Gettysburg 1863: High Tide of the Confederacy

Osprey Campaign #52

by Carl Smith, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

The Confederate invasion of the Northern states was General Lee's last great gamble. By taking the war to the Union he hoped to force Lincoln into peace negotiations, or win support from the European powers who were watching events closely from across the Atlantic. Equally, Meade's Army of the Potomac needed to regain it's fighting credibility after the setbacks of Fredericksburg and saw this as an opportunity to redeem its honour. The clash of 150,000 soldiers from both sides would ultimately decide the fate of a nation.

Genres: History, Military History, American Civil War, Civil War, Nonfiction, American History, 19th Century

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1998

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first two years of the American Civil War, Confederate War Leader Robert E. Lee had managed to blunt most Yankee moves, but had been forced to fight the war on his home state Virginia's soil. His logistical needs, desire to carry the war to the United States, and hope for a decisive battle in which he could shatter the Army of the Potomac led him to invade Pennsylvania in 1863. Make no mistake, the opportunity to plunder the rich farmland of Pennsylvania was probably the most important (they claimed to "Pay" for everything- but c'mon it was Confederate money), but forcing an advantageous battle was on Lee's mind. Instead- he got Gettysburg- and the battle that would begin the end of the Confederacy.

Smith's book, in an augmented 128 page Osprey format tells the story of the bloody three days of the key battle of the ACW. For once there are plenty of B/W pics, maps and diagrams of the action, along with a few really nice Colour plates of key points. The battles of the Round Tops, The Cavalry Battle that started the whole thing, The Devil's den, the Wheatfield, and of course Pickett's Charge all get the sort of coverage you'd like. There's even good coverage of Lee's retreat, trying to keep all his ill-gotten gains after losing the battle - racing for a river crossing back home- in an epic summer rainstorm.

With a straightforward style moderate gore, and few adult concepts discussed, this is a fine book for the Junior reader 10 and up. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- a real boon. Aside from the history and extra explanations, there are good sections on wargaming the battle, and a great guide for site visitors. I think this is a book that will aid Scenario/Diorama development for many- and many will find the strong bibliography a good guide to further study as well. A strong rec for this one.

[William Guerrant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the timeline is useful and some of the illustrations are interesting, this book is badly written, poorly edited and rife with errors. With all the excellent Gettysburg books available, there is no need to bother with this one.

[Ulzar Sadosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok book. Sadly maps aren't detailed enough and sometimes narrative was confusing with characters suddenly introduced which made it somewhat hard to follow.
The book also lacks overview maps of union positions and of Gettysburg and vicinity, everything is so fragmented.
Also, there's no order of battle.

[Gonzalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gettysburg is too large, too intense a battle to fit into a conventional Osprey Campaign. Even though every one of the extra pages are appreciated, a bit more text and a general map of the battlefield would have been welcome (the three 3D are clearly connected, but it left to the reader to do so) in exchange for some one-portraits. Nevertheless, it is, as it is expected of this series, a great primer on the most famous battle of the ACW--I'll leave to the specialist to decide whether it is the key battle of the conflict.
Will probably end up getting the three volume version, as the battle clearly deserves it--I used to think it was merely a ploy from Osprey to squeeze us out of our money.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This suffers from being somewhat betwixt and between: in its essence, the Gettysburg campaign is fairly straightforward, but this book goes into some detail beyond that but without enough space to develop it fully. Nevertheless, a good basic introduction to the battle.

[William Paley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A topic that deserves a thousand-page book, this is a quick read on the key points of the battle.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book. I really enjoyed reading about the battle and the brave people who fought on both sides.

[Станислав · Rating 2 out of 5]

Статья на Википедии даёт более понятное изложение событий. Картинки хорошие.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent quick and dirty introduction to the battle of Gettysburg. It has some nice visuals (maps of the battlefield from day to day). If one really wants to understand the battle, go to Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, and so on. But for a brief introduction, this is serviceable.

There are some things one might wish to see done differently. There is no map showing the Union forces' "fish hook" position. Given the heavy use of visuals (photos, drawings, maps, etc.), it is surprising that there are not more maps.

There are also some idiosyncratic judgments. At one point, he speaks glowingly of Slocum (whose nickname was "slow come") and Howard as leaders showing "inventiveness and an ability to work with others to achieve a goal. . . ." I am not sure that a huge number of Civil War experts would agree. Howard's performance was adequate, but no more. Slocum was somewhat dilatory getting to the battlefield (although one can understand his caution, moving into the unknown). But compare Reynolds' aggressiveness and spirit before his untimely death with Slocum's performance, and I'm not sure that the latter comes off so well.

Nonetheless, this slim volume has some value. Again, for those wanting a brief introduction to Gettysburg, this is adequate.

[Kelly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since we're taking a family trip to Gettysburg at the end of May, I thought this might be a good time to read up a bit on the famous battle.

Gettysburg 1863: High Tide of the Confederecy is a good book for those of us not very well versed in the Civil War. The book gives a brief summary of the commanders on both sides at the begining. The descriptions of the battles are kept brief, and are easy to follow. Readers looking for a more detailed approach to Gettysburg might be disappointed, but for someone like me looking for a relatively brief explanation of it this book delivers.

[Iain Watson]

Gettysburg 1863: High tide of the Confederacy (Campaign) by Carl Smith (1998)

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

great pictures and resource for high school students