Gettysburg: The Story of the Battle with Maps ed. by Stackpole Books

When it comes to the study of the Battle of Gettysburg, the first thing many historians turn to are maps, of which many collections have been published since the battle. Some of these collections are quite detailed, even scaling their level of detail to show the movement of companies and regiments on certain parts of the field. In Gettysburg: The Story of the Battle with Maps, the idea is different. The purpose behind this book is not to get bogged down in details. Instead, the editors use maps to tell the story of the battle on a grand scale.

The series of maps drawn out for this work are excellent, using full color, showing the Union troops in blue and the Confederate troops in gray. The topography is spot on, along with the street layout of the town. Throughout, small yellow boxes appear on the maps, narrating the situation. Every page is accompanied by a map, and there are some moments when the maps beautifully coincide with the narrative. The book is laid out in a simple fashion, with a prelude to the battle and then the days of combat split into chapters. The analysis of the first day of combat is excellent, making it easy for a Gettysburg novice to understand what happened. One of the more impressive sections deals with the action at East Cavalry Field. One page has the map of the full battlefield, and the page facing that map is split into two sections. The streets and fields are extended to show the area of East Cavalry Field and its relative distance from the main battleground. Typically, other collections relegate East Cavalry Field to a completely different section of the book, but this collection of maps brings together Gettysburg’s main battlefield and East Cavalry Field into one grand map, which gives the reader a sense of the danger of J. E. B. Stuart’s position. There are also sections of the book that zoom in to certain sections of the field, offering a more detailed view on what happened. For instance, the editors do this to highlight the action at the Wheatfield on July 2. The work ends with a simple map showing the layout of the armies after the Confederate failures on July 3.

Gettysburg: The Story of the Battle with Maps is an excellent collection that any Gettysburg historian and enthusiast should possess. Instead of just one author creating maps, the editors from Stack-pole Books pooled their resources to create this work. The maps are amazingly detailed, showing the topography and the changing light conditions. The nighttime scenes, for instance, depict campfires spread throughout. The narrative is flowing and easy to understand and does not get overwhelmed with small details. This is also a work that could be brought onto the battlefield to serve as a self-guided tour. In this way, it would be incredibly helpful for visitors who have never been to the battlefield. I highly recommend this book.