Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg

Got this book because we were getting ready to take a trip to Gettysburg.

Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg by Bradley Gottfried is an absolutely masterful inclusion into the preexisting literature of the battle of Gettysburg. This book is undoubtedly for people who want a detailed and in-depth look at every aspect of the infantry of both sides during the battle. For this reason alone, I can envision that some causal readers would be turned away, but if you are looking for that intimate detail on every brigade at Gettysburg, then this is your book.I’ll preface my review by stating that I am a huge fan of the battle of Gettysburg. Growing up in Chambersburg, and being a fan of the Civil War, it seems almost impossible to not being totally enamored with the biggest land battle ever waged on North American soil. That being said, Gottfried’s book is one of the most engaging and entertaining works I have ever read on the battle. The book provides intimate and well-known elements of Union and Confederate brigades before, during and after the battle, and gives even the most casual Gettysburg fan clarity of a convoluted picture. The book is well-written and flows along easily, building up detail and adding facts all along to draw the reader deeper into Gottfried’s wonderfully explained overview of the battle.Now I have read several negative reviews that have berated the work for being too encompassing, and to this I say: the book is called the Brigades of Gettysburg! If you want an overview, and an overview alone, this is in no way your book. This book covers intricate detail of every Federal and Confederate brigade at the battle, allowing the already familiar to become that much more engaged. My father and I both bought the book and love the immense detail and story lines of the book, but I could see how casual fans would not want to be inundated by all this information. To Gottfried, both the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac relied heavily on the foundation of the brigade in combat, and this work showcases why his belief is not only astute, it is absolutely correct.If you, like me, are a larger than casual fan of Gettysburg, this book is an absolutely must have. This book will have you constantly sifting through pages to rediscover what certain brigades did at the battle, and it offers a fresh and immense resource to true students of America’s bloodiest battle.

Read this book end of May 2022 and it was interesting and informative as I like historical novels and our family has been to Gettysburg.

First of all keep in mind that this is reference work on all of the infantry brigades that fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. Don’t expect a chronological history of the battle. There is much repetition as the book is laid out by corp, division, brigade so actions are repeated multiple times. Well researched but could have used a good proofer as there are many typos. Maps at the first of the book are ok but I would supplement with his Maps of Gettysburg atlas or Laino’s Gettysburg atlas. 5 for research and narrative and a 1 for typos/errors - I give it 3 stars.

I actually got this book out on loan from the Carnegie Library system in early February. After briefly reading and paging through the book, I had seen enough and decided to purchase a copy for my own personal library. Though I have other books on Gettysburg, this book is one that I have gone to for quick answers on what the Brigade did during the entire battle. Instead of paging through numerous chapters of other books looking for details on what the 1st Minnesota (for example) did during the battle, I can quickly look its Brigade and get a quick summary.If you want a book that covers the battle chronologically, there are better ones out there. If you want a quick reference book whenever a question comes on on a particular Brigade, this book fits that need nicely (I know five descendants of General Alexander Hays that live in my town. There also are descendants of General Sherman in the Sewickley area so if you are going to discuss anything about the Civil War with them, you better be prepared).I recommend the book to Civil War buffs and those who are just curious.

Great detail of units on both sides

This is a great book for those interested in the infantry brigades that participated at the battle of Gettysburg. The Cavalry and Artillery units are not at all described. So if you wanted to know where Gen.Custer's Michigan horseman were at or what batteries made up Col. Porter Alexander's artillery units you will have to find out through research. The author of this book does have a book on the Artillery of G-Burg. Sorry to make this so long just figured I would pass this tidbit along, Cavalry and Artillery are not mentioned but the book is a must have for any Civil War historian. I just would have liked to have seen all the units that served at G-Burg in one book, I believe this could be done at the Brigade level. Thank you Mr. Gottfried for the great book.

This is a well written examination of all the military participants involved in the battle at Gettysburg. The placement and movements of troops from start to finish are described in detail along with a brief history of the brigades prior to the engagement. I enjoyed following the ebb and flow of each days actions as these soldiers from within their command structures attempted to carryout the sometimes complex manoeuvres their officers employed. These manoeuvres as described in the book clearly demonstrated to me the then current military theories practiced and how the officers adapted them, or failed to adapt them to the rapidly evolving events of the battle. A great read, and an enlightening reference that will make my next trip to Gettysburg more meaningful.

Un livre sur le sujet très atypique, présentant chaque régiments en détail. Une compilation de données époustouflantes, pour moi c'est la REFERENCE en terme d'ordre de bataille. Comme les régiments des deux armées sont passées en revue, on jongle parmi les pages pour aller vérifier les informations sur l'opposant. J'aime beaucoup le concept.