Battle of Gettysburg: The Official History by the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, but use with caution
Review: This book is most helpful as a guide to the markers and tablets on the Gettyburg battlefield. It will help you locate some out-of-the way markers and make a detailed tour slightly easier. However, take the comment about the objectivity of the descriptions contained on the markers with a grain of salt. For example, the four markers at the edge of the Peach Orchard describe the fighting on July 2 as III Corps commander Daniel E. Sickles would like you to understand it. The truth is a little more complicated, to say the least. The inscriptions offer evidence of the battle for memory and the shaping of narratives to privilege one view over another. When reminded that there was no statue of himself on the field, Sickles responded that the whole battlefield was his monument--a monument to his ability to impress his view of the battle on others.