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By Gregory A. Coco A Strange and Blighted Land: Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle (Ill) [Paperback]
Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest battle fought on the American continent. Remarkably few who study it contemplate what came after the armies marched away. Who would care for the tens of thousands of wounded? What happened to the thousands of dead men, horses, and tons of detritus scattered in every direction? How did the civilians cope with their radically changed lives? Gregory Coco’s offers a comprehensive account of these and other issues.Arranged in a series of topical chapters, begins with a tour of the battlefield, mostly through eyewitness accounts, of the death and destruction littering the sprawling landscape. Once the size and scope are exposed to readers, Coco moves on to discuss the dead of Gettysburg, North and South, how their remains were handled, and how and why the Gettysburg National Cemetery was established. The author also discusses at length how the wounded and prisoners were handled and the fate of the thousands of stragglers and deserters left behind once the armies left before concluding with the preservation efforts that culminated in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895.Coco’s prose is gripping, personal, and brutally honest. There is no mistaking where he comes down on the There was nothing pretty or glorious or romantic about a battle—especially once the fighting ended.
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First published January 1, 1995
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July 5, 2025
Gettysburg And The Horrors Of War
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest ever fought on the American continent and the pivotal battle of our Civil War. Following the battle, with the retreat of Lee's Army and the pursuit by Meade's, there was a pressing need to take care of the dead, wounded, and destroyed that the armies left in their wake. There also was, and remains, a need to reflect upon the significance of the Battle and the lessons to be learned from it.
Gregory Coco's book, "A Strange and Blighted Land" (1995) gives a comprehensive account of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg, and he has written extensively and well about the battle. He is also a Vietnam veteran. His history in this book stresses eloquently, the carnage of war, its terrors and pain, and its irreplaceable cost in human life and treasure.
The book is arranged in five rather lengthy chapters. In the first chapter, Mr. Coco offers his readers a tour of the Battlefield in which he presents eyewitness accounts of the death and destruction evident over the 25 mile square Battlefield. The second chapter discusses the dead of Gettysburg and their burials. There is excellent historical material here about the establishment of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. In his next chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the Gettysburg wounded, both North and South, the medical and surgical practices of the day, and the camps set up in haste to care for the masses of grievously wounded soldiers. In his fourth chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the treatment of prisoners of war, and the fate of the many stragglers and deserters which followed in the wake of the battle. In his final chapter, Mr. Coco discusses preservation efforts for the Battlefield, culminating in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895.
I have read several other accounts of the aftermath of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco's book is by far the most thorough. He has the factual details at his command and presents them in a convincing manner. He shows great familiarity with the Battle itself, and discusses well the controversies and issues in determining the numbers of the killed, wounded, and missing.
But there is much more to this book than a factual recounting of the aftermath of a battle. The book is written in an appealing, personal, sometimes buttonholing style in which Mr. Coco seems to be at the readers side offering observations and commentary on the significance of the events set forth in his story. He offers opinions on a variety of topics emanating from his reflections on Gettysburg and on war. (Specifically, Mr. Coco shows a healthy skepticism in matters of religion.) Mr. Coco focuses on the meaning to be drawn from Gettysburg and from our Civil War. His own perspective is clear. Mr. Coco is opposed to efforts to glorify or romanticize war. Again and again, he stresses the horrors of war and tries to impress upon his readers that the greatest lesson to be learned from Gettysburg is -- to try to prevent such things from happening. Thus his book concludes (p.373)
"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded smugly within, because, 'if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"
This book is both an excellent history and a deeply-felt attempt to think about the meaning of Gettysburg.
Robin Friedman
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest ever fought on the American continent and the pivotal battle of our Civil War. Following the battle, with the retreat of Lee's Army and the pursuit by Meade's, there was a pressing need to take care of the dead, wounded, and destroyed that the armies left in their wake. There also was, and remains, a need to reflect upon the significance of the Battle and the lessons to be learned from it.
Gregory Coco's book, "A Strange and Blighted Land" (1995) gives a comprehensive account of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg, and he has written extensively and well about the battle. He is also a Vietnam veteran. His history in this book stresses eloquently, the carnage of war, its terrors and pain, and its irreplaceable cost in human life and treasure.
The book is arranged in five rather lengthy chapters. In the first chapter, Mr. Coco offers his readers a tour of the Battlefield in which he presents eyewitness accounts of the death and destruction evident over the 25 mile square Battlefield. The second chapter discusses the dead of Gettysburg and their burials. There is excellent historical material here about the establishment of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. In his next chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the Gettysburg wounded, both North and South, the medical and surgical practices of the day, and the camps set up in haste to care for the masses of grievously wounded soldiers. In his fourth chapter, Mr. Coco discusses the treatment of prisoners of war, and the fate of the many stragglers and deserters which followed in the wake of the battle. In his final chapter, Mr. Coco discusses preservation efforts for the Battlefield, culminating in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895.
I have read several other accounts of the aftermath of Gettysburg. Mr. Coco's book is by far the most thorough. He has the factual details at his command and presents them in a convincing manner. He shows great familiarity with the Battle itself, and discusses well the controversies and issues in determining the numbers of the killed, wounded, and missing.
But there is much more to this book than a factual recounting of the aftermath of a battle. The book is written in an appealing, personal, sometimes buttonholing style in which Mr. Coco seems to be at the readers side offering observations and commentary on the significance of the events set forth in his story. He offers opinions on a variety of topics emanating from his reflections on Gettysburg and on war. (Specifically, Mr. Coco shows a healthy skepticism in matters of religion.) Mr. Coco focuses on the meaning to be drawn from Gettysburg and from our Civil War. His own perspective is clear. Mr. Coco is opposed to efforts to glorify or romanticize war. Again and again, he stresses the horrors of war and tries to impress upon his readers that the greatest lesson to be learned from Gettysburg is -- to try to prevent such things from happening. Thus his book concludes (p.373)
"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded smugly within, because, 'if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"
This book is both an excellent history and a deeply-felt attempt to think about the meaning of Gettysburg.
Robin Friedman
November 6, 2011
Most often after reading about a particular battle, we don't stop and think about the horrors left behind. Bodies of humans, horses, livestock; bloating and decaying in the elements. We move on to read about the next battle with seldom a thought as to how all those left dead are buried. Mr. Coco describes in detail the massive "cleanup" of the thousands of dead men, horses and livestock during the hot summer after the battle of Gettysburg. This book is not for the faint of heart. Not a neat little story of those who helped with the depressing task of burial and reburial. But an interesting, yet distrubing look at the months following the Battle of Gettysburg and how the citizens and those who came from afar helped to bury the dead.
January 10, 2018
When it comes to the Battle of Gettysburg, there are numerous books about the battle, the tactics, and the losses which occurred on those three infamous days. Every once in a while, a book will come along that gives us a new outlook onto the scene which happened at that location and when those books come along, they are grasped as important writings since they give us that which we have not yet gotten. Gregory A. Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, is not only one of those books, it is one of the most important works about the town of Gettysburg we have today. Not only is it a book about the town, itself, but a book about the aftermath of the battle and the toll it took on the people.
Gregory A. Coco served in the United States Army and after his service, received his degree in American History from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. During his service, he was a military interrogator and radio operator with the 25th Infantry where he received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. While living in Gettysburg he was a National Park Service Ranger and a Licensed Battlefield Guide. He has written sixteen books and many articles on the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War.
A Strange and Blighted Land is hailed as a classic in the scholastic of the Battle of Gettysburg and as stated in the introduction, for the reason that it brought something different to the study. Not only was it a study on the town of Gettysburg in some respects, but it was more a study of the effect the battle had on the people there. Previously published by Thomas Publications, this book was quite difficult to find outside of Gettysburg for the past few years. This reprint of the work brings an accessibility to the work for those who had a difficult time getting their hands on this seminal work. Coco’s narrative is interesting as he gives you many tours of places around the battlefield and within the town through the eyes of civilians. There are some excerpts from soldiers, but the focus seems to be more on the civilians. He touches on subjects like the care of the dead after the battle, along with the care of the wounded and even touches on some of the aggregate numbers which the people of Gettysburg saw after the battle. Nevertheless, while this book is about the aftermath of Gettysburg, many of these thoughts could be placed on other towns effected by the war in general. The experiences might not have been exactly the same, but the book shows that this effect is what happened to the civilian populous throughout the war.
There is a reason that A Strange and Blighted Land is hailed as one of the greatest Civil War books ever written. It gives a look into the lives of the people who had to “clean up” after the battle was over. It gives the reader a chance to see what life was like for those who endured great sacrifice beyond the life of a soldier. I highly recommend this book, especially now that it is back in print. No detail is left unturned and what you read might change the way you look at the battle. Gregory A. Coco’s will always be hailed for this work. And a thank you for Savas Beatie for reprinting this wonderful work.
Matthew Bartlett
Gregory A. Coco served in the United States Army and after his service, received his degree in American History from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. During his service, he was a military interrogator and radio operator with the 25th Infantry where he received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. While living in Gettysburg he was a National Park Service Ranger and a Licensed Battlefield Guide. He has written sixteen books and many articles on the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War.
A Strange and Blighted Land is hailed as a classic in the scholastic of the Battle of Gettysburg and as stated in the introduction, for the reason that it brought something different to the study. Not only was it a study on the town of Gettysburg in some respects, but it was more a study of the effect the battle had on the people there. Previously published by Thomas Publications, this book was quite difficult to find outside of Gettysburg for the past few years. This reprint of the work brings an accessibility to the work for those who had a difficult time getting their hands on this seminal work. Coco’s narrative is interesting as he gives you many tours of places around the battlefield and within the town through the eyes of civilians. There are some excerpts from soldiers, but the focus seems to be more on the civilians. He touches on subjects like the care of the dead after the battle, along with the care of the wounded and even touches on some of the aggregate numbers which the people of Gettysburg saw after the battle. Nevertheless, while this book is about the aftermath of Gettysburg, many of these thoughts could be placed on other towns effected by the war in general. The experiences might not have been exactly the same, but the book shows that this effect is what happened to the civilian populous throughout the war.
There is a reason that A Strange and Blighted Land is hailed as one of the greatest Civil War books ever written. It gives a look into the lives of the people who had to “clean up” after the battle was over. It gives the reader a chance to see what life was like for those who endured great sacrifice beyond the life of a soldier. I highly recommend this book, especially now that it is back in print. No detail is left unturned and what you read might change the way you look at the battle. Gregory A. Coco’s will always be hailed for this work. And a thank you for Savas Beatie for reprinting this wonderful work.
Matthew Bartlett
August 7, 2022
To this day, Coco’s work remains the definitive study on the days and weeks in Gettysburg following the great battle of July 1863. While thousands of pages have been written covering seemingly every aspect of the fight, the aftermath of the battle and the specific impact on the ground and the citizens of Adams County has never been so thoroughly collected and organized in one volume.
Coco lays out his study in major sections — The Battlefield Aftermath, The Burial of the Dead, The Care of the Wounded, Prisoners of War and Stragglers, and Hallowed Ground. In each section, Coco uses an extensive collection of primary sources to give voice to the regular citizen, both old and young, man and woman, boy and girl. Soldiers/veterans, business owners, farmers, and politicians alike paint a sad and gruesome picture of the wake that follows two clashing armies. In doing so, Coco removes the glamour and romance, quite effectively, from the notion of war.
The style of writing is thorough and comprehensive. Coco is engaging in a conversation with his reader with transitions that mirror a presentation rather than the traditional written word found in a book. This generally works. If there is a criticism of the work, it would be at times the lack of a general outline that might give a sense of design to the chapter/section as opposed to simply a collection of accounts. This is not pervasive but appears every now and again and leads to some density to the material.
No study of Gettysburg, and really the Civil War in general, is complete without Coco and this study. Without context, the battle loses meaning. And the cost of war is critical to the context and to understanding what was spent and what was lost in order to preserve the Union.
Coco lays out his study in major sections — The Battlefield Aftermath, The Burial of the Dead, The Care of the Wounded, Prisoners of War and Stragglers, and Hallowed Ground. In each section, Coco uses an extensive collection of primary sources to give voice to the regular citizen, both old and young, man and woman, boy and girl. Soldiers/veterans, business owners, farmers, and politicians alike paint a sad and gruesome picture of the wake that follows two clashing armies. In doing so, Coco removes the glamour and romance, quite effectively, from the notion of war.
The style of writing is thorough and comprehensive. Coco is engaging in a conversation with his reader with transitions that mirror a presentation rather than the traditional written word found in a book. This generally works. If there is a criticism of the work, it would be at times the lack of a general outline that might give a sense of design to the chapter/section as opposed to simply a collection of accounts. This is not pervasive but appears every now and again and leads to some density to the material.
No study of Gettysburg, and really the Civil War in general, is complete without Coco and this study. Without context, the battle loses meaning. And the cost of war is critical to the context and to understanding what was spent and what was lost in order to preserve the Union.
March 14, 2020
This book has to be read by anyone who thinks wars are glorious. Our author painted the following picture: 8,000 men dead, thousands wounded, thousands of dead horses and cattle, all laying in the hot July heat while hogs roam the killing fields eating the dead!
This book is well done, the author describes the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg and the overwhelming death and destruction resulting. He covers all of the areas from ambulances carrying the dead and wounded away to wounded laying in fields for days unattended.
Than the so called hospitals, aka, butcher shops with surgeons cutting off limbs with flies landing on patients and depositing their eggs in the wounds. No anesthetics, dirty hands probing wounds in search of bullets and shrapnel, I could go on and on in the graph descriptions provided by our author.
The book needs to be read by anyone doing serious study of the Civil War. there is no
Chivalry here, just men being thrown into a meat grinder. In the future, any reading material depicting an authors glorious descriptions of war and battles will be tempered having read CoCo's book.
Wars are the lowest instincts of humanity and should only be fought in defense of home and self. Most wars fought by man are an extension of ego usually with a monster directing pushing a Country to war.
Civilized society must find ways to eliminate wars, yet, our moronic leaders continue to kill as an extension of their politics. I would suggest that this book paints the proper picture of war and should be read in war colleges and Congressional and Presidential offices before voting for wars of aggression.
Good job, Gregory CoCo.
This book is well done, the author describes the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg and the overwhelming death and destruction resulting. He covers all of the areas from ambulances carrying the dead and wounded away to wounded laying in fields for days unattended.
Than the so called hospitals, aka, butcher shops with surgeons cutting off limbs with flies landing on patients and depositing their eggs in the wounds. No anesthetics, dirty hands probing wounds in search of bullets and shrapnel, I could go on and on in the graph descriptions provided by our author.
The book needs to be read by anyone doing serious study of the Civil War. there is no
Chivalry here, just men being thrown into a meat grinder. In the future, any reading material depicting an authors glorious descriptions of war and battles will be tempered having read CoCo's book.
Wars are the lowest instincts of humanity and should only be fought in defense of home and self. Most wars fought by man are an extension of ego usually with a monster directing pushing a Country to war.
Civilized society must find ways to eliminate wars, yet, our moronic leaders continue to kill as an extension of their politics. I would suggest that this book paints the proper picture of war and should be read in war colleges and Congressional and Presidential offices before voting for wars of aggression.
Good job, Gregory CoCo.
July 1, 2020
The subject material carries the book over many rough spots of repetition and poor focus. The authors obviously researched the topics extensively bringing to light many various facets of the post battle experience in Gettysburg. The vignettes are of interest but the same tale is used to illustrate different aspects causing unnecessary repetition. The authors disrespect of religion is an unnecessary bias and is certainly not the experience of the people of the 19th century in spite of his claims to the contrary. I found this inclination to use modern personal opinions to be offensive. I would not recommend the book to any but the most careful reader who can weed out the opinions from the fact. This could have been the classic work of this type but the lack of professionalism and competent editing prevents it from being anything but average. In spite of its shortcomings, I did read the entire book because of the important information presented.
July 16, 2024
Great book on an often forgotten part
I picked this book up on sale as I was interested in Gettysburg. I didn't fully realize at the time that this book was about the aftermath of the battle, which without thinking about it was much bigger than I thought. This book did a fantastic job of starting just as the battle finished and going right through what was done to get things back to "normal", as well as things that were done to preserve and protect these hallowed grounds. I highly recommend it to any Gettysburg or Civil War fan.
I picked this book up on sale as I was interested in Gettysburg. I didn't fully realize at the time that this book was about the aftermath of the battle, which without thinking about it was much bigger than I thought. This book did a fantastic job of starting just as the battle finished and going right through what was done to get things back to "normal", as well as things that were done to preserve and protect these hallowed grounds. I highly recommend it to any Gettysburg or Civil War fan.
April 28, 2018
If you've ever wondered what happens AFTER the great battle, this detailed, gritty, grind of a book has it all in great detail. Think of dealing with dead bodies and horses, tons of wounded, deserters, recovery of weapons, relic hunters, locals trying to return to a new normal.... Told through tons of original sources - letters, newspapers, etc. Not for everyone, but if you want to get a feel for the reality of war, this is for you.
July 9, 2021
The best book of the Civil War's Impact on Gettysburg.
Outstanding overview of the area after the battle. In depth and with footnotes, you gain an understanding of the impact the battle had on Gettysburg. A must read for any true historian.
Outstanding overview of the area after the battle. In depth and with footnotes, you gain an understanding of the impact the battle had on Gettysburg. A must read for any true historian.
June 25, 2023
First rate
This is without a doubt the most comprehensive study on the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg ever written. The author has just done Incredible research, a very interesting book.
This is without a doubt the most comprehensive study on the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg ever written. The author has just done Incredible research, a very interesting book.
June 19, 2024
It was informative and interesting how the battlefield and hospitals brought everything to light. It was like seeing the battlefield through those people who were there. Especially the townspeople. Loved it.
November 18, 2018
Very informative about what happened after the battle, from cleaning up the bodies to making it a national park.
December 7, 2018
Obviously very well researched. Dense at times, but thorough.
September 19, 2023
A disturbing view of the aftermath at not only the Battle of Gettysburg, but one would assume, every major battle during the Civil War. An eye opener!
September 28, 2023
Even after all this... I still love my friends and neighbors.
January 13, 2022
Interested in learning more about the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg, I found this book at the Gettysburg Visitor's Center book store. The author was a Vietnam veteran and POW, as well as an historian. His stated purpose in writing this book was to inform readers of the inglorious aspects of war, particularly the horrors of a battlefield.
I do much of my reading over meals, or right before bedtime. This was not good reading matter for either of those occasions! Chapters on the burial of the dead (in the heat of a humid Pennsylvania summer), as well as the vast numbers of dead horses and other farm animals, and the field hospitals established during and after the battle to cope with the huge numbers of wounded, are quite disturbing, as they should be. But the use of first-person source material builds a "you are there" sense of what the citizens of Gettysburg and the farms surrounding it had to face as the two armies gathered their forces and departed, leaving the countryside in shambles.
Coco also highlighted the roles of the Sanitation and Christian Commissions, two civilian organizations who brought much-needed volunteers and supplies to the hospitals following this and other Civil War battles; and looked at the scavengers who turned up not to help, but to collect relics and steal armaments and supplies left on the field. The role of U.S. Army quartermasters in recovering much of the materials left on the field receives due attention. Additionally, Coco examines the prisoners of war, particularly the many Confederate soldiers who were stranded in Pennsylvania, and were still being rounded up months after the battle.
I was fascinated to read accounts of rebel soldiers disillusioned by the long fight, many of whom had been more or less press-ganged into serving, and just wanted to go home. The North Carolina soldiers in particular felt they were too often thrown into the front lines, because their state had failed to vote for secession. They certainly paid a high price at Gettysburg.
Coco even touched upon civilians; unanswered claims for damages, and the dangers of unexploded ordinance, which caused multiple deaths and maimings long after the battle.
Anyone who seeks a broader understanding of the impact of the Civil War on civilians will find this volume eye-opening. I'd class it with This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Fast.
I do much of my reading over meals, or right before bedtime. This was not good reading matter for either of those occasions! Chapters on the burial of the dead (in the heat of a humid Pennsylvania summer), as well as the vast numbers of dead horses and other farm animals, and the field hospitals established during and after the battle to cope with the huge numbers of wounded, are quite disturbing, as they should be. But the use of first-person source material builds a "you are there" sense of what the citizens of Gettysburg and the farms surrounding it had to face as the two armies gathered their forces and departed, leaving the countryside in shambles.
Coco also highlighted the roles of the Sanitation and Christian Commissions, two civilian organizations who brought much-needed volunteers and supplies to the hospitals following this and other Civil War battles; and looked at the scavengers who turned up not to help, but to collect relics and steal armaments and supplies left on the field. The role of U.S. Army quartermasters in recovering much of the materials left on the field receives due attention. Additionally, Coco examines the prisoners of war, particularly the many Confederate soldiers who were stranded in Pennsylvania, and were still being rounded up months after the battle.
I was fascinated to read accounts of rebel soldiers disillusioned by the long fight, many of whom had been more or less press-ganged into serving, and just wanted to go home. The North Carolina soldiers in particular felt they were too often thrown into the front lines, because their state had failed to vote for secession. They certainly paid a high price at Gettysburg.
Coco even touched upon civilians; unanswered claims for damages, and the dangers of unexploded ordinance, which caused multiple deaths and maimings long after the battle.
Anyone who seeks a broader understanding of the impact of the Civil War on civilians will find this volume eye-opening. I'd class it with This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Fast.
November 9, 2024
What battle in Civil War has more books written about it than any other battle except Gettysburg?
Or which battle in US history has been written about more than Gettysburg? So much has been written about this battle it makes me wonder if anything fresh will ever be written. Most books about the Battle of Gettysburg cover the battle and Lee's Army crossing the Potomac River ending the campaign. Then, Lincoln comes to Gettysburg and gives one of the best, if not the best, speech in American history. The end. This book covers with the aftermath of the battle. The late great Gregory Coco, a former park ranger and tour guide at Gettysburg, provides us details about the cleanup of the battle. Soldiers and civilians describe in their own words, found through Coco's research, what they witnessed. The description of the bodies is quite gruesome. Coco also discusses about the burials and how the men were treated medically. A good book that dives into a topic we hear little about regarding the Battle of Gettysburg.
Or which battle in US history has been written about more than Gettysburg? So much has been written about this battle it makes me wonder if anything fresh will ever be written. Most books about the Battle of Gettysburg cover the battle and Lee's Army crossing the Potomac River ending the campaign. Then, Lincoln comes to Gettysburg and gives one of the best, if not the best, speech in American history. The end. This book covers with the aftermath of the battle. The late great Gregory Coco, a former park ranger and tour guide at Gettysburg, provides us details about the cleanup of the battle. Soldiers and civilians describe in their own words, found through Coco's research, what they witnessed. The description of the bodies is quite gruesome. Coco also discusses about the burials and how the men were treated medically. A good book that dives into a topic we hear little about regarding the Battle of Gettysburg.
August 20, 2014
An incredibly informative, unflinching, and eye-opening look at the true horror and destruction that the conflict at Gettysburg resulted in. The facts and anecdotes become a bit repetitive, but this is excusable, because in order for us to truly understand the state of affairs surrounding the grim aftermath of this battle, I believe an abundance of views at the facts doesn't hurt one bit. Greg Coco wrote as the sort of man he was: a man who had seen combat and the horrors therein, and thus wished to tell the truth of "the glory of war." I believe the book's final sentence best summarizes Coco's work:
"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded within, because, '...if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"
"Let us now leave behind the aftermath story with this hope: that for each and every attempt to parade the 'pomp and circumstance' of war, we give equal time to the corrupt and merciless monster shielded within, because, '...if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.'"
October 26, 2014
Probably one of the most interesting books on the Battle of Gettysburg. Rather than discuss the action that took place, the author instead analyzes the effects that the Battle had on the surrounding countryside - the overall carnage, the care and burial of the dead, the treatment of the wounded and prisoners of war, and how from July 4, 1863, Gettysburg would essentially become a "destination" eventually evolving into the National Treasure that it is today.
The book is very detailed and includes many, many personal accounts that help to piece together this incredible story.
Highly recommend for students of the Civil War and especially enthusiasts of Gettysburg.
The book is very detailed and includes many, many personal accounts that help to piece together this incredible story.
Highly recommend for students of the Civil War and especially enthusiasts of Gettysburg.
July 11, 2011
This was a pretty good read. Unfortunately the author is very redundant and extremely opinionated, which distracted from the narrative. But when he sticks to facts and non-redundant examples, he makes a macabre topic very interesting.
May 5, 2012
The most fascinating study I've read about Gettysburg, truly interesting in every aspect
July 24, 2016
Detailed, thorough, yet readable. :)
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December 30, 2017For anyone interested in Gettysburg, this is an excellent account of what horrors the armies left behind after the bloodiest battle in American history.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews