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Sickles at Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg Kindle Edition

4.4 out of 5 stars 251

“Sickles is as dividing a figure in Civil War history as there is. In his masterful work . . . Hessler . . . puts him out there with all his wrinkles” (Confederate Book Review).
 
Winner of the Robert E. Lee Civil War Roundtable of Central New Jersey’s Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award
 
Winner of the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable’s Distinguished Book Award
 
By licensed battlefield guide James Hessler, this is the most deeply-researched, full-length biography to appear on this remarkable American icon. No individual who fought at Gettysburg was more controversial, both personally and professionally, than Major General Daniel E. Sickles. By 1863, Sickles was notorious as a disgraced former Congressman who murdered his wife’s lover on the streets of Washington and used America’s first temporary insanity defense to escape justice. With his political career in ruins, Sickles used his connections with President Lincoln to obtain a prominent command in the Army of the Potomac’s 3rd Corps—despite having no military experience. At Gettysburg, he openly disobeyed orders in one of the most controversial decisions in military history.
 
Hessler’s critically acclaimed biography is a balanced and entertaining account of Sickles colorful life. Civil War enthusiasts who want to understand General Sickles’ scandalous life, Gettysburg’s battlefield strategies, the in-fighting within the Army of the Potomac, and the development of today’s National Park will find
Sickles at Gettysburg a must-read.
 
“The few other Sickles biographies available will now take a back seat to Hessler’s powerful and evocative study of the man, the general, and the legacy of the Gettysburg battlefield that old Dan left America. I highly recommend this book.”—J. David Petruzzi, coauthor of
Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg 
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"…solidly researched and well presented…clear and easy to follow…highly recommended…for those who appreciate the combination of top-notch biography and military history."
The Journal of America’s Military Past

About the Author

James A. Hessler is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg. He is the award-winning author of Sickles at Gettysburg (Savas Beatie, 2009), the recipient of the Bachelder Coddington Award and Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Distinguished Book Award, and co-author of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg (Savas Beatie, 2015). His media appearances include Travel Channel, NPR, PCN-TV, Breitbart News, Civil War Radio, and Gettysburg Daily. He was a primary content designer for the Civil War Trust’s mobile Gettysburg application and has written several articles for publication. He lives with his wife and family in Gettysburg.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0047T7JUE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Savas Beatie (June 25, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 25, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7656 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 505 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 251

About the author

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James A. Hessler
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James Hessler has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park since 2003.

His book "Sickles at Gettysburg" (Savas Beatie, 2009) was awarded the prestigious Bachelder Coddington Award and the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table's Distinguished Book Award as the most outstanding work on the Gettysburg Campaign.

He co-authored with Licensed Battlefield Guide Wayne Motts, and maps by Civil War Trust cartographer Steve Stanley, "Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg" (Savas Beatie, 2015), the first battlefield guide to the legendary final attack at Gettysburg.

Jim has written a number of articles for publication, including "Gettysburg Magazine" and "America's Civil War." He was one of the primary content designers for, and appeared in, the Civil War Trust's mobile Gettysburg application.

He is a popular speaker at Civil War Round Tables and has appeared on NPR, Travel Channel (Monumental Mysteries, 2015), PCN-TV, Breitbart News (Pickett's Charge 150th Anniversary), and Civil War Radio. He was featured in the July 2013 issue of "Civil War Monitor" magazine and the book, "Searching for George Gordon Meade" (2013).

Jim is an adjunct professor at Harrisburg Area Community College (Gettysburg campus). In addition to being a member of Gettysburg's Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides he is also a member of Little Bighorn Associates and Custer Battlefield Memorial Association.

He lives in Gettysburg with his wife and children.

Visit his websites to purchase signed copies of his books: www.sicklesatgettysburg.com and www.pickettschargeatgettysburg.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
251 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
A detailed and well researched discussion of this truly interesting and very controversial character.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2020
Overall, this was a very good book. There were aspects of this particular individual that were fascinating and well presented from the get-go. The author has a tremendous amount of knowledge about the details of the Gettysburg battle. Sometimes, I felt that I was being presented with too much information. For example, the ongoing detail regarding the cigar smoked by General Sickles while being carried off the battlefield almost led me to give up cigars. This book provides a historical perspective of the political infighting among generals that had occurred during the Civil War that would be ignored otherwise. Also, a great history of a fascinating individual, good or bad
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2010
I enjoy most books that I read, but a rare few get me really excited. James A. Hessler's brilliant Sickles at Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg is one of those few! Dan Sickles is one of the most controversial and colorful figures in the Civil War, and his name is still a lightning rod to Civil War scholars. Hessler attempts to set the record straight.

A Tammany Hall politician, Sickles was a political general who advanced to command the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Having no prior military experience, "He fought aggressively, but demonstrated questionable military judgment." That poor judgment was never more evident than on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg. Against the orders of Commanding General George G. Meade, Sickles moved his corps out of line and into the now famous Peach Orchard. The resulting battles in the Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield destroyed the Third Corps. Longstreet claimed that it was the heaviest fighting of the entire Civil War. Sickles lost his right leg after being hit with a cannon ball. Historians have debated ever since why Sickles made his move and also, whether it was advantageous to the Union. Hessler weighs in with his opinion. Many claimed that Sickles' injury was the only thing that kept him from being court-martialed.

Hessler then goes on to describe the Second Battle of Gettysburg--which took place over a 50-year span. In trying to justify his actions, Sickles went on the offensive. He tried to discredit Meade (both publicly and privately), and declared himself the hero of Gettysburg. He lied to everyone from President Lincoln to the Committee on the Conduct of the War, and he remained on the attack until his death in 1914.

I found Sickles at Gettysburg fascinating for a number of reasons. Starting in 1863, this book is also a history of the Third Corps. My great-great grandfather served under Sickles, and I discovered much new information about where he was deployed and why. I was also amazed at how such a scoundrel could keep landing on his feet. The list of Sickles' indiscretions is a long one and includes censure from Congress for bringing a known prostitute into Congressional Chambers, killing his wife's lover, being removed as Commander of the Second Military District after the war, embarrassing himself as Ambassador to Spain, embezzling over $28,000 from the New York State Monument Commission, and spending the inheritance of his children. Diarist George Templeton Strong said of Sickles "One might as well try to spoil a rotten egg as to damage Dan's character." Yet, Sickles was loved by his men and he had friends in high places (both before and after the war) including Abraham and Mary Lincoln and James Longstreet.

On the plus-side, it is in large part due to Dan Sickles that the Gettysburg Battlefield was saved for posterity. He was also a strong advocate for veterans' affairs. Unfortunately, "his political underhandedness has overshadowed the positive services that he later performed in veterans' affairs and the establishment of Gettysburg National Military Park. George Meade beat Dan Sickles in 1864's Second Battle of Gettysburg, and Sickles' historical image remains permanently damaged as a result."

If you want a special treat, go to [...]. James Hessler is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at GNMP. On this site, you can find an extensive video series on Sickles at Gettysburg. You don't have to travel to Gettysburg to view the actual sites mentioned in Hessler's wonderful book.
10 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019
Hessler does an excellent job of balancing detail that will appeal to serious students of history with the maintenance of an overarching perspective of events that casual readers can follow. He also creates as balanced a perspective as possible of Sickles' few redeeming traits in contrast to his numerous flaws as a senior military officer and personal moral turpitude. Hessler provides ample detail backed up by solid research to support it, and weaves enough background and well-supported supposition to make the book an interesting read.

Serious historians often rightly avoid going beyond the bounds of their research support to form speculative judgments. In contrast, forming judgements about leaders is precisely what senior military officers must do. So for the latter group, two salient points to be deduced from Hessler's writing are: (1) Although certainly not alone in this respect among corps commanders at Gettysburg, Sickles, a political general, was rather inept at the operational, as opposed to tactical, level of war. (2) Sickles was/is universally disliked as a leader by professional military personnel both then and now. Despite Sickles' theatrical bravado that appealed to many of his rank and file, Sickles was a toxic leader due to his recklessness and inability to subordinate his selfish desires to the needs of his army. Although Hessler as a historian stops short of forming these judgments in so many words leaving that to the reader, astute military leaders should have no difficulty reading between the lines.

The overall result is what I believe is the best assessment of Sickles' involvement in events surrounding 2 July 1863 I have read. I liked the book enough to schedule a private tour with Hessler, a Gettysburg licensed guide, to further explore his thoughts on certain events as we walk the actual terrain. For those who want to get a better feel for Hessler's thinking, there are a couple of informative videos of presentations he has given online that can help whet readers' appetites.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Alison M. DOBELL
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift purchase.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2016
Bought as a gift. Arrived safe and sound.
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