Book Thoughts: "Eyewitness to the Civil War: Gettysburg."

If one is seriously interested in studying a great event in history, it's always a good idea to read contemporary and first hand accounts when available. This book is primarily that, two first hand accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg. One is written by Col. William Oates, CSA, who later become governor of Alabama. The other is written from the Union perspective by Lt. Frank Haskell. He was later killed at Cold Harbor.

Contemporary pieces can often be a bit sluggish, since a lot of the language is somewhat different and perhaps more formal than we use today. However, I really didn't find that to be the case with these two accounts. Both were pretty easy to read. Of course, I have a great interest in the subject, which always helps.

Oates' account focuses primarily on his regiment's action attacking the Union left on Day 2. However, he also gives a great account of Pickett's charge. At the end, he goes into trying to reason out the Confederate loss. While placing some blame on Lee, he seems to place the heaviest responsibility on Longstreet, who he claims only slowly and half-heartedly carried out Lee's orders. This seems to have been a popular sentiment in the post war society of former Confederate soldiers. Today however, maybe we see Longstreet's view a little more and place a little more responsibility with Lee.

I didn't enjoy Haskell's account as much. He spent more time going through and saying what unit was exactly where than anything else. I believe it would be a great companion for a battlefield visit. However, his account of the fight against Pickett's troops at the angle is wonderful, and the type of account most historians really love to sink their teeth into, even if Haskell may have overplayed his own importance a bit. However, even General Hancock noted his action and bravery, so it wasn't overstated all that much.

In the final analysis, this is a great collection of two very different, yet very coherent views of Gettysburg and I believe it's something every serious student of the battle should read.