These Honored Dead: How The Story Of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory [Hardcover]

Thomas A. Desjardin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2003

Ever since the guns of Gettysburg fell silent in July 1863, and Lincoln stepped away from his two-minute speech on the same battleground four months later, the story of this three-day conflict has become an American legend, a cultural icon. American memory has established Gettysburg as the greatest, biggest, most important, most heroic, most savage, bloodiest battle this nation has ever fought. It has become our Waterloo, our battle of Marathon, our siege of Troy. The soldiers who fought there have become heroes in our national pantheon: They fought the hardest, endured the worst, and achieved the most, nothing less than saving the United States from self-destruction. Gettysburg has become the defining conflict in our history.How did the story of Gettysburg evolve? How did the battle become a legend? And how much truth is behind the myth? Thomas A. Desjardin, a prominent Civil War historian and keen cultural observer, shows how flawed our knowledge of this enormous event has become, and why that has happened. It is, in effect, the extraordinary biography of a story-the story of Gettysburg. It also shows how Americans have shaped, used, altered, and sanctified our national memory, fashioning the story of Gettysburg as a reflection of, and testimony to, our culture and our nation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In George Bernard Shaw's Devil's Disciple, British general Burgoyne faces certain defeat at Saratoga. A subordinate asks him how history will view the event. History, Burgoyne states, "will tell lies, as usual." Desjardin is a historian and an archivist at Gettysburg. In this intriguing look at the reliability of many of the assumed truths about the Battle of Gettysburg, he does not accuse "history" or individuals of deliberate deceit. Rather, he convincingly asserts that the memories of battle participants, many of them recorded a decade later, are fragmentary and often contradictory. Faced with confusing recollections, historians often chose to select those accounts that satisfied their own preconceptions. As their accounts were written and repeated over decades, they received the aura of sanctified truth. For example, what really happened on the second day at Little Round Top? Did Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain really "save the Union" with an unorthodox charge? In dissecting various accounts, Desjardin skillfully illustrates how hazy memories of the fog of battle are gradually codified into accepted fact. An excellent addition to Civil War collections. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A remarkably enlightened magical mystery tour of the Gettysburg battlefield...An entertaining, accurate and thought-provoking study." -- Portland Press Herald 02/22/04

"A very entertaining book that all lovers of military history from all eras should have on their shelves." -- The Wargamer February 2004

"Debunks some of the popular myths surrounding the three-day engagement...Challenge[s] the conventions of history." -- Army January 2004

"Desjardin's unique angle has won praise from national reviewers for its fresh take, while also pleasing...Civil War buffs." -- Morning Sentinel (ME) 03/31/04

"Eye-opening...Along comes Desjardin to painstakingly show that much of what we have come to believe is wrong." -- Rocky Mountain News 12/26/03

"Informative." -- Civil War Courier May 2004

"Myths began about Gettysburg the moment the last shot was fired...This is an interesting overview of those myths." -- Military Images March/April 2004

"Shines a harsh but brilliant light on the flawed reinterpretation of America's most misunderstood piece of history...exquisite detail." -- Utne Reader March/April 2004

"The extraordinary biography of a story-the story of Gettysburg." -- SirReadaLot.org 12/22/03

"Wonderfully written, provocative, and informative...A fabulous book...One of the better volumes written on the battle in many years." -- The Civil War News February/March 2004

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306812673
• ISBN-13: 978-0306812675
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,579,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Making Of An American Legend, December 21, 2003

By 

W. C HALL (Newport, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: These Honored Dead: How The Story Of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory (Hardcover)

If you type "Gettysburg" into this site's search engine, you'll find more than 500 books that include the name of that famous battle in their title. It's likely that more has been written about those three days at the beginning of July, 1863, than any other battle in the history of the United States. Yet in "These Honored Dead" Thomas A. Desjardin brings fresh insights to the Gettysburg saga by beginning his account on July 4, 1863--the day after the guns fell silent.

In this thoughtful work, Desjardin explores the legends and myths that have developed around Gettysburg in the ensuing decades. He argues that the actual record of what happened has been open to conflicting interpretation by just about any group or individual with enough persuasive ability to bend the story to its own purposes "History has a way of coming out as we hoped it would rather than the way things really happened," he observes, then spends the next several chapters exploring how the reality of the conflict has been obscured, through accidental or deliberate misinterpretation. In the first decades after the battle, it might have been a disgraced officer seeking to salvage his reputation; in more recent times, it's likely to have been a novelist or filmmaker in search of a dramatic hero or moment to illuminate his story. But whatever the motives, the result has been to shroud the reality of those days in myth.

In one chapter, Desjardin considers the conflicting versions on what happened on Little Round Top. Certainly it's a pivotal spot on the battlefield; but if we can't determine the truth of what happened on a piece of real estate barely 100 yards wide, how can we hope to sort out the myths from the reality of the battle as a whole?

Do you believe that as many men died in the three days of Gettysburg as in the entire Vietnam war? Have you read that the Confederate army headed into Gettysburg hoping to raid a shoe factory or warehouse? Do you believe the positioning of a horse's hooves on an equestrian statue at the battlefield is designed to convey the rider's ultimate fate? Do you blame James Longstreet for the Confederate defeat, or credit Joshua Chamberlain for the Union victory? Then be prepared to re-think what you know about this most famous of American battles. Desjardin's book is not only a thoughtful look at those three days in July; it's also an intriguing exploration of the entire history-making process.--William C. Hall

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Myths shattered like glass, January 6, 2004

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: These Honored Dead: How The Story Of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory (Hardcover)

"These Honored Dead" subtitled "How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory" by Thomas A. Desjardin. His other book is "Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine" about the 20th Maine's stand on Little Round Top, knows his battle and writes a very readable book. The narration is clear, the points well made and supported by facts though at times the same point is made in different parts of the book.

What is your favorite Gettysburg story? Who killed Reynolds? Lee's orders to Longstreet for an attack at dawn on July 2nd? Chamberlain's order to fix bayonets and charge? Want to know how the 72nd Penn managed to get their monument where the men would not go on July 3rd? Mr. Desjardin, tells us without upsetting anyone and entertaining everyone. In between, you will learn more about the history of the history of the battle than you thought existed. From how Gettysburg was viewed at the time to why we really know so little about the most documented battle in our history.

This is a good serious history that is entertaining and fun to read. If you buy one book on Gettysburg, this is an excellent choice.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Honored Dead, December 12, 2003

By 

CHRIS E. HEISEY (Mechanicsburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: These Honored Dead: How The Story Of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory (Hardcover)

Millions of Americans come to Gettysburg every year, but few realize how the history of this so hallowed place has evolved through the years. This book is absolutely compelling and it is a true lesson in how history is "made". The chapter on Joshua L. Chamberlain is worth the price of the book alone. It is written in an engaging style that does not mean to discredit any previous historian who has spilled ink on the world's most famous battle yet the book offers a stimulating thesis on how we remember things as humans. History is a mystery. That's why studying it so fascinating. There is no "true history, just clues. It is our job to solve the case. This book is a must for any history buff and certainly it should be read be every Civil War affectionado. Read it because it's good stuff and then visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, because it is special.