ebooks The Cavalry at Gettysburg: A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations during the Civil War's Pivotal Campaign; 9 June-14 July 1863 by Edward G. Longacre in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Civil War cavalry tactics and heroes 1863By Tom BetzThis is a wonderful discussion of the events from June 9 to July 14; 1863 from the viewpoint of the Union and Confederate cavalry units.Edward G. Longacre's book - first published in 1986; and reprinted in 1993 - is a great in-depth look at the various units of both the Union and Confederate armies in the actions before during and after the battle at Gettysburg; Pa.Many books have been written about the Gettysburg battle; but there are few about the cavalry involvement both before; durng those three days and action as the Confederates retreated to Virginia.What made this a great book is the detail Longacre includes plus the individual notes about the officers who were in charge and their backgrounds plus their actions on and off the battlefield. He does a great job of discussing the many generals who were in charge on both sides; and gives credit where due and criticism where due.The little known cavalry actions on either flank of the main battle at Gettysburg deserve such research and the coverage as presented in this book. The two most famous generals coming out of the cavalry were Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart of the Army of Northern Virginia and a young upstart Union General George A. Custer who led a Michigan cavalry brigade. Stuart was killed in May 1864 by a Michigan trooper at Yellow Tavern; north of Richmond; and we know Custer was killed by Indians at Little Big Horn in Montana.How the cavalry units were used and the success and failures are well covered in the book; and in his afterward segment Longacre gives his opinion about the relative merits of the various commanders and their performance during the campaign. He deals with the questions of it being Stuart's fault that Gen. Robert E. Lee was drawn into the battle at Gettysburg; and explains that it was not a mistake; but that as the three days of battle developed Lee made some bad choices for how his army was to attack; and Gen Longstreet tried to get him to draw away and circle the Union forces. As most military history buffs know the best laid battle plans do not hold up once the fighting starts; and this was true for both the Union and Confederate forces as they faced off on this ground. Both sides had opportunities to gain a decisive edge; but in the end both sides had to settle for the ultimate draw leaving the Union forces on the high ground while the Confederates retreated back to Virginia.Gettysburg did not end the Civil War; which went on for another two years; but it was the last time the South would attempt a massive invasion of the North. How the cavalry figured into the battles and their relative importance is the subject of Longacre's discussion and is well worth the read of those interested in American military history.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Compelling!By Michael E. FitzgeraldFor those interested in Gettysburg; most of the literature focuses on the horrific events that occurred on July 1-3; 1863 at or near Gettysburg Township. This work by Edward Longacre transcends those events and by doing so provides materially more information that is necessary to understand this campaign in its entirety. Starting with the movement's inception at the Battle at Brandy Station on June 9th and culminating with the lost opportunity to bag Lee's army on July 14th at Williamsport / Falling Waters; Longacre provides a detailed description of the mounted operations associated with this extended and most pivotal Civil War campaign.Both mounted arms performed brilliantly and both failed miserably at different points during the five weeks of Gettysburg. Unlike the infantry who fought a single battle at Gettysburg; the cavalry fought nine major engagements and hundreds of minor ones as they alternately sought to protect and disclose enemy troop movements. These engagements unfold chronologically as Confederate troops move up the Shenandoah Valley; enter Pennsylvania; concentrate at Gettysburg and subsequently retreat into Virginia. Thus; in staccato fashion the author describes the battles of Brandy Station; Aldie; Middleburg; Upperville; Hanover; Hunterstown; Gettysburg; Boonsboro; Fairfield; Williamsport and Falling Waters. The troop movements throughout Pennsylvania were much more extensive than is generally reported with the Confederates reaching the Susquehanna River; north and east or Baltimore!This was one continuous; unabated fight. Nowhere is it better reported; described or recreated than in this concisely; well written account.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a fine history for the serious readerBy occasional reviewerThis is a very readable and comprehensive history of a critical aspect of the Civil War. Longacre blends highly detailed historical detail of this complex campaign with biographies of key figures and units. It is not an heroic version of derring-do by cavalrymen and mounted infantry nor of the brilliance of officers on erither saide; but an evenhanded analysis of the correct and incorrect decions of the same officers who had great insights on one day and blind spots on the next. The books clearly demonstrates how decisions by general officers like Buford; Stuart; and Custer shaped the ultimate outcome of the battle at Gettysburg. Because of its detail; it clearly illustrates in skirmish after skirmish; march after march; why the casualty rates on both sides were so high; even absent the more popularly understood infantry clashes; such as Pickett's charge.