A Strange and Blighted Land: Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle [Paperback]

Gregory A. Coco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1995 | ISBN-10: 1577470419 | ISBN-13: 978-1577470410

The more dismal side of the Gettysburg campaign is covered: burials of Union and Confederate corpses, removal of the 3,000 horses killed, care of the wounded, descriptions of field hospitals, disposition of POWs, cleanup of the battle ground, collection of weapons, early relic hunters, battlefield guides, and a tour of the grim and bloody fields as described by a host of early visitors.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Publications (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577470419
• ISBN-13: 978-1577470410
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Other Side of War, January 11, 2000

By 

Jeff (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Strange and Blighted Land: Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle (Paperback)

I have always been interested in what happens after the armies stop fighting and march on. Who is left behind; who cares for them; what does it look like; what does it smell like; what does it do to a community? Gregory Coco brings the reader as close as one can get to the horrors of war. I searched for a book like this for a long time, and during one trip to Gettysburg I found it. I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Coco a couple of years ago. He is a tremendous historian, an unbelievable storyteller, and a very nice person. He is a seasonal Park Ranger at Gettysburg, and I suggest that anybody who goes out there in the spring or summer find Mr. Coco and tag along on one of his presentations.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sobering look at the aftermath of Gettysburg, April 8, 2004

By 

B. Morris (Raytown, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Strange and Blighted Land: Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle (Hardcover)

This book isn't about the battle of Gettysburg. It's about the price that was paid for that battle by the men who fought it and the citizens of the town. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a nightmare beyond imagination.

After the guns fell silent Coco shows us that there was much to do. Thousands of dead soldiers needed to be buried and tens of thousands of wounded to be treated. How do you do all that? The truth is you can't, at least not very well. In the end many bodies were buried in shallow graves that didn't take long to get uncovered by the elements. Some bodies were simply dumped into the crevasses in Devil's Den. The wounded in many cases were left outside for no other reason than you had over ten times as many wounded as you had population in Gettysburg and there simply wasn't enough room indoors for all the wounded men. Toss in countless horses whose corpses needed to be gathered up and burned and you begin to get the picture. The aftermath of Gettysburg was a gruesome horror story.

This book is not for the casual or beginning Civil War reader. There's nothing about infantry charges and military tactics here. Coco doesn't hold back and to be honest the book is rather disturbing. However it tells the story that I don't think any other book does and that's the frank truth about the aftermath of Gettysburg.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different view, April 1, 2001

By 

"irish28ma" (Norwood, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Strange and Blighted Land: Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle (Paperback)

Coco's view on the darker side of Gettysburg is brilliant. He picks up when the shooting stops. His description of what it was like in the days, months and even years after this battle was very interesting. He spares no details and his desciptions of wounded and dead are shocking. He also brings to light the darker side of Adams County civillians in their treatment of wounded soldiers. Although there were many heroic and merciful civillians, Coco brings to light the ones who were not so. This is a great human interest story and sheds a different light on one of the most discussed battles in human history.