Product Description There have been many books about Gettysburg, but never one to rival this in scale or authority. Based on extensive research, The Gettysburg Companion describes the battle in detail, drawing on firsthand accounts of participants on all sides in order to give the reader a vivid sense of what it was like to experience the carnage at Gettysburg in early July 1863. The many full-color maps--all specially commissioned for the book--and the numerous photographs, charts, and diagrams make this book a feast for the eyes and a collector's dream.
Nicely Packaged; heavily flawed, innacurate November 5, 2008 9 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is a great coffee table book, full of illustrations about Civil War uniforms, weapons, soldier's equipment and many maps. However most of these came from other, previously published sources and those sources aren't credited.
This work is just filled with inaccuracies of fact. Even the "Order of Battle" which is a technical military term describing organization of troops and their leaders is incorrect and not consistent with the U. S. Army War College definitive work on the Gettysburg Order of Battle. Nor does it agree with several other books including "Gettysburg, A Study In Command", by Edwin B. Coddington, 1968, often cited as the definitive work on this battle.
An example: This author confuses the Artillery Reserve--defined in the 1860 manual as "A distinct arm of battle, commanded by a senior officer of artillery and reporting directly to the General in Command," with the reserve artillery--batteries to be called up as replacements.
He shows a page for "Reserve Artillery" commanded by Gen. Robt. Tyler, consisting of 106 field guns in 17 batteries, but doesn't differentiate them from the Corps Artillery batteries of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 12th Corps which, in the Army of the Potomac, reported directly to the Major Generals assigned as Corps Commanders.
On the other hand, he shows Confederate Division Artillery Battalions under Colonels, which is correct, but designates the division reserve artillery as the CSA Artillery Reserve. The CSA had no Artillery Reserve as established by the 1860 U. S. manual Instructions For Artillery.
Yes, the terminology is confusing, but the result of the differences between Union and Confederate artillery organization was of critical importance at Gettysburg. Union Chief of Artillery Gen. Henry Hunt had 17 Artillery Batteries standing by for immediate service under Gen. Tyler's direction, organized into Brigades. The First Volunteer Brigade was rushed to support Sickles Third Corps in the Peach Orchard, saving the day in the late afternoon of July 2. And the Artillery Reserve supplied a major portion of the long range rifled cannon firepower on July 3 in repulse of Pickett's Charge.
Beyond the organizational chart, this author concludes that artillery fire was ineffective against infantry because one doctor at one field hospital that treated 2,000 casualties reported only 240 wounds from artillery projectiles. The author didn't stop to think that in those days the Doctors and Field Hospitals didn't treat the dead or keep track of what killed them. The fact that only 10% of casualties at one field hospital suffered from artillery shell wounds, has, along with much other evidence and eyewitness accounts, led other authors to conclude that artillery fire was overwhelmingly effective in that troops attacked by shells, case shot and canister were generally killed outright. That's more likely why those wounded showed few signs of being hit by artillery fire.
The author includes several photographs he took himself in 2005 during a visit to Gettysburg. Two of these immediately stand out as errors to anyone familiar with Union artillery. One identifies a cannon as a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle whereas it really is a poorly done "Gettysburg replica" cast in the 1890s. There are plenty of "real" 3-inch Ordnance Rifles on the field at Gettysburg. Anyone taking photos for a book should be able to tell a poorly executed replica from an original, especially at G'Burg where many are side by side.
Another photo identifies a Model 1863 3-inch Parrott Rifle as a Model 1861 2.9 inch, "10-Pounder" Parrott Rifle. The 2.9's are the only ones termed "10 Pounders" and the only light Parrott Rifles which were at Gettysburg. The 3-inch Parrott models hadn't been delivered to the Army in July, 1863 at the time of the battle. The Park Service has used several original 3-inch Parrotts throughout the Park only because not enough 10 Pounders have survived.
The 2.9's have a clearly different profile than the 3-inch Parrotts. The 10 pdr 2.9's show a large muzzle swell or flare, while the 3-inch model ended with a straight tube cutoff squarely. When taking photos for a book, the author should have made sure he photographed the correct cannon.
Time and again points of detail in the text and the photographs are display egregious errors, apparently the result of conclusions made up from whole cloth by the author in an attempt to explain or describe something about which he had no first hand knowledge. Part of the July 3 action on East Cavalry Field, for example, is the subject of a clearly erroneous conclusion which demonstrates the author's misunderstanding of common Civil War era tactics. (It is not easy for an English author to spend one month in the U. S. and then write what is supposed to be a comprehensive book about America's most written about battle.)
Other than being shot through and through with inaccuracies of facts that have previously been well established by more than 100 different authors who've written on Gettysburg, the book is a nice display piece and its entertaining to flip the colorful pages.
C. Peter Jorgensen, Editor, THE CIVIL WAR NEWS
GETTYSBURG COMPANION October 30, 2008 9 out of 14 found this review helpful
Adkin does an excellent job of breaking down the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia into understandable components. The sections on artillery, infantry and cavalry are very well done. For anyone who has an interest in Gettysburg this book is a must.
A Gem With Flaws October 24, 2008 11 out of 18 found this review helpful
The Gettysburg Companion: A Guide to the Most Famous Battle of the Civil War, Mark Adkin, 544 pages, Stackpole Books, $69.95.
Scott Hartwig, supervisory historian of Gettysburg National Military Park, states on the front inside flap of the cover, that "This is the Gettysburg book that students and aficionados of the battle have dreamed about . . . . The Gettysburg Campanion is quite absolute gem." So it appears but CWL sees that many of the books strengths are also its weaknesses.
Open the book at page 429: There is a nice modern color photograph taken six feet above the ground of the terrain over which 'Kershaw's Brigade Attacks From the Millerstown Road'. The Millerstown Road is on the horizon not the foreground or so it appears from the title of the photograph. On the photograph are the key sites: Rose Farm and Biesecker's Woods in the distance; three orange arrows flow from the horizon and over the ground showing the path of Confederate troops towards the photographer. The photograph looks sharp and the graphics are crisp. The problem is that the author does not show on a map the position on the battlefield where the photographer stood. Though in the caption a description is given regarding the the photographer's position as being from the position of Bigelow's battery. If that is the case and it does appear so, then the title of the photograph is wrong. Kemper does not attack from the Millerstown (Wheatfield) Road but towards the Millerstown Road.
Now turn to panorama photographs on page 434 and 435. 'The View from Bigelow's Final Battery Position Looking Toward the Rebel Attack'. In this case the title matches the position of the photographer and the movement of the Confederate troops. CWL sees that Akins should have asked Stackpole Publishing for a few sharp-eyed, licensed battlefield guides to actually read everything in the book.
Adkin has invested a major effort into The Gettysburg Companion but he leaves CWL grasping in vain for explicit guideposts for the sources he consulted. CWL also has complaints that the citations are inadequate for convenient source checking. The bibliography of consulted sources is too small to substantiate the immense amount of material the author discusses. This leads CWL to consider the charges which J.D. Petruzzi levels in his Amazon.com review and his remarks on online The Gettysburg Discussion Group forum against Gettysburg Companion; specific quotations were used from diary and letter sources that can be found only in others scholarship. Also, Petruzzi states that the William Frassinito, acknowledged as the expert on Gettysburg photography, quickly found misidentified illustrations.
It appears that Adkin is a subscriber to both North and South Magazine and Gettysburg Magazine. In the acknowledgments, Adkin thanks Tom Desjardins and the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg for allowing him to use their map as a base from which he adds enhancements. Yet it appears that some information is taken from North and South Magazine and Gettysburg Magazine without attribution. As enjoyable as The Gettysburg Companion can be, CWL winces at the lapse of acknowledgement by Adkin of the many, many historians who have mined primary sources and published their work with bibliographic citations. If Gettysburg Companion is intended to be a coffee table book which looks nice on display and a satisfying book through which to browse, then the meager citations are not an issue. But if Adkin hoped his work would stand alongside the work of scholars, then the Gettysburg Companion will not be on the bookshelf but stay on the coffee table.
A Unique Classic Study of Gettysburg October 20, 2008 14 out of 23 found this review helpful
The Gettysburg Companion I have been waiting with great anticipation for the arrival of my copy of The Gettysburg Companion, and, upon receiving it, I am not disappointed. It, like Mrk Adkin's two previous companions, is a wonderful addition to a military library. It has surpassed all expectations! The three companions are comprehensive indeed.
The Gettysburg Companion is a unique tour de force unlike in quality and difference in persective to any previous published studies of Gettysburg. Encyclopedic in its scope, The Gettysburg Companion is an in-depth sweeping guide to the Gettysburg Campaign. It consists of twelve sections which inclde a detailed orders of battle, an analysis of weapontry and equipment along with how an army march, deployed, and fought battles. Not only does it include sections on the three branches, but on the ancillary branches. A section on command and control helps the reader to better understand how battles were fought during the Civil War. The majority of the text examines the Gettysburg Campaign beginning with an overview of Chancellrsville to the pursuit and retreat in a readable and compelling style.
The Gettysburg Companion uses the same successful 9 x 11 1/2 format with the same high quality paper as the Trafalgar and Waterloo studies. The use of modern photographs as in The Waterloo Companion with overlays indicating troop locations at the time of the battle are are great addition to the effectiveness of the book. Seventy full color maps using Tom Desjardin's 1998 map project as a base, along with sixteen pages of original art work depicting over fifty unit uniforms contribute to the quality of this book.
This book is difficult to fully describe; it must be examined to be fully appreciated. The Gettysburg Companion is highly recommended for its magnitude and vast amount of iinformation. It, like Bruce Catton's The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, is destined to become a classic. It should be the best single reference on the Battle of Gettysburg.
An Incredible Book! Absolutely A Must For Civil War Buffs! October 9, 2008 21 out of 25 found this review helpful
This is simply an incredible book with outstanding organization, graphics, maps, photos, and narrative. It is large, 11-1/2" x 9", thick, 1-5/8" and long, 554 pages. Forget the cost. BUY IT!
The Chapters (Sections) are as follows: Chancellorsville -- The Rebels Lose a General, the Yankees a Battle Orders of Battle The Infantry The Artillery The Cavalry Other Arms and Services Command and Control The Road to Gettysburg The Battlefield The Battle -- Day One The Battle -- Day Two The Battle -- Day Three The Aftermath The 50th Anniversary Reunion
Author Adkins starts with Chancellorsville, Jackson's death and Hooker's defeat. The organization of both armies, the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, follows in five chapters; Orders of Battle, Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, and Other Arms and Services.
In the Orders of Battle Chapter, photos of all the main commanders are shown on organizations charts, all the statistics with respect to strength and losses are given, and commanders are noted on the charts down to regiments and batteries. The charts include narratives of unit actions prior and during the battle of Gettysburg.
In the Infantry Chapter rank insignia is given along with a number of pages with photos and graphics of equipment, armament, uniforms, organization, tactics, formations with positions of officers and NCOs, marching organizations, and many, many details of interest. The Artillery and Cavalry chapters are organized similarly, and these chapters provide a wealth of information in one book that specialists would otherwise have to spend many hours to extract from other references. If one wants to know the sequence of steps to firing a cannon, it is here. If one is interested in seeing how a cavalry picket system is organized and conducted, this book has it. Signal stations, hospital locations and wagon train parks are shown and fully discussed in the Other Arms and Services Chapter. The coverage is comprehensive and all that anyone could want in a single book.
Then comes Command And Control, giving brief biographies of the principal commanders and the organizations of the various services. Chaplins, couriers, escorts, slave usage, intelligence and civilians are included to complete the picture.
The Road to Gettysburg Chapter gives the military situation in May, 1863, Lee's plans and preparations, the Battle of Brandy Station, and the movements of both armies from Virginia to Pennsylvania. The maps are simply outstanding and easy to follow.
The Battlefield Chapter discusses the actual battlefield with maps, photos, various features, and even a detailed map of the town. Little if anything is overlooked.
Day One starts the actual battle, July 1, 1863. The movements of the two armies are shown in detail with maps, graphics, photos and narratives. I checked some of the 1st day maps and graphics with reports in the Official Records (OR), and I was unable to find anything arguably in error. My conclusion, therefore, is that the author has been extremely thorough in his research and one can assume the presentation to be accurate. This chapter alone contains 56 pages, 17 multi-colored maps showing terrain, unit positions, movements, times, and various notes, and 7 photographs, 6 of which are annotated to point out features and the presence of formation locations.
Day Two is even more extensive over 66 pages and the reader can easily understand the conduct of the battle and the terrain over which it was fought. Maps, graphics, photos and narrative are similar to those in the Day One Chapter.
Day Three centers around Pickett's Charge in a 62 page presentation of very comprehensive maps and graphics showing almost every detail of the charge.
The Aftermath Chapter gives the casualties and statistics, then follows with Lee's withdrawal back to Virginia. The maps show how Lee escaped from the Union pursuit, and the narrative includes the various communications and comments on both sides.
Without belaboring the point, this is a wonderfully produced book with more color than often found in coffee-table art books, and can be always be used in conjunction with any other book on Gettysburg. So often Civil War narratives are poorly furnished with maps and assume the reader is familiar with the arms and tactics used. This book solves all such problems with respect to Gettysburg.
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