Three Years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment (Keystone Books) [Hardcover]

Joseph Gibbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002 | Series: Keystone Books

Hailing from the Keystone State's rugged western counties, the Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves was one of the Civil War's most heavily engaged units. Of more than 2,100 regiments raised by the North, it suffered the eighth highest number of battle deaths, earning it the gruesome sobriquet Bloody Eleventh. Three Years in the"Bloody Eleventh" tells the story of this often-overlooked element of the Army of the Potomac from before the war up through 1864. Drawing on letters, diaries, and archival documents, Joseph Gibbs writes of men such as Colonel Thomas Gallagher, who led his troops into battle smoking a cigar, and Samuel Jackson, who became the regiment s commander following Gallagher's promotion. He rediscovers the complexities of the men who commanded the brigades and divisions of which the Eleventh Reserves was a part figures such as George Meade, John Reynolds, and Samuel Crawford. While Gibbs writes about the officers, he never loses sight of the men in the ranks who marched into places such as Gaines's Mill, Miller's Cornfield at Antietam, and the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. Nor does he forget the homes, wives, and children they left behind in western Pennsylvania. With its meticulous research and lucid prose, Three Years in the "Bloody Eleventh" provides both scholars and Civil War enthusiasts with an unprecedented look inside the trials and tribulations of one of the war's most battle-tested units.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Regimental histories are notoriously uneven in quality. Some are little more than cut & paste compilations of official sources and modern opinion, while others are truly gems of research and writing. Joseph Gibbs Three Years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment decidedly falls into the latter category. Making extensive use of manuscripts, original letters and newspaper accounts, as well as many records in the National Archives and other repositories, Gibbs has created a thoroughly researched and engagingly written story of a unit that saw incredibly heavy service. --Tom Clemens, America's Civil War Magazine

This history of the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves is a book of decidedly uncommon merits. Unlike many regimental histories, this one is marked by exhaustive research in the manuscript repositories, and Gibbs shows impressive skill in judiciously evaluating his sources. The resulting narrative affords an excellent balance between human and military content. Make no mistake about it: this is as fine a piece of research as you will find on a regimental-level unit. --Robert K. Krick

About the Author

Joseph Gibbs has worked as a reporter and editor on several Massachusetts newspapers. An adjunct professor at Boston College and a lecturer at Boston University, he is the author of Gorbachev's Glasnost: The Soviet Media in the First Phase of Perestroika (1999).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 378 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271021667
• ISBN-13: 978-0271021669
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,455,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous account of unsung regiment, May 23, 2002

By 

David R. Exum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment (Keystone Books) (Hardcover)

Without a doubt, "Three Years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment" by Joseph Gibbs is arguably one of the finest books recently published about the Civil War. Gibbs' work not only takes the reader directly into numerous conflicts the Bloody Eleventh endured, he explains with thorough and exhaustive research the life of some of the bravest and finest soldiers that fought against the Confederacy. Gibbs' work pulls no punches and his facts are clearly presented with tremendous footnotes, maps and photos. This book belongs on the shelf right next to "Black Hawk Down". Yes, it's that good. I read "Black Hawk Down" recently and while reading Gibbs' book I noticed how both Gibbs and Mark Bowden are able transport the reader to the battle field with relative ease. Civil War reading doesn't get any better than this.