ebooks They Met at Gettysburg: a Step-by-step Retelling of the Battle with Maps; Photos; Firsthand Accounts by Edward J. Stackpole in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A great starter book to learn the important facts about GettysburgBy Jean A. JonesLike many people; I first found out about Gettysburg through the novel; "The Killer Angels;" and the movie; "Gettysburg." They are good resources to find out about Gettysburg; but they are not definitive nor do they completely tell the facts about the battle of Gettysburg. I've also read the section on Gettysburg; "The Stars in their Courses" by Shelby Foote which is a good detailed account of the Gettysburg Campaign; but this book; "They Met at Gettysburg: A Step-by-step Retelling of the Battle" is a great detailed; easy to follow account of the Battle of Gettysburg that I felt gave me more information than "The Killer Angels" and was easier to follow than "The Stars in their Courses;" which reads like a bard's tale of "The Battle of Gettysburg;" as if one was hearing an account of that battle through the voice of a master storyteller which Shelby Foote was. "They Met at Gettysburg" is more a fact-filled; balanced account that explains more to me; the casual historian; who was at fault at Gettysburg for it being fought the way it was and why. Stuart comes out badly; Lee not that much better; and Longstreet doesn't come off as being the more knowledgeable fighter as he comes off in both "Gettysburg;" and "The Killer Angels." Sickles comes off as a person who could have singlehandedly led to the Union Army's defeat; Meade comes off as the man he was; a cautious; deliberate fighter; who determinedly fought off the best Lee could do on those 3 days; and Meade's Chief of Engineers; Gouverneur Kemble Warren; comes off as the man who was; the man who saved Gettysburg by noticing the lack of troops available at both Roundtops; particularly Little Round Top; which could have led to disaster for the Union Army. Usually Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain gets the credit for saving the Union Army on the second day; but in real life; Warren; and General Winfield Scott Hancock should get the credit for saving the Union Army on that key second day; but in Hancock's case; he was also key on the first day on rallying the defeated men to defend Cemetery Ridge and saving the Union cause on that first day as well. If you want to learn the facts; unadorned; and easy to follow; this is the book for you to read on Gettysburg.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy G. PattonThis is a great book by Edward Stackpole. Takes you right into the battle and helps you see from the soldiers' point of view. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the real story of the Gettysburg Battle.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great overview...By Doug DePewI enjoyed "They Met At Gettysburg". I've studied the Civil War pretty extensively; but much of my reading has been about the Trans-Mississippi and western war. I only briefly studied the big battles of the east in college. I grabbed this book to help expand my knowledge to a more full picture.This book gives a great overview of the major players of the battle on both sides with particular emphasis on Lee and Meade. It draws mainly from secondary sources to paint an overall picture of both commanders' leadership style. This is not a minute by minute account of the tactical actions. It's more of a strategic overview. It kept me interested because I've never been overly interested in blow by blow looks at major battles unless they come from the line soldier's point of view. I liked the style of this story and how it was told. It's relatively objective and well written.There are maps and pictures throughout the book. I found them very hard to read on a Kindle. In a paperback; they would be interesting. I love to read maps and see pictures as I go through a history book and was disappointed that I couldn't see any details. I must have picked up this book on a free promotion because I see it's now $9 on Kindle. I wouldn't pay that for it on Kindle. It is worth the regular price in paperback to me.Overall; I enjoyed this book. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning a bit about a pivotal battle of the American Civil War and the commanders who engineered it.