I don’t read all that many battle histories (a small irony as I’m currently writing one) but it’s not because I don’t think they’re interesting, they absolutely are, but rather I tend to be a bit more of a bigger picture guy, only digging into the details now and then. I read battle histories, but usually only after I’ve read at least one or two books on the wider context. Since I’m reading more about the American Civil War it was inevitable that I eventually read a book on the war’s most famous battle. I have visited the Gettysburg more times than I can count, but despite that my knowledge of the specifics has always been a little hazy. I thought since it was recently the 160th anniversary that I should finally fix that. Stephen Sears’ book came highly recommended and was available from my local library, so I decided it was a great place to start!
This is a pretty hefty book, of that there can be no doubt. The main text, excluding bibliography, references, etc., comes in at over five hundred pages. This is a very thorough overview of the battle and more. It begins very soon after the Union defeat at Chancellorsville in May, 1863 and goes into great detail explaining the reasoning behind Lee’s decision to invade Pennsylvania. This includes a thorough account of the debate around whether it would be better to focus on opposing General Grant’s ongoing siege of Vicksburg or letting Lee pursue his own strategy. It also covers the intrigues around the eventual firing of General Hooker and the promotion of General Meade to command the Army of the Potomac mere days before the battle. All of this stuff was fascinating, especially since, as I’ve already established, I’m a wider context kind of guy!
I definitely finished Sears’ book knowing a lot more about Gettysburg than I had before. It is a very thorough account, but maybe a little too thorough - for me at least. I’m glad I read it, but it felt like it took me forever. Sears digs deep into the details, especially when discussing the casualties individual regiments suffered on the three days of Gettysburg. Each little movement of individual brigades, or even regiments, is covered in quite minute detail and honestly even as someone with a basic understanding of the battle before I started reading this stuff lost me quite a bit. This level of analysis can be interesting, but it was a lot and there were definitely times when I wished for slightly less detail. For some people this will be a part of the appeal of the book, and there are definitely subjects where I would want it, but I also don’t always want that level of detail. In this case I think for my own personal taste and sanity I would have preferred a slightly higher level examination of the battle that only dipped into very specific detail from time to time.
I particularly enjoyed how Sears analyzed the generalship of Meade and Lee. A combination of very popular myths tends to place all the blame for Confederate failures on Lee’s subordinates while also giving Meade no credit for his victory. Sears does an excellent job covering the roles each individual general, both the supreme commanders and their subordinates, played in the battle and I found his analysis very insightful, fair, and thought provoking.
The book is maybe too detailed is hardly a criticism though, and the wider context that Sears gives to the lead up to and immediate aftermath of Gettysburg really helps to present an excellent overall picture of the battle. It can be too easy to view Gettysburg as just the three most violent days but it is much more than that, and that is crucial to understanding how it happened and what it meant. I particularly enjoyed Sears coverage of the 4th of July and the tension about whether Meade would launch a counteroffensive, as well as his coverage of Lee’s eventual flight from Pennsylvania and the complications that both sides faced in the wake of the bloodiest battle on American soil. I’m very glad I read Sears’ book, but I also don’t intend on reading many more books this long on individual American Civil War battles - I simply haven’t the time or the energy! However, if you are either indefatigable or have an insatiable demand for very detailed American Civil War I can highly recommend Sears book - although in the latter case you’ve almost certainly already read it!
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