Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg [Hardcover]

Earl J. Hess (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807826480 | ISBN-13: 978-0807826485 | Publication Date: October 31, 2000 | Edition: 1St Edition

Pickett's Charge is probably the best-known military engagement of the Civil War, widely regarded as the defining moment of the battle of Gettysburg and celebrated as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. But as Earl Hess notes, the epic stature of Pickett's Charge has grown at the expense of reality, and the facts of the attack have been obscured or distorted by the legend that surrounds them.

With this book, Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, he creates a moving narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives, analyzing its planning, execution, aftermath, and legacy. He also examines the history of the units involved, their state of readiness, how they maneuvered under fire, and what the men who marched in the ranks thought about their participation in the assault. Ultimately, Hess explains, such an approach reveals Pickett's Charge both as a case study in how soldiers deal with combat and as a dramatic example of heroism, failure, and fate on the battlefield.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is probably the best book on Pickett's Charge that has been written to date. . . . Hess's writing is clear and lucid, and very descriptive of the horrible battlefield conditions during this storied attack and repulse. . . . His book will stand on its own merit for a long time to come. It's a must-have title for any Gettysburg collection."
-Journal of Military History

"Hess brings an impressive outpouring of new and old sources to bear in a strong narrative of the attack and its repulse that is rich in detail, quotes and personal accounts, with excellent accompanying maps and photographs. . . . This is a good book."
-Washington Post Book World

"Hess provides a stirring battle narrative accompanied by new interpretations tracing the hows and whys of what has been called Pickett's Charge. . . . A successful combination of familiar and not so well known accounts. . . . Very readable with a liberal use of maps and illustrations to accompany the text. . . . A necessary read for anyone interested in the Gettysburg Campaign or military history. . . . The best account of that historic encounter on Cemetery Ridge."
-Civil War News

"Here we are told again and better of the best-known day of the war, in a beautifully written account. . . . No prior account captures with such integrity and historical accuracy the horror and valor of the best-known infantry assault of the war. This book imparts a palpable understanding and appreciation of the roles played by men of all ranks, both sides, the brave, the foolish, the cowardly, the opportunistic."
-Virginia Quarterly Review

"Well illustrated with scenes from the battlefield and portraits of the principal figures. . . . The writing is crisp and clear. Pickett's Charge is a valuable addition to the Civil War shelf."
-Washington Times

"Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. . . . Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, he creates a moving narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives, analyzing its planning, execution, aftermath, and legacy."
-McCormick Messenger

[Hess] utilizes a wide range of primary sources penned by the participants themselves from before the attack began through postwar remembrances. (Civil War Times)

I have no doubt that this work will take its place as the new standard on Pickett's Charge. (D. Scott Hartwig, Historian, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)

From the Inside Flap

Sweeping away many of the myths that shroud Pickett's Charge, Hess offers the definitive history of the most famous military action of the Civil War. He transforms exhaustive research into a moving narrative account of the assault from both Union and Confederate perspectives, analyzing its planning, execution, aftermath, and legacy.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 516 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press; 1St Edition edition (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807826480
• ISBN-13: 978-0807826485
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on the Charge, August 28, 2002

By 

Sherman Peabody "Sherm" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg (Hardcover)

I have thought Stewart's "Pickets Charge" to be the best source for the past 40 years. Hess has written a book that will replace Stewart for more than 40 years. While a master of the sources, Hess is a thoughtful military historian and a writer of a judicious narrative. I have been reading, writing and teaching about the Civil War since 1960 (and graduated from Gettysburg College) and Hess tells me things that I never knew or failed to consider. This is an essential book on the Battle of Gettysburg and one of the better military history works at the beginning of the new century.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Stewart...!, August 2, 2002

By 

Todd E. Newman (Valparaiso, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg (Hardcover)

Move over Stewart and other authors who have written about Pickett's Charge, Earl Hess is the new sheriff in town! Hess leaves the polictics and modern day views of the battle far away and gets down to just the battle itself. Hess is careful to explain Confederate positions on the morning of July 3rd with great detail. Gibbon and the First Corps, Hay's Division and other Federal Unit positions are closely written about as to time and place. The bombardment is covered from Confedarate and Union perspective which I found to be very helpful in questions that I had in understanding time and effect. Hess is careful in explaining not only Pickett's Division's crossing but also covers Pettigrew's assault completely. What is interesting is that each segment or piece of time of the battle is presented from both Union and Confederate view points. I liked reading about how Gibbon's Division prepared and fought as well as I liked reading about Pickett's men reaching the stone wall. Cadmus Wilcox's futile attempts to support Pickett along with evening accounts from both sides complete this lengthy and thorough book. Hess' exhaustive detail and care make this book an important asset to one understanding Pickett's Charge. Without a doubt it my new favorite on the subject.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pickett's Charge, November 4, 2003

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg (Hardcover)

For many people, Pickett's July 3, 1863 charge up Cemetery Ridge is the climactic event of the Battle of Gettysburg and the defining moment of the Civil War. Earl J. Hess has written a detailed, scholarly account of Pickett's charge which draws copiously upon contemporary sources. His book is clear and easy to follow, given the subject matter, and is poignant to read. I found myself riveted to his account.

I found a major virtue of the book was the manner in which Hess shifted his focus back and forth from the Confederate to the Union side of the line. The book begins with a discussion of the planning of the charge, focusing on the interactions between Lee and Longstreet. This is followed by two chapters dealing with, respectively, the disposition of the Confederate troops before the attack and the Union lines before the attack. I found this invaluable in helping me understand the events of the day and their sequence.

Hess follows this discussion with a discussion of the Confederate cannonading barrage, and the Union response, that proceeded the infantry advance. Again, he shifts his focus from the Confederate side of the line, and the effect of the cannonading on the Union, to the Union response and its effect on the Confederacy. He spends a great deal of time explaining the decision of the Union artillerists to hold their fire and the disagreement this decision provoked with General Hancock. This theme pervades the book and is well-treated. Hess concludes that the cannonading was about one hour in duration before the infantry charge,(i.e. from about 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m.) contrary to some other accounts which make it substantially longer.

There are detailed discussions of the Confederate infantry advance to the Emmitsburg Road, to the Stone Fence, and, for a small number of intrepid southern soldiers, over the wall and into the Union lines. We learn about the Union artillery and infantry responses and about their effect on the charge at each stage.

There is an excellent but somewhat brief chapter on the repulse of the charge and on the subsequent Confederate retreat back to Virginia. There is an excellent chapter discussing the careers of the principle protagonists of the battle following the events of July 3 through the end of the War and beyond.

The book lays a great deal of emphasis on the topography of the battlefield, the hills, ridges, swales, and fences which played a major role in the fighting of July 3. But the key emphasis on the book is on the fighting men on both sides -- on their determination and their heroism. Hess argues that the activities of the troops and their immediate commanders were more important to the results of the day than the decisions of the generals.

Hess has many thoughtful things to say about the attack, its planning, and about its possibilities for success. He finds the attack a long chance indeed but is able to present a convincing case about why Lee believed he needed to try. Hess is highly critical of James Longstreet for the manner in which he deployed the attacking divisions and for his failure to provide support to the attack. But he does not believe the attack would have succeeded even if Longstreet had carried out his responsibilities more aggressively. I learned a great deal from Hess's study.

This book will help the reader understand the events of July 3. It shows why Pickett's charge, with its suffering, its folly, and its glory retains its hold on the imagination of many Americans.