. Just a note: I only became interested in this battle as a result of receiving the new computer game "Sid Meier's Gettysburg!" as a gift recently ... I would also thoroughly recommend that game! Especially if it leads players to want to research more about the battle and times it portrays!