Gettysburg: The Last Invasion Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00CQAUZ7U | Format: EPUB
Gettysburg: The Last Invasion Description
From the acclaimed Civil War historian, a brilliant new history-the most intimate and richly readable account we have had-of the climactic three-day battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), which draws the reader into the heat, smoke, and grime of Gettysburg alongside the ordinary soldier, and depicts the combination of personalities and circumstances that produced the greatest battle of the Civil War, and one of the greatest in human history.
Of the half-dozen full-length histories of the battle of Gettysburg written over the last century, none dives down so closely to the experience of the individual soldier, or looks so closely at the sway of politics over military decisions, or places the battle so firmly in the context of nineteenth-century military practice. Allen C. Guelzo shows us the face, the sights, and the sounds of nineteenth-century combat: the lay of the land, the fences and the stone walls, the gunpowder clouds that hampered movement and vision; the armies that caroused, foraged, kidnapped, sang, and were so filthy they could be smelled before they could be seen; the head-swimming difficulties of marshaling massive numbers of poorly trained soldiers, plus thousands of animals and wagons, with no better means of communication than those of Caesar and Alexander.
What emerges is an untold story, from the trapped and terrified civilians in Gettysburg's cellars to the insolent attitude of artillerymen, from the taste of gunpowder cartridges torn with the teeth to the sounds of marching columns, their tin cups clanking like an anvil chorus. Guelzo depicts the battle with unprecedented clarity, evoking a world where disoriented soldiers and officers wheel nearly blindly through woods and fields toward their clash, even as poetry and hymns spring to their minds with ease in the midst of carnage. Rebel soldiers look to march on Philadelphia and even New York, while the Union struggles to repel what will be the final invasion of the No...
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 22 hours and 36 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Random House Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: May 14, 2013
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00CQAUZ7U
Allen Guelzo has a fine writing style and does an excellent presentation of the Battle of Gettysburg.
In reading the book, you quickly understand what an unsettled mess of a thing this was. As Wellington described Waterloo as a "close run thing", Guelzo shows us that Gettysburg was no different.
The author carefully covers the three days of the battle with a descriptive narrative that leaves the reader not only excited but begging for more. There are numerous instances of relevant stories of commanders and commoners engaged in this great killing field that puts the human element into what was otherwise the great movements of massive numbers of troops.
It is of interest that while Meade wanted to concentrate in a defensive position along Pipe Creek, Robert E. Lee did not want to start an engagement until his entire army was in place. None of this happened as a result of John Reynolds, who pushed his corps into the fight and Harry Heth, marching into the cavalry screen of the Union Army.
Every historian has his take on events and I was in agreement with many of the author's opinions, but not all of them. Early in the book, he praises Oliver O. Howard in his first day of the battle. Howard was barely six weeks away from his flank being in the air at Chancellorsville and watched hopelessly as Jackson rolled it up. His performance was a little better at Gettysburg but not much. What started off as a Confederate bungle on the first day nearly resulted in a complete rout of the existing Union army. Hancock was sent to salvage the situation. Just one of the many questions of the "what ifs" of Gettysburg.
Meade, I think, was given rough treatment by the author.
For General Meade victory at Gettysburg did not bring accolades. Daniel Sickles, Daniel Butterfield, Abner Doubleday initiated a campaign of rumors and outright lies to discredit him. Their major supporter was the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War. Wasting time and smearing Meade were the major results of this campaign. Sickles made a preemptive strike to deflect questions about advancing his Corps on the second day. Meade's removal or replacement of Butterfield and Doubleday caused them to seek revenge. The JCCCW wanted a good Republican and strong abolitionist commanding the Army of the Potomac. George Gordon Meade a professional solider that did not understand and refused to participate in politics was an easy target. Even with these advantages, they were unable to land any telling blows. They did manage to muddy the waters by creating a number of stories questioning Meade's conduct. Most historians discount the stories and the records do not support them.
150 years later, Allen C. Guelzo accepts the Sickles, Butterfield account as gospel. This book is an account of the Gettysburg Campaign that the anti-Meade faction would love. Every discredited story from Mine Run to the Staff Meeting is here. The idea that Meade was dragged kicking and screaming into battle is the heart of the book.
If this were only a rehash of the Sickles/Butterfield story, we could ignore the book. However, there are some excellent discussions here. The author's expiation of time keeping in 1865 and the reasons for liner tactics are excellent. An excellent writing style coupled with a confident prose will convince many this is the true story of the campaign.
The first hint of problems occurs on pages 28-29.
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