Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg

James McPherson has done it again, just when I think that there is nothing more to be said about the battle of Gettysburg, he goes ahead and proves me wrong. "Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg", is not intended to provide a thorough examination of this penultimate Civil War battle, instead it serves as historical guidebook.

While taking readers on a tour of the Gettysburg National Park (as well as areas of the town itself), McPherson provides the history of those sites, detailing the events that transpired on this ground, the leaders, the ordinary participants, the fighting and the outcome. It is helped in this by being presented in chronological order, from the first shot fired by a Union infantryman at a Confederate, through the show more near disaster due to General Sickles' mistake and the fierce battle for Little Round Top, down to Meade's decision not to attack the Confederates on 4 July 1863.

In addition, McPherson's way with words and his ability to make fascinating events all the more fascinating and compelling, leads to the success of this "historical Guidebook", bringing even me to tears at several points.

"Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg" is an excellent read. I would recommend it enthusiastically for readers who are only familiar with the basics of the battle of Gettysburg and wish to learn more, as a good place to start their exploration. I would also recommend it for even the most knowledgeable researcher, for the new light being shed on very old events, ones which should not be forgotten. And thanks to James McPherson, they never will be. show less

James McPherson has done it again, just when I think that there is nothing more to be said about the battle of Gettysburg, he goes ahead and proves me wrong. "Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg", is not intended to provide a thorough examination of this penultimate Civil War battle, instead it serves as historical guidebook.

While taking readers on a tour of the Gettysburg National Park (as well as areas of the town itself), McPherson provides the history of those sites, detailing the events that transpired on this ground, the leaders, the ordinary participants, the fighting and the outcome. It is helped in this by being presented in chronological order, from the first shot fired by a Union infantryman at a Confederate, through the show more near disaster due to General Sickles' mistake and the fierce battle for Little Round Top, down to Meade's decision not to attack the Confederates on 4 July 1863.

In addition, McPherson's way with words and his ability to make fascinating events all the more fascinating and compelling, leads to the success of this "historical Guidebook", bringing even me to tears at several points.

"Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg" is an excellent read. I would recommend it enthusiastically for readers who are only familiar with the basics of the battle of Gettysburg and wish to learn more, as a good place to start their exploration. I would also recommend it for even the most knowledgeable researcher, for the new light being shed on very old events, ones which should not be forgotten. And thanks to James McPherson, they never will be. show less

James McPherson has done it again, just when I think that there is nothing more to be said about the battle of Gettysburg, he goes ahead and proves me wrong. "Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg", is not intended to provide a thorough examination of this penultimate Civil War battle, instead it serves as historical guidebook.

While taking readers on a tour of the Gettysburg National Park (as well as areas of the town itself), McPherson provides the history of those sites, detailing the events that transpired on this ground, the leaders, the ordinary participants, the fighting and the outcome. It is helped in this by being presented in chronological order, from the first shot fired by a Union infantryman at a Confederate, through the show more near disaster due to General Sickles' mistake and the fierce battle for Little Round Top, down to Meade's decision not to attack the Confederates on 4 July 1863.

In addition, McPherson's way with words and his ability to make fascinating events all the more fascinating and compelling, leads to the success of this "historical Guidebook", bringing even me to tears at several points.

"Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg" is an excellent read. I would recommend it enthusiastically for readers who are only familiar with the basics of the battle of Gettysburg and wish to learn more, as a good place to start their exploration. I would also recommend it for even the most knowledgeable researcher, for the new light being shed on very old events, ones which should not be forgotten. And thanks to James McPherson, they never will be. show less

A very short and informative volume - "A Walk at Gettysburg: Hallowed Ground"- where Professor McPherson describes the three day battle by describing the monuments, markers, and directions of travel. Gettysburg can be enjoyed in many different ways: walking, on a tour bus, biking, or driving. While the book was written in 2003, it is still full of useful information. Like many of the places Professor McPherson mentions: Normandy, Antietam, Lexington, Concord, and Yorktown, to name a few, Gettysburg is a place to visit and be in awe of the sacrifice made by those who took part in the events of July 1863. It is worth reading the small volume.

Excellent work by a noted professor of American History. This short, 2 hour listen is descriptive of the Civil War battle field at Gettysburg. Not only does McPherson provide the basics of the battle but also some unknown factoids and vignettes not previously known. For example, Daniel Sickles lost a leg and it's still in Philadelphia; he was also largely responsible for the battle field as we see it today. The book should be accompanied by a visit to Gettysburg because it references information on the ground today versus what one would have seen in 1863. It is constructed like an Army "staff ride," designed to teach others about past military history in preparation for the future.

This book packs much Gettysburg information into its 144 pages, so it is likely a good supplement to other works on the battle. McPherson takes a chronological approach (Day 1 thru 3) as he walks the reader through the battlefield and there are the usual maps illustrating the various union and confederate positions throughout the 3 days. There is the question about who this book is written for, something that, having read it, is not clear to me. Since there are no maps of the path that he is taking through the National Military Park, his reference points ("we next head north...") are mostly confusing or meaningless to the reader who has never been to Gettysburg. On the other hand the book is too long to be read as an onsite visitor show more guide and besides, what kind of visitor guide would have no map corresponding to the author's narrative path? It probably would be interesting to read after visiting the site, but then you might find that you had missed things that he mentions and that could be aggravating. So probably it would be best to read it prior to a visit to Gettysburg, and just live with the fact that although you cannot visualize much of what he is pointing out in the book nor where he is leading you, your visit will be all the more rewarding and informative for having read it. show less

Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg (The Illustrated Edition) by James McPherson is a nice work about both the battle and the park as it now is. The addition of photographs, drawings and maps makes this a far more valuable work than it was previously.

For those of us who have visited multiple times we will be reminded of many things we may have forgotten. For those who haven't yet visited this can serve as a guide (though I would caution that it is not an exhaustive guide) or simply as a substitute. Separate chapters cover each day of the battle so this is both a popular history book as well as a guide to the park.

While historians and Civil War buffs won't find much new here it still brings together many of the things a casual Civil show more War fan needs. It would make a nice display book on a coffee table of other such location.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. show less