Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863

by Chris Mackowski, Christopher D. White, Daniel T. Davis

“Gives the reader an excellent readable narrative of the first day of battle . . . [and] an incredible driving tour which closes each chapter.” —Matthew Bartlett, Gettysburg ChronicleDo not bring on a general engagement, Confederate General Robert E. Lee warned his commanders. The Army of Northern Virginia, slicing its way through south-central Pennsylvania, was too spread out, too vulnerable, for a full-scale engagement with its old nemesis, the Army of the Potomac. Too much was riding on this latest Confederate invasion of the North. Too much was at stake.As Confederate forces groped their way through the mountain passes, a chance encounter with Federal cavalry on the outskirts of a small Pennsylvania crossroads town triggered a series of events that quickly escalated beyond Lee’s—or anyone’s—control. Waves of soldiers materialized on both sides in a constantly shifting jigsaw of combat. “You will have to fight like the devil . . .” one Union cavalryman predicted.The costliest battle in the history of the North American continent had begun.July 1, 1863 remains the most overlooked phase of the battle of Gettysburg, yet it set the stage for all the fateful events that followed.Bringing decades of familiarity to the discussion, historians Chris Mackowski, Kristopher D. White, and Daniel T. Davis, in their always-engaging style, recount the action of that first day of battle and explore the profound implications in Fight Like the Devil.“The book, written in the series’ accessible style, includes more than 100 illustrations, new maps and analysis.” —Longwood Magazine

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2015

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd little book. But also an attractive volume.. In a sense, it is like two books in one--a somewhat brief but still solid description and analysis of the first day at Gettysburg and a guide to the battlefield. An odd coupling, but--I think--it works.

As a history, it tells the story well. Others provide more detail, but this does a good job. We read of the preliminaries to the battle, including Meade taking over the Army of the Potomac from Joseph Hooker, the movement of the Confederate Army on multiple fronts, Meade's efforts to unite the northern forces.

There is a nice description of General John Buford's arrival in Gettysburg and his energetic and effective performance as a leader of the cavalry working to hold back a Confederate advance on the town until infantry arrives to provide support. And on it goes--Reynolds' arrival on the battlefield, the gathering of Confederate forces. A fight that no one had anticipated or prepared for in this place. Each chapter explores an element of the battle--followed by directions to see relevant sites during the engagement described.

One very interesting aspect of this book is a series of appendices. Issues addressed include: Was John Reynolds overrated as a general? Where was Jeb Stuart during the battle? The story of a soldier--Amos Humiston. What was the role of shoes in terms of the battle?

There is also an order of battle for the first day.

All in all, a nice little volume. This is not for those who want a detailed, blow-by-blow of the battle, but it fills a nice niche. . .

[Mike Dorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fight Like the Devil is an excellent overview book for the 1st day of Gettysburg. It does not sink far into details on each individual action, so for those wanting more depth it will not satisfy. The book includes plenty of maps and pictures and also gives directions for those wanting to visit the specific locations mentioned in the book.

[Cheryl Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a guidebook to the first day's battlefield. My son and I try to visit the battlefield at least once a year. We are always looking for some obscure part of the battlefield that we haven't visited before. This book did offer a few possibilities to explore. Also, there were some interesting articles dealing with aspects of the first day included as appendices. Worth the time, even if you are very familiar with the battlefield.

[Pat Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “Emerging Civil War Series” books by Savas Beatie publishing are excellent, short books on civil war history. Haven’t read all the books of this series, but the few I have read are excellent. Tons of information, provided for a short and concise series. Highly recommend all books available.

[W Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction to the first day’s fighting at Gettysburg. Includes a tour.

[George Kasnic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find great value in this series. Growing up in the 1970’s, I read a lot of history. I was struck at how the confederate units were named after their commanders, while the US units were members, dehumanizing them. Also the confederate unit sizes were large for their nomenclature, a confederate division often out sizing a US Corps, which is counter standard military jargon.

This series focuses on US units and consistently refers to them by their commander names, a nice touch.

This series provides great focus on the US units and history, supported by a plethora of maps, illustrations , and photographs. The appendices are well thought out, complementing and enhancing the story.

[Mark Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good summary/overview of the first day at Gettysburg. The book is framed as a tour with 13 stops. Each chapter provides enough information to understand the specific happenings at that place as well as a connection to the larger picture of the first day’s fight. There are pictures and anecdotes that give color and dimension to the narrative. (Some of the pictures are too small to really appreciate)

The inclusion of the fight at Kuhn’s Brickyard (Coster Ave) and the reconnaissance on Benner’s Hill are important inclusions but the advance of Pender’s Division and the final fight on Seminary Ridge is strangely absent.

Another nice feature are the essays at the end in the form
of appendices. A consideration of the “shoes” controversy as well the “what if” with Jackson provide good fodder for debate.

Again, the books in the Emerging Civil War series are not meant to be exhaustive but rather surveys that can spark interest for deeper dives. In this case, as usual, mission accomplished.

[Vince · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designed as a battlefield tour guide, this book serves as a very good general introduction to the events of the first day. The scholarship is solid and up to date. The maps are good, but the many reproductions of drawings and photographs are mostly horrible greyed out blobs. If you are on the ground and using this book as a reference to the sites under discussion, then the clarity is of less importance. However, for the arm chair reader they are almost useless. There are a lot of reproductions and this was quite irritating for me, which degraded it to a 3-star rating. The well-written text deserves better visual support.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good pictures and instructions for visiting the First Day battlefield, however, I think some of the conclusions by the author about the fighting are somewhat questionable. Certainly it should be read, but read other books about July 1, 1863, too.

[Larry Woody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous research.

Fabulous , fills in many of the details that were omitted over the many years as well as more any of the made on the battle field