index index index index I am sort of new to studying the Gettysburg battle and I have a different take on this book from the perspective of a new student. First of all you don't have to be an expert to understand this book though it helps if you have a basic understanding of the major players. What helped me, believe it or not was watching the movie, Gettysburg over and over. Though the movie doesn't cover all of the battle you will be surprised how closely those parts in the book match up with the movie. Though not perfect, if you're a newbie like me you will find it helpful. The lack of pictures in the book doesn't bother me at all. There are plenty of photographs elsewhere and to be honest I referenced Wikipedia when I wanted to learn more about individual soldiers while I was reading this book.

I learned a lot reading this book. Most helpful are the maps. These aren't your typical book maps that are hard to follow and don't make sense. The maps that Tradeau uses in the book are incredibly helpful and in fact one couldn't complete this volume without them. They are usually well placed and follow the narrative incredibly well. What I really appreciated was that Trudeau understands that the text must follow the maps and one can get the feeling he spent a lot of time making sure these maps follow his narrative. He also knows the difference between north and south and believe me, nothing is worse than reading a text when the map doesn't match the narrative. It was very reassuring to read something, look at the map and feel the satisfaction that I understood the individual event even better. In fact there are over 60 maps in the book and it just takes a few moments to get your bearings and you're back reading. Just what a neophyte like myself needed!

The other thing that was helpful was a listing of the armies. This is a who's who of which man was in charge of what corps, division, brigade and regiment. It is complete with who was in charge in the beginning and who was in charge at the end of the battle, who was injured, killed or mortally wounded. Being fairly new to this battle required me to reference this list quite a bit and it was more than helpful. It also lists the strength of each portion of the armies and how many casualties occurred to each division, etc.

The other section of the book that I really enjoyed was the short narrative of what happened to the the major players after Gettysburg. It's almost as fascinating what happens to these men after the battle than during it. This book will whet your appetite to learn even more about the battle and the fascinating men that were involve with it. The incredible feats of courage from both sides are very revealing and one comes away after reading this book realizing just how bloody the civil war was.
There are three key detailed works of Gettysburg. One is Coddington's unbelievably detailed and almost overwhelming volume, now somewhat dated; Stephen Sears' volume; Noah Trudeau's work.

Each of these three magisterial works has strengths and weaknesses--but all are worthy. Any one of these books provides ample detail on the battle and the campaign preceding it.

Trudeau's work uses information not available to Coddington, whose work was published nearly forty years ago. That is one plus. Another is his chronological analysis of the battle. Some previous reviewers are put off at his choppy style--with passages lasting a paragraph or so up to a couple pages. What Trudeau attempts is a chronolgical analysis--which means jumping back and forth on the battlefield, as so many things are happening close to one another in real time. I admire Coddington's book greatly; no one provides the operational detail that he does. But his time travel--following one part of the battle in detail and then jumping to another part of the battlefield and describing events occurring before those in previous passages--can be somewhat disconcerting.

Trudeau's book moves quickly and reads well. His maps are very nicely wrought. Woodworth's shorter, punchier volume has many maps, but they do not provide the same detail and context as those in Trudeau's work.

Trudeau is careful to debunk some of the standard myths and provides a more nuanced picture of some key events, such as the Twentieth Maine's stand on Little Round Top on the second day. He notes, without questioning Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, that the latter's version is perhaps an overrationalized description of actual events.

All in all, this is an estimable volume, and one of the most valuable works on this sanguinary battle.I'm glad to see some positive reviews for Noah Trudeau's work. I judge the maps to be far more helpful than those found (or not found!) in so many books. The reader will even find Lowe's "Balloon Surveillance" on one-a nice touch. Cavalry gets the best coverage I've run across and a lot is explained about this branch of the army: what Stuart was attempting and avoiding, whether Lee was really "blind" without him, how prisoners really slowed Stuart down, etc. A must read if only to understand how cav did influence the outcome. I don't claim this replaces Pfanz & Coddington but is much easier to digest, especially the big picture so often lost in the details. [Originally posted March 29, 2004; deleted due to account problem.]In my opinion, this is the best book about the Gettysburg campaign that is out there. Beginning with the aftermath of the Union army after Chancellorsville, the book goes through the armies' march into the North and their 3-day battle in Pennsylvania.

As others have stated, this book is very well organized and is easy to read and understand. What really helps is the amount of maps within the book to help you understand the positions of units as he describes the action. This is a very underutilized feature of several military history books, but Trudeau uses maps very well. I think that the amount of first-hand accounts from Gettysburg residents is also excellent and are well tied to the rest of the narrative. You also become attached to some of the units and brigades from their own stories, such as Willard's brigade from Harpers Ferry that went from being scorned to being respected during the second day of fighting.

Trudeau also provides epilogues of many of the townspeople and lower regimental officers discussed in the book, which provides good endings to their individual stories.

I really encourage people to purchase this book, even if they are not familiar with Gettysburg. It will still be an enjoyable read.This is an excellent book on the Gettysburg battle. The only other book on this battle that compares favorably to this one is Sears book which was published at the same time. I like this book for the following reasons. (1) It is very well organized. The book is structured based upon time of day. Past books on Gettysburg, e.g. Coddington and Pfanz, don't do anywhere near as good a job, in my opinion in organizing what was essentially a very confusing battle. The battle was especially confusing on the second day, July 2nd, and Trudeau handles this very well by presenting the different geographical regions on time of day basis. Also, this is supported with excellent maps that also show the time of the day. So, at 5:45pm, at one point you'll be on Little Round Top with the 20th Maine, then he'll move to the west side of Little Round Top with 140th New York and then he'll move to the Wheatfield with Irish Brigade. It gave me a sense of being there seeing it all transpire at the same time. Well organized. Of course, some may find this to be a jumbled approach. But, I find it to be a very interesting way of sharing what happened on a minute by minute basis all over a very confusing battlefield. (2) This book gets down to the brigade and regiment level and does an excellent job of it. There is probably too much slant to the Union side (Sears is more balanced) but there is coverage of all the units, not just the 20th Maine, the 1st Minnesota and a couple of other popular units (e.g. 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin of the Iron Brigade).
So, if you want a well organized book, organizing the battle on a time of day basis, with excellent maps, and going down to the regiment level, this is it. I find myself going back to this book for just these reasons time and time again, as an excellent reference. I highly recommend it.America's Civil War raged for more than four years, the three days of fighting in the Pennsylvania countryside in July 1863 continue to fascinate, appall, and inspire new generations with their unparalleled saga of sacrifice and courage.

No battle was as deadly or dramatic as Gettysburg. More lives were lost there than in any other war fought on American soil. From Chancellorsville, where General Robert E. Lee launched his high-risk campaign into the North, to the Confederates' last daring and ultimately doomed act, forever known as Pickett's Charge, the battle of Gettysburg gave the Union army a victory that turned back the boldest and perhaps greatest chance for a Southern nation.

The last three decades have seen scores of remarkable new studies focusing on important elements of this monumental campaign. Now, acclaimed historian Noah Andre Trudeau brings the most up-to-date research available to a brilliant, sweeping, and comprehensive history that sheds new light on virtually every aspect of the battle of Gettysburg. Deftly balancing his own narrative style with revealing firsthand accounts, including excerpts from the diaries and letters of the men on both sides of the battlefield, Trudeau brings this engrossing human tale to life. He recounts the heightening tension of the campaign, the life-or-death decisions made by its commanders, and the struggle endured by thousands of its bravest soldiers. Not forgotten are the stories of the noncombatants, the thousands of civilians whose placid lives were swept into the ferocious cauldron.

Scrupulously researched and masterfully written, Gettysburg conveys all the drama and heroism in what is sure to be the defining account for years to come of this pivotal moment in American history.

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