The Third Day at Gettysburg and Beyond (Military Campaigns of the Civil War)

The six essays in this volume testify to the enduring impact of the Civil War on our national consciousness. Covering subjects as diverse as tactics, the uses of autobiography, and the power of myth-making in the southern tradition, they illustrate the rewards of imaginative scholarship—even for the most intensely studied battle in America's history. The Third Day at Gettysburg and Beyond brings current research and interpretation to bear on a range of pivotal issues surrounding the final day of the battle, July 3, 1863. This revisionist approach begins by expanding our knowledge of the engagement itself: individual essays address Confederate general James Longstreet's role in Pickett's Charge and Union general George Meade's failure to pursue Lee after the fighting. Other essays widen the scope of investigation to look at contemporary reactions to the Confederate defeat across the South, the construction of narratives by the participants themselves—from Confederate survivors of Pickett's assault to Union sergeant Ben Hirst—and the reverberations of Pickett's final momentous charge. Combining fresh evidence with the reinterpretation of standard sources, these essays refocus our view of the third day at Gettysburg to take in its diverse stories of combat and memory. The contributors are: Gary W. Gallagher, William Garrett Piston, Carol Reardon, Robert K. Krick, Robert L. Bee, and A. Wilson Greene. The six essays in this volume testify to the enduring impact of the Civil War on our national consciousness. Covering subjects as diverse as tactics, the uses of autobiography, and the power of myth-making in the southern tradition, they illustrate the rewards of imaginative scholarship - even for the most intensely studied battle in America's history. The Third Day at Gettysburg and Beyond brings current research and interpretation to bear on a range of pivotal issues surrounding the final day of the battle, July 3, 1863. This revisionist approach begins by expanding our knowledge of the engagement itself: individual essays address Confederate general James Longstreet's role in Pickett's Charge and Union general George Meade's failure to pursue Lee after the fighting. Other essays widen the scope of investigation to look at contemporary reactions to the Confederate defeat across the South, the construction of narratives by the participants themselves - from Confederate survivors of Pickett's assault to Union sergeant Ben Hirst - and the reverberations of Pickett's final momentous charge. Combining fresh evidence with the reinterpretation of standard sources, these essays refocus our view of the third day at Gettysburg to take in its diverse stories of combat and memory. The Third Day at Gettysburg and Beyond brings current research and interpretation to bear on a range of pivotal issues surrounding the final day of the battle, July 3, 1863. This revisionist approach begins by expanding our knowledge of the engagement itself: individual essays address Confederate general James Longstreet's role in Pickett's Charge and Union general George Meade's failure to pursue Lee after the fighting. Other essays widen the scope of investigation to look at contemporary reactions to the Confederate defeat across the South, the construction of narratives by the participants themselves -- from Confederate survivors of Pickett's assault to Union sergeant Ben Hirst -- and the reverberations of Pickett's final momentous charge. Combining fresh evidence with the reinterpretation of standard sources, these essays refocus our view of the third day at Gettysburg to take in its diverse stories of combat and memory. - Jacket flap. Introduction Lee's army has not lost any of its prestige : the impact of Gettysburg on the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate home front / Garry W. Gallagher Cross purposes : Longstreet, Lee, and Confederate attack plans for July 3 at Gettysburg / William Garrett Piston Pickett's charge : the convergence of history and myth in the Southern past / Carol Reardon Armistead and Garnett : the parallel lives of two Virginia soldiers / Robert K. Krick Fredericksburg on the other leg : Sergeant Ben Hirst's narrative of important events, Gettysburg, July 3, 1863 / Robert L. Bee From Gettysburg to falling waters : Meade's pursuit of Lee / A. Wilson Greene Bibliographic essay The six essays collected here explore the enduring impact of the America Civil War on that nation's national consciousness. Contributors examine subjects as diverse as tactics, the uses of autobiography and the power of myth-making in the southern tradition. Six Civil War specialists offer perspectives on the controversial third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, particularly on the futile charge of Pickett's division A canvas of Confederate sentiment in the summer of 1863 suggests that many southerners did not view the battle of Gettysburg as a catastrophic defeat.