Stand Of The U S Army At Gettysburg

"This is not just 'another Gettysburg book,' but a different Gettysburg book. Most of the prior Gettysburg books have been accounts of Confederate command failures that led to Confederate defeat. This is the story of the Federal defense leading to Federal victory. The book contains new material and new insights. It rivals Coddington as an essential Gettysburg book, and it maps the battle like Bigelow mapped The Campaign at Chancellorsville." --Alan T. Nolan, author of Lee Considered and The Iron Brigade

This major reinterpretation of the key battle of the American Civil War tells the story of the Gettysburg campaign as it unfolded from early June through mid-July 1863, and its climax with the Federal victory at Gettysburg. The book strives to describe the campaign with utmost clarity. In pursuit of this goal, it restricts itself to the campaign's major events and participants. Yet many components of even a boiled-down account of the campaign are complex. Accordingly, The Stand features more than 160 maps and numerous diagrams that allow the reader to understand what happened at every important stage of the campaign, with special emphasis on the three-day battle of July 1-3. The book also pays tribute to the vast literature on Gettysburg, with careful consideration of the many analyses of the campaign, paying particular attention to recent works. The appearance of new interpretations, including those offered here, suggests that only now, nearly 150 years after the event, are we approaching a complete and accurate view of what happened during those crucial days at Gettysburg.

"... a positive contribution to the historiography of the battle of Gettysburg. To have such a treasure of tactical maps about Gettysburg in one volume makes [its] purchase... a bargain. -- Journal of Military History By concentrating on specific infantry movements and timing, Hall uncovers new ways of evaluating Gettysburg. --Index-Journal (Greenwood, SC)" --Journal (Greenwood, SC) Indiana University Press

A meticulous re-creation and major reinterpretation of the Civil War's most famous battle, focusing on the story of the Federal defense that led to Federal victory.

This major reinterpretation of the key battle of the American Civil War tells the story of the Gettysburg campaign as it unfolded from early June through mid-July 1863, and its climax with the Federal victory at Gettysburg. Maps. Charts.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 371-393) and indexes.

Jeffrey C. Hall is a biologist who has done genetic and behavioral research since the 1960s, publishing papers about the molecular neurobiology of courtship behavior and biological rhythms. He has taught courses in biology at Brandeis University since the mid-1970s. He began to study the American Civil War as an avocation in the early 1980s. This led to the origination of a Brandeis History course about the Gettysburg campaign, which he has taught since the mid-1990s.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Cast of Characters

1. The Roads to Gettysburg: Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania in June 1863

2. July 1: The Union Suffers a Setback but Gains a Great Position

3. July 2: The Climax of the Battle

4. July 3: The Great Gamble Lee Could Have Won and the Federals' Finest Hour

5. Aftermath: The Pursuit and Escape of the Army of Northern Virginia

Appendixes

A. The Cavalry Battle at Brandy Station (June 9)

B. The Loudoun Valley Cavalry Battels (June 17-21)

C. The Fighting Near Brinkerhoff's Ridge (July 2)

D. The Cavalry Battle East of Gettysburg (July 3)

E. The Fatal Cavalry Charge of Elon Farnsworth (July 3)

F. Organization of the Union and Confederate Armies at Gettysburg

G. The Potential and Problems of Small-Arms Fire at Gettysburg

Notes

Bibliographic Essay

Index