This is the bible of the Gettysburg campaign and the book upon which the National Park Service basis its official park guides' examination.

It is an extensive and slow read designed for the serious student of the battle. It is not light reading by any means. Any Gettysburg hobbiest seeking to be more fully educated should be reading this book prior to branching out into the more specific "Day" books. The references, notes and bibliography take up almost a third of the book's volume showing the amount of research that when into the creation of this work.

The work begins shortly after Chancellorsville and ends with the final crossing of Lee's army back across the Potomac. Serious students and historians use this book constantly to the point that the binding breaks requiring it to be glued back together. Hardbound editions are hard to find and expensive. Want to be a Gettysburg historian? Read and study this book. A required reading for all students of the battle.

This excellent book digs deeper into the facts such as army movement leading up to the battleand many other details lost in the bigger picture books about Gettsburg. The author made a subject that I am so familiar with even more interesting for me. Well worth the cost and time.

If you want the definitive book on the Battle of Gettysburg - this is it. Well written and easy to read.

Excellent overview of the campaign from a commander's viewpoint. A must read even for seasoned Gettysburg students.

Excellent overview of the campaign from a commander's viewpoint. A must read even for seasoned Gettysburg students.

Edwin Coddington's book, The Gettysburg Campaign: A study in Command, has long been the "gold standard" of treatments of Gettysburg. Other excellent volumes exist now as well (e.g., volumes by Sears and Trudeau). However, this work stands up well after almost 40 years.

One poignant element to this book: it came out after the author's death.

The book provides an extremely detailed discussion of the entire campaign, from the aftermath of Chancellorsville and General Robert E. Lee's sense that the south had to make a bold move through the Confederate Army's retreat after the actual battle at Gettysburg. Coddington does not hesitate to raise questions about commanders' decisions.

The plentiful detail in this book is one of its strengths. It discusses in great detail Lee's departure from Chancellorsvill and Hooker's wary pursuit. It chronicles Hooker's separation from the Army of the Potomac and Meade's accession to commanding general of that host. It looks at each key event or engagement within the actual battle, day by day. For each engagement, whether Devil's Den, Little Round Top, "Pickett's Charge," etc., there is ample detail to get a sense of what happened and who the key actors were.

All in all, despite its age, this volume has held up well. It is still a welcome addition to a Civil War buff's library.

I used Coddington's 600-page "The Gettysburg Campaign" as a study aid before conducting a staff ride with a group of Marine Corps officers. After completion, I was well prepared for walking the battlefield. As the title indicates, the focus is on command. The great majority of the book is dedicated to an extremely detailed account of the choices made by commanders on both sides. It seemed as if thousands of officers and regiments were mentioned. The actions of Lee, Longstreet, Meade, Hancock, Hill and other senior commanders are deeply analyzed and dissected.

Coddington does not hesitate to critique the decisions made at Gettysburg. He attributes blame to every operational mistake he felt was made on the battlefield. He also comments on the statements made by other authors about command decisions at Gettysburg. It was obvious from his comments that Coddington has a preference for action. Officers who took daring risks to attack are routinely praised, while those who showed restraint or hesitation are thoroughly criticized.

I did find the maps difficult to use. The book does not use standard military symbology, instead the author invents a strange design using jagged lines to depict military units.

Despite being forty years old, the book holds up well. If you are looking for a civil war book that is deep in narrative about the life of individual soldiers and what is felt like to be at Gettysburg, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a deep analysis of the command decisions made at the battle then this is for you, just do not expect a quick read.

This is probably one of the most exhaustive researched books on the battle of Gettysburg. This book was recommended to me by one of the tour guides at the Gettysburg National Military Park. I found it an excellent companion to the tour I had and it cleared up many of the myths and legends surrounding the battle.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Battle of Gettysburg.

I have read almost every book written on gettysburg and I would without hesitation say that Coddington's book on the Campaign is the most thorough and best book on the battle. You can read other for quick overviews and or abridged editions, but, only Coddington delivers with unrivaled research,in-depth battle descriptions and a full history of the regiments invloved and thier role in the battle. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in what transpired on those hot, humid days in July 1863.

This is the standard book on the Gettysburg battle having been written in the early 1960s. It is also a very good book. But, it is not the best. In my opinion, Sears' and Trudea's books are better. As stated in the title, this book is a study in command. So, that is what it focuses on, the commanders of the battle, the different generals and how they responded. In the process, Coddington does a good job of covering the battle. However, at times, I find this book to be confusing, especially during the afternoon of July 2nd. In fact, in late 1980s when Pfanz' book on the 2nd day came out, it was refreshing because, to me, it provided some clarity around this confusion. Further, the book really doesn't get down to the regiment level of the battle like Sears and Trudeau do. Yes, the book covers the 20th Maine, and the 1st Minnesota, but that is about as far as it goes. There isn't good coverage of the regiments and brigades even that fought in the Wheatfield example (even the Irish Brigade and Caldwell's other brigades are not given good coverage). Nor is there good coverage of the attack of Weed's brigade and heroics of Paddy O'Rorke. Yes, this is a good book but not the best. Sears and Trudeau do a better job of coverage at the regiment and brigade level, and they are better organized. For a single book on the Gettysburg battle, I recommend either of them over Coddington (to determine which one see my evaluations of those books for more on their coverage).