GETTYSBURG
Almost everyone in the Western world who hears that single word thinks about the American Civil War and the titanic battle that raged for three days. Many may not know where or even exactly when the battle was fought or even who won, but most appreciate the fact that the fighting was important to the outcome of the war.
The battle, fought on July 1–3, 1863, was part of a wide-ranging six-week campaign that included a score of engagements large and small. The defeat of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was a significant blow to the fortunes of the Confederacy. Unfortunately for the South, the bloody defeat was accompanied on July 4 by the fall of the Confederate fortress and its defending army at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the surrender of yet another army and stronghold a short time later at Port Hudson, Louisiana. These stunning Western Theater victories opened the final stretch of the Mississippi River to Federal forces and effectively sliced the Confederacy in two. Vicksburg and Port Hudson were preceded by the nearly bloodless Union capture of Middle Tennessee that June when a Federal army maneuvered its Confederate counterpart all the way south to the Georgia border. Because of these nearly simultaneous losses, Gettysburg has led many historians to conclude that the summer of 1863 was a major turning point in the entire war.
Gettysburg has been the focus of intense study and interest since the guns fell silent in 1863. The interest is certainly justified because the campaign has so many fascinating facets to study, ponder, and argue: the most successful Confederate army commander (Robert E. Lee), engaged in his grandest movement of the war, challenged by the thus-far luckless Army of the Potomac; three bloody days of battle involving all three branches (infantry, artillery, and cavalry); innumerable key moments on all three days upon which teetered victory or defeat; major controversies (including Dan Sickles’ movement of his Federal III Corps to the famous Peach Orchard, Jeb Stuart’s audacious cavalry ride around the Union army, and Richard Ewell’s July 1 failure to capture Cemetery Hill and/or Culp’s Hill); thousands of firsthand accounts of nearly every aspect of the fighting; the largest artillery duel ever waged in the Western world; a heart-pounding retreat and pursuit following the battle—and so much more.
When Ted Savas, our publishing company’s managing director, approached us with the idea for this handbook and explained what he envisioned, our first reaction was to wonder why no one else had thought of producing such a work. To the best of our knowledge a book like this—with its varied stories, facts, statistics, photos, illustrations, original maps, and so much more—did not exist. Herein, a reader can find out what the weather was like in Gettysburg during the battle, read about the Gettysburg Medal of Honor recipients, discover capsule biographies of the primary leaders, explore an itinerary of the campaign, ponder many of the campaign’s controversies, digest a recommended reading list—and even ascertain the various Gettysburg sites available online—all between one set of covers. This book also features the most complete, accurate, and up-to-date Order of Battle for all units of both sides at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Because of the format and purpose of this volume, we acted primarily as compilers and secondarily as authors. We are first and foremost in debt to the legion of participants, scholars, students, and amateur sleuths who recorded the material that has allowed us to bring it to light in one useful resource. Many of the works we relied upon are listed in the chapter entitled “The Gettysburg Bookshelf.” (We recommend this list as a good starting point for readers new to the study of this campaign.)
We hope The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook will be a ready and welcome companion whether you are walking the hallowed fields or reading other Gettysburg books while reclining in your favorite easy chair. We hope teachers, parents, students, and scholars will refer to its narratives, photographs, maps, lists, orders of battle, and charts and tables time and time again. It is our sincere wish that this original presentation of the war’s greatest campaign adds something of significant value to the voluminous reference shelf of the campaign—especially as we enter the war’s sesquicentennial (the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War). Finally, we hope this new book will encourage people, young and old alike, to read about this always fascinating portion of our painful history as a country, and plant the seed of interest deeply within them for the rest of their lives.