A Field Guide to Gettysburg: Experiencing the Battlefield through Its History, Places, and People

by Carol Reardon, Tom Vossler

Overview

In this lively guide to the Gettysburg battlefield, Carol Reardon and Tom Vossler invite readers to participate in a tour of this hallowed ground. Ideal for carrying on trips through the park as well as for the armchair historian, this book includes comprehensive maps and deft descriptions of the action that situate visitors in time and place. Crisp narratives introduce key figures and events, and eye-opening vignettes help readers more fully comprehend the import of what happened and why. A wide variety of contemporary and postwar source materials offer colorful stories and present interesting interpretations that have shaped—or reshaped—our understanding of Gettysburg today.

Each stop addresses the following:
What happened here?
Who fought here?
Who commanded here?
Who fell here?
Who lived here?
How did participants remember this event?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807835258
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Edition description:	1
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	1,119,891
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Carol Reardon is George Winfree Professor of American History at Pennsylvania State University and author of four books, including With a Sword in One Hand and Jomini in the Other: The Problem of Military Thought in the Civil War North. She has taught at West Point and the U.S. Army War College, and she leads staff rides and tours of Gettysburg for many military and civilian groups. Tom Vossler, a combat veteran and retired U.S. Army colonel, is former director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute. As a licensed battlefield guide, he leads over one hundred battlefield tours and leadership seminars each year. Both authors live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Gettysburg Campaign 1

How to Use This Book 7

Helpful Hints for Touring the Batdefield 21

Stop 1 The Key Terrain of Cemetery Hill 25

July 1, 1863: The First Day of Battle

1 The Meeting Engagement 37

Stop 2 The Cavalry Fight 37

Stop 3 The Death of Reynolds 48

Stop 4 The Fight around the Railroad Cut 57

2 The Battle Is Joined and Expands 69

Stop 5 Ewell Enters the Fight 69

Stop 6 Oak Ridge 79

Stop 7 The Artillery Duel on the XI Corps Line 87

3 The Union Line Collapses 96

Stop 8 Barlow's Knoll 96

Stop 9 Coster Avenue 107

Stop 10 Ramseur's Attack 113

Stop 11 Bucktails versus Tar Heels on McPherson's Ridge 121

Stop 12 The Iron Brigade Takes a Stand 132

Stop 13 Last Stand at the Seminary 142

Day One Conclusion 152

July 2, 1863: The Second Day of Battle

4 Lee, Meade, and the Challenges of High Command 159

Stop 14 Pitzer's Woods 159

Stop 15 Longstreet's Main Effort Hits a Snag 166

Stop 16 The Sherfy Peach Orchard 175

Stop 17 Longstreet's Main Effort Begins 184

5 Longstreet Attacks 192

Stop 18 Litde Round Top 192

Stop 19 The Fight for Devil's Den 211

Stop 20 The Bloody Wheatfield 224

Stop 21 The Salient Collapses 239

Stop 22 The Collapse of the Emmitsburg Road Line 247

Stop 23 Holding the Cemetery Ridge Line 258

6 Ewell Tries the Union Right Flank 274

Stop 24 Benner's Hill 274

Stop 25 Lower Culp's Hill, July 2 282

Stop 26 Stevens's Knoll 293

Stop 27 East Cemetery Hill 299

Day Two Conclusion 309

July 3, 1863: The Third Day of Battle

7 Commanders Consider-and Reconsider-Their Options 313

Stop 28 Meade's Headquarters 313

Stop 29 Spangler's Spring 320

Stop 30 Culp's Hill, July 3 328

Stop 31 Organizing the Assault against the Union Center 339

8 The High-Water Mark? 349

Stop 32 Pickett's Charge 349

Stop 33 The Union Repulse of Pickett's Charge 367

Stop 34 East Cavalry Field 389

Stop 35 The Soldiers' National Cemetery 401

The Aftermath: July 4, 1863, and Beyond 407

Acknowledgments 419

Photo Credits 420

Notes 421

Index 439

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Not only describes the tactical fighting, but captures in brief biographies and personal accounts the human tragedy that befell both soldiers and civilians.—Jeffry D. Wert, author of A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee's Triumph, 1862-1863

Editorial Reviews

With more than fifty thousand casualties, the three-day confrontation at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and it was also the most critical. This 384-page paperback original by Civil War specialist Dr. Carol Reardon (Pickett's Charge; Launch the Intruders ) and battlefield guide William Voissler provides readers and Gettysburg visitors with a vivid sense of the unfolding events and key figures of this deadly, historic showdown. A key resource, especially pertinent on this 150th anniversary.

The authors have gone far beyond [a battlefield guide]. . . . An excellent source for Civil War buffs and anyone interested in the history and locale of Gettysburg.—Library Journal 2013 Best Reference Book

This new Field Guide is the best to appear on this subject in recent years. Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.—Choice

An attractive presentation—beautiful color photos and handsomely laid-out text—partners with a wealth of information on individuals, troop movements, and skirmishes, amounting to an indispensable guide to a major event in American history.—Booklist

[The authors'] easy familiarity with the terrain, the historical facts of the battle, and eye-opening local anecdotes make the guide a valuable companion for first-time visitors, veteran battlefield trampers, as well as armchair explorers.—The Civil War Round Table-District of Columbia

An extremely useful resource for making one's way intelligently across the battleground as well as a stirring account of the battle and its varied meanings in the past and present. . . . This unique book enables all readers to better comprehend the places, events, and memories that make up the battle of Gettysburg. As such, no matter how limited or extensive one's Civil War library, it deserves a special place on the shelf.—Civil War Monitor

I would wholeheartedly endorse that serious battlefield trampers give Reardon and Vossler's guide a trial run in the field. . . . There's also more than enough material inside the book for satisfactory home reading.—Civil War Books and Authors

The most helpful book in understanding the field of battle at Gettysburg. . . . A superb and surprising addition to the library of Gettysburg books, valuable for the novice, the ardent Civil War buff, and the scholar alike.—Civil War Book Review

A Field Guide to Gettysburg is well illustrated. . . . Even if you don't visit the battlefield, this guide will lead you through the events that took place there, step by step, battle by battle. . . .It makes you feel that the tour guide is talking to you, not that you're just reading a book.—Tennessee Libraries

The new standard for Gettysburg battlefield guides. . . . Terrific for those who want more and do not have a professional tour or staff ride leader to take them around the field.—Civil War Monitor

Reardon and Vossler's in-depth knowledge of the battle translates to an informative and even moving battlefield history.—The North Carolina Historical Review

For a useful and informative guide on the list of many people's favorite battle of the war, one cannot go wrong with this latest entry under the heading of battlefield touring. The book is recommended.—The Journal of America's Military Past

A comprehensive overview of one of North America's bloodiest battles.—Jrnl of Southern History

Anyone planning to visit Gettysburg National Military Park should have this field guide with them.—Army History

Takes the Gettysburg field guide genre to its apex. . . . An excellent work and an important contribution to the field of Civil War study.—Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians

Allows the reader to reconstruct, interpret, and essentially understand the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of those who fought.—H-Net Reviews

It's hard to see how anyone interested in the Battle of Gettysburg could make a better addition to his or her library . . . than with this outstanding new guide.—Civil War Times

From the Publisher

There is no shortage of battlefield guides to Gettysburg. But in addition to including the standard fare for such texts, the authors have gone far beyond. Reardon (history, Penn State; With a Sword in One Hand and Jomini in the Other) and Vossler (retired U.S. Army colonel and former director, U.S. Army Military History Inst.) provide 35 stops, allowing the reader to follow along on a self-guided tour. Sections for each stop contain several elements, including "Orientation"; "What Happened Here?"; "Who Fought Here?"; "Who Commanded Here?"; "Who Fell Here?"; "Who Lived Here?"; and "What Did They Say About It Later?" The volume concludes with "The Aftermath," which discusses the consequences of victory and defeat, as well as the direct impact of the battle on the town of Gettysburg itself. The numerous illustrations—both photographs and maps—help the reader to visualize the terrain, troop movements, and men involved. VERDICT An excellent source for Civil War buffs and anyone interested in the history and locale of Gettysburg.—Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

Library Journal