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The Battle of Gettysburg
Frank Haskell's eyewitness account of the Battle of Gettysburg has been considered a classic for nearly 140 years. Haskell was not only singled out by General Hancock for praise of his actions in the battle, he was quoted in Ken Burns' epic Civil War documentary.
The Dartmouth-educated Haskell provided a compelling and exciting narrative in a long letter to his brother, written just days after the battle. First published privately by his brother in 1878 (Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor), it was later reprinted for the public.
Haskell's details are to be found nowhere else and make for a superb first-person account of one of America's most important battles.
Men of the Philadelphia Brigade, however, took exception to Haskell's portrayal of their men at Gettysburg. Included in this edition is their 1910 reply to a narrative that was never intended for publication. The reply is a somewhat amusing statement but is in itself an interesting example of the passions that Gettysburg has generated for well over a century.
Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.
For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, tablets, and smartphones.
Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.
The Dartmouth-educated Haskell provided a compelling and exciting narrative in a long letter to his brother, written just days after the battle. First published privately by his brother in 1878 (Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor), it was later reprinted for the public.
Haskell's details are to be found nowhere else and make for a superb first-person account of one of America's most important battles.
Men of the Philadelphia Brigade, however, took exception to Haskell's portrayal of their men at Gettysburg. Included in this edition is their 1910 reply to a narrative that was never intended for publication. The reply is a somewhat amusing statement but is in itself an interesting example of the passions that Gettysburg has generated for well over a century.
Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.
For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, tablets, and smartphones.
Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1908
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July 3, 2025
The Battle of Gettysburg has been chronicled extensively, almost from the moment the guns fell silent late on July 3, 1863. And while Walt Whitman once wrote that “The real war will never get in the books”, I feel closer to an understanding of the Civil War experience when I read books by veterans who experienced campaigns and battles of the American Civil War and lived long enough to tell their stories. And a good example of a book that provides an effective setting-forth of that sort of battlefield experience is Frank Aretas Haskell’s The Battle of Gettysburg.
Haskell, a Wisconsinite who graduated from Dartmouth College and practiced law in Madison, went to war as a first lieutenant in the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, a regiment that was part of the Union’s famed Iron Brigade. From an adjutancy with the 6th Wisconsin, Haskell moved to a position of higher trust, as aide-de-camp to General John Gibbon, commander of the Iron Brigade. Before Gettysburg, he had fought with the Army of the Potomac at several of the major battles of the Civil War in the East – Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville. By the time the army arrived at Gettysburg, therefore, Haskell was an exceedingly well-informed observer of and participant in Civil War battle action; and his position as aide-de-camp to General Gibbon placed him at the center of some of the battle’s fiercest moments.
Describing the Army of the Potomac’s long northward trek toward Gettysburg, Haskell displays his classical erudition when looking back at the army’s long marches through the dust and rain of late June 1863: “‘Haec olim meminisse juvabit.’ We did not then know this. I mention [these circumstances] now, that you may see that in those times we had several matters to think about, and to do, that were not as pleasant as sleeping upon a bank of violets in the shade” (p. 10). The Latin quote, in case you were wondering, is from Virgil’s Aeneid; early in the poem, after Aeneas and his men have successfully escaped from burning Troy, Aeneas assures his weary men that “Perhaps someday it will give you joy to remember even these things.”
No doubt, as he was on the march, Haskell was hoping that he would live to look back on whatever awaited the army at Gettysburg – to remember, with some touch of joy, even the difficult things from his wartime experience. At least, as he remarks with satisfaction, there was one reason for the Union soldiers to move toward battle with some measure of guarded optimism: General Joe Hooker, who had led the Union to defeat at Chancellorsville, had been removed from command; and “The Providence of God had been with us – we ought not to have doubted it – General Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac” (p. 11).
As aide-de-camp to General Gibbon, the commander of II Corps, Haskell participated in the Union defense against Pickett’s Charge, the massive infantry charge against the Union center ordered by Confederate commander Robert E. Lee on July 3, the battle’s third and final day. It should be no surprise, therefore, that some of the most moving passages in The Battle of Gettysburg are those in which Haskell relates his memories of that day.
He recalls, for example, the emotions that he felt when he was awakened by General Gibbon on the morning of July 3: “[T]here were palpable evidences to my reason that to-day was to be another of blood. Oh! For a moment the thought of it was sickening to every sense and feeling. But the motion of my horse as I galloped over the crest a few minutes later, and the serene splendor of the morning now breaking through rifted clouds and spreading over the landscape, soon reassured me” (p. 53). He doesn’t pretend to have been fearless; instead, he acknowledges the process by which a good soldier summons the courage with which to face battle. I appreciated his honesty.
Haskell also describes well the feelings of suspense among the Union soldiers at the center of the Gettysburg line as they faced Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Like many other Unionists who recorded their impressions of the war and its battles, Haskell seems to have respected the battlefield courage of his Confederate enemies, even as he despised the secessionist cause for which the rebels fought. Speaking of a crucial moment in the rebel charge, when the Confederate artillery had been silenced but the rebel infantry continued with the charge, Haskell recalls that “no charging shout rings out to-day, as is the Rebel wont; but the courage of these silent men amid our shots seems not to need the stimulus of other noise.” Struck on the right flank by heavy fire from a Vermont regiment, “The gray lines do not halt or reply, but withdrawing a little from that extreme, they still move on” (p. 77).
And Haskell conveys eloquently the alarm he felt when a retreat along part of the Union line made it seem for a time that Pickett’s rebels might actually be able to achieve their dearly sought breakthrough: “The larger portion of Webb’s brigade – my God, it was true – there by the group of trees and the angles of the wall, was breaking from the cover of their works, and, without orders or reason, with no hand lifted to check them, was falling back, a fear-stricken flock of confusion! The fate of Gettysburg hung upon a spider’s single thread!” (p. 78)
Racing back and forth on horseback between the lines, Haskell encouraged the Union soldiers to return to their place in the line and remain resolute; and generals like Winfield Scott Hancock praised the part that Haskell played in preventing that part of the Union line from disintegrating at a crucial moment. Yet Haskell downplays his own heroism on that day, as if not wanting to draw attention to himself. His modesty wins the reader’s admiration.
Looking back at the Union repulse of Pickett’s Charge, and at the overall Union victory at Gettysburg, Haskell praises General Meade’s leadership during the battle, defending him from the accusations of those who felt that Meade did not pursue Lee vigorously enough during Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg to the Potomac River. At the same time, he makes clear his feelings about those fellow Unionists that he believes failed to uphold the honor of the Stars and Stripes.
Of the Union 11th Corps, for example, Haskell writes that “The 11th Corps behaved badly; but I have yet to learn the occasion when, in the opinion of any save their own officers and themselves, the men of this corps have behaved well on the march or before the enemy” (p. 100) And he excoriates the poor generalship of Dan Sickles, the politician-turned-general who, against orders, led the Union III Corps forward into the Peach Orchard on the second day at Gettysburg. Through his recklessness, Sickles needlessly sacrificed the lives of many good Union soldiers and endangered the entire Union line. And Haskell, who elsewhere calls Sickles “a man after show and notoriety, and newspaper fame, and the adulation of the mob” (p. 33), is unsparing in his verdict regarding Sickles’s performance as a corps commander:
I know, and have heard, of no bad conduct or blundering on the part of any officer, save that of Sickles, on the 2nd of July, and that was so gross, and came so near being the cause of irreparable disaster, that I cannot discuss it with moderation. I hope the man may never return to the Army of the Potomac, or elsewhere, to a position where his incapacity, or something worse, may bring fruitless destruction to thousands again. (p. 100)
Promoted once again, this time to colonel, and given command of the 36th Wisconsin Infantry, Haskell died leading his troops at the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864. He was just 35 years old. That knowledge gives a certain pathos to the young officer’s remarks about the Battle of Gettysburg.
Originally printed as a pamphlet – and, in the case of one edition, selectively edited to remove Haskell’s criticisms of Dan Sickles’s poor generalship -- The Battle of Gettysburg was published in unexpurgated form, in 1908, by the Wisconsin History Commission, Haskell’s The Battle of Gettysburg is a fine and valuable memoir of the battle, set down by a participant who played an important role in that battle – but who, sadly, did not live to see the final victory of the Union cause that he represented so well.
Haskell, a Wisconsinite who graduated from Dartmouth College and practiced law in Madison, went to war as a first lieutenant in the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, a regiment that was part of the Union’s famed Iron Brigade. From an adjutancy with the 6th Wisconsin, Haskell moved to a position of higher trust, as aide-de-camp to General John Gibbon, commander of the Iron Brigade. Before Gettysburg, he had fought with the Army of the Potomac at several of the major battles of the Civil War in the East – Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville. By the time the army arrived at Gettysburg, therefore, Haskell was an exceedingly well-informed observer of and participant in Civil War battle action; and his position as aide-de-camp to General Gibbon placed him at the center of some of the battle’s fiercest moments.
Describing the Army of the Potomac’s long northward trek toward Gettysburg, Haskell displays his classical erudition when looking back at the army’s long marches through the dust and rain of late June 1863: “‘Haec olim meminisse juvabit.’ We did not then know this. I mention [these circumstances] now, that you may see that in those times we had several matters to think about, and to do, that were not as pleasant as sleeping upon a bank of violets in the shade” (p. 10). The Latin quote, in case you were wondering, is from Virgil’s Aeneid; early in the poem, after Aeneas and his men have successfully escaped from burning Troy, Aeneas assures his weary men that “Perhaps someday it will give you joy to remember even these things.”
No doubt, as he was on the march, Haskell was hoping that he would live to look back on whatever awaited the army at Gettysburg – to remember, with some touch of joy, even the difficult things from his wartime experience. At least, as he remarks with satisfaction, there was one reason for the Union soldiers to move toward battle with some measure of guarded optimism: General Joe Hooker, who had led the Union to defeat at Chancellorsville, had been removed from command; and “The Providence of God had been with us – we ought not to have doubted it – General Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac” (p. 11).
As aide-de-camp to General Gibbon, the commander of II Corps, Haskell participated in the Union defense against Pickett’s Charge, the massive infantry charge against the Union center ordered by Confederate commander Robert E. Lee on July 3, the battle’s third and final day. It should be no surprise, therefore, that some of the most moving passages in The Battle of Gettysburg are those in which Haskell relates his memories of that day.
He recalls, for example, the emotions that he felt when he was awakened by General Gibbon on the morning of July 3: “[T]here were palpable evidences to my reason that to-day was to be another of blood. Oh! For a moment the thought of it was sickening to every sense and feeling. But the motion of my horse as I galloped over the crest a few minutes later, and the serene splendor of the morning now breaking through rifted clouds and spreading over the landscape, soon reassured me” (p. 53). He doesn’t pretend to have been fearless; instead, he acknowledges the process by which a good soldier summons the courage with which to face battle. I appreciated his honesty.
Haskell also describes well the feelings of suspense among the Union soldiers at the center of the Gettysburg line as they faced Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Like many other Unionists who recorded their impressions of the war and its battles, Haskell seems to have respected the battlefield courage of his Confederate enemies, even as he despised the secessionist cause for which the rebels fought. Speaking of a crucial moment in the rebel charge, when the Confederate artillery had been silenced but the rebel infantry continued with the charge, Haskell recalls that “no charging shout rings out to-day, as is the Rebel wont; but the courage of these silent men amid our shots seems not to need the stimulus of other noise.” Struck on the right flank by heavy fire from a Vermont regiment, “The gray lines do not halt or reply, but withdrawing a little from that extreme, they still move on” (p. 77).
And Haskell conveys eloquently the alarm he felt when a retreat along part of the Union line made it seem for a time that Pickett’s rebels might actually be able to achieve their dearly sought breakthrough: “The larger portion of Webb’s brigade – my God, it was true – there by the group of trees and the angles of the wall, was breaking from the cover of their works, and, without orders or reason, with no hand lifted to check them, was falling back, a fear-stricken flock of confusion! The fate of Gettysburg hung upon a spider’s single thread!” (p. 78)
Racing back and forth on horseback between the lines, Haskell encouraged the Union soldiers to return to their place in the line and remain resolute; and generals like Winfield Scott Hancock praised the part that Haskell played in preventing that part of the Union line from disintegrating at a crucial moment. Yet Haskell downplays his own heroism on that day, as if not wanting to draw attention to himself. His modesty wins the reader’s admiration.
Looking back at the Union repulse of Pickett’s Charge, and at the overall Union victory at Gettysburg, Haskell praises General Meade’s leadership during the battle, defending him from the accusations of those who felt that Meade did not pursue Lee vigorously enough during Lee’s retreat from Gettysburg to the Potomac River. At the same time, he makes clear his feelings about those fellow Unionists that he believes failed to uphold the honor of the Stars and Stripes.
Of the Union 11th Corps, for example, Haskell writes that “The 11th Corps behaved badly; but I have yet to learn the occasion when, in the opinion of any save their own officers and themselves, the men of this corps have behaved well on the march or before the enemy” (p. 100) And he excoriates the poor generalship of Dan Sickles, the politician-turned-general who, against orders, led the Union III Corps forward into the Peach Orchard on the second day at Gettysburg. Through his recklessness, Sickles needlessly sacrificed the lives of many good Union soldiers and endangered the entire Union line. And Haskell, who elsewhere calls Sickles “a man after show and notoriety, and newspaper fame, and the adulation of the mob” (p. 33), is unsparing in his verdict regarding Sickles’s performance as a corps commander:
I know, and have heard, of no bad conduct or blundering on the part of any officer, save that of Sickles, on the 2nd of July, and that was so gross, and came so near being the cause of irreparable disaster, that I cannot discuss it with moderation. I hope the man may never return to the Army of the Potomac, or elsewhere, to a position where his incapacity, or something worse, may bring fruitless destruction to thousands again. (p. 100)
Promoted once again, this time to colonel, and given command of the 36th Wisconsin Infantry, Haskell died leading his troops at the Battle of Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864. He was just 35 years old. That knowledge gives a certain pathos to the young officer’s remarks about the Battle of Gettysburg.
Originally printed as a pamphlet – and, in the case of one edition, selectively edited to remove Haskell’s criticisms of Dan Sickles’s poor generalship -- The Battle of Gettysburg was published in unexpurgated form, in 1908, by the Wisconsin History Commission, Haskell’s The Battle of Gettysburg is a fine and valuable memoir of the battle, set down by a participant who played an important role in that battle – but who, sadly, did not live to see the final victory of the Union cause that he represented so well.
July 15, 2023
Haskell's "True Grand Epic of Gettysburg"
Frank Haskell (1828-1864) left the practice of law in Wisconsin at the outbreak of the Civil War and became a Lieutenant and an aide to Union General John Gibbon. He was killed at Cold Harbor in 1864.
Haskell is remembered for two related reasons. First, he performed heroically during Pickett's charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Almost single-handedly, he rallied the Union troops after the Confederates had breached the Wall and saw to the movement of supports from one portion of the line to another. Union Generals Hancock and Harrow, as well as Gibbon lavished praise on Haskell, with Gibbon writing that "I have always thought that to him, more than to any one man, are we indebted for the repulse of Lee's assault."
The second reason for remembering Haskell is the book under review. Haskell wrote it in mid-July, 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg remained vivid in his mind. The book was initially cast as a long letter to Haskell's brother in Wisconsin and did not appear as a published book for a general audience until 1898. Haskell's book is one of the best first-hand sources we possess for the Battle of Gettysburg. It is not, Haskell himself knew, a complete history of the Battle but focuses on what Haskell saw and heard. The story is told with a passion, sweep, and literary skill that is moving. (Some modern readers may find the style overbearing at times.) Those who have studied the Battle of Gettysburg through the many secondary sources that are available, (Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, Pfanz, and others) will learn a great deal about the battle and the troops who fought from the immediacy and force of Haskell's account.
Haskell's book covers all three days of the Battle. It includes little material on the first day since, as part of the Second Corps of the Union Army, Haskell did not witness the events of that day. There is considerable material on the second day of the battle focusing on the efforts of the Union Second and Fifth Corps in repulsing Longstreet's and Hill's assault on the Union left and center. Haskell also describes well General Meade's "Council of War" on the evening of July 2 and the Generals who participated.
The chief subject of the book is the third day of Gettysburg -- commonly known as Pickett's charge. Haskell's writing picks up sweep and describes the events of that day from the opening preparations, to the famous lunch of the Federal generals before the opening of the Battle, through the cannonade, assault, breaching of the Wall and repulse. As stated above, Haskell played a pivotal role in rallying the troops at the wall to repulse the assault. Haskell's book remains an invaluable first-hand source for Pickett's charge, but it transcends them. It is a work of literature and of the history of the Civil War in its own right.
Haskell also describes the aftermath of the battle and the attempts of the Union troops and civilians in the area to care for the wounded and bury the dead. Interestingly, Haskell witnessed and took the trouble to record the visits of tourists and curiosity-seekers to Gettysburg immediately after the Battle. Visits have continued, of course, since that time as Gettysburg became a national shrine.
Haskell realized the difficulty that historians would have in describing the battle and in coming to a full understanding of what took place at Gettysburg. He had the wisdom to recognize that his own account captured his own impressions and experiences only and was not the full story. He wrote that "by-and by, out of the chaos of trash and falsehood that the newspapers hold, out of the disjointed mass of reports, out of the traditions and tales that come down from the field, some eye that never saw the battle will select, and some pen will write, what will be named 'the history'. With that the world will be and, if we are alive, we must be, content."
Haskell knew that a great event in our nation's history took place at Gettysburg. He voiced his hope that the Battle would lead to a stronger united nation devoted to freedom and to the best of its ideals. His book concludes with the observation that "Tradition, story, history -- all will not efface the true, grand epic of Gettysburg".
Robin Friedman
Frank Haskell (1828-1864) left the practice of law in Wisconsin at the outbreak of the Civil War and became a Lieutenant and an aide to Union General John Gibbon. He was killed at Cold Harbor in 1864.
Haskell is remembered for two related reasons. First, he performed heroically during Pickett's charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Almost single-handedly, he rallied the Union troops after the Confederates had breached the Wall and saw to the movement of supports from one portion of the line to another. Union Generals Hancock and Harrow, as well as Gibbon lavished praise on Haskell, with Gibbon writing that "I have always thought that to him, more than to any one man, are we indebted for the repulse of Lee's assault."
The second reason for remembering Haskell is the book under review. Haskell wrote it in mid-July, 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg remained vivid in his mind. The book was initially cast as a long letter to Haskell's brother in Wisconsin and did not appear as a published book for a general audience until 1898. Haskell's book is one of the best first-hand sources we possess for the Battle of Gettysburg. It is not, Haskell himself knew, a complete history of the Battle but focuses on what Haskell saw and heard. The story is told with a passion, sweep, and literary skill that is moving. (Some modern readers may find the style overbearing at times.) Those who have studied the Battle of Gettysburg through the many secondary sources that are available, (Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, Pfanz, and others) will learn a great deal about the battle and the troops who fought from the immediacy and force of Haskell's account.
Haskell's book covers all three days of the Battle. It includes little material on the first day since, as part of the Second Corps of the Union Army, Haskell did not witness the events of that day. There is considerable material on the second day of the battle focusing on the efforts of the Union Second and Fifth Corps in repulsing Longstreet's and Hill's assault on the Union left and center. Haskell also describes well General Meade's "Council of War" on the evening of July 2 and the Generals who participated.
The chief subject of the book is the third day of Gettysburg -- commonly known as Pickett's charge. Haskell's writing picks up sweep and describes the events of that day from the opening preparations, to the famous lunch of the Federal generals before the opening of the Battle, through the cannonade, assault, breaching of the Wall and repulse. As stated above, Haskell played a pivotal role in rallying the troops at the wall to repulse the assault. Haskell's book remains an invaluable first-hand source for Pickett's charge, but it transcends them. It is a work of literature and of the history of the Civil War in its own right.
Haskell also describes the aftermath of the battle and the attempts of the Union troops and civilians in the area to care for the wounded and bury the dead. Interestingly, Haskell witnessed and took the trouble to record the visits of tourists and curiosity-seekers to Gettysburg immediately after the Battle. Visits have continued, of course, since that time as Gettysburg became a national shrine.
Haskell realized the difficulty that historians would have in describing the battle and in coming to a full understanding of what took place at Gettysburg. He had the wisdom to recognize that his own account captured his own impressions and experiences only and was not the full story. He wrote that "by-and by, out of the chaos of trash and falsehood that the newspapers hold, out of the disjointed mass of reports, out of the traditions and tales that come down from the field, some eye that never saw the battle will select, and some pen will write, what will be named 'the history'. With that the world will be and, if we are alive, we must be, content."
Haskell knew that a great event in our nation's history took place at Gettysburg. He voiced his hope that the Battle would lead to a stronger united nation devoted to freedom and to the best of its ideals. His book concludes with the observation that "Tradition, story, history -- all will not efface the true, grand epic of Gettysburg".
Robin Friedman
August 2, 2021
In his account of the Battle of Gettysburg written just a few days later as a letter to his brother, Lieutenant Haskell puts the reader “in the moment” of his many courageous moments under fire and in attendance to hastily-called strategy sessions as an aide-de-camp to General John Gibbon during the three-day carnage, culminating in facing Pickett’s Charge eyeball-to-eyeball.
This is a rare eye-witness account. The fighting takes place simultaneously on the field and inside this soldier’s beating heart. You are there!
Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor.
This is a very quick read that will transport you to another time and another world if you are on a boring plane ride or train trip to no where in particular in this life.
This is a rare eye-witness account. The fighting takes place simultaneously on the field and inside this soldier’s beating heart. You are there!
Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor.
This is a very quick read that will transport you to another time and another world if you are on a boring plane ride or train trip to no where in particular in this life.
October 20, 2025
Apparently Lt. Haskell’s account of The Battle of Gettysburg, written two weeks after his participation in it, aroused the ire of some Pennsylvania veterans who took issue with his depiction of their deeds. The controversy persisted for many years.
This book includes an introduction and footnotes by Civil War historian Bruce Catton, who deftly referees the veteran’s dispute as well as delivering many other comments and explanations. But the minute by minute account of Pickett’s Confederate charge from a Union officer astride a wounded horse is about as vivid as any battle scene ever written. Catton points out that Haskell’s narrative is still considered the authoratative source for all the following historian’s analyses of the battle.
But besides Catton’s contributions, Haskell’s story itself is a masterpiece.
This book includes an introduction and footnotes by Civil War historian Bruce Catton, who deftly referees the veteran’s dispute as well as delivering many other comments and explanations. But the minute by minute account of Pickett’s Confederate charge from a Union officer astride a wounded horse is about as vivid as any battle scene ever written. Catton points out that Haskell’s narrative is still considered the authoratative source for all the following historian’s analyses of the battle.
But besides Catton’s contributions, Haskell’s story itself is a masterpiece.
April 22, 2019
Years ago, when I was a student at Dartmouth College, I remember writing a story for the school newspaper about famed alumnus, Frank A. Haskell, whose book on the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War as one of the best descriptions by an actual participant in the battle. He was at the time a First Lieutenant serving as aide-de-camp to General John Gibbon who was at several key points of the battle. Even as such, it was impossible for him to be everywhere. For instance, there is no mention of the fight for Little Round Top.
It is a difficult book to read, because Haskell keeps referring to the different Union corps by number, which was of greater interest to him than to readers over a century later. Nonetheless, I recommend The Battle of Gettysburg: A Soldier's First-Hand Account to readers interested in reading a first-hand account of perhaps the greatest battle of the war.
It is a difficult book to read, because Haskell keeps referring to the different Union corps by number, which was of greater interest to him than to readers over a century later. Nonetheless, I recommend The Battle of Gettysburg: A Soldier's First-Hand Account to readers interested in reading a first-hand account of perhaps the greatest battle of the war.
April 17, 2025
A good and quick primary account of the battle. Many of its anecdotes are oft repeated. Haskell may make himself more central to the story than reality but it doesn’t take away from the account. He is the one that says people would follow Hancock’s orders even if he were in civilian clothes. He also said that Haskell and Webb hit fleeing soldiers with the flat of their swords which “returned their sense of patriotism”
December 31, 2020
Frank Haskell fought in the battle, and he provides a first hand description of defending against Pickett's charge on day 3. Haskell was an officer, and senior in command at the point where the confederates breached the defense line. He describes the hand to hand fighting and the turning of the attack.
Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor the following year. His book on Gettysburg was not published until 1898. It provides descriptions of the battle that bring the Civil War to life.
Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor the following year. His book on Gettysburg was not published until 1898. It provides descriptions of the battle that bring the Civil War to life.
March 10, 2024
It's been a while since reading long-form primary source material. Getting through this reminded me of the difficulties professional historians have filtering multiple narratives and perspectives into a cohesive whole that accounts for the best approximation of facts and source bias.
The immediacy of the story was compelling, if self-serving, and going through the process of knowing next-to-nothing about Gettysburg (let alone the Civil War) to visiting and reading three books put me comfortably in a conversationalist-level of knowledge in a relatively short amount of time.
I will now attempt to compose a 120 page letter to my sibling about the last three days of my life...
The immediacy of the story was compelling, if self-serving, and going through the process of knowing next-to-nothing about Gettysburg (let alone the Civil War) to visiting and reading three books put me comfortably in a conversationalist-level of knowledge in a relatively short amount of time.
I will now attempt to compose a 120 page letter to my sibling about the last three days of my life...
August 1, 2022
This is a good read. Keep in mind writer is making assertions based on things he witnessed in the battle but is also adding to the narrative assumptions based on things he did not witness. He would have no special knowledge of what was happening elsewhere on the field. That being said, it is a moving and well written account by a Civil War hero who died tragically, less than a year later at Cold Harbor.
September 18, 2019
This book was written by a First Lt. (and later Colonel) from Wisconsin, who was assigned an aide-de-camp to General John Gibbon, commander of the Union Army's famous Iron Brigade. The book is limited in its description of the battle, as Lt. Haskell only witnessed a portion of the battle. But, he was engaged in the assault at the "Angle" on the third day and his eyewitness desciriptions are unique. Haskell was lauded from his bravery and leadership. Unfortunately, Colonel Haskell was mortally wounded while commanding the 6th Wisconsin Infantry at the battle of Cold Harbor.
March 21, 2022
Contemporary Account
Haskell’s account of Gettysburg was derived from a letter to his brother. A staff officer, he was able to see critical elements of the battle as one of the few remaining mounted officers. The letter reads well, though some knowledge of the battle and players are needed. The author died in action a few weeks later. A good contemporary account of the battle from a mid grade officer.
Haskell’s account of Gettysburg was derived from a letter to his brother. A staff officer, he was able to see critical elements of the battle as one of the few remaining mounted officers. The letter reads well, though some knowledge of the battle and players are needed. The author died in action a few weeks later. A good contemporary account of the battle from a mid grade officer.
August 6, 2020
Good recounting of history.
Very interesting account of the days of the battle. Would have been easier to follow it the identification of the author had been defined at the start. Not knowing that the author was inserting himself as part of the story, was confusing. The rebuttal of his account at the end of the book was not needed. It detracted from the book!
Very interesting account of the days of the battle. Would have been easier to follow it the identification of the author had been defined at the start. Not knowing that the author was inserting himself as part of the story, was confusing. The rebuttal of his account at the end of the book was not needed. It detracted from the book!
January 8, 2019
Decent...
Overall a decent read. Takes a bit to hold the interest because of the way in which it was worded.
Overall a decent read. Takes a bit to hold the interest because of the way in which it was worded.
July 10, 2025
Brilliantly written first hand account. Lots of great details written in a style seldom seen anymore.
October 26, 2025
A good volume that gives some first person narrative in the monumental fight. Some insights, but not a whole lot. Quick read that is better probably skimmed; and then focus if interested.
September 28, 2020
An eyewitness account of action on the left center portion of the Union line at Gettysburg, July 2 and 3... The author, Frank Aretas Haskell, served as General Gibbons' Aide-de-Camp and was a Colonel of the 36th Wisconsin Infantry at Gettysburg and served with distinction in numerous other large and small civil war battles. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College ("with distinction") and was credited by Gibbons with doing more "than any other one man to repulse Pickett's assault"... at Gettysburg. Reportedly, this book was written within one month or so of the battle and was sent by the author to his brother who ultimately had it printed. Sadly, the author was killed at Cold Harbor, Virginia late in the war.
This account of the events is unique in its freshness, prepared in such a short time after the events. The author highlights some misperceptions of the situation the Union Army was facing, e.g. the erroneous belief that the Confederate army significantly outnumbered the Union army at Gettysburg... This belief colors the writer's perception of the victory at Gettysburg as one that was gained over "superior" numbers of the enemy.
He is highly critical of some of the Union's Generals ... particularly Sickles ... whose mistake on the Union's left on July 2 has since been well-documented... and is not sparing in his criticism of the performance of the much-maligned-since 11th division for their poor showing at Gettysburg (and elsewhere... "never known to be good in march or battle"...) ... providing evidence that sometimes blunders do not have to wait for history to be recognized.
He relates some of the troop movements ordered after July 2 in preparation for July 3 that are interesting in their detail and described purpose. The account of Pickett's charge and what is known in some corners as the "high-water mark of the Confederacy" at the angle is excellent and exciting to read.
This account understandably lacks the usual reverence for General Lee and the other Confederate Generals and he criticizes their disrespect for the Army of the Potomac and suggests that Confederates' over- confidence led to their failure at Gettysburg.
One of the most interesting things in the book, in my opinion, is the defense of the Union Army's failure to pursue the Confederates after the battle. This account was written almost in the immediate aftermath of the Battle and if the author's opinion was common it appears that the perception of Union leadership at the time was that the Confederate Army still outnumbered the Union and this is partially the reason offered for the lack of follow-up. But he also contends that the Union Army did all they could after more than four weeks of forced marches in their effort to stay between the Confederate Army and Washington DC followed by 3 of the bloodiest and exhausting days of the war at Gettysburg.
An interesting read for any Civil War buff made more so by the fact that it was written by a participant.
This account of the events is unique in its freshness, prepared in such a short time after the events. The author highlights some misperceptions of the situation the Union Army was facing, e.g. the erroneous belief that the Confederate army significantly outnumbered the Union army at Gettysburg... This belief colors the writer's perception of the victory at Gettysburg as one that was gained over "superior" numbers of the enemy.
He is highly critical of some of the Union's Generals ... particularly Sickles ... whose mistake on the Union's left on July 2 has since been well-documented... and is not sparing in his criticism of the performance of the much-maligned-since 11th division for their poor showing at Gettysburg (and elsewhere... "never known to be good in march or battle"...) ... providing evidence that sometimes blunders do not have to wait for history to be recognized.
He relates some of the troop movements ordered after July 2 in preparation for July 3 that are interesting in their detail and described purpose. The account of Pickett's charge and what is known in some corners as the "high-water mark of the Confederacy" at the angle is excellent and exciting to read.
This account understandably lacks the usual reverence for General Lee and the other Confederate Generals and he criticizes their disrespect for the Army of the Potomac and suggests that Confederates' over- confidence led to their failure at Gettysburg.
One of the most interesting things in the book, in my opinion, is the defense of the Union Army's failure to pursue the Confederates after the battle. This account was written almost in the immediate aftermath of the Battle and if the author's opinion was common it appears that the perception of Union leadership at the time was that the Confederate Army still outnumbered the Union and this is partially the reason offered for the lack of follow-up. But he also contends that the Union Army did all they could after more than four weeks of forced marches in their effort to stay between the Confederate Army and Washington DC followed by 3 of the bloodiest and exhausting days of the war at Gettysburg.
An interesting read for any Civil War buff made more so by the fact that it was written by a participant.
September 7, 2023
Being raised in Britain, educated mainly in European history, then emigrating to Canada in my mid twenties, American history was something that came later to me.
In my 30s, with a young family, we took a vacation into the States, spending several days in Williamsburg and visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial.
This opened a fascination for the history of the American Civil War. I took a local college course on this and purchased a number of excellent books on the subject.
My friend recently attended the 2023 enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg bringing back an interesting video and this book.
It was difficult on Goodreads to find the actual book I have just finished reading. So many different versions you have posted.
This one is ‘The Battle of Gettysburg’ written by Frank A. Haskell, edited by Bruce Catton. The jacket cover was designed by Ray Houlihan, courtesy of American Heritage. The printers are named ‘Houghton Mifflin Company Boston. The Riverside Press Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This book is the 3rd Printing, Copyright 1957, 1958. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 58-7228
The author commenced writing this book on manuscripts only two weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was his recollections of his experiences as a Union Officer on the staff of the divisional commander located during the battle in the area of Confederate Pickett’s Charge.
Haskell had a great writing talent to describe what he saw and experienced over the three days of battle. His account of the battle scenes truly are the reasons why war should not exist. They are terrifying and vivid.
This is a book that has simplified what war is at its worst. I am glad I read this.
To note, Haskell was killed in a later battle.
In my 30s, with a young family, we took a vacation into the States, spending several days in Williamsburg and visiting the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial.
This opened a fascination for the history of the American Civil War. I took a local college course on this and purchased a number of excellent books on the subject.
My friend recently attended the 2023 enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg bringing back an interesting video and this book.
It was difficult on Goodreads to find the actual book I have just finished reading. So many different versions you have posted.
This one is ‘The Battle of Gettysburg’ written by Frank A. Haskell, edited by Bruce Catton. The jacket cover was designed by Ray Houlihan, courtesy of American Heritage. The printers are named ‘Houghton Mifflin Company Boston. The Riverside Press Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This book is the 3rd Printing, Copyright 1957, 1958. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 58-7228
The author commenced writing this book on manuscripts only two weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was his recollections of his experiences as a Union Officer on the staff of the divisional commander located during the battle in the area of Confederate Pickett’s Charge.
Haskell had a great writing talent to describe what he saw and experienced over the three days of battle. His account of the battle scenes truly are the reasons why war should not exist. They are terrifying and vivid.
This is a book that has simplified what war is at its worst. I am glad I read this.
To note, Haskell was killed in a later battle.
July 25, 2014
Frank Haskall's The Battle of Gettysburg provides an exciting, detailed first-hand account of the eponymous battle. Haskall was an aide to Major General John Gibbon, commander of the Second Division of the II Corps, and was in the thick of the some of the heaviest fighting on July 2 and 3.
The narrative, though occasionally a little over-wrought, is quite readable and exciting. The book is also relatively short, and well paced. The narrative suffers a little bit when it covers the parts of the battle for which Haskall wasn't present. This book was also written a very short time after the battle took place, so when it comes down to bare facts and figures it is also somewhat lacking.
Where this book shines is in the authenticity of the author's experience. Haskall gives us a great window into the experiences of the Union leaders and men at Gettysburg, how they fought, and what they were thinking and feeling. This isn't some memoir couched in hazy nostalgia, the author jotted down his experiences just a few days after the campaign ended and sent them off to his brother in Wisconsin. He sadly didn't survive the war (Haskall was killed in action in 1864), but for us this means that his narrative remains purer for not having been later revisited.
This is a free Kindle edition, so all of the illustrations have been removed, but the text is free from the transcription errors that often show up in scanned books that are offered as free or cheap e-book editions. If you're interested in the Civil War, or Gettysburg specifically, this is a must read!
The narrative, though occasionally a little over-wrought, is quite readable and exciting. The book is also relatively short, and well paced. The narrative suffers a little bit when it covers the parts of the battle for which Haskall wasn't present. This book was also written a very short time after the battle took place, so when it comes down to bare facts and figures it is also somewhat lacking.
Where this book shines is in the authenticity of the author's experience. Haskall gives us a great window into the experiences of the Union leaders and men at Gettysburg, how they fought, and what they were thinking and feeling. This isn't some memoir couched in hazy nostalgia, the author jotted down his experiences just a few days after the campaign ended and sent them off to his brother in Wisconsin. He sadly didn't survive the war (Haskall was killed in action in 1864), but for us this means that his narrative remains purer for not having been later revisited.
This is a free Kindle edition, so all of the illustrations have been removed, but the text is free from the transcription errors that often show up in scanned books that are offered as free or cheap e-book editions. If you're interested in the Civil War, or Gettysburg specifically, this is a must read!
August 19, 2022
What an excellent book! A great read for nerds and non-nerds alike. Written by a first lieutenant and aide-de-camp to Union General John Gibbon, it provides a great, if limited, perspective of the battle from someone who was in the know and at the center of the main union line during Pickett's Charge.
There's no detailed accounting of the dramatic defense of Little Round Top by the 20th Maine, but there's plenty of other places where you can read that. What you won't get there, but will get from Haskell is a view of the battle in the context and perspective of a veteran soldier of the day who knows how to organize and share that view.
This book is so well written that you'll rarely feel like it was produced by a military man from the 1860s. It isn't stiff and official and old-timey. It's very readable. All of the emotions--and coldness--of war is in there and well balanced. Haskell was obviously a very mature officer and human being.
Sadly for Haskell, he didn't survive the war. But that keeps his experience as told here from being tarnished by post-war influence.
It doesn't hurt that the book is fairly short. It makes this a great supplement to other Gettysburg/Civil War reading or a stand alone to give you an insightful taste of one of the most discussed military battles in US history.
There's no detailed accounting of the dramatic defense of Little Round Top by the 20th Maine, but there's plenty of other places where you can read that. What you won't get there, but will get from Haskell is a view of the battle in the context and perspective of a veteran soldier of the day who knows how to organize and share that view.
This book is so well written that you'll rarely feel like it was produced by a military man from the 1860s. It isn't stiff and official and old-timey. It's very readable. All of the emotions--and coldness--of war is in there and well balanced. Haskell was obviously a very mature officer and human being.
Sadly for Haskell, he didn't survive the war. But that keeps his experience as told here from being tarnished by post-war influence.
It doesn't hurt that the book is fairly short. It makes this a great supplement to other Gettysburg/Civil War reading or a stand alone to give you an insightful taste of one of the most discussed military battles in US history.
April 26, 2016
Descriptives
This is supposedly a letter from the author to his brother. It reads more like a novel. The author, an officer of the Union Army, refers to himself as vain and egotistical. I have to say I agree. However; his accounts of the battle were from his personal experiences. He doesn't attempt to surmise or guess what was happening between armies in other places. It is felt that he, being intelligent and well schooled, didn't suffer fools.
"The red flags wave, their horsemen gallop up and down; the arms of
eighteen thousand men, barrel and bayonet, gleam in the sun, a sloping forest of flashing steel. Right on they move, as with one soul, in perfect order, without impediment....
These Rebels are accustomed to hunger and nakedness, customs to which our men do not take readily." "Tradition, story, history—all will not efface the true, grand epic of Gettysburg."" -Frank A. Haskell
This is supposedly a letter from the author to his brother. It reads more like a novel. The author, an officer of the Union Army, refers to himself as vain and egotistical. I have to say I agree. However; his accounts of the battle were from his personal experiences. He doesn't attempt to surmise or guess what was happening between armies in other places. It is felt that he, being intelligent and well schooled, didn't suffer fools.
"The red flags wave, their horsemen gallop up and down; the arms of
eighteen thousand men, barrel and bayonet, gleam in the sun, a sloping forest of flashing steel. Right on they move, as with one soul, in perfect order, without impediment....
These Rebels are accustomed to hunger and nakedness, customs to which our men do not take readily." "Tradition, story, history—all will not efface the true, grand epic of Gettysburg."" -Frank A. Haskell
July 4, 2013
This has been on my reading list for quite some time. With the 150th anniversary of the battle, now it made it to the top of my list. And I am glad.
This is an account written by a soldier in that battle and the only first person full account ever. He wrote this as a letter to his brother and died in a future battle of that same war.
It is written in strictly a Union Army perspective, of course, so it isn't a full accounting of the battle, but boy is it graphic and factual. I loved hearing a cool reminiscing of his heroics. A pretty quick read. AND a must read.
This is an account written by a soldier in that battle and the only first person full account ever. He wrote this as a letter to his brother and died in a future battle of that same war.
It is written in strictly a Union Army perspective, of course, so it isn't a full accounting of the battle, but boy is it graphic and factual. I loved hearing a cool reminiscing of his heroics. A pretty quick read. AND a must read.
October 31, 2013
The book was written by an officer for the union that fought in the battle of Gettysburg. It was never intended to be published, but was written as a letter to his brother. With that in mind I found this book to be very interesting. Since I have been to Gettysburg several times I could picture in my mind where the battle was taking place.
May 24, 2014
This is a graphic first-hand description of what the author saw and thought during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was written as a letter to his brother soon after the battle and is well written with several critical thoughts on some of the participants. It is a good source for understanding the battle and what the soldiers were feeling at that time.
Read
June 26, 2012The best personal account of the Battle of Gettysburg I have read. Written as letters to his brother while on the march during and shortly after the battle, Haskell created a very vivid description of the battle. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War.
July 16, 2013
If not for Haskell's disrespectful and entirely ignorant ranting about the supposed "cowardice" of the US Army's 11th Corps, it would be a very excellent book. I'd probably give it 5 stars if not for this.
May 22, 2015
An amazing first hand account of the Battle of Gettysburg. Originally written for his brother and not publication, however thank God for publishing such a work for students of true history, written by those that were there.
Read
September 30, 2015Brilliant book. Having watched the film felt that I had been at the Battle itself after reading this book. One of best battle books that I have ever read by an actual observer. Easy to follow action. Looking forward to a battlefield visit some day.
August 7, 2024
This book was a fascinating account of this famous battle. Haskell provides details about the battle, such as casualty numbers and what occurred in the field. Despite the time period this book was written, it was easy to comprehend. This book did drag at times, but it was still interesting.
July 3, 2012
Written by the ill-fated Haskell a few weeks after Gettysburg, its main strength is its description of the repulse of Pickett's Charge. A quick read.
October 2, 2014
An excellent older history of the Battle of Gettysburg. Stylistically much different than modern books, but still very good.
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