University of Nebraska Press
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  • Don’t Give an Inch: The Second Day at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863—From Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge by Chris Mackowski, Kristopher D. White, and Daniel T. Davis
Chris Mackowski, Kristopher D. White, and Daniel T. Davis.Don’t Give an Inch: The Second Day at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863—From Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2016. 169pp. Paper, $14.95. ISBN 978–1-6112–1229–7.

For the past 153 years, printed Gettysburg battlefield guides have been in abundance. Although the history of this epic battle has gripped the American imagination, misinformation and apocryphal stories predominate. In Don’t Give an Inch, the authors aim to challenge some of these old myths while providing a current, accurate, and easily accessible guide to the second day, focusing exclusively on the southern section of the battlefield. In these goals, they have succeeded.

Mackowski, White, and Davis pick up where they left off with their previous book (Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863). They begin with a summary of the campaign, discussing the fighting on July 1 and the Confederate plan for July 2. The authors commence their narrative of the second day by analyzing the early-morning argument between Lee and Longstreet. Throughout the book, they emphasize contingency, helping readers understand the reasoning behind the generals’ major combat decisions. Additionally, the authors highlight the personalities of various soldiers, blue and gray, making this more than just a “top-down” tactical study.

Generally, Don’t Give an Inch follows the National Park Service route through the southern sector of the battlefield, but it also provides additional [End Page 101] stops not on the standard driving tour. This guide takes visitors along the route of Longstreet’s afternoon offensive against the Union left flank, examining the famous engagements at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, and the Sherfy Peach Orchard before culminating atop Cemetery Ridge. Like the first day of the battle, the second day’s action contained numerous moving pieces, back and forth fighting, and chronologically overlapping incidents. This provides a challenge to any field guide, discerning how best to organize and describe events. The authors do a creditable job in helping first-time visitors understand each phase of the battle as it unfolded, especially through their use of maps (averaging one per chapter). Even so, I would have preferred even more maps than they offered or perhaps additional notes that pointed to the best map to use at certain points of their tour. Some parts required a more thorough reading to comprehend. The authors’ description of the Rose Wheatfield, for instance, became problematic when descriptions of the combat did not match the closest map provided.

A real strength of this battlefield guide lies in the fact that each chapter was split between a battle narrative and the history of the battlefield after the war, including the erection of monuments by the veterans. The authors took pains to emphasize the battle for memory when veterans debated in post-war years, and they also pointed out the damage inflicted upon the topography by unwise tourism endeavors. Finally, the authors included several informative sidebar appendices, including a detailed walking tour of the Wheatfield, a discussion of Joshua Chamberlain’s role in expanding the memory of Little Round Top, and an analysis of the famous “Rebel Sharpshooter” photograph taken at Devil’s Den.

Overall, Don’t Give an Inch offers an accessible, highly informative, and well-rounded picture of the events of July 2 at the southern end of the battlefield. It is a highly recommended Gettysburg guide.

Elijah Palmer
Old Dominion University

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