Another book on Gettyburg? Not to worry: it's well done, readable, and interesting, enriched by a plethora of fine portraits, line drawings, and original maps. Former marine Wheeler, prize-winning author of 16 previous works of military history (A Rising Thunder, 1994, etc.), traces Robert E. Lee's long march from eastern Virginia to the fateful fields of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. Lee's army of 75,000 was shadowed by the 85,000-man Army of the Potomac marching on the opposite banks of the Rappahannock River. On the way to Gettysburg, Wheeler describes the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War: the famous clash between Confederate General Jeb Stuart's men and a strong Union force under General Pleasanton at Brandy Station. Getting to the main conflict, the author builds a solid narrative framework of the actual events, then enriches it with anecdotes and sketches of the soldiers and commanders that give readers a sense of being eyewitnesses. After losing the first day's battle, the Federals dug in on Cemetery Ridge under General Meade while the Confederates seized the high ground on Seminary Ridge. The advantage lay with the Union army, which had short lines of communication and supplies from its eastern depots, while Lee had very long and uncertain exterior lines of supply that forced the Confederates to live off the land as much as possible. Meade was comfortable in planning a defensive battle, forcing Lee to attack against strong positions in order to seek a quick victory with Pickett's dramatic charge. Wheeler ably describes the terrible, brutal, and decisive struggle that followed, resulting in 50,000 casualties and sealing the ultimate fate of the South. A gripping and highly recommended survey, unencumbered with excessively intricate details, that should satisfy both the student and veteran Civil War fan.

Wheeler (Witness to Gettysburg), a prolific author of books on military history, offers his second overview of the Civil War's most famous battle, attempting to weave his material into a concise recounting of the smoke and noise of conflict largely unencumbered by interpretation or analysis. His claims that he has incorporated fresh sources and offered new insights notwithstanding, Wheeler's narrative offers little more than a repackaging of familiar stories and tales, some of which will not withstand critical scrutiny; the conscious decision to eschew source notes complicates efforts to assess the reliability of the evidence on which he bases his account. The prose is formulaic, all too reminiscent of the flood of mediocre battle chronicles that overwhelm many bookstore shelves. For those readers new to the subject, this book may prove a serviceable introduction; however, only those libraries that strive for comprehensive and somewhat undiscriminating collections should consider adding this volume to their shelves.ÄBrooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Although he sheds no new light on the well-known story of the Civil War's greatest battle, Wheeler (Voices of the Civil War) provides a generally reliable account of the altercation that ended the South's desperate attempt to win the war by invading Union territory. Still, Wheeler's brief narrative is no replacement for such classics as Bruce Catton's Gettysburg: The Final Fury, Harry Pfanz's more focused Gettysburg: The Second Day or Edwin Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command. Serious students of the battle will find the absence of source notes frustratingÄand even annoying in the case of long, unattributed direct quotes of dialogue supposedly uttered by key commanders in the field. They will likewise find the extensive illustrations less than satisfying. The more than 100 line drawings in the book are drawn from heavily censored Northern publications of the period, such as Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly and Harper's. These provide a glamorized and highly sanitized visual record of the slaughter that will leave most readers yearning for the grim and bloody truth of the compelling images captured by Mathew Brady and other battlefield photographers. As a popular summary, Wheeler's book suffices, but readers need not settle for an adequate account of Gettysburg when there are so many superlative ones to choose from. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved