20 Best Books On Gettysburg (2023 Update)

The civil war is the american iliad. lincoln, stonewall jackson, grant, and lee still stand as heroic ideals, as stirring to our national memory as were the legendary achilles and hector to the world of the ancient greeks. within the story of our iliad one battle stands forth above all others: gettysburg.millions visit gettysburg each year to walk the fields and hills where joshua chamberlain made his legendary stand and pickett went down to a defeat which doomed a nation, but in defeat forever became a symbol of the heroic lost cause. as the years passed, and the scars healed, the debate, rather than drifting away has intensified. it is the battle which has become the great "what if," of american history and the center of a dreamscape where confederate banners finally do crown the heights above the town. the year is 1863, and general robert e. lee and his army of northern virginia are poised to attack the north and claim the victory that would end the brutal conflict. but lee's gettysburg campaign ended in failure, ultimately deciding the outcome of the war. launching his men into a vast sweeping operation, of which the town of gettysburg is but one small part of the plan, general lee, acting as he did at chancellorsville, second manassas, and antietam, displays the audacity of old. he knows he has but one more good chance to gain ultimate victory, for after two years of war the relentless power of an industrialized north is wearing the south down. lee's lieutenants and the men in the ranks, imbued with this renewed spirit of the offensive embark on the gettysburg campaign that many dream "should have been." the soldiers in the line, yank and reb, knew as well that this would be the great challenge, the decisive moment that would decided whether a nation would die, or be created, and both sides were ready, willing to lay down their lives for their cause.an action-packed and painstakingly researched masterwork by newt gingrich and william forstchen, gettysburg stands as the first book in a series to tell the story of how history could have unfolded, how a victory for lee would have changed the destiny of the nation forever. this is a novel of true heroism and glory in america's most trying hour.

High tide at gettysburg tells the story of the army of virginia from june 3, 1863, when they began the invasion of pennsylvania, to july 13, when they crossed the potomac. how near the south came to victory is clearly set forth in these pages. had lee destroyed meade's forces, he could have easily taken washington and baltimore. he would have more than made up for the loss of vicksburg to grant's army on july 4. glenn tucker clearly sets out the background of the crucial battle so that the reader can fully appreciate its unfolding. two great opposing forces faced each other. their struggle for victory claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 men. out of the sequence of events, emerge personality sketches of the major figures in the conflict. tucker clears up many misunderstandings that have grown up around the battle: from the role of general longstreet to the gallant penetration of union lines by pettigrew's and trimble's divisions during pickett's charge. here indeed is an enduring picture of a key moment in history, the turning point of the civil war. — publisher's note.

A comprehensive history of the battle of gettysburg by one of today's leading historians.the greatest of all civil war campaigns, gettysburg was the turning point of the turning point in our nation's history. volumes have been written about this momentous three-day battle, but recent histories have tended to focus on the particulars rather than the big picture: on the generals or on single days of battle–even on single charges–or on the daily lives of the soldiers. in gettysburg, sears tells the whole story in a single volume. from the first gleam in lee's eye to the last rebel hightailing it back across the potomac, every moment of the battle is brought to life with the vivid narrative skill and impeccable scholarship that has made stephen sears's histories so successful. based on years of research, this is the first book in a generation that brings everything together, sorts it all out, makes informed judgments, and takes stands. even the most knowledgeable of civil war buffs will find fascinating new material and new interpretations, and sears's famously accessible style will make the book just as appealing to the general reader.

Regarded as the turning point of the american civil war, gettysburg commemorates the three-day battle that took place in an "unimportant" pennsylvania town over 150 years ago. from the first shots fired on the morning of july 1, 1863 to robert e. lee's losing gamble known as pickett's charge on july 3 that resulted in thousands of confederates being driven back by union forces, gettysburg is a snapshot of three of the most important days in us history. discover rare photos, expertly written articles, and intriguing illustrations and maps detailing the political, military, and social conditions that thrust the sleepy town of gettysburg forever into the pages of history books. filled with informative timelines and fact sheets, details on the commanders, weapon technology, and so much more, this handsome volume also captures several human stories, from the 11-year-old sergeant, john l. clem, who killed a confederate soldier to john burns, the only civilian to fight in the battle and many others. gettysburg also provides a remarkable look at the historic reconciliation reunion, gettysburg today and the preservation efforts, and tons of other interesting details that american history buffs will love. this compilation of fascinating articles are contributed by leading experts, historians, award-winning authors, professors, scholars, and more, including peter c. luebke, brian dirck, william burton kurtz, alexander newton, ronald s. coddington, mark h. dunkelman, kenneth weisbrode, lucas bernhardt, ben nusbaum, roger morris, dean sagar, mark greenbaum, and martin roy hill.

For good reason, the second and third days of the battle of gettysburg have received the lion's share of attention from historians. with this book, however, the critical first day's fighting finally receives its due. after sketching the background of the gettysburg campaign and recounting the events immediately preceding the battle, harry pfanz offers a detailed tactical description of events of the first day. he describes the engagements in mcpherson woods, at the railroad cuts, on oak ridge, on seminary ridge, and at blocher's knoll, as well as the retreat of union forces through gettysburg and the federal rally on cemetery hill. throughout, he draws on deep research in published and archival sources to challenge many long-held assumptions about the battle.

The battle of gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the american civil war and considered by many historians to be the war's turning point. during three days in july 1863, the armies of the south under general robert e. lee and the armies of the north commanded by general george g. meade clashed in the hills and dales surrounding the pennsylvania town of gettysburg. when the battle ended on july 3, more than 46,000 soldiers had been killed, wounded, captured, or gone missing.historic photos of gettysburg recounts the events of this momentous battle. from the carnage at devil's den and pickett's charge to lincoln's gettysburg address and the 50th and 75th reunions of the veterans from both sides, this look at the scene of the conflict, its aftermath, and its commemoration brings together in one volume a comprehensive visual record of this pivotal event.included in these pages are hundreds of historic photographs, made by civil war photographer mathew brady and many others, all published in striking black and white. as a collection, these images preserve the historic events at gettysburg, which helped shape the future of a nation, and document a reunified nation mending its soul.

A matchless account of the battle of gettysburg, drawn from shelby foote’s landmark history of the civil war shelby foote’s monumental three-part chronicle, the civil war: a narrative, was hailed by walker percy as “an unparalleled achievement, an american iliad, a unique work uniting the scholarship of the historian and the high readability of the first-class novelist.” here is the central chapter of the central volume, and therefore the capstone of the arch, in a single volume. complete with detailed maps, stars in their courses brilliantly recreates the three-day conflict: it is a masterly treatment of a key great battle and the events that preceded it—not as legend has it but as it really was, before it became distorted by controversy and overblown by remembered glory.

The bloodiest battle in american history is under way . . . it's 1863, and thomas and his little sister, birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. following the north star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a union soldier. everything changes: corporal henry green brings thomas and birdie back to his regiment, and suddenly it feels like they've found a new home. best of all, they don't have to find their way north alone–they're marching with the army. but then orders come through: the men are called to battle in pennsylvania. thomas has made it so far . . . but does he have what it takes to survive gettysburg?

"four score and seven years ago…" begins abraham lincoln's beautiful speech commemorating the three-day battle that turned the tide of the civil war. the south had been winning up to this point. so how did union troops stop general robert e. lee's invasion of the north? with black-and-illustrations throughout and sixteen pages of photos, this turning point in history is brought vividly to life.

"the power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the gettysburg address. lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. instead he gave the whole nation "a new birth of freedom" in the space of a mere 272 words. his entire life and previous training and his deep political experience went into this, his revolutionary masterpiece. wills shows how lincoln came to change the world and to effect an intellectual revolution, how his words had to and did complete the work of the guns, and how lincoln wove a spell that has not yet been broken"–publisher's description.

Howard wert was a recent college graduate when the armies of the north and south converged near his family's homestead just three miles outside gettysburg in the summer of 1863. a militia member and anti-slavery supporter, wert acted as a guide for union general george meade, helping position federal troops in the fields and hills around town. perhaps more importantly, he collected and labeled artifacts from the battle, including a still-hot confederate shell that almost hit him near little round top. after the war, wert resumed gathering relics of the three-day battle, many given to him by veterans of both sides, including weapons, clothing, letters, furniture, and even items related to lincoln's address. now this amazing private collection can be appreciated through more than 120 color pictures and informative text about both the items and wert's life.

Wert re-creates the last day of the bloody battle of gettysburg in astonishing detail, taking readers from meade's council of war to the seven-hour struggle for culp's hill — the most sustained combat of the entire engagement. drawing on hundreds of sources, including more than 400 manuscript collections, he offers brief excerpts from the letters and diaries of soldiers. he also introduces heroes on both sides of the conflict — among them general george greene, the oldest general on the battlefield, who led the union troops at culp's hill. a gripping narrative written in a fresh and lively style, gettysburg, day three is an unforgettable rendering of an immortal day in our country's history.

Thomas publications 1997-10-15. a photographic guide of the gettysburg battlefield as it appeared following the battle. compiled by internationally acclaimed photographic historian william a. frassanito. 50 early photographs combined with modern views of each site.

The words abraham lincoln spoke at the dedication of the soldiers' national cemetery at gettysburg comprise perhaps the most famous speech in history. in the gettysburg gospel he tears away a century of myths, lies, and legends to give us a clear understanding of the greatest american's greatest speech. in the aftermath of the bloodiest battle ever fought in north america, the little town of gettysburg was overwhelmed. this was where lincoln had to come to explain why the horror of war must continue. boritt shows how lincoln responded to the politics of the time, as well as how and when he wrote the various versions of his remarks. few people initially recognized the importance of the speech, but over the years it would grow into american scripture, acquiring new and broader meanings. based on years of scholarship as well as a deep understanding of lincoln and of gettysburg itself, the gettysburg gospel is an indispensable book for anyone interested in the gettysburg address, abraham lincoln, the civil war, or american history

George armstrong custer is famous for his fatal defeat at the little bighorn in 1876, but custer's baptism of fire came during the civil war. after graduating last in the west point class of 1861, custer served from the first battle of bull run (only a month after graduation) through appomattox, where he witnessed the surrender. but custer's true rise to prominence began at gettysburg in 1863. on the eve of the battle of gettysburg, only twenty-three years old and barely two years removed from being the goat of his west point class, custer received promotion to brigadier general and command – his first direct field command – of the michigan cavalry brigade, the "wolverines." now that he held general rank, custer felt comfortable wearing the distinctive, some said gaudy, uniform that helped skyrocket him into fame and legend. however flashy he may have been in style, custer did not disappoint his superiors, who promoted him in a search for more aggressive cavalry officers. at approximately noon on july 3, 1863, custer and his men heard enemy cannon fire: stuart's signal to lee that he was ready for action. thus began the melee that was east cavalry field at gettysburg. much back and forth preceded custer's career-defining action. an hour or two into the battle, after many of his cavalrymen had been reduced to hand-to-hand infantry-style fighting, custer ordered a charge of one of his regiments and led it into action himself, screaming one of the battle's most famous lines: "come on, you wolverines!" around three o'clock, stuart mounted a final charge, which mowed down union cavalry – until it ran into custer's wolverines, who stood firm, with custer wielding a sword at their head, and broke the confederates' last attack. in a book combining two popular subjects, tucker recounts the story of custer at gettysburg with verve, shows how the custer legend was born on the fields of the war's most famous battle, and offers eye-opening new perspectives on gettysburg's overlooked cavalry battle.

It has long been a trope of civil war history that gettysburg was an accidental battlefield. general lee, the old story goes, marched blindly into pennsylvania while his chief cavalryman jeb stuart rode and raided incommunicado. meanwhile, general meade, in command only a few days, gave uncertain chase to an enemy whose exact positions he did not know. and so these ignorant armies clashed by first light at gettysburg on july 1, 1863. in the spirit of his iconoclastic lee's real plan at gettysburg, troy d. harman argues for a new interpretation: once lee invaded pennsylvania and the union army pursued, a battle at gettysburg was entirely predictable, perhaps inevitable. most civil war battles took place along major roads, railroads, and waterways; the armies needed to move men and equipment, and they needed water for men, horses, and artillery. and yet this perspective hasn't been fully explored when it comes to gettysburg. look at an 1863 map, says harman: look at the area framed in the north by the susquehanna river and in the south by the potomac, in the east by the northern central railroad and in the west by the cumberland valley railroad. this is where the armies played a high-stakes game of chess in late june 1863. their movements were guided by strategies of caution and constrained by roads, railroads, mountains and mountain passes, rivers and creeks, all of which led the armies to gettysburg. it's true that lee was disadvantaged by stuart's roaming and meade by his newness to command, which led both to default to the old strategic and logistical bedrocks they learned at west point–and these instincts helped reinforce the magnetic pull toward gettysburg. moreover, once the battle started, harman argues, the blue and gray fought tactically for the two creeks–marsh and rock, essential for watering men and horses and sponging artillery–that mark the battlefield in the east and the west as well as for the roadways that led to gettysburg from all points of the compass. this is a perspective often overlooked in many accounts of the battle, which focus on the high ground–the round tops, cemetery hill–as key tactical objectives. gettysburg ranger and historian troy harman draws on a lifetime of researching the civil war and more than thirty years of studying the terrain of gettysburg and south-central pennsylvania and northern maryland to reframe the story of the battle of gettysburg. in the process he shows there's still much to say about one of history's most written-about battles. this is revisionism of the best kind.

The three-day battle of gettysburg left 50,000 casualties in its wake, a battered southern army far from its base of supplies, and a rich historiographic legacy. thousands of books and articles cover nearly every aspect of the battle, but not a single volume focuses on the military aspects of the important movements of the armies to and across the potomac river. against steep odds and encumbered with thousands of casualties, confederate commander robert e. lee's post-battle task was to successfully withdraw his army across the potomac river. union commander george g. meade's equally difficult assignment was to intercept the effort and destroy his enemy. the responsibility for defending the exposed southern columns belonged to cavalry chieftain james ewell brown (jeb) stuart. if stuart fumbled his famous ride north to gettysburg, his generalship during the retreat more than redeemed his flagging reputation. the long retreat triggered nearly two dozen skirmishes and major engagements, including fighting at granite hill, monterey pass, hagerstown, williamsport, funkstown, boonsboro, and falling waters. president abraham lincoln was thankful for the early july battlefield victory, but disappointed that general meade was unable to surround and crush the confederates before they found safety on the far side of the potomac. exactly what meade did to try to intercept the fleeing confederates, and how the southerners managed to defend their army and ponderous 17-mile long wagon train of wounded until crossing into western virginia on the early morning of july 14, is the subject of this study. one continuous fight draws upon a massive array of documents, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and published primary and secondary sources. these long ignored foundational sources allow the authors, each widely known for their expertise in civil war cavalry operations, to carefully describe each engagement. the result is a rich and comprehensive study loaded with incisive tactical commentary, new perspectives on the strategic role of the southern and northern cavalry, and fresh insights on every engagement, large and small, fought during the retreat. the retreat from gettysburg was so punctuated with fighting that a soldier felt compelled to describe it as "one continuous fight." until now, few students fully realized the accuracy of that description. complete with 18 original maps, dozens of photos, and a complete driving tour with gps coordinates of the army's retreat and the route of the wagon train of wounded, one continuous fight is an essential book for every student of the american civil war in general, and for the student of gettysburg in particular. wittenberg, an ohio attorney, is an accomplished civil war cavalry historian and the author of dozens of articles and numerous books on civil war cavalry subjects, including (with j. d. petruzzi) plenty of blame to go around: jeb stuart's controversial ride to gettysburg (savas beatie, 2006) and the battle of monroe's crossroads and the civil war's final campaign (savas beatie, 2006). david petruzzi is a noted civil war cavalry historian and the author of many articles for a wide variety of historical publications, including gettysburg magazine and civil war times, illustrated. an insurance broker in pennsylvania, he co-wrote (with eric wittenberg) plenty of blame to go around: jeb stuart's controversial ride to gettysburg (savas beatie, 2006) and (with steven stanley) the complete gettysburg guide: walking and driving tours of the battlefield, town, cemeteries, field hospital sites, and other topics of historical interest (savas beatie, 2009) and the complete gettysburg guide: audio driving and walking tour, volume one: the battlefield (savas beatie, 2010). nugent is a long-time student of the gettysburg campaign. a retired u.s. army armored cavalry officer and the descendant of a civil war cavalry soldier, nugent has written for several military publications. he lives in wells, maine.

"ghosts of gettysburg vi" is the sixth volume in mark nesbitt's popular "ghosts of gettysburg" book series. this volume includes tales of eerie events in the civil war era house where the ghosts of gettysburg candlelight walking tours originate, "shadow people" or "dark ghosts," a haunted clock, and more ghostly encounters on the gettysburg battlefield. the first volume in the "ghosts of gettysburg" book series was released in october 1991. mr. nesbitt started collecting ghost stories from gettysburg in the early 1960s. in the 1970s, he worked as a park ranger at gettysburg national military park and was assigned to live in some of the historic houses on the park. his collection of ghost stories grew. as long as visitors to the gettysburg area continue to share their "ghostly" experiences, mr. nesbitt will continue to add to the "ghosts of gettysburg" book series.

"ghosts of gettysburg vi" is the sixth volume in mark nesbitt's popular "ghosts of gettysburg" book series. this volume includes tales of eerie events in the civil war era house where the ghosts of gettysburg candlelight walking tours originate, "shadow people" or "dark ghosts," a haunted clock, and more ghostly encounters on the gettysburg battlefield. the first volume in the "ghosts of gettysburg" book series was released in october 1991. mr. nesbitt started collecting ghost stories from gettysburg in the early 1960s. in the 1970s, he worked as a park ranger at gettysburg national military park and was assigned to live in some of the historic houses on the park. his collection of ghost stories grew. as long as visitors to the gettysburg area continue to share their "ghostly" experiences, mr. nesbitt will continue to add to the "ghosts of gettysburg" book series.

There's more than one way to fight the civil war. – the 1863 battle of gettysburg resulted in horrific slaughter that ultimately ended the confederate invasion of pennsylvania. but after the allied victory of world war i in 1918, people began to wonder what if some of the post-world war military technology had been available to the armies during the american civil war? the marine officers who were debating these questions had the capability to test their theories. the purpose and results were supposed to be safe. the exercises and associated reenactments were meant to merely serve as being training maneuvers, along with strikingly realistic, horrific battle, by substituting their "modern-day" military equipment for that which had been used during the civil war. – on june 19, 1922, more than 5,000 marines left quantico, heading north to the battlefield of gettysburg. they would reach the battlefield on june 26, but their arrival would be marred by the sudden, tragic deaths of two of their numbers, when a de havilland fighter would crash, resulting in the plane's pilot and observer being the last u.s. soldiers killed in the line of duty on the gettysburg battlefield. – but even as a pall, following in the wake of the deaths, descended upon the encampment established on the codori farm, the marine mission had to proceed as planned. for ten days, battle would rage once again on the fields and ridges where thousands had perished 59 years prior… climaxing on july 4 when the marines would fight the battle of gettysburg… with "modern" weapons and tactics. – includes more than 155 photos (some of which have never before been published), maps, and illustrations to help recreate this historic march for the reader.