The Complete Gettysburg Guide: Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries, Field Hospital Sites, and other Topics of Historical Interest
J. David Petruzzi is the author of The Complete Gettysburg Guide, with maps and photography being supplied by Steven Stanley. This is Petruzzi’s third Gettysburg-related book (the others being Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg, co-authored with Eric Wittenberg, and One Continuous Fight: The Retreat From Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14,1863, co-authored with Eric Wittenberg and Michael Nugent). Stanley’s cartography work is well-known to those who are familiar with his maps for the Civil War Preservation Trust. Gettysburg remains a popular place to visit for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. For many people it is their first visit to this marvelous battlefield. For others it remains a frequently visited location. Whether you are a novice or a veteran battlefield explorer a common question is “what should I see?” This books helps answer that question. The Complete Gettysburg Guide devotes 10 chapters to different tours of the battlefield and related sites. As expected, there are tours of each of the three days of fighting. What is different about this tour book is that the author includes several more tours of little-known or little-visited areas. Examples of tours of off the beaten areas are chapters dealing with the June 26 Marsh Creek Skirmish, tours of Hunterstown and Fairfield, and a tour of Outlying Field Hospital Sites at Gettysburg. Each chapter begins with an overview of the action. This is not designed to be an exhaustive recounting of all of the fine points of the subject, but it is sufficient to provide even Gettysburg novices with a basic concept of what they are about to see. After the overview, the text gets right into the actual tour itself. Each tour stop is identified on the accompanying map (more on the maps later). The author devotes one or two pages for each stop on the tour to inform the reader what transpired there. The text usually includes quotes from participants in the action. This is a popular technique used on battlefield tours, and helps bring a sense of “you are there” to the reader. An added enhancement to the value of the book is the “Additional Reading” listed at the end of several of the chapters. The author provides helpful suggestions of in-depth resources where readers can find a more detailed understanding of the action. Steven Stanley’s maps are generally excellent. Each of the tour stops is plainly identified. Many of the maps that depict battle action include the initial position of the forces as well as their respective second positions. This enables readers to appreciate some of the ebb and flow of the fighting. The maps are beautifully prepared and are useful in demonstrating overall troop movements. However, one map dealing with Rodes’ Assault on Oak Ridge places two Confederate brigades (Daniel and Iverson) attacking in a direction, and from a position, that has traditionally been identified as heading southward off of Oak Hill (instead of southeasterly from west of Oak Hill). In addition to his maps, Stanley has also provided many photographs that enhance the book. The Complete Gettysburg Guide is not the ultimate tour book on Gettysburg. Currently there is no such book in existence, simply because of the magnitude of the subject matter. However, the Petruzzi/Stanley book is well worth the purchase price ($39.95) and is an excellent addition to any reader’s Gettysburg library. Even serious students of the battle will find valuable material in the book that will enhance one’s next trip to Gettysburg. Jay Jorgensen Jay Jorgensen is an attorney and municipal court judge in New Jersey. He is the author of Gettysburg’s Bloody Wheatfield and The Wheatfield at Gettysburg: A Walking Tour. He also received his Master’s Degree in Military History - Civil War Studies from American Military University.
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Illustrated, maps, bibliography, index, 304 pp., 2009. Savas Beatie, P.O. Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 www.savasbeatie.com, $39.95 plus shipping.