Overdone?

[samgrant]

Originally Posted by VMI Cadets

Is anyone else suffering from Gettysburg burn-out?

As a kid and even into my 20s, and as a former frequent visitor to Gettysburg in my youth (military service limiting my visits nowadays), I found Gettysburg to hold a special place as "the" pivotal point in the entire history of the Civil War.

I still visit when I can, and absolutely love to be there...but I am in Gettysburg overload. Almost every magazine you find out there on the war has something Gettysburg in it, either cover story, major story, or book reviews...in nearly every issue. If I see another Gettysburg special issue anytime soon........

All due deference to Gettysburg aside, the war lasted went on for another 21 months and preceded it by 27, but for some reason, it seems like Gettysburg is THE battle or nearly so. Men fought and died at hundreds of other locations throughout the south.

Why the need to have Gettysburg all the time, every time?

Sounds like you read too many CW magazines.

I just read another Gettysburg book, Trudeau's Gettysburg - A Testing of Courage. Have read Coddington's and Sears' books in the past. I think I'll read one once a year.

I love that battle for the fact that is was a big one and, I think, because of the way it occurred. It was almost by accident; it was sort of by chance that both armies just kind of gravitated toward that place, neither expecting beforehand to fight a battle there. It was as if predetermined by fate that they would meet there. Wonder if this has anything to do with Shelby Foote title of his chapter on Gettysburg, "Stars in their Courses".

[samgrant]

Originally Posted by VMI Cadets

Is anyone else suffering from Gettysburg burn-out?

As a kid and even into my 20s, and as a former frequent visitor to Gettysburg in my youth (military service limiting my visits nowadays), I found Gettysburg to hold a special place as "the" pivotal point in the entire history of the Civil War.

I still visit when I can, and absolutely love to be there...but I am in Gettysburg overload. Almost every magazine you find out there on the war has something Gettysburg in it, either cover story, major story, or book reviews...in nearly every issue. If I see another Gettysburg special issue anytime soon........

All due deference to Gettysburg aside, the war lasted went on for another 21 months and preceded it by 27, but for some reason, it seems like Gettysburg is THE battle or nearly so. Men fought and died at hundreds of other locations throughout the south.

Why the need to have Gettysburg all the time, every time?

Sounds like you read too many CW magazines.

I just read another Gettysburg book, Trudeau's Gettysburg - A Testing of Courage. Have read Coddington's and Sears' books in the past. I think I'll read one once a year.

I love that battle for the fact that is was a big one and, I think, because of the way it occurred. It was almost by accident; it was sort of by chance that both armies just kind of gravitated toward that place, neither expecting beforehand to fight a battle there. It was as if predetermined by fate that they would meet there. Wonder if this has anything to do with Shelby Foote title of his chapter on Gettysburg, "Stars in their Courses".

[Rad2duhbone53]

Sounds like someone is doing a "Peggy Lee"(is that all there is?) Have you researched as many regiments as there were at the battle? Have you tried to do a personification of a soldier? Looking at the battle itself with a "first person" point of view, you just might see some things you missed. Making the battle personal can open up avenues one wouldn't think of. I've personally gone to Gettysburg twice with a third trip on the way. I don't think I could ever get burnt out from the wealth of info about Gettysburg. Just dig a little deeper.

[ole]

Overdone is a personal observation for which the solution is as readily available as the channel-changer buttons on the TV remote.
Ole

[rock city guard]

I see over done being a steak on the grill too long.

[gary]

Publishers push what sells. If you've done the research and wrote the definitive "final word" account of Gettysburg that solves any and all the mysteries of the battle and the public was sick of Gettysburg, no publisher would publish your research. No publisher wants to have a stock of unsold books (or magazines on hand). That's bad business.

As for me, Gettysburg is not the most interesting battle of the war and being a sicko, I like reading about sieges better.

[30th_il]

I think a lot of the popularity of Gettysburg has to do with a speech some guy named Abe orated there........

[brigance]

Originally Posted by whitworth

I was wondering if any military professor ever mentioned Hopewell Pass Gap, Thoroughfare Gap, and Glasscock Gap in the Bull Run Mountains, and their significance between June 20, 1863 to June 28, 1863?

haha my professor did actually go into detail on those passes when we covered the unit in my american civil war course last fall. it was a beautiful semester to say the least.

[oneplez]

Zou said:

“I did the same thing and suffer no remorse. In fact, the reason I set my Civil War novel in the Western theater was that I thought the East was way overdone!”

Zou

Wow! I didn’t think anyone like you existed. I’ve been preaching the same thing you said and didn’t know that anyone thought the way I did.

I posted the following on “Civil Warriors”:

“In his introduction to Virtual Gettysburg, guide and collector Gary Kross states, “There are over 5,000 books, pamphlets and articles about the Battle of Gettysburg. Even if you could find it all, even if you could afford it all, you couldn’t live long enough to read it all.” That’s the bad news. The good news is that the pace of Gettysburg scholarship and publication has never been faster.”

Wow! We’re going to get MORE Gettysburg stuff and FASTER!

http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exh...helf/main.html

Even worse (I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder), those writing about Grant are setting records also:

“Available from Greenwood Publishing. Ulysses S. Grant: A Bibliography, by Dr. Marie Ellen Kelsey consists of 4242 annotated citations to journals, newspapers, books, and chapters in books.

http://faculty.css.edu/mkelsey/usgrant/index.html

In Ulysses S. Grant: A Bibliography, Dr. Kelsey has created an invaluable resource for Grant scholars. The bibliography consists of twenty chapters covering Grant’s early life, his careers both as soldier and as president, his associations with various individuals, his post-presidency activities, the role alcohol played in his life, his battle with throat cancer, and ultimately, his tragic death. What makes this book truly special is that Kelsey cites not only the usual books and journals but also a wide variety of nontraditional materials ranging from manuscripts to musical scores (MUSICAL SCORES?).

http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/AP18.aspx

However, when I questioned a CW publisher, he claimed he “only published what sold.” The historians (?) know this and ignore the fact that the war was also fought on the other side of the Alleghenies.

“History shouldn't be written on dollar bills.” ~Clifford Odets

Don