This is a decent quick and dirty introduction to the battle of Gettysburg. It has some nice visuals (maps of the battlefield from day to day). If one really wants to understand the battle, go to Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, and so on. But for a brief introduction, this is serviceable.

There are some things one might wish to see done differently. There is no map showing the Union forces' "fish hook" position. Given the heavy use of visuals (photos, drawings, maps, etc.), it is surprising that there are not more maps.

There are also some idiosyncratic judgments. At one point, he speaks glowingly of Slocum (whose nickname was "slow come") and Howard as leaders showing "inventiveness and an ability to work with others to achieve a goal. . . ." I am not sure that a huge number of Civil War experts would agree. Howard's performance was adequate, but no more. Slocum was somewhat dilatory getting to the battlefield (although one can understand his caution, moving into the unknown). But compare Reynolds' aggressiveness and spirit before his untimely death with Slocum's performance, and I'm not sure that the latter comes off so well.

Nonetheless, this slim volume has some value. Again, for those wanting a brief introduction to Gettysburg, this is adequate.

Well written and well illustrated, a nice book to have for studying this battle.

A good book to have for anyone interested in the Civil war.

Well written and well illustrated, a nice book to have for studying this battle.

A good book to have for anyone interested in the Civil war.

Gettysburg 1863 - High Tide of the Confederacy, with 128 pages of text, tables, maps, and photos, serves as a useful reference when reading other works on this decisive battle. However, by itself, this text is not a replacement for the classic works on Gettysburg by historians like Shelby Foote, James M. McPherson, Bruce Catton, and Harry Pfanz.

A previous reviewer criticized the author, Carl Smith, regarding some factual details, and another suggested that certain Gettysburg National Park publications are better alternatives. While this criticism may be valid, I have found the extensive photos, paintings, portraits, and maps to be quite useful. The photo quality is quite good, better than I have found in many other books on Gettysburg.

Gettysburg 1863 - High Tide of the Confederacy was originally marketed by Osprey Publishing Ltd (UK) as part of their Osprey Military Series for wargaming enthusiasts. New editions are also available from Stackpole Books, Praeger Publishers, and Barnes and Noble Books. The price is quite variable. My Barnes and Noble hardcover edition was substantially discounted.

Gettysburg 1863 - High Tide of the Confederacy, with 128 pages of text, tables, maps, and photos, serves as a useful reference when reading other works on this decisive battle. However, by itself, this text is not a replacement for the classic works on Gettysburg by historians like Shelby Foote, James M. McPherson, Bruce Catton, and Harry Pfanz.

A previous reviewer criticized the author, Carl Smith, regarding some factual details, and another suggested that certain Gettysburg National Park publications are better alternatives. While this criticism may be valid, I have found the extensive photos, paintings, portraits, and maps to be quite useful. The photo quality is quite good, better than I have found in many other books on Gettysburg.

Gettysburg 1863 - High Tide of the Confederacy was originally marketed by Osprey Publishing Ltd (UK) as part of their Osprey Military Series for wargaming enthusiasts. New editions are also available from Stackpole Books, Praeger Publishers, and Barnes and Noble Books. The price is quite variable. My Barnes and Noble hardcover edition was substantially discounted.

Another Carl Smith Osprey effort, though this one isn't quite as bad as his Chancellorsville. The maps by Adam Hook are quite good, but I found it annoying that there wasn't a _single_ overhead view of the battlefield showing the reader the distinctive "fish hook" formation of the Union lines. The problem, though, isn't with the maps, it's with the text.

Like his other Osprey books, Smith's text has a number of factual errors and sloppy editing. Some of the errors are fairly minor, like Captain W. A. Tanner of the Courtney Artillery (Confederate II Corps artillery) being named Turner, but when there are so many of them you start to really wonder about the accuracy of the work. For instance, he suggests that Buford heard about the Confederates marching through Gettysburg on the 26th when he arrived in the town on the 30th. In actuality Buford knew of this _before_ he entered Gettysburg because Union troops went through the town on the 28th.

A previous review mentioned the wounding of Hancock, and how it shows Smith's accuracy and the "bar he set for himself". This is rather ironic as Smith gets the incident wrong. In the book he makes a big deal of a bullet smashing the pommel of Hancock's saddle, sending shrapnel and a nail into his thigh, and bouncing off his belt buckle. The buckle supposedly saved Hancock's life, leaving him with a wound that was "merely painful". I would like to know the source of this (there are no footnotes or end notes), for that's not what happened. According to Earl Hess (_Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg_) and Jeffry Wert (_Gettysburg: Day Three_) the bullet hit the pommel and entered Hancock's leg. A nail was removed from his leg, but the bullet remained until August when it was finally pulled out. The bullet broke part of his hip, and he spent most of the rest of his service in the war riding in an ambulance. As for the "smashed" pommel, that is not mentioned in the other books. In fact Hess brings in evidence to suggest that the nail did not come from the pommel but might have been in the musket when it was fired! In any case, Smith appears to have made up the part about the belt buckle.

There are plenty of books about Gettysburg, but admittedly the Osprey book fills an important niche: a short overall volume on the battle. The many errors, however, perpetuate inaccuracies in the minds of those who use this as their only reference to the battle. I'd give it 1.5 stars due to its length and the maps but 2 stars is too generous. Osprey has a reputation for poorly edited books. While most of their books are much better than this one, for some reason their Campaign series -- particularly the American Civil War campaign books -- are notably poor. I _can_ recommend Osprey's 6 volume Order of Battle series for Gettysburg, though the format is not much use for newcomers to the battle. If you want a single short book on the battle buy the guide they sell at the battlefield instead.

Another Carl Smith Osprey effort, though this one isn't quite as bad as his Chancellorsville. The maps by Adam Hook are quite good, but I found it annoying that there wasn't a _single_ overhead view of the battlefield showing the reader the distinctive "fish hook" formation of the Union lines. The problem, though, isn't with the maps, it's with the text.

Like his other Osprey books, Smith's text has a number of factual errors and sloppy editing. Some of the errors are fairly minor, like Captain W. A. Tanner of the Courtney Artillery (Confederate II Corps artillery) being named Turner, but when there are so many of them you start to really wonder about the accuracy of the work. For instance, he suggests that Buford heard about the Confederates marching through Gettysburg on the 26th when he arrived in the town on the 30th. In actuality Buford knew of this _before_ he entered Gettysburg because Union troops went through the town on the 28th.

A previous review mentioned the wounding of Hancock, and how it shows Smith's accuracy and the "bar he set for himself". This is rather ironic as Smith gets the incident wrong. In the book he makes a big deal of a bullet smashing the pommel of Hancock's saddle, sending shrapnel and a nail into his thigh, and bouncing off his belt buckle. The buckle supposedly saved Hancock's life, leaving him with a wound that was "merely painful". I would like to know the source of this (there are no footnotes or end notes), for that's not what happened. According to Earl Hess (_Pickett's Charge: The Last Attack at Gettysburg_) and Jeffry Wert (_Gettysburg: Day Three_) the bullet hit the pommel and entered Hancock's leg. A nail was removed from his leg, but the bullet remained until August when it was finally pulled out. The bullet broke part of his hip, and he spent most of the rest of his service in the war riding in an ambulance. As for the "smashed" pommel, that is not mentioned in the other books. In fact Hess brings in evidence to suggest that the nail did not come from the pommel but might have been in the musket when it was fired! In any case, Smith appears to have made up the part about the belt buckle.

There are plenty of books about Gettysburg, but admittedly the Osprey book fills an important niche: a short overall volume on the battle. The many errors, however, perpetuate inaccuracies in the minds of those who use this as their only reference to the battle. I'd give it 1.5 stars due to its length and the maps but 2 stars is too generous. Osprey has a reputation for poorly edited books. While most of their books are much better than this one, for some reason their Campaign series -- particularly the American Civil War campaign books -- are notably poor. I _can_ recommend Osprey's 6 volume Order of Battle series for Gettysburg, though the format is not much use for newcomers to the battle. If you want a single short book on the battle buy the guide they sell at the battlefield instead.

"Gettysburg 1986: High Tide of the Confederacy" is indeed a good choice for taking with you on a visit to the National Battlefield at Gettysburg, although be careful what continual use will do to the binding of this Osprey Military Campaign Series volume (however, the front and back cover flaps are useful for marking particular pages as your tour Gettysburg). Carl Smith's volume is organized like most books in this series, looking at the origins of the campaign, detailing the opposing commanders and armies, and then providing a day-by-day analysis of the three days of the battle. There are not as many maps as I would have expected, or have liked to have seen, but those included are pretty good. There are photographs of as many participants as possible throughout the book as well as photographs of the battlefield taken shortly after it was over and battle scene artwork by Adam Hook. The descriptions of the engagement are straightforward, detailing what happened when and where and to who. Do not expect in-depth analysis or lyrical narratives from this volume, because the emphasis is clearly on a detailed recitation of the relevant facts. I was struck by Smith's observation that the nail that pierced Winfield Scott Hancock when he was hit at the Bloody Angle probably came from the pommel of the general's saddle. I think that is a particularly telling detail of the standard Smith sets for himself in this volume.

Ironically, one of the strongest sections of this book for me is the one that deals with what happened on July 4th and afterwards, which looks at Lee's retreat across the Potomac back into Virginia. This volume also claims to have one of the most detailed order of battles for the combatants at Gettysburg yet published, but, of course, Osprey's Order of Battle series, which offers six volumes up on this pivotal Civil War battle (both sides for each of the three days) goes well beyond this effort. The book also includes some hints for wargaming the Battle of Gettysburg and suggestions for further reading. I would agree with Smith's notion that this is the most popular battle refought by wargamers (so why is this volume #52 I wonder?), usually testing the hypothesis that if Lee could have gotten the high ground on the First Day he might have carried the battle. However, I have always been interested in Meade's ability to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia after repelling Pickett's charge. Either way, this volume is of above average utility in that regard.

This is a great book to read either before or right after a visit to the Gettysburg park. It really helps tie these events together. The publisher strays from its normal format and adds an additional 20+ pages. This is a great bonus and they should think about doing that for some of more complex battles they write on (such as Waterloo and Leipzig).

The text provides very good biographical information on the various commanders, giving the reader insight into their personalities and leadership styles. The only complaint I have is that the maps don't give the reader a clear indication of the famous 'fishhook' shape of the Union defenses, but that is readily available with other resources.

I've read many of the Campaign Series books and this is one of the best!

This is a great book to read either before or right after a visit to the Gettysburg park. It really helps tie these events together. The publisher strays from its normal format and adds an additional 20+ pages. This is a great bonus and they should think about doing that for some of more complex battles they write on (such as Waterloo and Leipzig).

The text provides very good biographical information on the various commanders, giving the reader insight into their personalities and leadership styles. The only complaint I have is that the maps don't give the reader a clear indication of the famous 'fishhook' shape of the Union defenses, but that is readily available with other resources.

I've read many of the Campaign Series books and this is one of the best!

This book, while graphically and aesthetically pleasing, is not all that it could be. It has the general idea of the battle, but there are numerous historical as well as grammatical errors throughout. the maps are okay, and can be a little confusing. Overall, I would only reccommend this book for a beginner history reader, so they can get a feel for this momentous battle.

Carl Smith always does a nice job in researching his material. I have studied the battle of Gettysburg in-depth. This would not be a good book for a beginning researcher, but a good companion for a trip to Gettysburg. Overall, the book gave great detail. Only a few minor things were left out. This is one of the better books currently on the market for study of the Battle of Gettysburg. I do recommend it.

This book is a typical Osprey product. Is exhaustive in his data and very well documented. Of course, it is not a novel, so you are not going to find "The killer angels", but is well written and clear. In my opinion the most remarkable is that this work is full of portraits of the men that fought this battle in both sides. All the major events, Bufford's retarding action, Little Round Top fight and, of course, Pickett's charge, are described in detail and with its own maps. In addittion some other minor engagements are covered too, as the action at Culp's Hill in the second day and the cavalry battle in the third day.

The plates from Adam Hook describing the events of the battle are very well detailed, although to my view, they are a little "static". Graphics and maps are excellent and usually clear in its explanations of the timeline of the action. There is one thing to improve, the chronological descriptions of the panoramic views should be ordered in a different way. The reader must "search and jump" from one explanation to other as their location in the view does not correspond with its chronology.

To my belief, the major drawback of this book is the complete absence of a general view of the battlefield. I know that anyone that have read about this battle knows the famous "fishhook shape" of the Union defense. But Pickett's charge is most famous and the action is described in a panoramic view. If you don't have a photographic memory, you should consult a general view map from another book in order to understand some of the movements, fights and problems faced by the comanders during those three days of battle.

To cut a long history. A "must" if you like American Civil War History.

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If you want a clear and concise book about the battle of Gettysburg... BUY THE BOOK, I have been to the battlefield and this book really puts everything into prespective. I like the photos and the maps. I especially like the original art work and the detailed order of battle. If you want boring, go to the museum at the battlefield. If you want information that anyone can use. BUY THE BOOK.

This book is perhaps one of the few written about the great civil war battle that I found provided details without boring me to tears! The writer has a very readable style that's easy to follow. The illustrations, etc. were clear and descriptions concise. This is an excellent book to enhance the reader's knowledge and interest in civil war battles. I look forward to more of his books.