Member Review Best Book On Gettysburg

Coddington used the Batchelder Papers as a source for his book. As to my knowledge, there has been no other significant discovery of primary sources since then. I'm curious as to why you feel that the book being 50 years old is "the bigger issue."

How is Coddington's treatment of Stuart's ride, East Cavalry Field, and the retreat from Gettysburg? How well does it hold up in light of modern books by @Eric Wittenberg on those subjects? Just to name the best example I could think of.

How about his appraisal of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, or Chamberlain? Or his attitudes toward the war in general? Those topics have seen a fair amount of reappraisal since the 1960s.

If you want to become a true student of the battle, you need to look at the citations and start checking the sources yourself.

I think that's a key question. Is one looking for one good book to become familiar with the Gettysburg battle or campaign? Or to become extremely knowledgeable about it?

I read predominantly for breath, not depth. I'm building my knowledge and satisfying my curiosity.

If I am studying anything in depth - a particular place, person, or event - it's because I have a reason to become an expert about it. Probably I'm intending to write or speak about it.

I would bet most of us here have more books than humanly possible to read all, in our short time on earth!

Very true. Not books that I own, but I have over 1,000 books on my Goodreads To Read shelf, and it has a slow increase over time (despite reading, or removal due to shifting interests etc). I only read 30-50 books per year (which to some people is an astonishing number). No doubt there are some here who read closer to a 100 in a year.
 
How is Coddington's treatment of Stuart's ride, East Cavalry Field, and the retreat from Gettysburg? How well does it hold up in light of modern books by @Eric Wittenberg on those subjects? Just to name the best example I could think of.
Just to address one small aspect of this post: Coddington died before completing the manuscript. Someone else did the chapter on the retreat, which is the reason why it's by far the weakest part of the entire book. It's not good.
 
How is Coddington's treatment of Stuart's ride, East Cavalry Field, and the retreat from Gettysburg? How well does it hold up in light of modern books by @Eric Wittenberg on those subjects? Just to name the best example I could think of.

How about his appraisal of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, or Chamberlain? Or his attitudes toward the war in general? Those topics have seen a fair amount of reappraisal since the 1960s.



I think that's a key question. Is one looking for one good book to become familiar with the Gettysburg battle or campaign? Or to become extremely knowledgeable about it?

I read predominantly for breath, not depth. I'm building my knowledge and satisfying my curiosity.

If I am studying anything in depth - a particular place, person, or event - it's because I have a reason to become an expert about it. Probably I'm intending to write or speak about it.



Very true. Not books that I own, but I have over 1,000 books on my Goodreads To Read shelf, and it has a slow increase over time (despite reading, or removal due to shifting interests etc). I only read 30-50 books per year (which to some people is an astonishing number). No doubt there are some here who read closer to a 100 in a year.
Would be interesting to know how many books are read in a year by people. Though recently retired, I know I don’t read as often or as many as anticipated. I built a reading stash over the working years in anticipation of this time in my life. So far this year I’ve read 12 kindle books and 8 hardcover. This number is about halfway for what I would like to read in a year. Not that I’m in a competition with anyone. But I hope to read more often. We’ll see. I agree with Thomas Jefferson, “I can’t live without books”.
 
Would be interesting to know how many books are read in a year by people. Though recently retired, I know I don’t read as often or as many as anticipated. I built a reading stash over the working years in anticipation of this time in my life. So far this year I’ve read 12 kindle books and 8 hardcover. This number is about halfway for what I would like to read in a year. Not that I’m in a competition with anyone. But I hope to read more often. We’ll see. I agree with Thomas Jefferson, “I can’t live without books”.
I'll be 69 in September, and I've found the number of books I've read has dropped off. What helps is to toss a few fictional, page turners, into the mix.
 
I'm 68 and have accumulated many hundreds of history books over the years . I'm in the same situation as Tony Z and Lincoln 56 . For some reason I have not read nearly as much as I did when I was working . I recently started rereading a few of my favorites , but I primarily use my books for reference now . I hope that changes . I think I'll start by rereading Sears and Trudeau and Coddington on Gettysburg and Eric's books on the cavalry actions .
 
How is Coddington's treatment of Stuart's ride, East Cavalry Field, and the retreat from Gettysburg? How well does it hold up in light of modern books by @Eric Wittenberg on those subjects? Just to name the best example I could think of.

How about his appraisal of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, or Chamberlain? Or his attitudes toward the war in general? Those topics have seen a fair amount of reappraisal since the 1960s.
Good questions. However, I think it's hard to compare Wittenberg's books that are very detailed and focused on specific aspects of the battle to Coddington's "treatment," which is more generalized in scope since he covers the whole campaign. The question for me is do more modern books contradict or overrule Coddington's coverage?
 
The books I've read are: all 3 volumes on Gettysburg by Harry Pfanz and they are good. For years I had hoped Pfanz would do a 4th book on the 3rd day but sadly that never came. So I picked Pickett's Charge by Earl Hess which is very good. I have the Gettysburg Maps by Gottfried but haven't read all the way through but it's good. I need to pick up a copy of Gettysburg by Sears for he is very good and did a good job on Antietam Landscape Turned Red and Chancellorsville.

Two books I haven't seen mentioned on this thread are: Brigades of Gettysburg by Gottfried. The other is a very exhaustive and detailed and a big book- Gettysburg July 1 by David Martin.
 
The books I've read are: all 3 volumes on Gettysburg by Harry Pfanz and they are good. For years I had hoped Pfanz would do a 4th book on the 3rd day but sadly that never came. So I picked Pickett's Charge by Earl Hess which is very good. I have the Gettysburg Maps by Gottfried but haven't read all the way through but it's good. I need to pick up a copy of Gettysburg by Sears for he is very good and did a good job on Antietam Landscape Turned Red and Chancellorsville.

Two books I haven't seen mentioned on this thread are: Brigades of Gettysburg by Gottfried. The other is a very exhaustive and detailed and a big book- Gettysburg July 1 by David Martin.

If you want a book that covers the 3rd day not just Pickett’s charge, Jeffrey Wert has one out that I read last year and enjoyed
 
To go into a different direction, but still along the lines of "best ---- for understanding Gettysburg": for our connected kids and grandkids, that seem to be wired to their devices, what is the best site to explore the history of Gettysburg? Is there such a thing as an interactive site that is not a game? If this request seems off, well, it is just because I simply do not know, and I looking for something to get my grandkids interested in (besides games).
 
If you want a book that covers the 3rd day not just Pickett’s charge, Jeffrey Wert has one out that I read last year and enjoyed
I agree about Wert's book and would recommend looking at books that cover the two weeks following the battle as well. Brown's Retreat From Gettysburg is a good start. I am about to dig into Lee is Trapped and Must Be Taken by Richard Schaus and Thomas Ryan.
 
Reading Trudeau right now, the prose is riveting can't put it down... he is an excellent writer, I think the strength of the book is the author's ability to seamlessly blend in all the different perspectives and accounts of the battle (generals, officers, soldiers, citizens, politicians, journalists) without this being a distraction, it all flows very well.
 
How is Coddington's treatment of Stuart's ride, East Cavalry Field, and the retreat from Gettysburg? How well does it hold up in light of modern books by @Eric Wittenberg on those subjects? Just to name the best example I could think of.

How about his appraisal of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, or Chamberlain? Or his attitudes toward the war in general? Those topics have seen a fair amount of reappraisal since the 1960s.



I think that's a key question. Is one looking for one good book to become familiar with the Gettysburg battle or campaign? Or to become extremely knowledgeable about it?

I read predominantly for breath, not depth. I'm building my knowledge and satisfying my curiosity.

If I am studying anything in depth - a particular place, person, or event - it's because I have a reason to become an expert about it. Probably I'm intending to write or speak about it.



Very true. Not books that I own, but I have over 1,000 books on my Goodreads To Read shelf, and it has a slow increase over time (despite reading, or removal due to shifting interests etc). I only read 30-50 books per year (which to some people is an astonishing number). No doubt there are some here who read closer to a 100 in a year.
As to your response regarding the age of Coddington's book, and as several posts have pointed out, there has been a ton of additional analysis of command and other issues just in Gettysburg magazine, not to mention a slew of excellent books, in the half century since Coddington was published. The idea that inquiry ended with Batchelder and Coddington's assessment is asking a lot. That doesn't mean it isn't still worthwhile but I find it hard to swallow that if Coddington were around today he would find nothing to revise.
 
Reading Trudeau right now, the prose is riveting can't put it down... he is an excellent writer, I think the strength of the book is the author's ability to seamlessly blend in all the different perspectives and accounts of the battle (generals, officers, soldiers, citizens, politicians, journalists) without this being a distraction, it all flows very well.
Ok. I've been waiting to see which book to buy and this review convinced me. Trudeau it is. Thanks!
 
Ok. I've been waiting to see which book to buy and this review convinced me. Trudeau it is. Thanks!
One interesting feature of Trudeau is that he finds a way to list Medal of Honor winners at the battle. And - as we know was the case - it shows how much more freely it was awarded for Civil War conduct, mostly after the war to guys who were still living. Meanwhile, Alonzo Cushing had to wait 150 years for dying at his guns.
 
To go into a different direction, but still along the lines of "best ---- for understanding Gettysburg": for our connected kids and grandkids, that seem to be wired to their devices, what is the best site to explore the history of Gettysburg? Is there such a thing as an interactive site that is not a game? If this request seems off, well, it is just because I simply do not know, and I looking for something to get my grandkids interested in (besides games).
@Tony Z

See if this is helpful: https://www.battlefields.org/visit/mobile-apps/gettysburg-battle-app

Originally published by the Civil War Preservation Trust which has rebranded as American Battlefield Trust.
A free app that you download to your device, preferably for use while at the park though outside of the park
to an extent as well.

This is from the American Battlefield Trust Website:
1626712454338.png


They have several ACW battlefields available in these apps:

https://www.battlefields.org/search?resource[0]=mobile_app
 
@Tony Z

See if this is helpful: https://www.battlefields.org/visit/mobile-apps/gettysburg-battle-app

Originally published by the Civil War Preservation Trust which has rebranded as American Battlefield Trust.
A free app that you download to your device, preferably for use while at the park though outside of the park
to an extent as well.

This is from the American Battlefield Trust Website:
View attachment 408659

They have several ACW battlefields available in these apps:

https://www.battlefields.org/search?resource[0]=mobile_app
Thanks, I'll pass this off to my daughter for the grandkids!

T
 
One interesting feature of Trudeau is that he finds a way to list Medal of Honor winners at the battle. And - as we know was the case - it shows how much more freely it was awarded for Civil War conduct, mostly after the war to guys who were still living. Meanwhile, Alonzo Cushing had to wait 150 years for dying at his guns.
For the vast majority of soldiers who earned it during the course of the war, they had to either capture an enemy flag or recapture/protect one of their flags in order to get one. Most of the medals issued for valorous conduct came in the post-war period when a lot of these veterans were in office or were figures in their communities and it was a way to honor them for what they had done.

In Cushing's case, there just weren't many people to advocate for him along with the general attitude that officers were supposed to be gentlemen and exemplars for their men so those kinds of heroics were to be expected and not necessarily rewarded.

Ryan
 
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