Gettysburg is probably one of the most important battles in US history and in Stephen Sears it has found an author who really understands the battle and backs it up with considerable historical evidence. The book begins with a graphic account of the state of the armies at that point in time with the Union Army particularly in dire straits as the Southern armies under General Lee were moving forward with some alacrity and courage.
Sears argues that the Union’s commanders were rather ineffectual at this point apart from perhaps the cavalry commander Buford who could survey the terrain with a certain intensity and diligence. However this did not deter the North from positioning their armies with wily steel and undoubtedly their artillery were at a much better vantage point than the South’s who were perhaps substantially more buoyed up on occasion but were also rather too cocky for some tastes.
What makes Sear’s book unique perhaps is the level of historical evidence which he provides almost at every level. The battle is described with alacrity and considerable intensity especially the part where Pickett’s Charge comes into view. This is perhaps the most important and seminal part of the battle which has Sears wax lyrical about everything in question. However one can also look at the impact which Sears makes when he describes the fierce exchanges on Little Round Top which once again had the Union armies, most particularly the Maine regiment particularly involved.
The battle
Both armies converged on Gettysburg rather coincidentally without any real reason although the South’s push towards Washington and Pennsylvania was already part and parcel of their campaign at this stage. With General Meade and other Northern generals unaware where the next blow would strike, he deployed his armies in strong positions around the village of Gettysburg. Initially the South appeared to be gaining the upper hand but when Lee decided on the ill fated Pickett’s charge it was too late and the severe mauling that the Southern armies received there was probably the turning point of the whole Civil War, at least in many writer’s opinion including Sears.
Political wranglings
Sears also delves into the political issues which were bedevilling the North at the time including the tension in the War Cabinet which was making the conduct of the war exceptionally hard from President Lincoln. He is also very successful at bringing this tension within the cabinet to life as there were those who were arguing for a more aggressive approach to be taken with regards to the South while others were holding back, perhaps hoping for better situations where they could strike the final blow.
However Sears is perhaps most successful in his narrative where he continually describes what is going on in the Union camps with General Meade ready for battle. After the disastrous losses in Bull Run, Antietam and Chancellorsville, Meade knows that another failure cannot be tolerated and it would intrinsically mean that his command would be gone forever. Sears recreates that sense of tension and hope for achievement in a rather brilliant manner with everything revolving around the success of Gettysburg where the Union could finally turn the tide.
With the South, Sears is also very much in line with Lee’s thinking although the contributions of Longstreet and Pickett are also not to be demurred. However what comes out quite clearly in this book is that Lee’s invasion of the North coincided practically with the siege of Vicksburg and the fact that this was going badly for the Confederates and he definitely needed a quick victory for everything to be out of the way. Perhaps this meant that Lee was seeing the Northern armies as rather spineless and without any sort of projected momentum in this respect so he could strike the final blow and get on with what he saw as an easy victory. Sears devotes lengthy pages to various correspondence between General Lee and others especially the political leaders of the Confederacy who were acutely anxious to strike the deadly blow and get on with the victory which they aspired to. Here one can sense that Lee was rather contemptuous of Northern achievements and he felt inside himself that he could win a victory without much ado.
Conclusion:
In conclusion one has to say that the Sears book is a masterful and highly readable account of the Battle of Gettysburg which was indeed a seminal one in US history. Sears detailed and graphic account of the battle and all that went on behind the scenes is certainly a true picture of proceedings and this means that he cuts to the heart of the matter like no other author does. His is definitely the account to have where Gettysburg is concerned and if one is a serious student of this battle and all Civil War history for that matter, it is surely top notch in this respect.
Works cited:
Sears S: Gettysburg: New York, Mariner Books 2004, Print
