The U.S. Army War College: Guide to the Battle of Gettysburg

“Until you have walked the stone walls and trekked the woods along Seminary Ridge and then switched sides to gaze back across the fields from Little Round Top, you cannot truly understand what happened here from July 1 to 3, 1863. One of the best companions [for such excursions] is the U.S. Army War College’s Guide to the Battle of Gettysburg.”—New York Times


Here at last is the long-anticipated revised edition of one of the most respected and popular guides to the Gettysburg National Military Park. The authors have made significant changes to the guide, addressing alterations to the park during the past fifteen years and adding new information and improved maps that enrich park visitors’ understanding of one of the bloodiest and most momentous battles in American history.


The volume retains its signature blend of official reports, commanding officers’ observations, and terrain descriptions, as well as easy-to-use maps that allow park visitors to follow the battle as it actually unfolded. For the new edition, the authors provide double the number of maps—this time by master cartographer Steven Stanley—to effectively track directional changes for visitors driving through the park. They include new sections highlighting the strategic and operational context for the Gettysburg campaign and providing background about Lee’s decision to invade Pennsylvania. They have also added new information about the cavalry battle on Day 3 and the decisions and actions of General Meade, and the “Capabilities and Doctrine” appendix now addresses more fully the evolution of cavalry tactics in the battle’s aftermath. The new volume also features for the first time a useful appendix on logistics.