Gettysburg—Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill

July 5, 1993
Pfanz follows Gettysburg--The Second Day with a definitive reconstruction of the fighting in a sector which has been neglected by historians. In early July 1863, the Union right wing was based on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. Had the Confederates broken through these positions, Pickett's charge would have been unnecessary. The South nearly succeeded in a series of attacks between July 1 and 3. Pfanz describes Richard Ewell's failure to storm Cemetery Hill on July 1 as a reflection of command friction rather than of incompetence. It nevertheless gave Union troops the respite they needed. Pfanz, a master at describing the tactical details that shaped Civil War battles, is especially adept at evaluating the commanders. Union generals Alpheus Williams and Adolph von Stinewehr and Confederates like ``Maryland'' Steuart and ``Extra Billy'' Smith emerge in full dimension in a book that Civil War buffs and scholars will greet with enthusiasm.

December 1, 1993
After visitors have recoiled in horror from the kitschy tourist trade, their first impression of present-day Gettysburg is the spaciousness of the battlefield that lies just south of the town. The opposing lines of regimental cenotaphs march for miles through the hilly countryside, conveying the distinct sense that in July 1863, the left wing of the line could have had but a hazy notion what the right wing was doing. In actuality, the battle was a series of disjointed improvisations, which, combined with the endless fascination with this turning point in the Civil War, constantly inspires titles on the minutest aspects of the fighting. And who better to supply the insatiable demand for such facts than Pfanz, once official historian at Gettysburg's national park. His previous declamations have perhaps been listened to by the likely reader of this exacting narrative chronology of the struggle for the northern end of the Union line. If a cannon, caisson, or colonel had a shred of importance, Pfanz will speculate about how differently the entire battle could have turned out. Best for the lifelong Gettysburg buff. ((Reviewed Dec. 1, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)