A Definitive Study of Gettysburg's First Day There has been a real need for a good book delineating the flow of events of the Battle of Gettysburg's First Day. Studies like Hassler's Crisis at the Crossroads and Stackpole's They Met at Gettysburg did not cover the first day accurately or comprehensively. Now I am pleased to announce that David G. Martin's book Gettysburg July 1. has recognized this need and fulfills it completely. In his book, Mr. Martin succinctly outlines the command decisions of the Army commanders, Lee an Meade and the resultant movements of the Armies of Northern Virginia and Potomac that brought them the vicinity of Gettysburg July 1. Both commanders are portrayed as proceeding with proper caution and controlled aggressiveness. It is their respective Lieutenants. Generals A.P. Hill, Richard Ewell on the southern side, and Generals John Reynolds and O.O. Howard for the north that set the events of July 1st in motion. Of these four, it is Gen. Ewell that receives the most interesting comments from the author. As opposed to other written commentary about Ewell's actions, such as in Dr. Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants, Vol. 2, and Clifford Dowdey's Death of a Nation, Mr. Martin argues that Gen. Ewell did act in an aggressive manner in his attack on 11th Corps right flank. Also, he feels that Gen. Ewell's determination not to attack Cemetery Hill after the Union Army's defeat and retreat, was deliberate and well thought out. not one born of vacillating indecisiveness as claimed by Gen. Early and Gen. Trimble, CSA. Mr. Martin covers in detail the role of General John Buford's Federal cavalry division, opposing the Confederate. Army's advance. The reader is shown in absorbing particulars, how veteran cavalry, was used to observe, screen, then delay the Southern arm),, allowing the Union infantry to surprise Gen. Heath's division of Hill's Corps. This alone is of interest to historical gamers as I have never seen this amount of technicalities in cavalry operations. Mr. Martin divides the battle into actions in numerous areas such as the Railroad Cut, Oak Hill, Seminary Ridge. etc. His writing shows through research and the documentation well explains the flow of the battle on these various fronts. And yet while the writing is scholarly. it is not the usual dry prose one gets in such books. Mr. Martin shows good comprehension for the dramatic events anS their influence on the individual soldiers and their units. As icing on the cake so to speak, Mr. Martin gives also well reasoned analytical clarification on the many command decisions during the first day struggle that are of interest to the historical garner. It gives us a historical framework to go on when we are commanding in 19th century battle games. I do have several quibbles. First there are the maps, while they are adequate, and allow the reader to trace the action described, they are not up to the standards established by other battle analysis. As an example. Coezen's books on the battles of the Army of the Cumberland, Pfanz's Gettysburg the Second Day, and Krick's analysis of Cedar Mountain all have better maps. This was a disappointment. Also there arc a few textual errors, that a more careful proof reading should have caught, that is a minor point. Ultimately I judge a Civil War battle analysis by what I feel like doing after Finishing it. Personally, having read Gettysburg July 1, I wish to go back to Gettysburg and walk the first day's battlefield with Mr. Martin's book in hand. Next I want my battle group to set up Gettysburg's first day board so I can refight the battle on it. This book goes on the must acquire list, for all Civil War Buffs, wargamers or not. An authoritative study of the First Day at Gettysburg has at last been done. It, with Pfanz' Gettysburg the Second Day, and Stewart's Pickett's Charge completes the last missing link in the trilogy on the battle of Gettysburg. Ray is our resident ACW historian. His next project is the report on the DBBG Vicksburg Campaign's last battle: Blairwood May 23, 1863. -- Ed Back to Table of Contents The Messenger April 1996 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1996 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com