Pickett's charge : the last attack at Gettysburg / Earl J. Hess.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hess, Earl J.

Series:

Civil War America.

Civil War America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pickett, George E. (George Edward), 1825-1875.

Pickett, George E.

Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863.

Physical Description:

xvii, 497 pages : illustrations, maps, plans ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2001]

Summary:

Pickett's Charge is probably the best-known military engagement of the Civil War, widely regarded as the defining moment of the battle of Gettysburg and celebrated as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. But as Earl J. Hess notes, the epic stature of Pickett's Charge has grown at the expense of reality, and the facts of the attack have been obscured or distorted by the legend that surrounds them.

With this book, Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. He explores why the assault took place, how it was organized, what mistakes were made in launching or repelling it, and what it really meant for the final outcome of the Civil War.

Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, Hess creates a moving narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives. He examines the history of the units involved, their state of readiness, how they maneuvered under fire, and what the men who marched in the ranks thought about their participation in the assault. Ultimately, Hess explains, such an approach reveals Pickett's Charge as both a case study in how soldiers deal with combat and a dramatic episode of heroism, failure, and fate on the battlefield.

Contents:

Chapter 1. The Last Attack at Gettysburg 1

Chapter 2. The Attackers 36

Chapter 3. The Defenders 82

Chapter 4. The Bombardment 125

Chapter 5. To Emmitsburg Road 166

Chapter 6. To the Stone Fence 201

Chapter 7. High Tide 248

Chapter 8. The Repulse 296

Chapter 9. Glory Enough 341

Epilogue: Making Sense of Pickett's Charge 385

Order of Battle 405.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 459-482) and index.

ISBN:

0807826480

OCLC:

48811356