To Gettysburg And Beyond: The Parallel Lives Of Joshua Chamberlain And Edward Porter Alexander

by Michael Golay

Readers of the bestselling novel, "The Killer Angels," or viewers of Ted Turner's movie "Gettysburg" and PBS's "The Civil War" have become familiar with Chamberlain and Alexander, two men who made their mark on history. This dual biography of the two officers-one Union and one Confederate-describes a number of Civil War battles, from Bull Run to Appomattox. The climax of each man's career, just as in the war itself, however, came at Gettysburg, where Chamberlain held Little Round Top and Alexander, commanding Lee's artillery, desperately tried to pave the way for Pickett's charge.Fast-paced, full of the feel and texture of battle, this book is also very much a personal story of the two men. Maine's Chamberlain was a 19th-century archetype: a romantic fighting the first of the world's modern wars while straining to interpret the carnage through the idiom of the knightly joust. Alexander, of the Georgia planter class, viewed war with a clear, cold eye, casting a long glance forward to our own more technical century. Their lives subsequent to the war are emblematic of the American society that emerged from the cathartic conflict between North and South.The original hardcover was published without illustrations or maps. These have been added for the new paperback edition.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, American Civil War, Biography

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being Joshua Chamberlain fan, I just had to read this one. I liked the parallels made between Chamberlain & Alexander. Very well done.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book although I think calling the lives of these two men parallel is a bit of a stretch. Both fought through nearly the entire war and were present at nearly all of the major battles in the Eastern theatre. I enjoyed reading about their lives after the war as both of them were young men during the war and lived for another 50 years or so.

[Dick Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not prepared to enjoy this gift book as much as I did. The explanation of the various phases of the war along with background information was thorough. Also the treatment of all subjects in the book was done with a great deal of compassion. I think it surpasses Grant's memoirs.