Discovering Gettysburg: An Unconventional Introduction to the Greatest Little Town in America and the Monumental Battle that Made It Famous

by W. Stephen Coleman, Tim Hartman (Illustrations)

Gettysburg.

Does any other single word in any language invoke so much passion and angst, enthusiasm and sadness, as do those ten letters? But what IS Gettysburg, exactly? I am almost embarrassed to say I discovered the answer to that question—or at least approached an answer—only late in life.

Of course, Gettysburg is a small charming city nestled in south-central Pennsylvania, but in so many ways it beggars description. For about half the year its streets are mainly empty, its businesses quiet, the weather cold and blustery. For the other months, however, the place literally teems with hundreds of thousands of visitors, bustling streets and shops, and more than a handful of unique larger-than-life characters whose fan base spans the globe.

And then there is the battle—the event—of the Civil War. The battle that raged there during the first days of July 1863 at the price of more than 50,000 casualties decided much (just how much depending upon who you believe) and forever stamped that place with its passion and angst and enthusiasm and its lingering, forever sadness. Its monuments and guns and plaques tell the story of the colossal clash of arms and societies, just as its National Cemetery bears silent witness to at least part of the cost of that bloody event.

And somehow this “greatest little town in America,” this mammoth battle, its influential characters (living and dead), its deep meaning and profound influence on our society largely escaped me for nearly six decades. That ended a couple years ago when I finally paid a visit. My journey from the uninitiated to the fully converted only took a short time, but I felt compelled to pen my experiences as they unfolded. And so you hold in your hands Discovering An Unconventional Introduction to the Greatest Little Town in America and the Monumental Battle that Made It Famous.

In it, you will visit with me a host of famous and off-the-beaten-path places on the battlefield, explore the historic town of Gettysburg as it is today, chat with some of the town’s fascinating “resources,” and follow along, as I did, with some of the most engaging storytelling I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. And nowhere inside will you be bothered with footnotes or stumble your way through academic mumbo jumbo. Thankfully, my friend and award-winning cartoonist Tim Hartman agreed to provide the magnificent maps and outstanding caricatures that grace this book.

Discovering Gettysburg is, I fully admit, rather unconventional. But so is the place, the event, and the experience of that hallowed ground.

Genres: Civil War

264 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2017

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gettysburg Journey

I have a lifelong interest in the Civil War but in about 2003-04 developed a passion for Gettysburg. I visited the battlefield as often as possible and read many books about Gettysburg and reviewed them here. I attempted the Licensed Battlefield Guide exam. Gettysburg has remained with me even though I haven't visited in some years.

My passion for Gettysburg helped me understand W. Stephen Coleman and his book, "Discovering Gettysburg: An Unconventional Introduction to the Greatest Little Town in America and the Monumental Battle that Made it Famous" (2017). Coleman, a retired professor of theater and a professional actor and director, discovered Gettysburg only after his retirement. (In my own case, I was several years away) Coleman, his wife, and another couple decided one afternoon to take a short trip from their native Pittsburgh and hit upon Gettysburg. The trip changed Coleman's life as he went on to visit the battlefield more than forty times, in addition to 25 visits to other Civil War sites, during the years of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Coleman's fascination with Gettysburg resulted in this book. His friend and fellow-resident of Pittsburgh, the illustrator Tim Hartman, prepared the book's illustrations and maps.

The most moving parts of this book are those in which Coleman writes on a personal level about his experience and about his love for Gettysburg. He writes of his growing realization that "the only way you could truly understand modern America was if you understood the Civil War." Coleman continues: "Understanding the Civil War helps us define who we are as a people, who we were as a people,and who we would become. Consciously or unconsciously, we live with its effects almost every day of our lives. That conflict ... is a significant part of the foundation of modern America." In the Afterword, Coleman discusses falling in love with the town of Gettysburg. He finds the town, with its history, a uniquely American place which has assumed meaning and significance beyond its position as a small Pennsylvania town where a monumental battle took place.

Together with his reflections on his experience, Coleman offers a broad and enthusiastically-written guide to the battle of Gettysburg, the town, and the people and institutions connected with them. With clear, simple writing, the book makes Gettysburg accessible to newcomers and also works as a reminder and refresher for those familiar with the places and events he describes. The book manages to teach even knowledgeable readers something new.

The heart of the book offers a good, basic account of the battle, beginning with Lee's invasion of the north in 1863. The book includes insightful, surprisingly detailed chapters on each of the three days of the battle (July 1 -- 3, 1863), followed by a short chapter describing the Confederate retreat and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The remaining portions of the book discuss the town, including the author's recommendations of places to visit and restaurants to enjoy, and the people and entrepreneurs who call Gettysburg home. Coleman discusses the Gettysburg Visitors Center and to private organizations, the Gettysburg Foundation and the Friends of Gettysburg, which assist the National Park Service in presenting the battle to the public.

The book has many attractions in addition to the text. Tim Hartman's illustrations are outstanding and unusual. He presents caricature sketches of many of the people involved in the battle as well as of current students of and writers about Gettysburg. The drawings are insightful and fun. They manage to give a snapshot interpretation of the character of their subjects. Another outstanding feature of the book is the interviews Coleman conducted with National Park Service Officials, including the late Clyde Bell who supervised the Licensed Battlefield Guide Program for many years, Licensed Battlefield Guides, and authors who have written well about Gettysburg including Scott Mingus, Eric Wittenberg, and J. David Petruzzi. I have learned a great deal from many of the individuals who are featured in Coleman's book. I was pleased to find them featured in this book, and their comments, as well as the comments of many other knowledgeable individuals, enhance the work.

Coleman observes several times that individuals come to study and understand Gettysburg in their own ways. Some become reenactors, others read, while others visit and walk the battlefield and get to know it intimately. The same point could be made in a broader way about how individuals find what matters to them about their country or about their own lives and about how they pursue their passions. Coleman has learned a great deal about Gettysburg in a relatively short time, and he vividly shares his enthusiasm. I haven't visited the battlefield as often as I would like particularly in recent years but I continue to read about the battle and about the Civil War and to share my responses to what I read. I was glad to get to know Coleman and his book. The publisher, Savas Beatie, kindly sent me a review copy.

Robin Friedman

[Matthew Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

While something can be said for the realm of Civil War academia, there seems to be this massive subgenre which continues to fill with every year. The books surrounding those epic three days in July, and the weeks surrounding them, are many and there is good reason for it. No other battle has received such an epic scale of analysis, devotion, and research in the American Civil War. Discovering Gettysburg strives to bring something different to the study surrounding it. Not only does the book take a look at the battle, but also looks at the town, and some of the other major areas surrounding the battlefield.
W. Stephen Coleman is a professor of theater at the University of Pittsburg and is a specialist in Shakespeare, acting, directing, and stage combat. He has taught for more than thirty years and has starred in such films as Silence of the Lambs. Another role of his was of General Braddock in The War That Made American. After his retirement, he discovered a new interest in his life: the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. This book is also illustrated by Tim Hartman who is a native of Pittsburg and has been professionally acting, singing, writing, cartooning, and storytelling since 1982. He is also an award winning political cartoonists and illustrator whose work has been widely published in newspapers.
Discovering Gettysburg is a different book in many ways. One of the points in the narrative which I enjoyed was the first person account of the author himself, in which he takes you along his journey, almost as if he is telling you his stories through the battle. The book often felt as though the reader was on a personal tour with Coleman who had such passion upon pointing things out of interest. The book also deals with the town before and after the battle, including other towns such as Cashtown. One thing which stood out to me is that Coleman also takes a look at the Eisenhower National Historic Site which I’m not sure I’ve seen covered in other Gettysburg related works. And possibly one of the most personal chapters which I connected with was the work on reenactors and what they do for the public involving education and the like. Overall, this book felt very personal which I cannot say for many other books. Coleman’s passion for this project comes through clearly in the writing and is aided by some well done illustrations. The illustrations almost made me feel like I was reading a political cartoon in Harper’s Weekly.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Gettysburg. The way in which the narrative was written was quite unique to the brand of scholarship which is usually brought to the craft. You can feel why Gettysburg is not only important to the author, but important to all whom it surrounds. Through this, you can see why there are so many visitors to this pivotal site in American History. Highly Recommended!

Matthew Bartlett

[noreast_bookreviewsnh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovering Gettysburg : An unconventional introduction to the greatest little town in America and the monumental battle that made it famous by W. Stephen Coleman
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A truly fun little book to get one in the mood to take a trip to Gettysburg! Written in the style of a travelogue where the author simultaneously tells the story of the battle of Gettysburg as he and his companions visit the modern day locales of the battlefield and town. A great introduction to the battle itself, and gives the reader a laymen’s understanding of what happened in Gettysburg in July of 1863, as well as introducing the modern day national park site and how it coexists with the town itself. Most pages also have whimsical caricatures of battle participants and modern day folks who inhabit and interpret modern day Gettysburg, interspersed with interviews with folks that have a vested interest in making Gettysburg a great place to live and learn. I really enjoyed this one ! Thanks to @savasbeatie for publishing great books like this that spark interest in our country’s rich history.
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[John Danek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an overview of both the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg as well as a Cook’s Tour” of the historic town, and an introduction into its local culture, people and institutions, both formal and casual, that have grown out of the aftermath of that battle in the century and a half since. It is a history/travelogue mixture, if you will. The combination does not work for me.

The author acquits himself reasonably well in recapitulating the high points of most of major events of the three-day long battle in 1863. It is unfortunately interspersed (interrupted) with local tidbits about townspeople and park service employees, directions down streets and alleys, and where to find out of the way places including walls with bullet holes from the battle.

I get what he is trying to accomplish, but it left me wondering if two separate works would serve the casual or novice Gettysburg reader better.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well crafted look at Gettysburg and the battle that made the town what it is today. Good summary review of the battle, people and places worth investigating.

[John Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on the Battle and town of Gettysburg. No new revelations but a great perspective on visiting both from a non-historian. I can recommend it highly to all first time visitors.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book combining history and the current community of Gettysburg. I've visited the area a few times before but I can't wait to return with this book in hand!