Eight Days to Gettysburg

Following his victory at Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee conferred with Jefferson Davis on strategy. They decided that an offensive into Maryland and Pennsylvania would offer some major benefits, taking the war out of Virginia and into the North while at the same time likely to force the Union to move troops from Vicksburg to counter the maneuver. In addition, perhaps, if the South could gain another major victory, Great Britain and France might offer recognition or intervention, forcing the Union to mediation and Southern independence.

Volume I of "If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania" covered the events of June 3rd through 21st.* This volume deals with events over the following eight days, June 22nd through the 30th.

The authors, who've done some excellent work on the Civil War, concentrate on the largely neglected series of movements and maneuvers that resulted in the armies converging at Gettysburg for the bloodiest battle of the war, and perhaps its decisive turning.

Mingus and Wittenberg mix military, social, political, economic, and civilian viewpoints, using accounts from soldiers of both sides, civilians, as the armies marched north.

The authors allocate a chapter to each day, ranging from fourteen to sixty-six pages, supported by numerous images of major characters and appropriate scenery, as well as many maps. In this way, they allow the readers to track the actions of both armies as they maneuvered and fought, showing the consequence of several actions, often quite small, and helping the reader better understand how these movements and actions affected on political leaders, army commanders, and civilians across this vast geographic expanse.

Mingus and Wittenberg do not rely exclusively on military sources such as the official and private correspondence by officers and soldiers. They also incorporate civilian accounts, newspaper reports, and government memoranda. Readers will find that they researched this deeply, to provide the fullest picture.

In addition, the text is supported by excellent appendices, “The Order of Battle, June 30, 1863” and “The Itineraries of the Army of Northern Virginia."

These two volume are likely to become the definitive treatment of the events that brought the armies to Gettysburg, as they carefully lay out decision making, troop movements, and their consequences, while also considering the effects of these on the people of Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Throughout, the author take special care to address controversial issues, such as Lee's discretionary orders for Jeb Stuart’s cavalry, Joe Hooker's pursuit of Lee, and Lincoln's firing of Hooker and appointment of George Meade almost literally on the eve of the greatest battle ever fought in the Americas.

"If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania" is not merely recommended, but should be a required reading for anyone seriously interested in the war, and is certain to become a classic, one of the few times that word applies.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium

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