DDC/MDS
| 973.7/349 |
Publication
Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Original publication date
2002
Description
The greatest of all Civil War campaigns, Gettysburg was the turning point of the turning point in our nation's history. Volumes have been written about this momentous three-day battle, but recent histories have tended to focus on the particulars rather than the big picture: on the generals or on single days of battle-even on single charges-or on the daily lives of the soldiers. In Gettysburg Sears tells the whole story in a single volume. From the first gleam in Lee's eye to the last Rebel hightailing it back across the Potomac, every moment of the battle is brought to life with the vivid narrative skill and impeccable scholarship that has made Stephen Sears's other histories so successful. Based on years of research, this is the first book in a generation that brings everything together, sorts it all out, makes informed judgments, and takes stands. Even the most knowledgeable of Civil War buffs will find fascinating new material and new interpretations, and Sears's famously accessible style will make the book just as appealing to the general reader. In short, this is the one book on Gettysburg that anyone interested in the Civil War should own.… (more)
Status
Available
Call number
Collection
User reviews
LibraryThing member tymfos
This is one of the finest accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg I've read. Scholarly yet thoroughly readable, it was filled with well-documented details missed or omitted by other Gettysburg histories I have read. It also corrected some common misconceptions about the battle and its circumstances.
LibraryThing member HarryH100
Most detail on the subject that I have read anywhere. But it could use more maps (a common issue with Civil War literature). If you want to know exactly when and where a confrontation occurred (prior to, during, and after),as well as who was involved in the battle, I recommend this book. Take the
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book with you to the battlefield and refer to it frequently! Show Less
LibraryThing member bkinetic
Once I began this I was unable to do much else except read it to the end. A good battle story should cover both the top-level political and strategic context and decisions as well as the view of the soldiers on the ground, bringing out both the exhaustion, horror and heroism. Sears does all of this
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well and in detail. General Lee, brilliant in earlier victories, is portrayed as out of action here. General Meade, later criticized for not pursuing the confederates afterward, comes across well as in touch with his troops. Show Less
LibraryThing member wildbill
This was a thorough narrative history of the Battle of Gettysburg. The author shows a good command of the source material going through the action step by step. There are numerous references to primary sources that provide the reader with numerous details of the action. I did feel that the author
The author lets the facts tell the story without any bias on his part. As the battle progresses it is clear that this was one battle where the Southern soldiers were misused by their generals. The absence of Stonewall Jackson forced Lee to change his command structure. J.E.B. Stuart's quest for glory deprived Lee of his services until the last day of the battle. Lee and Longstreet had a fundamental disagreement over how the battle should be fought. Longstreet's famous statement that no 15,000 men could take Cemetery Ridge was not substantiated by other sources but there was definitely a lack of cohesion between Lee and his three Corps commanders.
Perhaps because he was new Meade seemed to work harder at the fundamentals of running his army. Lee spent all three days of the battle looking at the action through binoculars while Meade who stayed on top of the action by riding the battle lines constantly. Hancock was up and down the line constantly moving units of the Federal army to meet the changing circumstances of the battle. The Northern soldiers fought hard and the author quotes many of the rank and file saying "This is for Fredericksburg".
This book did not try to provide the type of analysis present in The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command. It was a very good narrative history providing much more detail than a survey history history of the war. I recommend it as very enjoyable and informative.
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went overboard on the details of the casualty figures. There are numerous references to what percentage of units were casualties on what day or during a specific part of the action. Other than the fact that there were numerous casualties the author does not use this recitation of numbers to make any point about the battle. After a while it got boring and detracted from the real human tragedy of the battle.The author lets the facts tell the story without any bias on his part. As the battle progresses it is clear that this was one battle where the Southern soldiers were misused by their generals. The absence of Stonewall Jackson forced Lee to change his command structure. J.E.B. Stuart's quest for glory deprived Lee of his services until the last day of the battle. Lee and Longstreet had a fundamental disagreement over how the battle should be fought. Longstreet's famous statement that no 15,000 men could take Cemetery Ridge was not substantiated by other sources but there was definitely a lack of cohesion between Lee and his three Corps commanders.
Perhaps because he was new Meade seemed to work harder at the fundamentals of running his army. Lee spent all three days of the battle looking at the action through binoculars while Meade who stayed on top of the action by riding the battle lines constantly. Hancock was up and down the line constantly moving units of the Federal army to meet the changing circumstances of the battle. The Northern soldiers fought hard and the author quotes many of the rank and file saying "This is for Fredericksburg".
This book did not try to provide the type of analysis present in The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command. It was a very good narrative history providing much more detail than a survey history history of the war. I recommend it as very enjoyable and informative.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tbrennan1
Impressive scholarship from Stephen Sears of the crucial battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. This was a superb read and the best study of the Gettsburg campaign backed up by detailed research and wonderful writing. I could not leave this book down. The dramatic narrative highlights the
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performance of Meade in contrast to Lee's role in the Confederate's failure. History is not boring when presented in this type of book. Show Less
LibraryThing member chriskrycho
A really thorough and quite readable account of the battle. Made me want to read more of Sears' work.
LibraryThing member Garp83
I have long been a Civil War buff, although unlike many of this ilk I have zero interest in re-enactments and actually a rather limited interest in the battles themselves, from a military standpoint. Rather, I am far more taken by the political dimension of the war for our national history and how
I have attempted Sears before, most recently with his landmark Landscape Turned Red about Antietam, which I abandoned about forty percent into it, not because he is a bad writer but only because I found the narrative too pregnant with military minutiae for my taste. Somehow, my instincts communicated that this would be different with Gettysburg, and my instincts were correct. Not that military nuts-and-bolts in great detail don’t dominate here, because they do, but for me Gettysburg rises well above that to capture the personalities of the generals and their lieutenants and even the average soldier clad in blue or butternut, as well as the state of the armies, the lay of the land and the greater themes of the war – on and off the battlefield – that are of paramount interest for me.
Like other works by Sears, there is far more informational detail here than I would care to learn, especially as it relates to preparation for the battle, yet this time it seems to click with the non-military historian – myself – in a way that vividly highlights these components as they fit into the grander scale of the event. This time, I found the characters and events so well animated and integrated that I did not lose interest as we moved forward, even with an avalanche of minutiae, and I came to feel – much like, I suspect, the average soldier on either side – the tension build toward the crescendo of battle, although certainly my armchair was far safer than their killing fields.
Some have called Sears the Bruce Catton of today and characterized Gettysburg as the best one-volume treatment of the battle. I think it earns these superlatives and more. Of all the authors and books on the Civil War that I have read, this is the one that most brought the distant Robert E. Lee to life for me, and made me feel what it must have been like to serve with or against Stuart, Longstreet, Sickles, Hancock, Chamberlain, Custer and many more. A magnificent book on a multiplicity of levels, if you ever wanted to read one book on Gettysburg, read this one!
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its legacy defined the America that we live in today. Still, an understanding of the critical battles is essential to comprehending the war, even if you are willing to eschew the tactical details that so fascinate the military historian. My interest in the war – and its battles – has been reawakened by the sesquicentennial of this seminal conflict, and I have not only returned to reading about the Civil War but also began visiting its battlefields: Manassas, Fredericksburg, Antietam, even Fort Macon in NC. I hope to visit Gettysburg this year for its own sesquicentennial, and in preparation I picked up the highly acclaimed Stephen Sears book, entitled simply Gettysburg. I have attempted Sears before, most recently with his landmark Landscape Turned Red about Antietam, which I abandoned about forty percent into it, not because he is a bad writer but only because I found the narrative too pregnant with military minutiae for my taste. Somehow, my instincts communicated that this would be different with Gettysburg, and my instincts were correct. Not that military nuts-and-bolts in great detail don’t dominate here, because they do, but for me Gettysburg rises well above that to capture the personalities of the generals and their lieutenants and even the average soldier clad in blue or butternut, as well as the state of the armies, the lay of the land and the greater themes of the war – on and off the battlefield – that are of paramount interest for me.
Like other works by Sears, there is far more informational detail here than I would care to learn, especially as it relates to preparation for the battle, yet this time it seems to click with the non-military historian – myself – in a way that vividly highlights these components as they fit into the grander scale of the event. This time, I found the characters and events so well animated and integrated that I did not lose interest as we moved forward, even with an avalanche of minutiae, and I came to feel – much like, I suspect, the average soldier on either side – the tension build toward the crescendo of battle, although certainly my armchair was far safer than their killing fields.
Some have called Sears the Bruce Catton of today and characterized Gettysburg as the best one-volume treatment of the battle. I think it earns these superlatives and more. Of all the authors and books on the Civil War that I have read, this is the one that most brought the distant Robert E. Lee to life for me, and made me feel what it must have been like to serve with or against Stuart, Longstreet, Sickles, Hancock, Chamberlain, Custer and many more. A magnificent book on a multiplicity of levels, if you ever wanted to read one book on Gettysburg, read this one!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Dave068
The best single volume history of Gettysburg out there!
LibraryThing member Dave068
The best single volume history of Gettysburg out there!
Awards
Fletcher Pratt Award (2003)
Physical description
xiv, 623 p.; 24 cm
ISBN
0395867614 / 9780395867617
Local notes
signed bookplate
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