Fight Like the Devil
The First Day at Gettysberg
Published on 20. April 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
168 pages
978-1-61121-227-3 (ISBN)
Description
Do not bring on a general engagement, Confederate General Robert E. Lee warned his commanders. The Army of Northern Virginia, slicing its way through south-central Pennsylvania, was too spread out, too vulnerable, for a full-scale engagement with its old nemesis, the Army of the Potomac. Too much was riding on this latest Confederate invasion of the North. Too much was at stake.
As Confederate forces groped their way through the mountain passes, a chance encounter with Federal cavalry on the outskirts of a small Pennsylvania crossroads town triggered a series of events that quickly escalated beyond Lee's-or anyone's-control. Waves of soldiers materialized on both sides in a constantly shifting jigsaw of combat."You will have to fight like the devil . . ." one Union cavalryman predicted.
The costliest battle in the history of the North American continent had begun.
July 1, 1863 remains the most overlooked phase of the battle of Gettysburg, yet it set the stage for all the fateful events that followed.
Bringing decades of familiarity to the discussion, historians Chris Mackowski and Daniel T. Davis, in their always-engaging style, recount the action of that first day of battle and explore the profound implications in Fight Like the Devil.
As Confederate forces groped their way through the mountain passes, a chance encounter with Federal cavalry on the outskirts of a small Pennsylvania crossroads town triggered a series of events that quickly escalated beyond Lee's-or anyone's-control. Waves of soldiers materialized on both sides in a constantly shifting jigsaw of combat."You will have to fight like the devil . . ." one Union cavalryman predicted.
The costliest battle in the history of the North American continent had begun.
July 1, 1863 remains the most overlooked phase of the battle of Gettysburg, yet it set the stage for all the fateful events that followed.
Bringing decades of familiarity to the discussion, historians Chris Mackowski and Daniel T. Davis, in their always-engaging style, recount the action of that first day of battle and explore the profound implications in Fight Like the Devil.
Reviews / Votes
The book also benefits from looking at the events of the first day of the battle as being important in their own right, and not simply as the build-up to the more famous struggles of the second and third days. The text is supported by good clear maps, and by an impressive selection of contemporary and near contemporary photographs, which give a good feel for how the battlefield looked at the time, before it became a vast battlefield park. * History of War *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
El Dorado Hills
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
150 images 14 maps
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
319 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61121-227-3 (9781611212273)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Chris Mackowski | Christopher D. White | Daniel T. Davis
Fight Like the Devil
The First Day at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863
E-Book
05/2022
Savas Beatie
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor in chief of Emerging Civil War. He is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University and the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield. Chris has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books on the Civil War. Read ECW's blog at www.emergingcivilwar.com.