Covered with Glory: The 26th North Carolina Infantry at Gettysburg

goes to Mr Gragg for his excellent book on the 26th NC Regiment. As a long time Union County resident in the "Old North State", I have often times looked at the Confederate Memorial located on the old courthouse lawn in Monroe listing all the various units which volunteered to do battle from this area. Units such as Co B, 15th NC Reg/ Co F, 35th NC Reg/ Co D, 37th NC Reg/ Co B, 43rd NC Reg/ Co A,E,F and I, 48th NC Reg/ Co I, 53rd NC Reg/ Co C, 10th Bat, NC Artillery/ Co F, 2nd Reg, NC Artillery (Jr Reserves) and of course ... Co B, 26th NC Regiment. Who were these men, what were they like, what battles did they participate in, how many made it home and what were their lives like when they returned. Political Correctness has taken it's toll in the South, demonizing all those who participated in the Confederacy as extremists and traitors to the United States and so ... from the very towns and villages and hamlets where these men came from, little is known or even spoken of concerning these men today. Indeed, more roadside historical markers of the exploits of Gen Sherman exist today in this area than tributes to the men who defended their homeland. It is true that the cause may have been all wrong ... men fighting for their own liberty and independence while denying the same to an entire race of people is hard to justify. I do suppose that "States Rights" must fit somewhere in the total picture of the war, but I am convinced that slavery was still the main cause of the war ... so in the end, I guess that we are only left with the devotion to duty, the courage and valor with which they performed that duty and the truly horrendous losses they sustained in trying to achieve their ends. But I do not judge men who lived so long ago by the standards of today and slavery was truly a world wide phenomona not so very long ago ... yes, the South held on to it a little longer than other sections of our country ... and it has paid a price for it ever since. But Mr Gragg has put a face on those men of so long ago for me, one which I can put in my heart ... that of Col Lane ... who spoke at the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. If Mr Gragg would permit me I would love to quote from his book. "When Lane spoke, the croud hushed. Looking down into the faces of his audience, he saw many who had witnessed the excitment, tragedy and horror of those unforgetable fields of fire. There too were many who could never imagine what he described; they were a new generation for whom those three days were merely history. "I was once a soldier ...", he began, and then spoke at length ... an old man telling a young man's story of smoke and fire and death. He tried to tell them about the shouts and volleys, about brave enemies in Black hats, about dressed lines and fallen color-bearers. He tried to tell them about the courage and confusion, about McCreery and Wilcox and Honeycutt ... and about Colonel Burgwyn, down and dying. He tried to tell them what it was like

The narrow focus of what the 26th is most famous for is wonderful because it allows for many details. For those that don't know, they took atrocious casulaties over a 48 hour period, basically 8 out of 10 men went down. Their action is legendary, lining up against the Union's most famous, Iron Brigade, and also being the unit that could claim the farthest penetration into enemy territory on day 3.As always, a couple of more maps would have been extremely helpful, but that being said, the ones there are well done.Day 1 is treated extremely well with intense description of the action, almost minute by minute as far the 26th was concerned. The reading is smooth however, and most won't get lost in the details.Day 3 has some of the best coverage that I have read because the author expands the focus for the Picket-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge to cover many of the other units involved. Of course, the 26th still gets the lions share of the commentary.This book isn't for novices, but at the same time, you don't need to be a hardcore student to get it. I think a simple 2 or 3 page synopses of the battle will help so you don't get bogged down with some of the names, but more so you understand the importance of the battle in an overall perspective.Again, the focus is the 26th at Gettysburg with a very brief prelude and wrap up to their other action. Highly recommended for the ACW afficionada and casual reader.My only little quibble is with the quality of paper and tiny font for the paperback. Come on publishers, put the better works on better paper so they'll last longer.

Regimental histories are often not the most compelling reading. Few authors find a way to balance good historical research with the kind of prose that pull the reader into the story. Rod Gragg has done this with "Covered With Glory". There is plenty of detail for those who want them, but the text flows so well the general reader would hardly notice. But Gragg has done his research as well. For instance, he is the first to make the case for the bloodstains on the regimental colors to be those other than the commander's. He also elegantly deals with the matter of the regiment's contact point with the Federal lines on July 3, an item that has been something of a controversy- whether they went in at base of "The Angle", or whether they made contact with Federals further north on the wall. When you are done, you are left with a feel for the men who made up the 26th North Carolina, and are saddened by their loss. But you are also inspired as well by that same sacrifice. Good Read!

Gragg's book is so much better than most regimental histories that I wonder whether it should even carry this label. It reminds me more of Ambrose's Band of Brothers (101st Airborne in WWII) than a regimental history. Battles are best studied from multiple perspectives, but histories tend to cluster at the two extremes--from the Olympian optic of the Generals at one, to the eyes of individual soldiers at the other. Using the experiences of a single Regimental formation, Gragg not only provides an excellent history of the unit, but occupies the key terrain between these two extremes to shift the reader's attention from an understanding of critical developments in the overall battle to the experiences of these (almost incredibly) committed soldiers. Gragg also captures the great mystery of cataclysms like Gettysburg in which participants, while closely joined in space and time, nevertheless witnesss thousands of separate dramas, acts of herorism and human tragedies. Gragg corrected a number of misconceptions I had about the battle. As one example, I will never again think of the first day as only a bloody meeting engagement, overshadowed by the assaults on the right and in the center on the second and third days. He also religously refers to the famous assault on the third day at the Pickett-Pettigrew Charge--a much more accurate moniker. Be careful about reading the book on a week night, you will find yourself drawing your poor unsuspecting colleagues at work into conversations about Gettysburg and the 26th North Carolina Infantry.

This latest book from Rod Gragg is the best modern regimental history I have read. Written form the perspective of members of the regiment, it offers rich detail and a moving narrative. The photographs bring the text to life. Gragg has written two of my favorite Civil War books, Confederate Goliath (the fight at Fort Fisher, NC) and the Illustrated Confederate Reader (a must read). As a member of the 26th NC (reenactors) I must say that I am even more proud to be a part of the unit. I eagerly look forward to his next book!