Book Review--A Field Guide to Gettysburg

Reardon, Carol and Tom Vossler. A Field Guide to Gettysburg: Experiencing the Battlefield through Its History, Places, and People . Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 2013. 454 pages, maps, color and b/w photos, index, notes. $22.

There are so many books on the battle of Gettysburg you would practically need an entire library to house them all and more are coming every week. That just goes to show the sway that this beautiful battlefield has on not just those interested in the Civil War but in travelers in general.

Most visitors, no matter how well intentioned, are not going to sit down and read Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, or any of the other, very large, books that attempt to cover all three days of battle. A book like Reardon and Vossler's however may be just what these day trippers are looking for.

The book is broken down by day with each day having several chapters. The chapters are broken down further into several driving stops. Each stop contains more than enough information for the casual tourist and yet will provide those more knowledgeable with plenty to consider and learn from. The book does not follow along with the driving guides found at the Visitor Center complex so please don't confuse the two.

When following along with the book visitors will make many stops along the battlefield. Accurate driving instructions are included so don't worry if you don't know the road layout. Each stop includes several sections. These include: Orientation, What Happened There, Who Fought Here, Who Commanded Here, Who Fell Here and What Did They Say About it Later.

For me the beauty of this book is that readers will get a chance to see and learn about under appreciated portions of the field and lesser known participants (I always check for information on the Florida Brigade and the author's don't disappoint.). Of course there are stops for East Cemetery Hill, Little Round Top and Devil's Den. There is so much more to the field however and by following along a visitor will get to see so much that is seldom covered. Mind you, there are 35 stops included in the guide. You will not effectively be able to see them all in one day. The battle was just too complicated and the book too in depth for a one day trip. If you are in town for the short a time I would recommend having this book ahead of time so that you can plan your itinerary before arriving.

Reardon and Vossler have written a book that can be read on it's own merit. The research appears to be solid and there are plenty of notes for those wishing to follow up on statements made. This is a book more written to be used while touring. While paperback, this is a solid book that looks like it would be able to stand up to wear and use on the field. For the price this is an unbeatable bargain for anybody interested in Gettysburg. Highly recommended.

Another "can't miss" Gettysburg guide is The Complete Gettysburg Guide: Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries, Field Hospital Sites, and other Topics of Historical Interest written by J. D. Petruzzi and Steven Stanley. Please see my review here.

Ocala, FL Civil War Monument

Located in the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park stands a reminder to the brave men from Marion County who fought for the Confederacy.

Unveiling of Confederate Monument in at corner
 of Ocala County courthouse grounds.

(Courtesy Florida State Archives, Florida Memory
Project, rc03941, www.floridamemory.com)

Standing 23 feet tall the monument was originally created by McNeel Marble Company from Valdosta, GA. The J. J. Dickison Chapter No. 56 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy had the memorial erected at the Marion County Courthouse and official dedication took place on May 1, 1908.

The monument stood at the courthouse, despite changes to the building, for over a century. Until recently the statue had been located in a corner of the building relegating the memorial to an afterthought rather than the tribute it was designed to be. When plans were made to build a new courthouse annex ideas were put forth as to what to do with "Johnny Reb" as the statue is affectionately called by some. Ideas included leaving the statue where it was, moving it to the entrance of the county historical museum, or moving the statue approximately two miles to a location at Veterans Memorial Park. While cost played a role in the final outcome, the decision was made to move the statue to a location in Veterans Memorial Park. With a public/private joint venture the funds were raised and the statue now sits in a prominent location at the park. A rededication ceremony took place on April 16, 2011 featuring Civil War reenactors and authentic weaponry from the war. You may read a local news article on the ceremony here.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing this monument while I was in Ocala to attend a wedding. Unfortunately it was a cloudy and rainy day when we got to the park so my personal photos are only OK at best. The gray clouds and rain spot or two on the lens didn't really make them usable here. I have managed to find better quality photos that you will see below. Thanks go out to the Florida Public Archaeology Network for the photos and some of the information used in this post.

Veterans Memorial Park is located at the corner of East Fort King Street and SE 25th St.

GPS Coordinates: N 29 11.186  W 082 06.157    elevation approximately 113 feet

Sign in Veterans Memorial Park, the new
 location of the Confederate monument.
(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

View of the monument and its new setting and landscaping in Veterans Memorial Park. Photo was taken facing towards the southeast.
(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

The front or northwest face of the monument is the most elaborate:

1861-1865

THE SOUTH REVERES
HER WASHINGTON,
JEFFERSON, MADISON,
MONROE, ANDREW JACKSON,
AND OTHERS, WHO LAID
THE FOUNDATIONS OF
OUR GRAND REPUBLIC.
SHE HONORS HER LEE,
STONEWALL JACKSON,
STUART, JOHNSON, FOREST,
AND EVERY BRAVE SON
WHO FOUGHT TO PRESERVE
OUR LIBERTIES,
GUARANTEED BY THE FATHERS,
UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.

CONFEDERATE

ERECTED A.D. 1908
BY
DICKISON CHAPTER NO. 56, U.D.C.
IN HONOR OF
THE HEROES OF THE
CONFEDERACY

(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)



(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

On April 16, 2011 the monument was
 rededicated atits new permanent
 location in Ocala's Veteran's Park.
(Photo by Doug Engle, Ocala Star-Banner,
 April 16, 2011)

View of the soldier statue, feature a wide brimmed hat, blanket roll across his shoulder, Enfield bayonet in sheath, and standing at rest with musket on the ground in front.

(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

The southeast face of the monument features
 crossed flags above which is "1861 - 1865."
(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

View of the rear of the soldier statue,
clearly showing the Enfield bayonet
in scabbard, canteen, and blanket roll
 held together by a wide band.
(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

The southwest face of the monument
 features a bas relief of a partially furled
 Confederate battle flag, with "CSA" above,
 and the following below the flag:

IT'S FAME ON
BRIGHTEST PAGES,
PENNED BY POETS
AND BY SAGES,
SHALL GO SOUNDING
DOWN THE AGES.
(Photo by William Lees, FPAN, May 2011)

USA Weekend magazine travel suggestions

USA Weekend features a cover article by Ken Burns on his suggested Civil War travel sites. I've put the listing below. What are your thoughts? Good choices? What did he miss?

1) Fort Sumter, SC

2) First Bull Run--Manassas, VA

3) Shiloh, TN

4) Antietam, Sharpsburg, MD

5) Fredericksburg, VA

6) Gettysburg, PA

7) Vicksburg, MS

8) Chattanooga, TN

9) Petersburg, VA

10) Appomattox Court House, VA

Book Review--Guide to Civil War Philadelphia

Sauers, Richard A. Guide to Civil War Philadelphia.  Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA. 2003. 182 pages, b/w photos, index, bibliography. ISBN 0306812320, $18.95.

 The City of Brotherly Love is most commonly associated with the American Revolution and the founding of our great country. With Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave and more this is completely understandable. However don't that fool you. For Civil War enthusiasts there is a wealth of things to do  as this book so capably shows.

Part history guide and mostly travel guide this is a must have for those interested in the Civil War who are travelling to Philadelphia. The book is broken down by category: abolition and underground railroad, museums and libraries, Civil War sites, vanished Civil War sites, cemeteries, and outlying sites.

For a city that was as far from the actual war as Philadelphia was there are an amazing number of places to see. Listed by category in alphabetical order Saunders gives a brief description of each site and it's importance or relevance to the war. This is helpful but then we run into the main problem with the book.

The book is dated badly. Travel guides are old even by the time they are printed. This one unfortunately is eight years old. Museums come and go, hours and admissions change, and perhaps most importantly is the explosion of the Internet. Very few listings are shown as having a website which in this day and age I find hard to believe. Da Capo Press if you are reading...How about an updated version? A very good book could be made even better.

For researchers the large appendix will be very useful. Included are listings of manuscript holdings at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Chester County Historical Society. A listing of Philadelphia shipyards and Civil War vessels is included as is a large listing of Civil War regiments and company breakdowns that were recruited in the city and surrounding area. A small listing of regimental histories is included separately from the bibliography.

Despite my reservation regarding the age of the book I can still recommend it as a starting point for those visiting Philadelphia who want to explore it's Civil War history. Take the information you gather inside and sit down with your computer and get the updated information that way. There are plenty of places listed here that you would miss otherwise.

Thanks to Bern at Battlefields & Beyond Military History Book Shoppe for reinforcing my purchase decision on this book.

Book Review--Discovering the Civil War in Florida

Taylor, Paul. Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide. Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL. 2001. 240 pages 209 pages text. Index, bibliography, notes, b/w photos, maps. ISBN 1561642355 $18.95.

Being interested in the Civil War and living in Florida are not a good pairing. Little happened battle wise in the state and what did happen was of very little importance. This is not to say that Florida did not have value to the Confederacy but let's face it the state was far away from any major action. Despite this author Paul Taylor has written a book that anybody who is interested in Florida's role in the Confederacy should own.

Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide is part history and part travel guide mixing the best of both worlds. Taylor divides his book into geographic regions and then further breaks each region down into various locations. This works effectively by allowing the reader to read this as a book or giving them ideas surrounding their intended travel location. The bibliography is also an importance reference for those wanting to do further research.

Each location is given a brief but for this work complete treatment. Each includes a section called "Summary of Military Activity". Here Taylor describes what happened and when including relevant notes. Readers are then given published works dealing with the area. This may include pieces from the OR, Confederate Veteran magazine, Florida Historical Quarterly or other sources. All include original publication information. This is not meant to include all the published work on these areas but just serves as a brief overview. When possible each location also includes "Today's Sites". This section gives the reader information on various points of interest. Included may be forts, museums, houses, memorials, etc.

This is a valuable resource for anybody living in or visiting Florida who has an interest in the Civil War. The book is in desperate need of revision however. Any travel related book that is 10 years old is woefully out of date. Museums can close, entrance fees are always changing, hours are subject to budget concerns, etc. With advances in technology GPS coordinates are almost a must in a book like this. Website information is not included either. By expanding this section the book would be even more valuable. I would also like to see better maps. Those included are just reproductions of period pieces that do not show troop movements. These issues aside, this is a must own book for Civil War researchers with an interest in Florida.

Book Review--The Complete Gettysburg Guide

Petruzzi, J. David and Steven Stanley. The Complete Gettysburg Guide: Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries, Field Hospital Sites, and other Topics of Historical Interest. Savas Beatie, New York, New York. 2009. 304 pages. Maps, index, bibliography. $39.95.

Calling a book complete in most instances will open you up to complaints that it is not "really" complete and reviewers, bloggers, and complainers will pick it apart. The Complete Gettysburg Guide however is not one of those type books. It really is complete and then some. Not only is it complete it is a treat to look at and also to read.

J. David Petruzzi runs the blog Hoofbeats and Cold Steel in addition to his day job. He is the co-author of several other books and is considered an expert on the Battle of Gettysburg. Steven Stanley is a well known cartographer whose work is known by anyone who is a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust. These gentlemen are well qualified to write such a book.

For the average tourist the $40 price tag isn't going to sit well. But this is not just a travel guide in the conventional sense and you aren't going to find paid advertisements, diamond ratings, shopping sites, where to stay or eat in this guide. What you are going to find is an experts look at the city of Gettysburg and it's surroundings. If you are only looking for the other stuff stay away this isn't for you. If you are serious about learning what is at Gettysburg you can't do any better than this.

The first thing you will notice about the book is the physical quality. This is a heavy book printed on quality paper. This is meant to stand up to a good amount of usage. When you open the book you can't help but be impressed with the overall quality. The printing, photos, and maps are all top notch. Did I mention maps? You'll get one just about every 3-4 pages. The maps are bright, large, and easy to follow. The book is also filled with beautiful contemporary photos as well as period pieces that really help tell the story. Each chapter also includes an excellent "additional reading" section which leads readers who want more information to further sources.

The book starts out with an excellent overview of the Gettysburg campaign and battle. Petruzzi gets us off on the right food even if you know little about the battle. From there we move to various driving and walking tours. If you follow along you will get to see many places that most visitors never get to see while still not missing the highlights. Petruzzi gives excellent driving directions and urges caution in areas that are congested or dangerous. He is also correct to point out and remind us that many of the areas are on private property and he cautions us to use courtesy and pay respect to property owners. Just good common sense but an excellent reminder none the less.

To me the strong point of the book is the lesser known areas. The National Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery tours are highlights in my opinion. There is also an excellent tour of historical sites in the city of Gettysburg including the David Wills House, where it is believed Abraham Lincoln put the finishing touches on his Gettysburg Address, the Jeannie Wade House, amongst others. If you are interested in rock carvings there is a great tour here that will take you to all the currently known locations. Some are from the war and many are from after but this is an interesting tour idea in my view. If Civil War medicine is your bag there is a great tour that outlines the known locations of Union and Confederate field hospitals. There are also tours dealing with skirmishes on the outskirts of the main fields of battle.

If you are really interested in learning about Gettysburg and getting the most out of a trip there you will do no better than going to Petruzzi and Stanley's website and getting a copy of this book. Normally I would include an Amazon link but how about you order direct from the authors, get an autographed copy and cut out the middleman. You may need to buy a second copy--one to keep and one to take on the battlefield. Your book(s) will be in your mailbox before you know it.

This book is highly recommended for anybody who is interested in Gettysburg. No matter your level of knowledge there is much to be gained from this book. This will be the book against which all others will be judged. Guides like this are needed for other battlefields and this should be the standard that authors and publishers use when comparing their work.

Book Review--Civil War Walking Tour of Savannah

D'Arcy, David and Ben Mammina. Civil War Walking Tour of Savannah. Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Atglen, PA. 2006. 159 pages, end notes, bibliography, color photos, b/w photos.

As a major part of Sherman's "March to the Sea" Savannah, GA holds a special place for those studying the end of the war. D'Arcy and Mammina have put together a book that anybody visiting Savannah who has an interest in the Civil War should consider purchasing. Despite the title the book actually contains two walking and two driving tours. Unfortunately I did not find this book until the last day of our trip so I don't have estimates on how long these tours take.

The first walking tour is titled Savannah Early in the War and includes 18 stops ranging from the Customs House and Union General John Geary's Headquarters (now a Tony Roma's Restaurant) both on Bay Street to various churches, homes, and squares. This tour is quite a long one and is probably not recommended for the hot summer months. Trust me, I just got back and it is scorching hot in June.

The second walking tour is a bit shorter at 14 stops and is titled Savannah Late in the War and After. Stops include churchs, homes, and the Colonial Cemetery where many of Sherman's trooops stayed during the occupation. Be sure to see the wall of headstones that came about due to damage caused by the troops.

The first driving tour is called Savannah's Eastern Defenses and includes 10 stops. This looks like it would be a long tour especially having to hit both Old Fort Jackson and Fort Pulaski on the same day. Also included are Bonaventure Cemetery ( Civil War Generals Paul Harrison, Robert Anderson, and Alexander Lawton are buried here)and Laurel Grove Cemetery (Civil War Generals Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, Lafayette Mclaws, Francis Bartow, Henry Rootes Jackson, Jeremy Gilmer, and over 600 other confederate dead are buried here) amongst other locations. Plan a couple days for this tour!

The second tour is titled Siege of Savannah December 1864 and includes just 7 stops but appears to have more driving time. Stops include Fort McAllister State Historic Site and the tour concludes at the Savannah Visitor Center and History Museum.

This is a very nice book to look at with excellent photos and no doubt a great set of tours to take. I do have a few issues with it however. The first has nothing to do with the book but my suggestion would not be to buy the book and try to head off on the tours. I highly suggest taking a bus/tram tour of the city first in order to get oriented. There are many choices ranging from about $10 and up depending on what you want. I think that will make things much easier as you get going. I would like to have had an essay of some kind discussing the role Savannah played in the war and what happened when Sherman arrived. As it is the stops are just that-stops. They don't seem to have much in the way of historical context. There is a brief description of each stop but I think a way to tie the whole city together would be a great addition to future editions. A better map would also be of value. There is one map included at the front of the book that outlines the two walking tours. One tour is in red and is somewhat easy to follow; the second however is done in purple can hardly be seen. Putting a map in for each walking tour and making them a bit more legible would be a great addition and not expensive to add to the book. Maps for the driving tour would not be easy to include and would prove most difficult to read on the scale that would be required to put in a book. These issues aside I still feel this is a great item for anybody with an interest in the Civil War who is visiting Savannah. Without it there are many places you'll not see or hear about. Well worth checking out.

Just as a note...I am including the Amazon link but please be aware that cover price on the book is only $19.95 so as of this writing the prices listed there are very high. It may pay to shop around.

Book Review--The 25 Best Civil War Sites

Johnson, Clint. The 25 Best Civil War Sites: The Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Battlefields, Monuments, & Museums. Greenline Publications, San Francisco, CA. 2005. 263 pages, maps. b/w photos, color photos, bibliography, index.

This is a nice compact book that is arranged by state. It mostly hits the high points of the war of course. Each site has a brief bit of background information on its importance to the Civil War. Following that is a shorter look at the area today. Then we get to the meat of each section. For each are there is a listing of 8-12 points of interest. These include a description and are rated with 1 to 5 stars--5 being a must see and 1 being only if you have extra time. I found the ratings to be a pretty good reference point. After the points of interest comes a listing of suggestions for further reading. This is great if you are planning a trip far enough out and have time to do some additional research. There is a brief section with directions to the area and suggestions for getting around. The last section for each is a listing of accomodations with some average prices listed. Most of these are on the higher end.

For me one thing that would have been nice is including website information for the points of interest. Yes, I know that's what Google is for but most travel guides include this information. Also, while there are some maps they are not included for each destination and those that are are not the best. They are better than nothing however.

There won't be anything here that a good internet search won't turn up. Also, for most interested in the Civil War this is really only a reminder type book and you are unlikely to find anything new. There is value though especially for the sites that are less well known or considered of less importance. I can recommend this as a book you check out from the library or maybe find used. The $20 new price however is certainly not prohibitive though if you are interested.