The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command, Volume 1

The Battle of Gettysburg is surely one of the best described military actions in history. The controversies over strategy and the ascribing of praise and blame began when the battle itself was hardly over, and they have continued until today. Professor Coddington's book presents a fresh point of view of the action at Gettysburg. Professor Coddington begins his study by summarizing Lee's strategy in the spring of 1863. Both armies started moving north in June, 1863, and after the Confederates had crossed the Rappahannock, the Union army could no longer claim to hold the initiative. Finally, on July first, the opposing forces met at McPherson's Ridge, and the bloody three days' battle began. Professor Coddington re-creates all the famous engagements fought at Gettysburg. The narrative of the battle is enriched with almost a dozen detailed maps, and the book also contains numerous illustrations and a chart of the hierarchy of participants on both sides. -- From publisher's description.