Gettysburg

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Narrative
Review: On a spectrum between general history (1) and incredible depth in coverage of the battle (10), this book would be a 7.5

Sears' book is an entertaining narrative of the entire campaign, and the chapters dealing with the before and after the campaign are what will distinguish it from most books on the topic.

Sears' book follows the usual style in detailing the battle, offering anecdotes and primary sources' accounts, analyzing each command, and then onto the next sequence of battle.

By reading this book, the assumption is that you have a pretty good grip on figures in the higher command, mostly from division and corps commands but also the more well known brigade commanders, and a general idea on the movements. This shouldn't be your first book on the battle.

Conversely, for those who have read plenty and taken an in depth look at the campaign, the book will likely offer little more than new anecdotes. Books just as sizable as Sears's book on the whole battle have been written about one day, or in the case of Pfanz, a book almost totally about the battle for Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill on the 2nd by Ewell's corps, which many overlook simply as an afterthought to Longstreet's advance earlier that afternoon.

Despite that, I'd still recommend the book if only because Sears's style is engaging. Anyone who's interested in Gettysburg should enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: The Real (and very complete) Story
Review: Quite possibly the definitive work on that battle which was really a turning point in the American Civil War. Exhaustively researched, this book covers every aspect of the battle from the first hint that a battle might be coming to the last confederate retreating back across the Potomac. This book is not the place to start a study of the Civil War, but is indespensable for the well-versed.

I think it would be possible to use this book to find out about the actions of almost every soldier on the battlefield those days. It seems that every regiment, of every division, of every corp is covered. I would say that there is so much here that you can't make sense out of it, but that isn't true. The general descriptions of what is happening come first, then the increasing detail down to the smaller units.

I read this just after reading the book Gettysburg by Gingrich/Forstchen. I found the comparison fascinating. Meade in moving up to Gettysburg wrote a memo advocating a defensive battle at Pipe Creek - but that really belongs in the review of another book.

Rating:
Summary: Scrupulous historiography, lively narrative
Review: Readers who wish to come as close as possible to the lived experience of contestants on the Civl War battlefield, adhering to evidence rather than imaginative inference, will spend many happy hours with this book.

Stephen W. Sears has written a magisterial history of this crucial battle, grounded in his exhaustive research in primary sources. His narrative skill engages the reader as surely as a skilled novelist. Coupled with his eye for apt quips and anecdotes, Sears makes it a pleasure for the reader to share in the fruits of his tedious labor in the archives.

So lucid is Sears' text, that anyone who can read their local newspaper, can follow his every argument, though people unfamiliar with military terminology may be baffled by many references to units of army organization. The book would be improved by an appendix specifying what terms like "unit, brigade, regiment, corps, and army" meant, in the context of the times. For most who will buy this book this will not be an issue.

Sears' analysis of forces that shaped the battle and its outcome is unobtrusive, unbiased, and as scrupulously grounded in primary sources as his narrative description of the fight. Insulated from the academic historian's temptation to critique secondary sources item by item, he makes fresh sense of the battle based on what is probably the best grasp of firsthand accounts of it to date. What emerges is a coherent sense of the battle, challenging conventional wisdom without seeming iconoclastic in intent.. The effect is like what a person might feel, suddenly presented with a sharply focused enlargement, having spent years trying to tease all the information possible from a small, blurred snapshot.

This book is richly illustrated, with 59 photographs (many of them portraits of the generals), and delightfully, 38 drawings, sketches, and paintings. True to Sears' scrupulous adherence to primary rather than secondary sources, the artwork is either by participants in the battle (8 pieces, 4 by a Union bugler, 4 by a Confederate soldier), or by artist-correspondents who were on the battlefield the day after Lee's July 4 retreat. Sears scoured many archives to come up with these excellent illustrations, much more crisp and fresh than the romanticized paintings produced in later years.

Finally, this book includes 19 maps by George Skoch, which make the battle as clear as it has ever been made.

This sturdily bound, well sewn volume will make an excellent companion for anyone planning to spend more than a few hours touring the Gettysburg battlefield. Buy it at least a month before your trip, digest it, bookmark it, and then carry it with you and refer to it as you tour the ground.

Here are a few examples, from the text.

First, Sears' narrative skill places the reader on the field.

"It was late, after 10:30, when the moonlit hills and fields marking the Gettysburg battleground fell mostly silent except for the occasional crack of a picket's rifle and that ever present undertone of every battlefield, the moans and cries of the wounded. Soon visible from Devil's Den all the way around to Culp's Hill were the bobbing lanterns of the stretcher bearers searching for casualties. By unspoken mutual agreement the opposing pickets left these samaritans to their work"

Second, the author's eye for apt quips and anecdotes.

Speaking of Pennsylvanians trying to protect their wealth from confiscation by Confederates:
One Confederate quartermaster, interrogating a local family, opened a door "and there in an elegant parlour, comfortably stalled in close proximity to a costly rosewood piano, stood a noble looking horse..."

Quoting a Confederate private who fought in either the Devil's Den or the Slaughter Pen:
"Each side wanted the protection of those rocks. One in particular. It was very large, about four or five feet high. I saw smoke coming from behind that one and made a run for it, swerving to the right, with my gun ready. I cried, 'Hands up,' they dropped their guns and came out from behind the rock. There were six of them. One said, 'Young man, where is your troops?' I told them I was it, and showed them to the rear."

Confederate artillerist Robert Stiles, on having to make camp on July 4, on ground where they had fought on July 1: "in a short time we all sickened and were lying with our mouths close to the ground, most of us vomiting profusely."

Finally, a few examples of Sears' analysis of the battle:

Lee "was entangled in a battle he had not wanted in a place he knew little about against a foe he could not describe."

"Lee demonstrated weakness in managing his generals in this battle, while that skill proved to be Meade's especial strength."

After the great battle, Henry Hunt observed, "Meade has grown and grown upon me....Rarely has more skill, vigor, or wisdom been shown under such circumstances....."

With regard to the circumstances in which students of history find themselves, the same can be said of Stephen W. Sears.

Rating:
Summary: Master storyteller takes on an epic story.
Review: Sears has proven once again that he is among the most capable and enjoyable storytellers of American Civil War history in the market today. If you read only one comprehensive one-volume history of the battle of Gettysburg, make it this one. I have read several volumes of military history, & in my experience most suffer in some degree from one critical fault: the detailed discussion of troop movements degenerates into a flurry of commander's names & directions without effectively communicating what is happening in the battle. Sears has a narrative style that brings the highest quality of clarity to the story, & he is able to recount complex events in considerable detail without loosing overall focus. In my opinion, he is the most skillful of historians in this respect. I also fully recommend that you read his other volumes, particularly Landscape Turned Red, and Chancellorsville.

Rating:
Summary: The End of the Beginning
Review: Sears points out that Winston Churchill said of another decisive battle, " Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." So it was with the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War and this one volume with its detailed descriptions will certainly be the end of such histories for some time.
Not only do we read of the principal leaders in the battle, but Sears lets the reader hear from a broad spectrum of 19th century society as well. We learn what the townspeople did during the battle (most stayed in their cellars) and that many women acted as nurses and cooks. We read the letters of Lee, Meade, Lincoln and many of the generals and hear from a Pennsylvania Corporal who writes to his wife, "My gun got so hot I could scarcely hold to it. . . but I was just as cool and composed as I ever was butchering hogs."
"Butchering" is the predominant impression I get from reading of this battle. What a heart-wrenching waste of human life! How barbaric is it to line up rows of rows of young men and send them to their deaths? The pictures are graphic, the prose, clear and lucid, and the ending, emotional. War is hell.

Rating:
Summary: Hardcore
Review: Sears' "Gettysburg" is hardcore and not for the faint of heart. Those with only a passing interest in the battle should rent the movie or read the Shaara historical fiction. This book describes the battle in DETAIL. It was meticulously researched and reconstructed from the disparate histories and correspondences of those involved in the battle, both civilian and military on both sides. Sears also pulls in all historical context as well, mentioning Lincoln's political situation and international issues where appropriate. I was, however, slightly disappointed that he did not do a more comprehensive job of discussing Gettysburg in relation to the entire history of the war.

I found this telling to have a more matter-of-fact style than Sears "Landscape Turned Red". I remember that chronicling of Antietam to read more like a novel than "Gettysburg".

I found the politics in the top echelon of the Confederate army very interesting; one does not usually learn of this when hearing of Lee and his generals, as history usually paints Lee as a near omnipotent leader. One has to wonder how the battle would have turned out had Stuart shown up on time to provide intelligence and Lee had taken Longstreet's suggestions. I also found the treatment of Meade interesting too, as history typically paints all Union generals prior to Grant as inept and weak.

Gettysburg plays on the magnificence of battle, and talks of generals and their actions much like we discuss football coaches and teams today; however, like any respectable Civil War book, it acknowledges the carnage, the death and suffering of men and horses, and how horrible a thing war is.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Gettysburg: Well Written and Objective
Review: Sears' book steps off where his Chancellorsville book ended. Sears has a knack for giving you the big picture particularly due to his in depth study of the command structure and intrigues of the Army of the Potomac. He starts with detailing how Lee formed the Army of Northern Virginia into three new corps with the loss of Jackson with the selection of commanders Hill and Ewell. Sears also tells of Hooker's fall without friends in the Army of the Potomac aside from Sickles and his destructive battle with Army Chief of Staff Henry Halleck who undermined Hooker's efforts to rebuild his army with reinforcements even while Lee was invading Maryland. Sears chronicles Meade's rise after Hooker asked to be relieved. Included in all of this is a portrayal of Meade who makes critical decisions such as putting Reynolds in charge of his wing at Gettysburg where the field is chosen and his selection of Hancock to take over at Reynolds's death in spite of not being the senior the senior officer on the field. Sears' background with Chancellorsville is well served as he informs the reader of General Howard's limitations as a commander of the 11th corps contributes to the Union collapse on the first day. His failure to recognize the growing danger of being flanked and overwhelmed as Ewell arrives contributes to the 11th again being crushed. Sears gives Doubleday credit he deserves for holding the 1st corps together and requesting a retrograde movement which is disallowed by Howard's inability to see that holding was tactically impossible. This in fact is the key to Sears book, which makes it so different. In his research and writing, Sears appraises the actions of the participants objectively where before some historians were drawn to politically charged history or memoirs that were self-serving. Longstreet is handled very fairly. As Sears notes, Longstreet objected to Lee's plans aggressively particularly since Lee took more than his normal active role in his troop placements. In contrast with the false "Sunrise attack order" Longstreet does take his typical active role in the attack on the second day when his deep columns plow into the Peach Orchid. Sears notes Lee's frustration with his generals particularly Ewell's desire not to move the second corps to the right to allow Lee a greater concentration of his lines. On the other hand, A. P. Hill almost seems a non-participant from his hands off management of the first day to his failure to support Longstreet's attack on the second and his poor organization of his divisions for Pickett's attack led to the left of the line's prompt erosion and exposure to enfilading fire. Anderson in Hill's corps is inactive on the 3rd day contributing to Hill's corps lack of organization during Pickett's charge.

On the other hand, Sears demonstrates that Meade is responsiveness with reinforcements along the whole line adjusting to Sickel's debacle in the Peach Orchard, sending divisions where needed regardless of Corp designation. He communicates effectively with all his corps commanders. In addition, his artillery chief at Gettysburg Hunt consolidates the artillery for the best field of fire along the entire Union line of defense. Sears demonstrates Hunt's skill by describing how Hunt conserves his ammunition during the Confederate bombardment and by letting the Confederates think that their barrage injured his artillery. Sears notes that Hunt even had 40 guns hidden behind a low lying ridge that the Confederates could not see that eventually raked Pickett's right unmercifully.

Sears has detail that often is neglected such as his descriptions of how the Union's Bureau of Military Affairs provided Meade excellent surveillance on the Confederate Army. By the time Lee attacked on the second day, Meade knew that the only reinforcements that Lee had was Pickett's division thus he knew Lee had little more unused fire power while he still had the untested 6th Corp. In contrast, Stuart is lost to Lee for over a week.. Other great detail is the failed reconnaissance by Captain Johnson of Lee's staff that somehow missed the entire 3rd Corp that advanced from Cemetery Ridge to the Peach Orchard.

Other great tidbits concern the early order for Pickett to move up on the third day failed because Lee had initially directed Pickett where to camp, Longstreet may have assumed that Lee also gave Pickett orders when to march which he apparently did not. Sears also puts to rest former Chief of Staff Butterfield's accusation that Meade was ready to retreat after the second day. As Sears points out, this accusation was made after Meade dumped Butterfield and after Butterfield bungled Meade's earlier communication of a concentration point before Gettysburg materialized. Meade, in contrast to Lee, kept constant communication with his Generals while Lee's communication and organization control were seriously impaired. The ground and artillery does turn out to be the defender's advantage as the catastrophic failure of Pickett's charge, doomed at the start, was met by the Union cries of "Fredericksburg!"

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing but little new information
Review: Sears' latest book gives us the beautiful writing we have come to expect from him but provides little new information. The book offers a well told introduction to Gettysburg for those beginning to seriously study that pivotal engagement. The narrative is clear and a pleasure to read. He also displays a gift for painting word pictures and summarizing in pithy phrases what others would take several paragraphs to describe. Another plus is Sears' practice of writing fast paced battle histories rather than dry social commentaries, like some academic authors.

However, this book appears to be rather lightly researched. This is probably due to the fact that Sears produces a new book every couple of years or so. Frequent book production does not permit the same years of research and depth of information that are found in the works of authors like Coddington and Pfanz. Also, the maps were quite basic and not very numerous. Readers seeking new and detailed maps should consult such sources as Noah Trudeau's book or John Imhof's atlas for the second day.

To summarize, Sears has given us an excellent overview of the battle, but not a definitive account.

Rating:
Summary: Sears once again comes through with a great book
Review: Stephen Sears has a reputation as one of the top Civil War authors writing today and with Gettysburg he maintains that reputation.

What makes Sears stand out amoung the rest is he's simply a fine writer. To many books on the Civil War these days are written by people who while they do good research and know their subject matter, don't have the best writing skills. The result is a book so dry that they put even the most ardent Civil War buffs to sleep. That is not the case with Sears who combines both fine scholarly research with great writing. His writing style is so easy to read that his books read with the ease of a good novel.

If you are new to the Civil War and looking for one book that covers the entire Gettysburg campaign then this book will be a fine choice for you.

Rating:
Summary: The Failure of Southern Dreams
Review: Stephen Sears has written another historical masterpiece in his single volume on Gettysburg.
This complex, three day battle is presented in a clear and effective manner providing strategy, detail, the order of events and battle, and an honest appraisal of what could be deemed the South's greatest failure of the war.
For almost a century and a half, the image of many historians concerning this battle was how close the Army of Northern Virginia came to a decisive victory on the battlefield as well as the political field.
Sears points out clearly (and without bias)that while the Union Army under the newly appointed General Meade, stumbled into battle on the first day, and suffered heavy causalities, the field position was superior, and the army was not beaten in any sense going into the second day. Longstreet's attacks on the second day were not effective both in execution and leadership on the field, and most importantly, Lee was ineffective as a battlefield commander, not only because of the lack of cavalry during the first two days, but because of his lack of communication with his commanders of an army that had been reorganized after the death of Jackson and prior to the march into Pennsylvania. Lee assumed too much, communicated far too little, while Meade held councils of war with his commanders, and with the help of able lieutenants such as Hancock, Reynolds, and especially Hunt of the artillery service, effectively demolished the Confederate army the last day of the battle. Sears effectively points out that Pickett's charge was doomed not only from the eyes of Longstreet but also through the research of many of the soldiers recollections from that day. The book dispells myths of grandeur of the Southern cause; in effect, the South was whipped, depleted, and from that date, used up and incapable of further offensive campaign.
Pickett's charge was a terrible miscalculation and organized murder.
Sears reminds us how terrible war is.