The Second Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership - Hardcover

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9780873384810: The Second Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0873384814 ISBN 13: 9780873384810

Publisher: Kent State Univ Pr, 1993

Notable Civil War historians herein continue the evaluation of select commanders begun in The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership. Based on fresh manuscript sources and careful consideration of existing literature, the essays in The Second Day at Gettysburg explore such controversial issues as Robert E. Lee's decision to renew the tactical offensive on July 2; James Longstreet's effectiveness in executing Lee's plan; the origin and impact of Daniel E. Sickles's decision to advance his Third Corps, which formed the infamous "Sickles's Salient"; the little-understood role of Henry W. Slocum and his Union Twelfth Corps; and the contribution of John C. Caldwell's division in the maelstrom of the Wheatfield.
These provocative essays present new evidence and sometimes controversial interpretations that will prompt reevaluation of several officers who played crucial roles during the second day of the Gettysburg campaign.

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About the Author:

Gary W. Gallagher is professor of history at the University of Virginia. He is a contributing editor of The Kent State University Press publications Antietam: Essays on the 1862 Maryland Campaign (1989); Struggle for the Shenandoah: Essays on the 1864 Valley Campaign (1991); The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership (1992); and Three Days at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership (1999).

From Publishers Weekly:

Gallagher has put together a worthy sequel to his The First Day at Gettysburg. The volume contains five essays, originally delivered as papers at a 1991 conference. Each examines the mistakes and successes of a different military commander involved in the confrontation between 100,000 Union troops and 70,000 Confederate soldiers that sealed the fate of the Southern cause. Robert K. Krick offers a convincing reassessment of Confederate James Longstreet, long vilified as the author of the rebels' defeat. William Glenn Robertson provides a no less controversial appraisal of Federal General Daniel Sickles, who, according to conventional history, blundered in his actions at the Peach Orchard. Gallagher himself takes on the formidable task of rating the performance of Robert E. Lee, concluding that his actions were more reasonable than they have often been judged. The book proves a reflection on the nature and foibles of military leadership, and it opens up the entire panorama of the engagement and of Lee's campaign. Civil War buffs will doubtless be left eagerly awaiting a similar treatment of the final day of the encounter. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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