The Most Glorious Fourth: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4, 1863

Rating:
Summary: America's Most Glorious Fourth
Review: All and all, THE MOST GLORIOUS FOURTH is an excellent introduction to the Gettysburg and Vicksburg campaigns of 1863. It tells the tale of the dynamic events leading up to America's 87th birthday, the nation whose future was held in the hands of Generals Meade, Lee, Grant, Pemberton, and the men who served under them at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The stories of the two campaigns are skillfully woven together, leaving the reader with a solid understanding of the strategy of the campaigns, how the battles were fought, who the main people involved were, and what the campaigns did to the soldiers, the civilians of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and to all people in the Union and Confederacy. The end result, with many well-placed first hand accounts of the soldiers on the lines and in the trenches, the people of the two towns trapped between two warring armies, and the generals and politicians involved, combined with liberal use of noted historians' accounts and historical analysis (with the benefit of hindsight) is a good, balanced book

The book's only problems come from, in a way, its strengths. In putting the stories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg together, much must be accomplished in a book. Background must be given, the situation of the campaigns must be introduced, the key participants (political, military, and civilian) must be introduced, and the battles and their aftermath must be covered. This puts page space at a premium, leaving the author but little space for each topic. In this book, the author usually gives sufficient coverage of his topics, but occasionally, he falls just a tiny bit short, sometimes using generalities that need more depth, or sometimes not covering or explaining a topic as well as it could be done. This happens rarely, but there are occasions where the reader looks for just a little more. In a book of this scope, however, it is understandable.

The veteran Civil War reader will find a few annoying embellishments, such a repeated mention of General T.J. Jackson's alleged love for lemons. Also noted are some small, but annoying errors, such as: (1) On page 55, John Brown was tried and executed at Charles Town, not Charleston, VA (now WV.) (2) On page 247, some confusion exists as to how many army corps General George Meade and his Army of the Potomac had, when the author says "fully half his [Meade's] army, eight corps...." As far as I know, he only had 7 infantry corps (the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 11th, and 12th corps) as well as one cavalry corps, not 16 corps. These and other small errors are found, but please let me emphasize that they are only minor annoyances, and they do not greatly detract from the positives of this book.

THE MOST GLORIOUS FOURTH does exactly what it set out to do: to tell the remarkable story of the period in American history where survival of the Union was ensured. At Vicksburg and Gettysburg, history stood transfixed in time; it could have turned 180 degrees with success of the Confederate forces at either of those battles. This book is the best combined history of those two amazing campaigns, and should be a welcome addition to any Civil War enthusiast's bookshelf, beginners and experts alike. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to read the history of America's Most Glorious Fourth.

Rating:
Summary: Errors Subtract From This Rousing History
Review: I agree with(another reviewer)about the error concerning the number of Union corps at Gettysburg. Early in the book, the author has General Meade meeting with his 12 corps commanders. Then later he mentions a total of 16 corps. Actually, there were 7. The first, second, third, fifth, eleventh and twelfth. Otherwise, a rousing story. He also was too critical of General James Longstreet, who, along with Hancock, were the two best corps commanders on the field.

Rating:
Summary: Errors Subtract From This Rousing History
Review: I agree with(another reviewer)about the error concerning the number of Union corps at Gettysburg. Early in the book, the author has General Meade meeting with his 12 corps commanders. Then later he mentions a total of 16 corps. Actually, there were 7. The first, second, third, fifth, eleventh and twelfth. Otherwise, a rousing story. He also was too critical of General James Longstreet, who, along with Hancock, were the two best corps commanders on the field.