ABOUT THE BOOK

In many books written about the American Civil War and its battles the artillery is often relegated to a supporting role while the infantry takes the spotlight. Conversely the Battle of Gettysburg hogs the stage as the most written about battle of the war. In “The Artillery of Gettysburg” Bradley Gottfried has placed the artillery at center stage in the greatest battle ever fought on American soil. In his forward, Mr. Gottfried introduces four key pieces of information that his readers will need to know: the first, regarding the organization and command structure of the Union and Confederate artilleries; the second, the different types of cannon used and their strengths and weaknesses; third a brief description of the different types of ammunition and their uses, and lastly a basic description of the job function of each man in the gun crew. Using a chronological narration Mr. Gottfried leads his reader through the three day battle, describing the placement and the armament of each battery, their targets and their movements on the battlefield. No detail is spared of the horrible casualties caused to both men and horses by artillery fire, men are decapitated, arms and legs are ripped off, and bodies disemboweled, cut in half or literally blown to bits fill this book from cover to cover. Mr. Gottfried, the author of “The Maps of Gettysburg” uses plenty of maps to illustrate the action on the field. In my opinion there can never be too many maps, and the one criticism I have, which I carry over from his previous above named work, is there is no time stamp on the maps. The author has also included two informative appendices: Order of Battle, Strengths and Losses of the Artillery at Gettysburg, and Characteristics of Civil War Cannon Used at Gettysburg. This is not a book for the Civil War novice. This book is a book clearly for the Civil War aficionado who enjoys studying the minutia of a battle. Mr. Gottfried has written yet another indispensible book on the Battle of Gettysburg, and no student of the battle should be without a copy. ISBN 978-1-58182-623-4, Cumberland House Publishing, © 2008, Hardcover, 352 pages, Photographs, Maps, Appendices, Endnotes & Index. $24.95 VN:F [1.9.1_1087]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bradley M. Gottfried, holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University. He has worked in higher education for more than three decades as a faculty member and administrator. He is currently President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried is the author of five books: The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour (1998); Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade (1999); Brigades of Gettysburg (2002); Roads to Gettysburg (2002); and Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade (2005). He is currently working with Theodore P. Savas on a Gettysburg Campaign Encyclopedia. is president of Sussex County Community College in New Jersey. He is the author of Brigades of Gettysburg, Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War, The Roads to Gettysburg, Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade, and The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour and is the author of the forthcoming The Maps of Gettysburg. A frequent contributor to Gettysburg Magazine and Civil War Times, he had made numerous appearances on The History Channel. He lives in La Plata, Maryland.

REVIEWS

This is a well-written, but highly technical work that keeps its focus on its limited subject matter. The reader learns the mechanical aspects of Civil War artillery along with the organizational snafus that continued to plague both armies. The author writes well. The accompanying maps would benefit from the same level of care and attention to detail. I found them to be confusing and frustrating, as one could never tell which way the cannon were pointed from looking at the symbols. More liberal use of photos and drawings would also be quite helpful in assisting the reader's comprehension. Overall, I recommend this book only to the more serious students of the subject (i.e., having already read 30+ books on this battle, or having a particular interest in artillery).