"I thought my men were invincible," admitted Robert E. Lee. A string of battlefield victories through 1862 had culminated in the spring of 1863 with Lee's greatest victory yet: the battle of Chancellorsville. Propelled by the momentum of that supreme moment, confident in the abilities of his men, Lee decided to once more take the fight to the Yankees and launched this army on another invasion of the North. An appointment with destiny awaited in the little Pennsylvania college town of Gettysburg. Historian Dan Welch follows ...
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"I thought my men were invincible," admitted Robert E. Lee. A string of battlefield victories through 1862 had culminated in the spring of 1863 with Lee's greatest victory yet: the battle of Chancellorsville. Propelled by the momentum of that supreme moment, confident in the abilities of his men, Lee decided to once more take the fight to the Yankees and launched this army on another invasion of the North. An appointment with destiny awaited in the little Pennsylvania college town of Gettysburg. Historian Dan Welch follows in the footsteps of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac as the two foes cat-and-mouse their way northward, ultimately clashing in the costliest battle in North American history. Based on the Gettysburg Civil War Trails, and packed with dozens of lesser-known sites related to the Gettysburg Campaign, The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign offers the ultimate Civil War road trip.
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"The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign, 1863" offers four separate driving tours which follow the movements of the Union and Confederate armies before and after the Battle of Gettysburg of July 1 -- July 3, 1863. While the Gettysburg battlefield has been visited by millions of people over the years, a much smaller number are familiar with the events leading to and following the battle itself during June to mid-July, 1863.
"The Last Road North" includes a good, succinct chapter on the battle, but the focus is on the before and after. The four driving tours it presents are each lengthy and separate and cover movements through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The first two tours begin in Virginia following the Chancellorsville Campaign. The first tour guiders the reader on "The Confederate Advance" which took Lee's army from Virginia through the Shenandoah Valley to as far north as the vicinity of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The second tour, "The Union Response" is a guide to the Army of the Potomac's efforts to ascertain the goal of Lee's movements and to follow and counter them. Most of the pursuit was at a considerable distance from Lee's army, making this tour independent of the first with little overlap. The third tour "Jeb Stuart's Ride" follows the Confederate cavalry commander's fabled long ride around the Union army through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The last of the four tours covers the "Retreat from Gettysburg" including the roads Lee's Army took back to Virginia following the battle and the Union pursuit.
Each tour includes many tour stops and good brief discussions of their significance. Some of the sites discussed will be familiar to students of the battle, but virtually everyone who reads this book will learn something new. There are detailed driving directions, including GPS coordinates for those who follow one or the other of the tours in their cars. The book has photographs of much of the monumentation and commemoration of the Gettysburg campaign in places far from the battlefield. There are many photos of historic places and individuals. The writing is accessible, and the book has a good basic bibliography for those wishing to learn more.
I found this book moving as well as informative in reminding me of why I study the battle and in teaching me aspects of the campaign I didn't know. The book will benefit those with an interest in Gettysburg even if they do not get on the road and drive. A strong feature of the book is the clear and detailed maps prepared by cartographer Hal Jesperson. Detailed maps are often a rarity in Civil War books.
"The Last Road North" is part of the Emerging Civil War Series published by Savas Beatie. The series aims to provide "fresh perspectives on America's defining event" and is designed to offer a " public history-oriented platform for sharing original scholarship related to the American Civil War". The authors of the book, Rob Orrison and Dan Welch, each have broad experience in presenting Gettysburg history to wide audiences. The book is an excellent introduction to the Gettysburg campaign for new and experienced readers and will enhance any reader's understanding of the battle. The work amply fulfills the goals of the Emerging Civil War Series. Savas Beatie, the publisher, kindly sent me a copy of the book to review.
