Gettysburg--The First Day

The first day at Gettysburg is probably the least talked about of the battle. Day two has such recognizable names as Little Round Top, The Wheatfield, Peach Orchard and Devil's Den. Day three is of course Pickett's Charge. However the first day has it's equally interesting dramas. You have the Iron Brigade engaged in McPherson Woods, The death of General Reynolds, France Barlow on the knoll, Coster's Battle in the Brickyard and the retreat through the town.In this book Harry Pfanz finally gives these areas the detailed examination they deserve. Like his book on Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill, we get a detailed account of some of the less celebrated actions in the battle and in such a way that we are left with a much better understanding of the actions and their importance to the overall battle.One of the things I really liked about this book was Pfanz's dealing with the retreat through the town. It's such a confusing area that for most authors if they have to deal with it they simply give us a cursory explanation and move onto the defence of Cemetery Hill. Not Pfanz. We have a nice good sized chapter dealing with the retreat.This is a book that anyone who is truly interested in the battle of Gettysburg should have. No other book even comes close to dealing with the events of the first day like this one does.

I had the greatest pleasure in spending the first week of my retirement reading this account of the first day's struggle at Gettysburg and it's outlying areas. Pfanz continues as absolutely one of the greatest Civil War historians writing today. So much has been written about the struggle for Little Round Top, Chamberlain's exploits, Pickett's Charge, and all of the other events which followed the first day's events, however, this book is an essential read for those who really want to examine how day two and three evolved. It is certainly understandable why the average reader would be drawn to the flashier confrontations which followed, however after day one it became clearer and clearer that the Confederate states could not conceivably win this battle. The beauty of this account is that it is studded with maps which is a definite plus to anyone not particularly familiar with the outlying geography of the battle. And the dominant sites such as McPherson's Woods, the Railroad Cuts, Oak Ridge, the various farms all become focus points for the reader to see how the battle surged back and forth. Pfanz also details the battle unit by unit and interlaces his narrative with wonderful inserts of recollections by the participants. The first day of the battle will also introduce the casual reader to soldiers both north and south who are not the usual suspects in Civil War accounts. People like Buford emerge as heroes and corps commanders play lesser roles. The effect of combat on civilians is also greatly documented and gives a real picture of the total impact of war in the 19th century. This is not a work for the casual reader who would just want to pick up a book on Civil War history. However, for those who have a humble introduction it is very approachable and for those who have done additional reading it is a valuable resource. Thanks for writing this one Mr. Pfanz.

Pfanz is probably the premier choice when it comes to authors who cover the battle from start to finish. As I suspected from reading his Day #2 book first, this book was just as enlightening. Pfanz careful honest attention to details, timelines, people and strategies are presented well. I liked his attention in how he brings in a key person to a battle situation and not only do we get the fine details, but we also get a biography of that indvidual that helps build the story. Pfanz doesn't miss any action from the build up of the Day #1 conflict and result. Details about Confederate movement into town and the Federal defense such as the fight at Oak Ridge was very interesting. Each regimental movement is carefully written about and covered. To add more punch, maps are a bonus in the chapters that I found helpful to designate certain positions and movements. I had questions in regard to Iverson's movements in the morning of the 1st which Pfanz covers since he doesn't miss any of the action. Pfanz easily pieces the battle together as a lot of the action took place at the same time throughout the field. Another helpful tool is the fact that Pfanz talks about the 1st and 11th Corps of the Union and brings them to the field as if they were coming up. He starts out writing about their earlier positions south of Gettysburg and the timeline is covered perfectly. Pfanz also covers the Confederate beginnings of the 1st Day as well. Pfanz's stucture in presenting the many personalities that were involved in the conflict is outstanding! To get a great feel and total coverage for the 1st Day this is the must have book!

I awaited the arrival of Pfanz's The First Day with great anticipation - having read his treatment of the second day and used it as the standard for walking the southern end of the battlefield and understanding the events of 2 July 1863. This work lives up to the great expectations generated by Pfanz's earlier work. It is - without a doubt - the standard treatment of how much can be known about who was where when and in what force, who said what when, on 1 July, 1863 where the roads meet at Gettysburg. If there is a quibble - and for a work of this value, it's a small one - it is that Pfanz does not offer up an opinion on the controversies surrounding the first day. He obviously has a great store of knowledge, and he understands the arguments that still run hot - whether Ewell could have or should have taken Cemetery Hill (or more likely Culp's Hill) at the end of the day, for example - but he doesn't offer up his judgement. He does his best to prove or deny claims or events leading up to critical decisions - but does not go on to render his own decision. He leaves it to the reader to judge - which is perhaps, after all, the best approach. One real complaint - there are numerous obvious typos that the editors of the North Carolina press should have corrected (mostly in the unit annotations to the maps). Difficult to understand that sort of lapse in what is a recognized academic work.

Harry Pfanz has done it again with this fascinating book about the underappreciated first day at Gettysburg. As with his other books on the battle, the focus is on unit action at the brigade and regimental levels, liberally interspersed with interesting anecdotes about the actions and experiences of individual soldiers. As has been said by others, Pfanz seems to have learned everything that it is possible to know about the battle, and it shows in this book. The level of detail is, at times, staggering, but the writing style is so fluid that the reader is carried along nicely.One of the most interesting aspects of the book, though, concern decision making at the division and corps levels. For instance, Pfanz takes Barlow to task for advancing his division to the knoll that now bears his name, arguing that its original position at the outskirts of the town was preferable. Pfanz also takes pains to describe Ewell's decision not to attempt an assault of Cemetary Hill on the evening of July 1; given all of the factors to consider, Ewell's decision comes across as quite reasonable if perhaps somewhat lacking in aggressiveness. Unfortunately, Pfanz does not give the same attention to Lee's refusual to support such an attack with available troops from Hill's corps.The book is not without its flaws. In addition to some occasional editing slips, like his other books this one could use more maps. There are fairly frequent references to geographical features that do not appear on any of the maps in the book. The most serious students of the battle will want to read this book with additional maps at hand.Overall, though, this is a superb work. If your interest in the battle goes beyond the surface, then you will be well repaid for reading this book.