Beneath a Northern Sky: A Short History of the Gettysburg Campaign / Edition 2

by Steven E. Woodworth

Overview

Of all the places and events in this nation's history, Gettysburg may well be the name best known to Americans. Millions flock each year to the little town in south-central Pennsylvania where more than 135 years ago the largest, bloodiest, and most dramatic battle of the Civil War raged across the now-peaceful hills and meadows. The subject of an epic movie and a best-selling work of fiction, the battle continues to fascinate Americans. Indeed, for most Americans, Gettysburg is the Civil War.

In Beneath a Northern Sky, eminent Civil War historian Steven E. Woodworth offers a balanced and thorough overview of the entire battle, its drama, and its meaning. From Lee's decision to take his heretofore successful Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac and into Pennsylvania to the withdrawal of the battle-battered Confederate's back across the river into Virginia, Woodworth paints a vivid picture of this pivotal campaign. In this day-by-day account, he describes the fierce fighting that left 48,000 men dead or wounded at sites that have now become famous: Little Round Top, Cemetery Ridge, Devil's Den. This new book provides a realistic sequence of events surrounding the legendary Pickett's Charge, detailing the Confederate's magnificent display of courage and the Union's stalwart, rock-hard defense. Woodworth describes the strategic and tactical decision making and shows how infighting and disagreements among the leaders on both sides impacted the campaign. He details the mind set and morale of the soldiers, revealing how—surprisingly—Union leaders did not take advantage of their troops' high spirits after their victory to finish off the retreating Confederates.

Instead of focusing on only one aspect of the Gettysburg Campaign as most other books do, Beneath a Northern Sky tells the tale of the entire battle in a richly detailed but swiftly moving narrative. This new approach to a defining battle is sure to fascinate Civil War buffs and all those interested in the rich history of the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742559813
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/28/2008
Series:	The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.05(w) x 9.05(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Steven E. Woodworth is professor of history at Texas Christian University, specializing in the Civil War and Reconstruction. He has written and edited several Civil War books, including Jefferson Davis and His Generals (1990), Davis and Lee at War (1995), and The Human Tradition in the Civil War and Reconstruction (2000).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Confidence of Certain Victory Chapter 2: An Invading Army among Them Chapter 3: They Will Come Booming Chapter 4: I Will Fight Them Inch by Inch Chapter 5: Like Grass before a Scythe Chapter 6: Forward and Take Those Heights! Chapter 7: One More Charge and the Day is Ours Chapter 8: Stay and Fight It Out Chapter 9: The Appalling Grandeur of the Storm Chapter 10: I Hope I May Live to See the End of the War Bibliographic Essay

Editorial Reviews

A good introductory history of the Gettysburg Campaign.

Civil War Times

A concise and scholarly synthesis that focuses on command decisions and performance, plus regimental and brigade encounters garnished by quotations from soldiers' letters that convey the range of individual experiences.

Journal of Military History

Lucid and engrossing. An interesting, fast-paced, and efficient narration of the battle and the campaign.

Civil War Book Review

For those with time to read only one book about Gettysburg, this is the one. In the huge literature on Gettysburg, Steven Woodworth's Beneath a Northern Sky stands out as a small but brilliant start. In little more than 200 pages it offers a gripping story of the campaign and battle.

James M. McPherson

Praise for the first edition: For those with time to read only one book about Gettysburg, this is the one. In the huge literature on Gettysburg, Steven Woodworth's Beneath a Northern Sky stands out as a small but brilliant start. In little more than 200 pages it offers a gripping story of the campaign and battle.--James M. McPherson

From the Publisher

A clear and rather stirring story about the Battle of Gettysburg.

H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

A succinct, provocative, and useful overview of the Gettysburg campaign, integrating recent scholarship into a lively narrative.
—Arizona State University

Brooks D. Simpson

In Beneath a Northern Sky: A Short History of the Battle of Gettysburg, Steven E. Woodworth presents the battle clearly and concisely, no small achievement for only 219 pages. The treatment is of the whole rather than concentrating on individual aspects, with a fair analysis of the strategy and reasoning of the commanding generals. While the intent is an overview, nothing of importance is left out. The narrative is first rate and includes sufficient detail to hold the interest of the reader. . . . If you have to read only one book on this battle, be sure this is the one.

Army History - James P. Weidener

A concise and scholarly synthesis that focuses on command decisions and performance, plus regimental and brigade encounters garnished by quotations from soldiers' letters that convey the range of individual experiences.

Journal Of Military History

Steven Woodworth, one of the most accomplished Civil War military historians of his generation, has made an important contribution to the already long shelf of books on the Battle of Gettysburg. Beneath a Northern Sky is a briskly paced, short history of the most studied battle of the American Civil War.

Matt Gallman

Readers in search of a good, concise telling of the battle of Gettysburg can do no better than this excellent book.

Mark Grimsley

A cogent but insightful account of one of the great clashes between North and South.

The Roanoke Times

In Beneath a Northern Sky: A Short History of the Battle of Gettysburg, Steven E. Woodworth presents the battle clearly and concisely, no small achievement for only 219 pages. The treatment is of the whole rather than concentrating on individual aspects, with a fair analysis of the strategy and reasoning of the commanding generals. While the intent is an overview, nothing of importance is left out. The narrative is first rate and includes sufficient detail to hold the interest of the reader. . . . If you have to read only one book on this battle, be sure this is the one.
— James P. Weidener

Army History