One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863

Who knows anything about Lee's retreat from Gettysburg? Despite copious amounts of literature dedicated to the opening portions of the campaign and the battle itself, very little has been written (and hence read) about Lee's difficult withdrawal across the South Mountain range to Williamsport and Falling Waters, and the eventual retreat across the flooded Potomac River, all while actively facing the pursuing Army of the Potomac. After the fact, many in the North, including President Lincoln, were deeply critical of George Meade for "allowing" Lee's army to escape to fight another day. In One Continuous Fight, authors Eric Wittenberg, J.D. Petruzzi, and Michael Nugent set out to reassess the performance of many generals during this little-studied section of the campaign, document the numerous small battles which flared during the retreat, and generally challenge many commonly held assumptions. The Gettysburg Campaign was not even close to being over as the two tired and battered Eastern armies licked their wounds and glared at each other across the battlefield on July 4, 1863. Instead, a long and tense retreat to the Potomac River lay ahead for Lee's wounded but still dangerous Army of Northern Virginia. The Army of the Potomac, nearly as wounded but expecting reinforcements, would follow and make that retreat as difficult as possible. Over the next ten days, Lee's army used several routes to retreat to Williamsport, Maryland, forming a defense line there before finally crossing the Potomac River and escaping into Virginia to fight another day. Much has already been said about One Continuous Fight, almost all of it overwhelmingly positive. If you are looking for that trend to be broken here, you will be disappointed. Among the misconceptions which sprang up around these ten days is the belief that there was very little fighting done. The authors ably counteract that belief by penning a detailed tactical narrative which completely lays this fallacy to rest. The description of the retreat, from John Imboden's handling of the Confederate "Wagon Train of Wounded" to the numerous skirmishes and battles are well written, informative, and entertaining. The book reads like a novel in some places, as there was drama aplenty packed into these eleven days. Wittenberg, Petruzzi, and Nugent obviously spent a lot of time researching this one. The prodigious number of primary sources was especially impressive, and it shows throughout the book. Men who were there are often allowed to offer their own insight into what had happened. This proved especially useful while discussing the job Meade did in pursuing Lee to the Potomac. The authors cover the various camps of thought on that topic thoroughly in the conclusion. Some of their findings definitely go against the commonly held thought that Meade was too passive in trying to cut off Lee. In the end, they believe Meade probably did as much as could be expected with a tired army reinforced by onl

If you ever wondered what happened to Robert E. Lee's army of northern Virginia in the ten days following its defeat at Gettysburg on Pennsylvania July 3, 1863, look no further than One Continuous Fight. Herein, Jeb Stuart is redeemed in the eyes of Lee for poor scouting reports prior to July 1st. Meade explains why he didn't intercept Lee's broken army during the retreat. Learn of the twenty or so skirmishes between Southern and Northern cavalry in places like Funkstown, Boonsboro and finally Falling Waters, suffer with the slow moving, 17 mile long Confederate wagon train carrying the wounded and the lame, including captured union soldiers for ten days from Gettysburg to Williamsport, Maryland. Never before have I seen such broad range of resources, from diaries to documents, letters, newspaper accounts, military, civilians along the route of retreat, Confederate and Union. This truly is work of epic proportions, taken on by three well known Civil War historians and experts on cavalry action. There is even a detailed modern driving tour for those of you who can still afford gasoline, from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Williamsport, Maryland. Richard N. Larsen Reviewer

I recently finished the book and am glad to see that this part of the Gettysburg Campaign has finally received the recognition that it deserves. The authors have given us a full blown history of the battles that occurred as Lee's army retreated from their loss at Gettyburg. It's a day by day travelog that shows just how each army reacted to the aftermath of the fighting at Gettysburg. The authors have shared stories of the heroism on both sides as they found themselves involved in the 10 days described in the aftermath of the most significant battle of the Civil War that took place in the Eastern Theater. They have delivered a fascinating tale of those in the ranks, whether on foot or riding a trusted horse as they dealt with the horrible weather and the lack of sleep. My favorite chapter deals with the events of July 8, 1863, as I was born 100 years after that date. The events at Boonsboro and what Lee and Longstreet were doing that day provided this reader with a glimpse in to the Civil War that I have rarely come across. I had no clue that on that day 145 years ago, a son of NJ, Judson Kilpatrick received 3 cheers from his men. This son of NJ was happily surprised reading that, as in all my reading on Kilpatrick I have not come across "Kilcavalry" being cheered like that. Highly recommend this book for those who are interested in the Gettysburg Campaign. It's a fascinating and well written treatise on what happened after the battle. As others have mentioned, take advantage of the tours listed at the end of the book. It's well worth your time following in the footsteps of those who walked the walk 145 years ago. You will not be disappointed. Steve Basic

For many years, there were few full-length studies of the retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia following its defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863). But two outstanding books have recently been written to fill this gap. In 2005, Kent Masterson Brown published his "Retreat from Gettyburg." Brown's book focuses on the logistics of the retreat and on how Lee was able to mask his intentions, slowing Meades's pursuit. It also views Lee's goal in the Gettysburg campaign as primarily a raid -- an attempt by the Army of Northern Virginia to secure needed foodstuffs and other goods from Northern soil. With that objective in mind, Brown discusses the retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg, and implicitly the battle itself, in the context of the entire campaign. He finds that the campaign partially met its objectives. I was eager to learn more about the retreat after reading Brown. His book has been followed by a new (2008) study of the retreat: "One Continuous Fight" by three noted students of the Civil War: Eric Wittenberg, David Petruzzi, and Michael Nugent. Wittenberg and his coauthors have written extensively on Gettysburg and they have focused on the role of the cavalry. This focus on cavalry operations is critical in understanding the retreat. Wittenberg and his co-authors give a detailed tactical study of the retreat from both Union and Confederate perspectives. They offer a detailed military discussion of the over 20 engagements that occured between the beginning of Lee's retreat on July 4,1863, and Lee's crossing over into Virginia on July 14. The book includes many stories, quotes and anechdotes from and about participants on both sides of the line. "One Continuous Fight" is an excellent study in its own right of the retreat and a worthy complement to Brown. Many people think, when they consider the retreat, of Meade's alleged failure to pursue Lee's army. The title of this book "One Continuous Fight" should dispel that misaprehension. Wittenberg shows that there was continuous and severe fighting throughout the retreat. He describes in detail the engagements at Monterey Pass, Hagerstown, Boonsborough, and Funkstown, among other engagements. He also describes the fighting at Williamsport when on July 6, Confederate General Imboden led a heroic defense by his wounded soldiers and teamsters against a Union cavalry attack. The book offers detailed descriptions of the movements of the armies and of the results of little-studied battles. Wittenburg gives a full picture of the strong defenses Lee constructed at Williamsport in the face of the flooded Potomac River which hindered his crossing. For three days, Meade and the Union Army failed to attack the position. When Meade at length wanted to attack on July 14, Lee's army had slipped away into the night. The hazardous crossings at Williamsport and Falling Waters are described in full detail. The major issue surrounding the retreat is whether Meade could have d

The Battle of Gettysburg is the battle of the American Civil War. Its' importance can be disputed but the place it occupies in our history cannot. The retreat and pursuit of Lee's army often receives scant coverage in Gettysburg histories. Most often, this coverage is Lincoln's disappointment over the escape of the Army of Northern Virginia and General Meade's problems because of this. Very few books have attempted an in-depth look at the military campaign that July. The campaign did not end with Pickett's Charge. It ended about 10 days later with the AoNV safe in Virginia. This book covers, in detail, those days as a military campaign. It is the often-overlooked history of a series of movements, engagements and battles occurring as the armies struggle south. There are nearly two dozen separate distinct engagements, many mapped at about one mile to the inch. An updated campaign level map always seemed to be there just as I needed it. The Area of Operations map inside the front cover is for quick reference and reorientation. These maps make it all but impossible to get lost and are worth the effort put into them. This book concentrates on the army not on Imboden's retreat with the supply train and wounded. While covered in one chapter, it is not slighted. For instance, there are three pages on the civilian attacks on the train in Greencastle. About 300 pages cover July 4 to 14 as the armies struggle south, clash, rebound and repeat. The authors allow the participants to contribute their stories, keeping this from being a dry history. Those who have read Wittenberg and/or Petruzzi know how well they do this. If you have not read them this is an excellent introduction. Eric Wittenberg posses and in-depth understanding of Cavalry operations, the strengths and weakness of that arm. J. David Petruzzi understanding of Gettysburg complements this. Both men are the author of several books on Civil War Cavalry and/or Gettysburg. They co-authored "PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND" in 2006. Michael Nugent is the new member of this team. He is a speaker on the Civil War circuit and an expert on the Gettysburg Campaign. I sometimes skip the Preface. Do not skip this one! Noah Andre Trudeau has written a thought provoking essay on Meade vs. Lee that needs to be read. It made me hope for a follow up history that would cover from August 1863 to Grant's arrival in the East. Did I mention the Driving Tours? After you read a good history, do you want to see the land and stand in those spots? This book has detailed driving tour of the Wagon Train of the Wounded and the military operations. It is an extra that more histories need to consider including. Was Meade derelict? Did Meade, working under impossible conditions, conduct as good a pursuit as possible? Did Meade move to slowly, star struck by Lee and feeling lucky to have won a battle? Did Meade make a reasonable decision in not attacking Lee's entrenchments? Was Meade the victim of