Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

"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.

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.

It was refreshing to read a Civil War book by an author with no ideological ax to grind. Desjardins raises some of the fundamental historical and historiographical questions in trying to determine: " How do we know what we know?"
Obviously, using Gettysburg as the centerpiece for discussion, but branching into " Lost Cause" critiques, Desjardins has produced an entertaining, often humorous, an ultimately valuable assessment of the many myths that surround Civil War discussion.
Perhaps the most striking and revealing commentary deals with how the tradition of Gettysburg worship and celebration evolved, and how the controversial selection and placing of monuments transpired.
Although some of the probing covers previously analyzed terrain, the author brings a new angle, and thankfully, non-ideological viewpoint to the topics. An enjoyable, and informative read from cover to cover.

My first thought was "Oh no! Another book about the Battle of Gettysburg." As a resident of the bustling tourist town and frequent battlefield "stomper" I decided to give it a go.
From Thomas Desjardin's introduction, to the very end, he dispells many of the myths about the Battle of Gettysburg, many myths that are still told today. Desjardin reveals how history and memory often conflict and how many of the battlefield legends came to be. A refreshing look at a much written about topic!

Having a great-great grandfather who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, I have more than a passing interest in this Civil War battle. After reading Thomas A. Desjardin's These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory, I learned that much of what we believe about this pivotal battle is incorrect.

Desjardin goes into great detail on how and why our take on this battle has changed over the years. "The truth about Gettysburg is buried beneath layer upon layer of flawed human memory and our attempts to fashion our past into something that makes our present a little easier to live in." There are all kinds of myths that have been passed down, including that General Lee led his Confederates to Gettysburg because it was the location of a shoe factory (it wasn't) or that Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope (he didn't). Many errors can be attributed to the fog of war. "Adrenaline, chaos, confusion, noise, anger, pain, blood--all capture the mind's focus when one's life is on the line in combat." Other errors can be connected to the fact that most Civil War soldiers waited until 20 years or more after the war before writing their version of events. Many eye-witnesses wrote to put their "spin" on the battle, or to make specific leaders or regiments look good. General Dan Sickles, who created a major blunder on Day 2, spent the rest of his long life claiming that his actions were the result of mistakes made by General George Meade (they weren't).

In some situations, art is responsible for these untruths. The famous Gettysburg Cyclorama was painted by French artist, Paul Philippoteaux. It shows a definite French influence including "French-style hay bales," Union soldiers "wearing the white-legged uniforms of the French army," and wounded soldiers being transported from the battlefield in French "two-seated mule-borne apparatus." In 1994, the movie Gettysburg made its television debut. In commentary before the film, Ted Turner states that 50,000 men died at Gettysburg--more than the entire Viet Nam War. Actually, only 10,000 died at Gettysburg, although millions of Americans think otherwise, thanks to Turner.

My husband and I saw first-hand how such errors were made. My great-great grandfather fought with the Pennsylvania 115th Infantry, which saw action on Day 2 in the Wheat Field. The PA 115th monument can be found there. On my last visit, I had a personal guide who was very knowledgeable about the Wheat Field. He informed me that the PA 115th actually fought on the other side of a small stream. But when monuments were being erected, that ground was still private land. So the monument is not correctly placed.

These Honored Dead has definitely changed the way I look at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863) was the largest battle fought in North America and a pivotal event of the American Civil War. The battle, its causes, environs, personalities, events, among other things have been written about and memorialized endlessly, literally from the moment the troops on both sides left the battlefield.

In his study "These Honored Dead", Thomas Desjardin examines some of the the legends that have grown around this great battle. He has written a historiography which shows how and why it is difficult to determine what in fact occured during the battle from the mass of conflicting accounts in the literature. Desjardin holds a PhD in American history. He is the author of "Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine" which examines the activities of the 20th Maine and Colonel Joshua Chamberlain on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Desjardin offers several reasons contributing the the difficulty of separating fact from memory in understanding a complex historical event such as the Battle of Gettysburg. First, during the battle, the participants were under, obviously, severe stress and tend to focus only on the activities under their direct observation. With the passage of years, memories tend both to fade and to become embellished.

Second, after the battle many of the participants tried to shape the story for ends and meanings of their own. Thus Union General Dan Sickles tried to destroy the reputation of General Meade, the Union commander at Gettysburg, to cover Sickles's own misdeeds in moving his Third Corps to an exposed position which threatened the Federal position and resulted in great loss of life. Similarly, various Confederate writers, including General Jubal Early, tried to find scapegoats for the loss of the battle to foster a "Lost Cause" mythology and absolve General Robert E. Lee from blame for the defeat.

Third, Gettysburg has become regarded as a key moment in understanding and giving meaning to the American experience. Historians, artists, and the public have shaped the meaning and events of the battle to meet perceived national and frequently individual ends.

Desjardins examines a number of key moments of the battle, including the fighting for Little Round Top at the extreme left of the Union line on July 2 and "Pickett's Charge" at the center of the Union line on July 3. A great deal of mythology has grown around these two moments. With respect to Little Round Top, Desjardins examines the bases for some of the claims put forth about Joshua Chamberlain and Gouverneur Warren, among others, and concludes that a number of the claims are extravagant, unsupported by, and in some cases contradicted by the historical record. Desjardin discusses in some detail Michael Sharaa's famous novel, "The Killer Angels" and the television series and movie based upon it and shows the fictitious character of much of the account.

A work such as Desjardin's could easily degenerate into an exercise in debunking, which is all-to-common in understanding American history. But I found Desjardin's book moving and instructive precisely because this does not happen. Desjardin discusses a battle and a battlefield that have a great deal of historical and personal resonance for him, and he takes it seriously. Gettysburg may not be, indeed, an American Valhalla, but the site is hallowed ground and it, and its combatants, have earned the study, memorializations, and legends they have received. Taking away some of the legends about Chamberlain or Warren, for example, we are left with highly impressive individuals and with incidents of heroism. Upon completing the book, I was left with the feeling that, in Gettyburg as in so much else, the truth and the search for the truth about what took place, are more impressive and shape the legends. The battle, its consequences, and meanings are properly ways in which Americans discover themselves.

Readers who enjoy this book will also benefit from many other studies about the relationship between history and memory at Gettysburg. An example of such a book is Carol Reardon's "Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" (1997). Desjardin's book will have its greatest appeal to readers who have a background in the Battle of Gettysburg and an interest in questions of historical truth and interpretation.

Robin Friedman

Prospective readers should not approach this book simply as a history of the Battle of Gettysburg, although the book can be recommended to any student of the Battle. For the book goes beyond history; it is more a work of metahistory or historiography. Its themes are the evanescence and corrosive nature of memory and the related need of humans to create stories and how those two phenomena inevitably shape, and skew, history -- all as played out in the ever-evolving popular history of the Battle of Gettysburg. These themes are well-known to professional historians, but many amateur historians and Civil War buffs probably are not as cognizant of them as they should be. Desjardins illustrates them again and again in the course of his exploration of the development of a number of the popular legends surrounding Gettysburg -- including Dan Sickles' quest to disparage General Meade and have himself anointed the Union hero and savior of Gettysburg, the "Copse of Trees" as the "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy, the role of Gettysburg in "Lost Cause" mythology, and the celebration of Little Round Top and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in more recent mythology such as Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" and the movie "Gettysburg." THESE HONORED DEAD is a fascinating and instructive book, with the added virtues of being relatively brief and quite readable.

This is actually a pretty unique book on Gettysburg in that it's not a study of the battle itself but of the history of the battle and how people's perceptions of Gettysburg have been shaped over time. Tom Desjardin does a wonderful job of looking at some of the more famous parts of the battle such as Little Round Top and The High Water Mark and explaining why and how they became focal points. Many myths are explored and how they came into being such as the myth that the Confederates were a ragged shoeless army (They were actually well equipped).

Sickles' endless campaign after the battle to smear Meade's reputation also gets a close look as well as the evolution of the 20th Maine's role in the battle thanks to the book Killer Angels and the film Gettysburg.

The book also has some interesting info about the monuments on the field. We learn why the Armistead marker is in the wrong place, why the statue on the statue on the 83rd Pennsylvania monument looks so much like Stong Vincent and why there is no statue to Sickles on the Battlefield (Sickles embezzled the money!).

Lastly Tom Desjardin is just a plain good writer. To many books on history these days are written by people who while they do good research don't have great writing skills. Desjardin however is as good a writer as he is a scholor and the result is a very pleasant read.

Desjardin, who is in a position to know by virtue of his background, has done a good job laying to rest many of the myths about Gettysburg. As other reviewers have noted, this is a history of history. Well written, and makes compelling arguments.