Don't Give an Inch: The Second Day at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863

From Little Round Top To Cemetery Ridge

The fighting on July 2, 1863, on the Union left and center includes some of the climactic and most confusing action of the Battle of Gettysburg. In their new book, "Don't Give an Inch: The Second Day at Gettysburg July 2, 1863, From Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge" authors Chris Mackowski, Kristopher White, and Daniel Davis offer an accessible and riveting introduction to this critical aspect of the battle. The book is part of a series in process which will cover the entire three days of Gettysburg. Additional related books in the "Emerging Civil War Series" of Savas Beatie cover the movements of the armies leading to and from Gettysburg ("The Last Road North" by Orrison and Welch) together with individual actions such as the cavalry battle at Brandy Station ("Out Flew the Sabres" by Wittenberg and Davis).

"Don't Give an Inch" is organized as a driving tour of the battlefield. The book sets the stage by examining the status of the battle after the fighting on July 1 and the decisions the Confederate and Union high commands made in anticipation of the continuing contest. There are ten stops on the tour beginning with the new Seminary Ridge Museum and continuing through Pitizer's Woods, the Mississippi State Memorial and Warfield Ridge, Little Round Top and the 20th Maine position on East Little Round Top, Devil's Den, The Wheatfield, The Peach Orchard, the site of the wounding of Union general Dan Sickles, the 1st Minnesota Monument, and the High Water Mark, which roughly coincides with the High Water Mark of Pickett's Charge of July 3. The organization of the tour in itself gives a good overview of the course of the battle. The tour offers good clear driving and parking directions around the battlefield, including GPS coordinates.

At each stop on the tour, the authors explain briefly the important actions which occurred and place them in the context of the battle. The discussions also help the reader see the difficulties and controversies of the battle, including Sickles' movement of his Third Corps away from the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, and the role played by Joshua Chamberlain in the defense of Little Round Top. The reader will learn about the complexity of the battle, the dangers of drawing too quick conclusions, and about its never-ending fascination.

In addition to the text, the book includes many visual aids in photographs of battlefield sites and participants. The maps of each site and of the second day battlefield as a whole are good and detailed. I found the highlight of the various tour stops was the emphasis on monumentation. The authors spend a great deal of time with the many monuments at Gettysburg posted by the various units of the armies. They use the monuments to lead into the action and to explain why each monument was created, what it shows, and what it commemorates. The monuments of the field are an excellent introduction to the action -- they are still on the ground and visible, are important in themselves, and help the viewer understand what the participants thought important in this battle fought over 150 years ago. The commemorative monuments tend not to get much attention in longer, detailed studies of the battle.

The book includes three appendixes which offer a more detailed walking tour of the Wheatfield, an examination of the controversy surrounding Joshua Chamberlain's role at Little Round Top, an discussion of the famous battlefield photograph of the dead Confederate sharpshooter at Devil's Den, and an overview of the controversy between Union commander George Meade and his willful subordinate, Dan Sickles, following the battle.

In a thoughtful Epilogue, the authors offer their insights into why the Union succeeded and the Confederates failed at Gettysburg and in the actions on July 2. The Foreword to the book by Tom Huntington, author of a book about General George Meade, stresses the Union commander's often under-estimated role in the Battle. More importantly, Huntington points out the addictive nature of the study of the battle of Gettysburg. He writes that "the Gettysburg battlefield is populated by phantoms, created at the intersection of history and imagination. Once you fall under their spell, it's hard to tear yourself away. ..... be warned -- it's a gateway drug."

I have read a great deal about Gettysburg and about the portions of the battle discussed in this book. The test of a Gettysburg book for me is whether it rehooks me on the battle and moves me about actions which I have read and thought about several times in the past. This introduction brought home to me again the significance of Gettysburg and my fascination with the battle. Savas Beatie kindly provided me with a review copy.

Robin Friedman