Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg

Book Description

Pickett's Charge is probably the best-known military engagement of the Civil War, widely regarded as the defining moment of the battle of Gettysburg and celebrated as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. But as Earl Hess notes, the epic stature of Pickett's Charge has grown at the expense of reality, and the facts of the attack have been obscured or distorted by the legend that surrounds them.

With this book, Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, he creates a moving narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives, analyzing its planning, execution, aftermath, and legacy. He also examines the history of the units involved, their state of readiness, how they maneuvered under fire, and what the men who marched in the ranks thought about their participation in the assault. Ultimately, Hess explains, such an approach reveals Pickett's Charge both as a case study in how soldiers deal with combat and as a dramatic example of heroism, failure, and fate on the battlefield.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Narrative of "The Charge".......2005-05-16

Hess has written what probably is and will be for some time the definitive account of Pickett's/Pettigrew's/Trimble's/whatever charge.

Hess presents the Union and Confederate (officer and enlisted) accounts of the charge and includes many details of what the men of both sides experienced. The narrative is engaging and keeps the reader's interest throughout the book.

The main problem I had with the book was the maps - there simply are not enough. While the maps are of high quality and detailed, there are not nearly enough to correlate with Hess' intricate descriptions of the troop movements during the charge. Admittingly, I have found this to be a common problem in Civil War books. I am not a military historian or expert, I simply enjoy learning more about what sacrifices were made for our great country during the Civil War by men of both sides. On many occasions I had to flip back several pages to a map to better understand the descriptions of troop movements during the charge. Having about 10 more maps would have made this less frustrating and much easier to follow.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend the book as the definitive account of "The Charge". Read and enjoy!

69th Pennsylvania-The spotlight is finally on You!.......2004-06-27

Mr. Hess clears up the much muddled defense of the Bloody Angle on July 3, 1862. Layers of credit from many authors and looming statue of the 72nd Pennsylvania Fire Zouave at the Angle have stamped the impression that the 72nd Pennsylvania was the heroic defender of the Army of the Potomac.
Mr. Hess, through meticulous research, establishes the little known fact that the 69th Pennsylvania was indeed the Union unit
that made the difference. Mr. Hess' book will be the standard work on Pickett's Charge for many decades in the future

Pickett's Charge.......2003-11-05

For many people, Pickett's July 3, 1863 charge up Cemetery Ridge is the climactic event of the Battle of Gettysburg and the defining moment of the Civil War. Earl J. Hess has written a detailed, scholarly account of Pickett's charge which draws copiously upon contemporary sources. His book is clear and easy to follow, given the subject matter, and is poignant to read. I found myself riveted to his account.

I found a major virtue of the book was the manner in which Hess shifted his focus back and forth from the Confederate to the Union side of the line. The book begins with a discussion of the planning of the charge, focusing on the interactions between Lee and Longstreet. This is followed by two chapters dealing with, respectively, the disposition of the Confederate troops before the attack and the Union lines before the attack. I found this invaluable in helping me understand the events of the day and their sequence.

Hess follows this discussion with a discussion of the Confederate cannonading barrage, and the Union response, that proceeded the infantry advance. Again, he shifts his focus from the Confederate side of the line, and the effect of the cannonading on the Union, to the Union response and its effect on the Confederacy. He spends a great deal of time explaining the decision of the Union artillerists to hold their fire and the disagreement this decision provoked with General Hancock. This theme pervades the book and is well-treated. Hess concludes that the cannonading was about one hour in duration before the infantry charge,(i.e. from about 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m.) contrary to some other accounts which make it substantially longer.

There are detailed discussions of the Confederate infantry advance to the Emmitsburg Road, to the Stone Fence, and, for a small number of intrepid southern soldiers, over the wall and into the Union lines. We learn about the Union artillery and infantry responses and about their effect on the charge at each stage.

There is an excellent but somewhat brief chapter on the repulse of the charge and on the subsequent Confederate retreat back to Virginia. There is an excellent chapter discussing the careers of the principle protagonists of the battle following the events of July 3 through the end of the War and beyond.

The book lays a great deal of emphasis on the topography of the battlefield, the hills, ridges, swales, and fences which played a major role in the fighting of July 3. But the key emphasis on the book is on the fighting men on both sides -- on their determination and their heroism. Hess argues that the activities of the troops and their immediate commanders were more important to the results of the day than the decisions of the generals.

Hess has many thoughtful things to say about the attack, its planning, and about its possibilities for success. He finds the attack a long chance indeed but is able to present a convincing case about why Lee believed he needed to try. Hess is highly critical of James Longstreet for the manner in which he deployed the attacking divisions and for his failure to provide support to the attack. But he does not believe the attack would have succeeded even if Longstreet had carried out his responsibilities more aggressively. I learned a great deal from Hess's study.

This book will help the reader understand the events of July 3. It shows why Pickett's charge, with its suffering, its folly, and its glory retains its hold on the imagination of many Americans.

A moving tribute to the men who died in Pickett's Charge.......2002-09-04

As a Civil War historian myself, I'm only to pleases to recommend this and all of Earl Hess' other fine works. One of the best tactical studies to appear in a long while

Tactical History of Pickett's Charge Emotionally Unengaging.......2002-09-01

Mr. Hess purports to present the first tactical history of one of the most famous military actions of the Civil War. He therefore sets high expectations for himself, perhaps too high. Mr. Hess does accomplish this forensic and encylopedic presentation, but either this approach to the subject or Hess's style is dry and emotionally unengaging. Hess does a great job in researching soldiers letters and accounts of events surrounding July 3, some of which see the light of day for the first time I have no doubt. These annecdotes are wonderful.

Mr. Hess also does a good job in rebalancing the participation of Pettigrew's and Trimble's commands in the charge. Many accounts of this engagement focus on Picketts' Virginians, partly because these men left a better aggregate written record of their impressions, and partly as a result of post-war prowess with the pen.

There are some gaps. The account of the immediate post-charge Confederate impressions is thin. Is it due to lack of data or just lack of presentation? Does Hess credit the account found in many histories that Lee lets loose his despair that night telling John Imboden "Too bad, too bad, Oh too bad." Did that happen? Is it post-war hyperbole? The account is extant but Hess is silent about what he knows about it. You are begging for a glimpse of Longstreet's post-charge movements that night or over the next few days. Who did he talk to? Did Lee and Longstreet meet within the days following the attack? If Hess doesn't report it you are left to conclude it didn't happen, but is that an accurate conclusion? The Imboden encounter leaves doubt about how thorough the author has been.

Amazon.com

Pickett's Charge--the Confederates' desperate (and failed) attempt to break the Union lines on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg--is best remembered as the turning point of the U.S. Civil War. But Penn State historian Carol Reardon reveals how hard it is to remember the past accurately, especially when an event such as this one so quickly slipped into myth. She writes, "From the time the battle smoke cleared, Pickett's Charge took on this chameleonlike aspect and, through a variety of carefully constructed nuances, adjusted superbly to satisfy the changing needs of Northerners, Southerners, and, finally, the entire nation." With care and detail, Reardon's fascinating book teaches a lesson in the uses and misuses of history.

Book Description

If, as many have argued, the Civil War is the most crucial moment in our national life and Gettysburg its turning point, then the climax of the climax, the central moment of our history, must be Pickett's Charge. But as Carol Reardon notes, the Civil War saw many other daring assaults and stout defenses. Why, then, is it Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg--and not, for example, Richardson's Charge at Antietam or Humphreys's Assault at Fredericksburg--that looms so large in the popular imagination?

As this innovative study reveals, by examining the events of 3 July 1863 through the selective and evocative lens of "memory" we can learn much about why Pickett's Charge endures so strongly in the American imagination. Over the years, soldiers, journalists, veterans, politicians, orators, artists, poets, and educators, Northerners and Southerners alike, shaped, revised, and even sacrificed the "history'' of the charge to create "memories" that met ever-shifting needs and deeply felt values. Reardon shows that the story told today of Pickett's Charge is really an amalgam of history and memory. The evolution of that mix, she concludes, tells us much about how we come to understand our nation's past.

Customer Reviews:

The War Over The Battle.......2004-06-17

"Pickett's Charge In History And Memory" begins with the question as to why this charge, of all the charges of the Civil War, has captured and held the imagination of a nation for over 140 years. This is not the book in which to find the history of the battle of July 3, 1863. This book records the battle over the legacy, the memory and the place in history of that historic charge.
The tenor of this book came as a surprise to me. I had always viewed Pickett's Charge as an ill conceived, vain attack, the only redeeming virtue of which was the heroism of the Confederate troops as they marched to slaughter. I had always viewed Pickett as a goat, rather than a hero. The only excuse which I saw for Pickett was that he only carried out orders for which he was not responsible. I learned that my view is far conventional wisdom.

Carol Reardon does a good job of documenting the war over the battle from the original memories up to the most recent literature and films on the subject. She begins by pointing out that the experience of each participant was limited to the field of vision of each individual, requiring the piecing together of many individual memories in order to assemble the puzzle.

The first public reports of the battle in newspapers were so fragmented that it took weeks before a consensus was reached as to which side had won. Some early reports spoke of a glorious Confederate route of the Yankees. In time, reality sank in and reports turned into a search for a scapegoat on whom to lay the blame for Virginia's glorious failure. Pickett's Charge soon became a highpoint of Virginia's martial glory to be defended from all attackers. Suspicion soon focused on troops from other states, prominently North Carolina, and other commanders, who were said to have failed to provide needed support. This led to a rival claims that troops from North Carolina and other states had done their share and, according to some observers, actually established a high water mark surpassing that established by Pickett's troops at The Angle. I was surprised to learn that not all of the troops in the Charge were under the command of General Pickett. Even the moniker of "Pickett's Charge" came under repeated attack. Squabbles among Confederate heros led to disputes among union troops as to who deserved credit for having stopped the charge. The title of decisive action of the battle of the war was challenged by veterans of Little Round Top and other actions during the battle.

Not only was Pickett a hero of Virginia, but, as the soldier most closely identified with Richmond, his memory benefited from the historical scholarship originating in that city. His funeral attracted renewed attention to the Charge and his widow served, for many years, as a focal point for Pickett devotees.

Through the years, conflicts raged over the location of the markers which so serenely tower over the battlefield today. Commemorations at quarter century intervals renewed rivalries and animosities for a century.

The controversial Gen. Longstreet keeps coming up throughout the book.

Even recent books and films continue to present the "spins" which have been twirling since the days immediately after battle. After many intervening wars, Pickett's Charge remains a subject of great controversy.

Each reader is left to formulate his own answer the original question, why have all other charges paled in comparison to Pickett's Charge in public memory and history? My answer is that it was a major attack, resulting in heavy casualties, which was a significant determinant of the outcome of the war. Its veterans and partisans engaged those of other actions on the fields of scholarship and literature. Clashes of egos as great as the clashes of arms continued to keep and even raise the Charge in public imagination.

Read this book. You will enjoy it. Then write your own review with your answer to the question.

The Battle Over The Battle.......2004-06-17

The tenor of this book came as a surprise to me. I had always viewed Pickett's Charge as an ill conceived, vain attack, the only redeeming virtue of which was the heroism of the Confederate troops as they marched to slaughter. I had always viewed Pickett as a goat, rather than a hero. The only excuse which I saw for Pickett was that he only carried out orders for which he was not responsible. I learned that my view is far conventional wisdom.

Carol Reardon does a good job of documenting the battle over the battle from the original memories up to the most recent literature and films on the subject. She begins by pointing out that the experience of each participant was limited to the field of vision of each individual, requiring the piecing together of many individual memories in order to assemble the puzzle.

The controversial Gen. Longstreet keeps coming up throughout the book.

Read this book. You will enjoy it. Then write your own review with your answer to the question.

How Americans have viewed Pickett's Charge.......2004-05-11

The third day, July 3, 1863, of the Battle of Gettysburg has become immortalized by what is commonly referred to as Pickett's Charge. After an extensive cannonade, a Southern infantry forced crossed about one mile of open ground to attach the Union position on the center of Cemetery Ridge. A small number of Confederate troops reached and briefly penetrated the Union defense. The attack was repulsed with great loss to the Confederate troops. The Battle of Gettysburg was essentially over and the Confederate Army began a long and difficult retreat the next day.

These are some of the bare-boned facts about Pickett's charge. General George Pickett, a subordinate of General Longstreet, commanded the right wing of the Confederate assault leading troops from Virginia. The left wing of the assault was under the command of Generals Pettigrew and Trimble from the Corps of Confederate General A.P. Hill. The assault force on the left included troops from North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and elsewhere in the South. There was also a small column to the right of Pickett's troops that included soldiers from Florida and Georgia.

Professor Carol Reardon's study, "Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" (1997) eloquently explores how and why the events of the third day at Gettysburg have assumed legendary, heroic status among so many Americans over the years. Professor Reardon gives only the briefest account of the battle itself and focuses instead on the many imponderables and uncertainties in the historical record. She has some important things to say about skepticism regarding the initial battlefield accounts, some of which were written many years after the event when memories had turned and faded. She has even more important things to say about how and why Pickett's charge became and remains a subject for contention and about why many people still find it a climactic moment of the Civil War and of American history.

Professor Reardon describes how Virginians and North Carolinians fought between themselves about which troops had been braver and had carried more of the brunt of the failed assault. She discusses how the Charge became legendary as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy" and how its repulse became viewed as sealing the fate of the Confederacy. Beginning in the mid-1870s Union and Confederate Veterans met on the Gettysburg Battlefield to relive their memories of the Charge. The former enemies had reconciled and become friends. Pickett's Charge became a symbol of the valor, the heroism, and the common bond of soldiering shared by the troops on both sides. The memory of Pickett's charge helped reunite the United States. It also, unhappily, promoted a "Lost Cause", romanticized view of the Old South and tended to draw the Nation's attention away from the issues of slavery and of race relations that had precipitated the Civil War.

I found Professor Reardon's descriptions of the reunions at Gettysburg between veterans in 1877 and 1913 the most moving and interesting part of the book, as they showed clearly the symbolic character that Pickett's Charge had assumed. Pickett's Charge became an emblem of the nature of the Civil War and of the subsequent reconciliation between North and South.

Professor Reardon also devotes more attention to the Union side of the line than is sometimes accorded in studies of the Charge. Interestingly, she points out that Union veterans of the first and second days of Gettysburg -- the soldiers in Sickle's Third Corps, the defenders of Culp's and Cemetery Hills, among others, sometimes felt slighted at the attention lavished on the third day of the Battle at the expense of their contributions.

In recent years, perhaps under the influence of Scharra's novel, "The Killer Angels" the Union defense of Little Round Top under Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine have rivalled Pickett's Charge in accounts of the climactic moment of the Battle. Professor Reardon does not address this revival of interest in Little Round Top. It would be interesting to explore it in a manner analogous to her treatment of the Charge.

I think many modern accounts of the Charge tend to emphasize its futility, the highly remote chances it had of success, and the tremendous loss of life that followed in its wake. This is a more modernistic approach to the Charge than the approach based upon a shared valor and heroism that Professor Reardon discusses. The modern sensibility has affected again the way Americans view the Charge.

Professor Reardon has written a thoughtful meditation of Pickett's charge and its interpretation and reinterpretation over the years. She views her subject seriously and with reverence. She concludes her book with the words of a Gettysburg veteran writing in 1908 (p.213): "Tradition, story, history -- all will not efface the true, grand epic of Gettysburg."

Truth Ever Elusive.......2000-05-30

Ms. Reardon's wonderful book underscores the challenge that we all face as we read and attempt to separate fact from fiction and fancy.This book is a case study in the mysterious confluence of objective history and subjective history. Ms Reardon deftly takes the reader from July 3, 1863, the day of Pickett's Charge, to the present day and shows how elusive the truth is. As an avid student of the American Civil War in particular and history in general,I learned three very important lessons from Ms Reardon. First, the thundering violence and confusion of battle make the search for the truth exceedingly difficult. The actual participants in Pickett's Charge were able to vividly and tellingly relate their emotions at the time. However, their reports of actual events and actions were understandably contradictory. Second, as Ms Reardon illuminates throughout the book, the careful reader must consider the possible motives of the author while reading the work. Ms Reardon demonstrates that the Virginia Historical Society was more interested in protecting state pride than searching for the truth. The numerous instances of conflicting accounts of this single day of the Civil War reminds me of Richard Nixon's resopnse to the question of how history will judge him : "It depends on who writes the history ". One can call Nixon's response cynical, but Ms Reardon reminds us that the wise reader will posses a healthy skepticism. Finally, when one pores through a Civil War book,or any book on warfare for that matter, the reader must understand that the neat maps of the terrain and the formations belie the utter confusion,terror, and violence inherent in battle.

Ms Reardon won me over with her eye for the telling detail when she pointed out that the terrain prevented both Union and Confederate soldiers from a panaromic view of the battlefield.The rolling hills prevented the Union troops from seeing large parts of the charge. Meanwhile, a gentle ridge split the attacking Confederates in half. Ms Reardon ruefully notes that numerous historical accounts from both sides provide intimate details of things that were not visible from the participant's location.

Ms Reardon quotes a grizzled veteran who summed it all up when he said,"Picketts Charge has been so grossly exaggerated and misrepresented as to give some color to the oft-repeated axiom that 'history is an agreed-upon lie'."

Central Moment in History.......2000-01-31

With new books on the Civil War hitting the stands every day it's nice to see that hard nosed research with attention to detail is still alive. Carol Reardon has brought forth past memories, mirrored with a modern day look at Pickett's charge. As the book unfolds, her style of writing lends itself to a wonderful portrayal of the efforts made to fully understand what happened on 3 July 1863.

No matter what the outcome, American lives were lost during a bitter struggle at a time when brother fought against brother. This book, unlike others that try to de-bunk the stories and battle statistics, goes to the heart of the matter. Truly remarkable and most enjoyable to read!

This book is well worth reading and rates as one of the top Civil War books needed on your library shelf.

Book Description

On the final day of the battle of Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee ordered one of the most famous infantry assaults of all time: Pickett's Charge. Following a thundering artillery barrage, thousands of Confederates launched a daring frontal attack on the Union line. From their entrenched positions, Federal soldiers decimated the charging Rebels, leaving the field littered with the fallen and several Southern divisions in tatters. Written by generals, officers, and enlisted men on both sides, these firsthand accounts offer an up-close look at Civil War combat and a panoramic view of the carnage of July 3, 1863.

Double Canister at Ten Yards: The Federal Artillery and the Repulse of Pickett's Charge

Average customer rating:

Long on detail, short on analysis.

Double Canister at Ten Yards: The Federal Artillery and the Repulse of Pickett's Charge
David Shultz
Manufacturer: Rank and File Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg: Organization, Equipment, Ammunition, and Tactics
The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863

ASIN: 096389935X

Customer Reviews:

Long on detail, short on analysis........1999-10-03

I bought this book in order to learn more about the Union artillery at Gettysburg, and I wasn't disappointed. Shultz describes in minute detail the deployment and action of all the guns engaged, and I was left with a feeling of being on the frontline myself. Unfortunately, where this book falls down is in lack of commentary on the action. The reader is to a large extent left to form his own opinions, which is fair enough up to a point, but for me, this went too far. However, this is still a fascinating book for Civil War enthusiasts, and it certainly brought home for me the realities of artillery deployment in the Civil War.

Average customer rating:

Lee's worse mistake of the war.
What an enjoyable read
A Classic Study of Pickett's Charge
A classic!
the classic account

Pickett's Charge
George Stewart
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Day Three
Gettysburg
Pickett's Charge: Eyewitness Accounts At The Battle Of Gettysburg (Stackpole Military History Series)
High Tide at Gettysburg (The American Civil War)

ASIN: 0395597722

Book Description

This book covers a critical part of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Customer Reviews:

Lee's worse mistake of the war........2006-05-14

George R. Stewart brings to life the dramatical but death blow to the Confederacy because of Pickett's Charge. In the final day of the July 1-3 1863 battle he takes you on a ride of incredible bravery and suicidal attack. I have walked Gettysburg many times and am still amazed at the incredible bravery it must have taken. Lee commited a grave error as he ordered to continue the attack when there were better option's. Before they could get to the Union line the troops had to march from Seminary ridge a very long distance.There was almost no cover and the terrain was sometimes difficult. Fences had to be crossed and this while being under the most murderous fire from the Union Army's rifles and muskets. Minnie's flew thick and fast. Double canister and solid shot mowed down many of the Confederate's most veteran and best troops. Still these brave men moved forward grabbing the 'colors' even as they were shot down. Few men would survive this suicide mission. Gettysburg was without a doubt Lee's worse mistake. Sending men against such a strong position was suicide. Lee should have continued to use his greatest advantage of maneuver and surprise. Why didn't General Longstreet do more to stop what he knew was going to be a disaster?

What an enjoyable read.......2005-01-15

Stewart has an excellent style to his story telling. It's sort of like your grand pa is relaying the story to you while you get warmed up near the fire place.

A handful of well drawn maps help with some of the visuals and his short segment style allow the reader to start and stop according to their schedule without worrying about losing their place.

The meat of the piece is once Armistead and select Pettigrew units cross the Emmitsburg Road and hit "The Angle." The slaughter is horrific and Stewart captures it quite well. He also does a great job explaining casualty rates and what most likely caused them (i.e. rifles, artillery (long and short range), etc.) I know that some of the info is a bit outdated and things like men killed, wounded, or exactly where certain troops were positioned have recently been benefited with new information. But still, you have to admire Stewart for the gathering of info at the time.

I've just started reading Hess's Pickett's Charge book and quite frankly that is a home run. The level of detail is amazing and I would say it is the more scholarly of the two. However, I still give Stewart's book 5 stars because it has excellent information and is told in such a friendly way. It is a very quick read as well for when you need a refresher or maybe are heading to the battlefield. I'd highly recommend reading the book any time you visit the field (even if you're a civil war novice) and the walk the ground keeping in mind all that you read. You will then understand what is meant by courage.

A Classic Study of Pickett's Charge.......2004-05-24

Both as symbol and as history, Pickett's charge, the climactic Southern attack on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, exerts a powerful hold on the American imagination. Although other more recent works may show more ability to assess and choose among competing sources in studying the assault, I doubt that any book cuts to the heart of the charge or presents a clearer picture than George Stewart's "Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg." (1959) I recommend this book to readers interested in serious study of this pivotal and much-discussed event of the Civil War.

I think it valuable to read Stewart's account together with Carol Reardon's study, "Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" (1997) and Earl J. Hess' study "Pickett's Charge-- The Last Attack at Gettysburg" (2001). These three books offer differing perspectives on Pickett's charge and will be invaluable to the student in comparing approaches to the event and to historical writing.

Reardon's book includes little about the Charge itself. She concentrates on the way it has been interpreted over the years (a matter which Stewart also addresses) and on the difficulty of separating fact from memory in determining what happened on the battlefield. The latter point is important to remember in reading Stewart. Some of his sources seem to cross that difficult line between history and recollection in memory.

Hess' account, like Stewart's is a history of the charge which, Hess tells the reader, uses sources and files unavailable to Stewart. Hess, writing 40 years after Stewart adopts a more critical stance towards the sources and reaches some different conclusions.

Stewart's account is still to be prized for its simplicity and clarity and for the author's zest and empathy for his subject. The book is written in short sections which cover in detail the deliberations of the Confederate leadership on the morning of the attack, the Union defense, the cannonade, the details of the assault by the combined troops of Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble, and the Union's stalwart,heroic defense. The fighting at the "Angle" -- the High Water Mark -- is given in dramatic detail and there is a moving picture of the repulse of the Charge and its aftermath. For better or worse, Stewart lets the sources mostly speak for themselves with less of the skepticism that is to be found in Reardon or Hess.

I found good elementary detail in the book on matters that Hess doesn't cover and that have little relevance to Reardon's story. In particular, Stewart gives a good account of weaponry, its uses, and its limitations, during Pickett's charge. This is an important matter and sometimes overlooked. The reader needs some understanding of the range and uses of the various types of artillery and infantry weapons to understand what happened during the Charge and during the Union defense. Stewart covers this well.

Stewart emphasizes the heroism exhibited during the charge and the seesawing nature of the combat. He seems to me to take the quest for glory and victory exhibited by the troops more at their word than other recent writers who emphasize, rightly enough, the futility, destruction, sheer horror and loss of life resulting from this attack. Stewart sees Pickett's Charge is the actual, not merely the metaphorical, "High-Water Mark" of the Confederate War effort. He believes that if the assault force had, in fact, taken the Federal line on Cemetery Ridge during the attack, the War would have ended with a Southern victory. He also believes that the failure of the assault doomed the Confederate cause. Many other students of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War would disagree with these conclusions. Stewart also states that General Pickett was responsible for the command of the entire assault force -- including the Pettigrew and Trimble troops on Pickett's left. Most students of the Battle reject this conclusion and point to the lack of coordination of the assault as one of the many reasons for its failure.

Stewart tries to be meticulously fair to all participants. He avoids hero worship and "Lost Cause" mythology while still showing his admiration for the participants on both sides in the assault and the valor they displayed. His study may not be the last or most accurate historical study on the events of July 3. But in its simplicity, humor, compassion, and understanding of the troops, Stewart's book taught me a great deal about the final day at Gettysburg.

A classic!.......2002-07-24

Stewart covers the action based from information available during the 1950's which certainly explains the battle quite well. This book was probably the first and best on the subject of Pickett's Charge and has become a timeless classic. For students of the battle I highly recommend it as Stewart's writing doesn't reflect modern thought or opinion as to the Longstreet/Lee confrontation or delay in ordering the charge. Stewart is careful to explain positioning and uses maps to place the reader on the vast field. He also adds biography to certain individuals which adds a bonus to this great book! This book is the "main-stay" for anyone who is interested in the charge at Gettysburg.

the classic account.......2001-09-25

George Stewart's history of the final great assault at Gettysburg combines scholarship with (all too rare today) excellent, flowing writing. It is the standard work on the subject - the event simply cannot be fully understood without this book. Unlike so many of today's books, it is more than just a long series of quotations, and the writing brings events to life instead of turning the event into an academic treatise. More than anything else, Stewart appreciates the human aspect of the battle. Among other things, Stewart appears to be the first writer to question the traditional "15,000" figure for the attacking troops, and he is not afraid to synthesize his research and say what he thinks and why he thinks it. Like Catton's work, this is truly elegant and worthwhile history.

Into the Fight: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg

Average customer rating:

Confused, Disorienting, Brutal Book Mirrors Combat
good book but not my cup of tea
Excellent! Not to be missed
set your timepieces!
Micro-History at its best !

Into the Fight: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg
John Michael Priest
Manufacturer: White Mane Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

jp-unknown3 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1572493216

Book Description

Challenging conventional views, stretching the minds of Civil War enthusiasts and scholars as only John Michael Priest can, Into the Fight is both a scholarly and a revisionist interpretation of the most famous charge in American history. Using a wide array of sources, ranging from the monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield to the accounts of the participants themselves, Priest here rewrites the conventional thinking about this unusually emotional, yet serious, moment in our Civil War. Starting with a fresh point of view, and with no axes to grind, Into the Fight challenges all interested in that stunning moment in history to rethink their assumptions.

Worthwhile for its use of soldiers' accounts, valuable for its forcing the reader to rethink the common assumptions about the charge, critics may disagree with this research, but they cannot ignore it.

Customer Reviews:

Confused, Disorienting, Brutal Book Mirrors Combat.......2003-12-16

This is a different kind of Civil War book, a micro history covering a brief period time through the lens of scores of Confederates and Unionists who simultaneously experienced the artillery duel and Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863.

Priest delivers the same type of book he produced in "Antietam: The Soldier's Battle." Both are combat participant's view of the conflict (although Antietam takes in the full day's battle), and seek to tell the story through the lens of utter confusion and immediate focus that describes the warrior's contemporary understanding of what he is pursuing.

As such, this book jumps, sometimes paragraph by paragraph, among scores of participants to describe the intensity and locus of what was happening over roughly fifteen minute increments during those famous afternoon hours. It is impossible to follow characters throughout the book; though many reappear over the book's some 200 pages, they are not meant to be the focus of a drama or military biography.

I suspect Priest's method of letting the soldiers' recollections drive the pace of this fast-paced and confusing combat portrait is to try and recreate -- as much as a book can -- the utterly confusing, disorienting, violent and formless experience of combat. In this, the author succeeds brilliantly.

This book is probably not for the first time Civil War reader and will disappoint anyone looking for the story of Pickett's Charge in terms of where it stood in Lee's strategy and the Battle of Gettysburg. But for the Civil War aficionado, Priest's work delivers a wonderful micro history that has carried this reader closer to the action -- what I imagine the real action -- than any other author.

This is history written before units are marked on maps (although Priest's maps are excellent, numerous and easy to follow) and before the likes of Coddington, Sears or Catton have had a chance to tell the larger story. For any reader wanting to get a feel of what it must have been like to charge into the bullets and canister flying from Cemetery Ridge like wind driven rain, this book can't be beat.

good book but not my cup of tea.......2003-08-15

this book is a good information packed book that puts you in the battle but I wasn't expecting a minut by minut account of the battle it was a good book except that i kept confusing a lot of the lower ranking soildiers. It showed how brave the Virginians truely where

Excellent! Not to be missed.......2003-08-01

Taking us back to that fateful day on July 3rd 1863, John Michael Priest does indeed take us "INTO THE FIGHT" as we are told the story of Pickett's Charge. While reading this book, one can't help but be transported back in time to that smoke filled battlefield on the ridges of Gettysburg. By using first hand accounts by the soldiers who were there, Priest gives the reader a vivid picture of what it must have been like to experience the terror of that chaotic day's fighting from both Union & Confederate sides. Numerous maps throughout the book (25 to be exact) clearly illustrate troop movements and artillery placement making it easy for the reader to follow along as the action unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anybody interested in understanding the third days fighting at Gettysburg. The maps alone are worth the price of admission.

set your timepieces!.......2000-03-03

In this book ,as you read, you can't help but keep looking at your watch. A minute by minute account of the famous charge.You feel as if you are in the ranks on both sides in that bloody attack and stalwart defense on Cemetery Ridge. THIS BOOK IS A CLASSIC TO COMPARE WITH GEORGE STEWART'S BOOK ON PICKETT'S CHARGE. Amust read for all GETTYSBURG BUFFS.

Micro-History at its best !.......1998-12-31

John Michael Priest has once again displayed the literary art to which he seems born. This book is so utterly enthralling, it is almost like reading a novel. Even the veteran of many Gettysburg book readings will hinge on the story of Pickett's charge as told by Priest. His use of numerous primary sources lends to his telling of the story by the participants themselves. Each individual story then coalesces into a coherent and understandable analysis of how the charge developed and died. Priest gives both Confederate and Union impressions an equal treatment, creating a full veiw of the action. His writing brings out the horror, sadness, terror, pride, honor and exhultation felt by those actually present on that fateful day. Previous knowledge of the battle or Pickett's action is not needed to enjoy this work. Priest follows the action closely, developing it enough for the beginner or simply curious to understand. For those with a background in Civil War history, even Pickett's charge, the personal accounts still make the account a worthwhile read.

Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863

Average customer rating:

Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863
George R. Stewart
Manufacturer: Premier/Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000AQ7C8W

Pickett Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A

Average customer rating:

good biography....
Good Book For Anyone Wanting to Know More About Pickett
Well Done
Read this book.
The Irony Of Striving For Greatest

Pickett Leader of the Charge: A Biography of General George E. Pickett, C.S.A
Edward G. Longacre
Manufacturer: White Mane Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1572491264

Customer Reviews:

good biography...........2004-06-24

I considered Edward Longacre's biography on George Pickett to be a pretty good one. The author goes into considerable length to show the reader what kind of man Pickett was behind his "Gettysburg persona" that most Americans know him from. The picture we get is one of strange contradictions of a man who can do a dishonorable thing like abandoning his own son to a brave and couragous soldier.

The author proves to be very sympathic toward his subject. However, not even Longacre can excuse Pickett for his foolishness at Five Forks. It was interesting that the author did not investigate the effects of post traumatic stress disorder which must have affected Pickett after Gettysburg. That may have answered many of unusual downgrading of Pickett's abilities as commander. (Another famous combat leader, Marshal Michel Ney of Napoleon's army also suffered from it after Russian Campaign of 1812 and his performance suffered thereafter.)

However, the book come highly recommended and it proves to be well written, nicely researched and very informative.

Good Book For Anyone Wanting to Know More About Pickett.......2003-08-05

I enjoyed Longacre's book on George Pickett. I often read "on the go" and liked the way he broke down each chapter in brief segments which I could read and stop conveniently. The author does a good job of portraying Pickett evenly and sifting thru the legends and myths. I appreciated Longacre's discussion on Gettysberg as that is one thing I have always wondered about. Was it wrong for Pickett not to accompany his men on this heroic and futile assault ? Pickett himself proved to be a complex man and all too human. After reading this book I felt that Pickett's military career was a quest for respect and secondly for glory and not the other way around.

Well Done.......2002-06-07

This is a good work. Other than the Gettysburg charge, before reading this book I did not know George Picket very well. I only got glimpses of him from various readings: Chapultepec, the Penninsula Campaign, Bermuda Hundred, Five Forks, etc. And in those various readings never once did anyone take him to task, making him account for himself like Longacre does.

What we have here is a complex aristocrat, a fighter, whose personal attributes estranged the majority of his superiors (Lee and Jefferson Davis to name a few) but one whose loyalty and devotion to Confederate Independence made him indispensable to their efforts .

He is difficult to like. He deserts a son, is a heavy drinker, is a panderer and is a political maneuverer in the worst sense of the concept. But we also have a person who personifies loyalty, who serves to the very end, under privation, while absorbing every imaginable insult from his superiors along the way. He may have made some serious errors but he always obeyed orders, remained steadfast, even when he must have known he had been identified as expendable. Above all else he served, served, served.

Longacre does a remarkably good job of brining Picket to life. Even more important than Picket is the wonderful glimpse we get into the workings of the Confederate High Command. A very valuable additional plus is the myriad of interesting historical antidotes that will make the most serious student of the Civil War stop and say, "I didn't know that."

No Lost Cause apologia, here you get all the warts. This one is definitely worth the time.

Read this book........2002-01-24

Growing up in the south I always held the same general opinion of Pickett that most southerners and indeed most Americans hold. The playboy image seen in the movie "Gettysburg" has always been what came to mind at the mention of General Pickett. Thanks to this book I see that the well known image is false.

Pickett does indeed seem to have been a glory hound and playboy but he was also a brave soilder who exposed himself to deadly fire in the Mexican War and was wounded early in the Civil War. Longacre handles the fact that Pickett didn't actually lead his men to the angle at Gettysburg in just the way he should have handled it.

I found most interesting Pickett's work at Petersburg to hold that city until Beauregard and then Lee could arrive on the scene. Pickett is not in general given his due for Petersburg probably because after the war the "cult of the lost cause" was so protective of General Lee that they kept to a minimum Pickett's role. In fact, Lee made a mistake and Pickett and then Beauregard saved the day. Without Pickett's contribution at Petersburg the war might have ended several months sooner. Richmond simply could not have been held without Petersburg.

A great book that puts a new and interesting face on George Pickett. It belongs in any Civil War library.

The Irony Of Striving For Greatest.......2000-12-23

Traces George Pickett's life from military school to Military Academy and on to his career in first the Union Army and then Confederate. As did many of Lee's Generals, Pickett saw service in Mexico with Scott and also tours in the Far West. Pickett's first assignment in the Confederate Army was to the Northern Neck of Virginia where his forces were mostly militia. He repeatedly complained that these forces and portion of Virginia failed to rally to the high standards of support for the Confederacy that he expected. When a more senior officer arrived in the area Pickett responsibilities were relegated to an even lesser position. Clearly this man was not a rising star but more of a place holder. In fact throughout his career he was constantly trying to position himself for higher visibility.

The author makes a careful analysis of Pickett's actions at Gettysburg and concludes that while they were nether heroic nor cowardly they were in keeping with the actions expected of someone in his position.

After the war Pickett had a difficult time "fitting in" and after several pursuits became a life insurance salesman in Richmond. Perhaps a testimonial to what he is best known for...leading (as directed) thousands of men to their slaughter.

I found this book to be well written and documented but a little disjointed at times.

Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg
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Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg
Earl Hess
Manufacturer: U. of North Carolina
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZ7NKC

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