Familiar Battle, Unique Perspective | The Artillery of Gettysburg

Esoterica for the true Gettysburg addict | The Artillery of Gettysburg | Bradley M. Gottfried

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	• The Artillery of Gettysburg Bradley M. Gottfried Cumberland House Publishing, 2008 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Solid shot at a vital component of a great battle

Bradley Gottfried's "The Artillery of Gettysburg" is a solid account of the part that artillery, both Union and Confederate, played during the Battle of Gettysburg. The story of the battle is narrated in a straigtforward chronological fashion, with the role of each artillery unit described in turn, detailing how each battery acted and reacted to the avalanche of events during the three days of fighting.

If the book has any weakness, it is that the focus is on the tactical experience of artillery batteries in this single battle, without extensive discussion of the technical or organizational aspects of that arm. But, the detailed history, accompanied by numerous maps, allows the interested reader to clearly grasp the vital successes and disappointing failures of Northern and Southern artillery in what is usually considered the greatest battle of the American Civil War.

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Familiar Battle, Unique Perspective

Bradley Gottfried has written a number of books on Gettysburg, many of which are standard works on the battle. He frequently writes for Gettysburg Magazine and is on very firm ground when writing about the battle. He continues displaying his knowledge with very readable prose in this book. Artillery is the major killer on a battlefield. The long arm reaches out and strikes targets well beyond rifle range. In doing so, they break up attacks, punish the defeated and suppress other batteries. Artillery is hard work, more so when the muscles of horses and men have to do all the work. The movement and handling of guns is the story of those men and horses. This is their story at Gettysburg. The larger issue of training of supply and quality of shells is left to other works. This is the correct decision, as we want to see how the batteries fought on the field not how they were supplied and trained.
I should like this book more! I enjoy reading about Gettysburg, I enjoy reading Gottfried but the subject just is not one the deeply interests me. This has to be a technical book and the author works to keep these details to a minimum. However, the number of guns, the type of guns, how they were positioned and where the cessions go are critical to the story. The author does a great job of making this as readable as possible but it just does not capture my imagination.
Having said that, I am better informed for working my way through the book. I have a greater understanding of how the two armies controlled their artillery and how that determined the outcome of the battle. This book covers what is usually ignored or only hinted at. As the title says, the book is a unique perspective on a very familiar story.

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Esoterica for the true Gettysburg addict

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).

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The battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 marked the turning point of the American Civil War. The apex of the Confederacy's final major invasion of the North, the devastating defeat also marked the end of the South's offensive strategy against the North. From this battle until the end of the war, the Confederate armies largely remained defensive. The Artillery of Gettsyburg is a thoughtful look at the role of the artillery during the July 1-3, 1863 conflict.

By the time of the Gettysburg campaign, artillery had gained respect in both armies. Used defensively, it could break up attacking formations and change the outcomes of battle. On the offense, it could soften up enemy positions prior to attack. And even if the results were not immediately obvious, the psychological effects to strong artillery support could bolster the infantry and discourage the enemy. Ultimately, infantry and artillery branches became codependent, for the artillery needed infantry support lest it be decimated by enemy infantry or captured.

The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had modified its codependent command system in February 1863. Prior to that, batteries were allocated to brigades, but now they were assigned to each infantry division, thus decentralizing its command structure and making it more difficult for Gen. Robert E. Lee and his artillery chief, Brig. Gen. William Pendleton, to control their deployment on the battlefield.

The Union Army of the Potomac had superior artillery capabilities in numerous ways. At Gettysburg, the Federal artillery had 372 cannons and the Confederates 283. To make matters worse, the Confederate artillery frequently was hindered by the quality of the fuses, which caused the shells to explode too early, too late, or not at all. When combined with a command structure that gave Union Brig. Gen. Henry Hunt more direct control than this Southern counterpart over his forces, the Federal army enjoyed a decided advantage in the countryside around Gettysburg.

Bradley M. Gottfried provides insight into how the two armies employed their artillery, how the different kinds of weapons functioned in battle, and the strategies for using each of them. He shows how artillery affected the ebb and flow of battle for both armies and thus provides a unique way of understanding the strategies of the Federal and Union commanders.

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