Gettysburg Envisioned: The Definitive Illustrated History

The ultimate book for Civil War fans, Gettysburg Battlefield contains 486 photographs, both archival and modern day, plus 24 2- and 3-dimensional maps, making it the most comprehensive history of Gettysburg ever published in a single volume. After more than a century, the battle of Gettysburg remains the largest and deadliest military campaign ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 8,000 men lost their lives and an astounding 38,000 were wounded or missing. In Gettysburg Battlefield: The Definitive Illustrated History, author David Eicher's unforgettable narrative takes you on a chronological journey of the battle that culminates with the Union army's ultimate triumph as the Confederate army retreated across the Potomac. Throughout the book, fascinating side-by-side photographs show images of the battlefield take just days after the guns ceased to fire next to images of those same sites today, many surprisingly unchanged. Numerous modern photographs reveal houses, monuments, and historically significant areas that are sometimes overlooked by contemporary Gettysburg photographers. More than 100 portraits of the key participants, from commanding generals Robert E. Lee and George Meade to ordinary soldiers and civilians, offer a rare and personal glimpse into a war fought by husbands and fathers, brothers and sons. Two dozen unique two- and three-dimensional colour maps illustrate the critical part played by the topography of the region in such key actions as Little Round Top and the action at Devil's Den. Fifteen essays by notable Gettysburg experts, including park historians Kathy Harrison and Scott Hartwig and celebrated writers Brian Pohanka, Tom Desjardin, and John Y. Simon among them, reflect on the sites as they appear today. And Pulitzer prize-winning author James M. McPherson's thought-provoking foreword reminds us that there is still much to be learned from the events that took place at Gettysburg. Both a compelling chronicle of a legendary conflict and an amazingly useful guide for anyone planning to visit and explore the battlefield itself, Gettysburg Battlefield is the ultimate pictorial Civil War record.

About the Author :
David J. Eicher is the author of several books on the Civil War, among them The Longest Night and Civil War High Commands. He lives in Wisconsin. James M. McPherson is a professor of American history at Princeton University and the author of numerous important books on the Civil War, including the Pulitzer Prize winning Battle Cry of Freedom. Lee Vande Visse is a professional illustrator and graphic designer with a longtime interest in Civil War history.

Review :
"Gettysburg Battlefield is a treasure trove of numerous, seldom seen historic photographs of the battlefield and of men who fought there, embellished by modern photos, incisive captions, and a lively text. It will intrigue and inspire all those who read it." The Civil War changed the course of America, and, the battle that changed the course of the war was fought on farmland at Gettysburg, Pa. That battle is re-created in "Gettysburg Battlefield: The Definitive Illustrated History" by David J. Eicher, with a foreword by Civil War historian James M. McPherson. In three days, July 1-3, 1863, nearly 8,000 died and another 38,000 were missing or wounded. With essays by 15 Civil War historians and nearly 500 illustrations, the book takes readers from the Confederate army's northward march, through three days of fierce fighting and to the Union victory and Confederate retreat. Among the visuals are maps with cutaway views to show the role topography played, side-by-side photos of key sites at battle's end and the same sites today, and thumbnail photos and sketches of monuments and sites, and of the battle's key participants. - Chicago TribuneHere is one of the most exciting and best-executed Civil War picture books to be published since the American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War by Bruce Calton 40 years ago. It's a new benchmark against which future volumes of its kind will be judged. David J. Eicher's Gettysburg Battlefield is just what the title claims it to be: definitive. This is surely one of the most attractively designed books about a Civil War battle ever published, blending contemporary and period photographs to create the most complete photographic coverage of Gettysburg to date. The work owes a debt to Gettysburg, A Journey in Time by William A. Frassanito, and, indeed, Eicher acknowledges Frassanito's groundbreaking research again and again as he compares views of the battlefield taken in the 1860's and afterward with gorgeous color photographs shot in the past few years. There is no attempt to duplicate Frassanito's work; Gettysburg Battlefield updates and supplements it. One delightful surprise is the large number of photos that many readers will not have seen before. Also welcome are t