Eric J. Wittenberg
Few episodes of American history have generated more controversies than the Battle of Gettysburg, many of which still rages today. One of the most intriguing controversies is precisely where Capt. Samuel Johnston, the engineer officer assigned to headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia, went on his late-night reconnaissance of the Union left during the night of July 1-2, 1863. Johnston claimed to have reached Little Round Top, which would have required him to pass through Union cavalry videttes, none of whom reported any contact that night. Johnston’s report, in turn, influenced Gen. Robert E. Lee’s battle plan for July 2, and also led directly to the lengthy and time-consuming march and countermarch of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Corps to the battlefield. Allen R. Thompson’s excellent micro-history, In the Shadow of the Round Tops: Longstreet’s Countermarch, Johnston’s Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2, 1863 addresses these events in more detail than ever before. This deeply researched and well-written volume deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious student on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Scott L. Mingus
Few Civil War battles evoke as much emotion and controversy as Gettysburg, particularly in assessing the performance of leading generals such as James Longstreet. The subject of much recent scholarship, Author Allen Thompson takes a fresh look at Longstreet’s countermarch on July 2 and the available military intelligence that influenced the Confederate decision-making that fateful day. Thompson’s thought-provoking work is a worthy addition to the historiography of the war’s bloodiest battle.
David A. Powell
In the Shadow of the Round Tops is the definitive exploration of Longstreet’s march to the Confederate right at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863—one of the most controversial events in Civil War scholarship. Here, author Allen Thompson provides us with not only a deep dive into what happened that afternoon but also a splendid exploration of human memory, and how ‘Longstreet’s Fatal Delay’ became so important to post-war Confederate mythology in explaining away defeat. This is an excellent addition to Gettysburg literature, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
John S. Heiser
Allen Thompson has compiled the definitive analysis of the march by Longstreet’s Corps to strike the Union left on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, an event that would generate charges and counterattacks between former Confederate officers to rival the bloody battle itself. This is a must read for those interested in the Confederate command system at Gettysburg and the influence of those who defended their decisions that fateful day.
James A. Hessler
Our knowledge of historical events is often based on a fragile combination of memory, bias, and flawed accounts written long after the fact. This is particularly true in the Gettysburg historiography when considering the controversies around Captain Samuel Johnston’s reconnaissance and Lt. General James Longstreet’s countermarch on July 2, 1863. Author Allen Thompson combines his knowledge of primary accounts and terrain to methodically deconstruct the myths, misconceptions, and falsehoods surrounding these events. After reading In the Shadow of the Round Tops, you will reconsider much of what you think you know and have more apparent answers to the debates that continue to haunt Gettysburg’s second day.
Rob Abbott
Allen Thompson has done a masterful job of deconstructing all the Soldiers accounts on such a controversial subject. He treats them with consideration and respect. The parsing and sifting of Veteran’s memories to make sense of their experiences certainly was a factor about LTG James Longstreet’s Countermarch. In the Shadow of the Round Tops will be an important addition to a more accurate narrative of the pivotal events on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg.
