Grape & Canister: Gettysburg Anniversary Edition
Civil War News, Books, and Videos about Gettysburg and, of course, an Otis pic
Today I am bringing you a special edition of my roundup of Civil War related news related to the anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg.
First up is this classic meme that highlights Gettysburg’s place in Civil War memory. I am not sure who first came up with it, but do take some time over the next few days to remember Vicksburg and Tullahoma. :-)
News
Little Round Top—one of the most popular sites on the Gettysburg battlefield—has reopened after two years of restoration.
If you find yourself in Gettysburg over the next few days, make sure to check out the many events hosted by the Gettysburg Foundation and National Park Service.
New Books About Gettysburg
Allen Guelzo, Voices from Gettysburg: Letters, Papers, and Memoirs from the Greatest Battle of the Civil War (Citadel, 2024).
John L. Hopkins, The World Will Never See the Like: The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913 (Savas, 2024).
Bill Hyde ed., The Union Generals Speak: The Meade Hearings on the Battle of Gettysburg (Louisiana State University Press, 2023).
Scott L. Mingus and Eric J. Wittenberg, "If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania": The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg. Volume 2: June 22–30, 1863 (Savas, 2023).
Allen R. Thompson, In the Shadow of the Round Tops: Longstreet's Countermarch, Johnston's Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2, 1863 (Knox Press, 2023).
If you are looking for a solid overview of the Gettysburg campaign, I highly recommend Steven Woodworth’s book, Beneath a Northern Sky: A Short History of the Gettysburg Campaign or Stephen Sears’s book, Gettysburg.
Videos
Love this little skit about Gettysburg from “The Big Bang Theory.”
Check out the Battlefield Trust’s animated troop movements for all three days of fighting at Gettysburg.
During the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate forces hit the U.S. Army hard. Union regiments fell back through town and formed a defensive line along the heights of Cemetery Hill. To buy time for the move, a Union brigade was ordered forward to delay the enemy advance. One of the men involved was James Brownlee of the 134th New York Infantry. Here's the story.
Here is historian Tim Smith’s “pet peeves” about Day 3 of the battle of Gettysburg.
A new Black History trail just recently launched in Gettysburg.
And finally…
Otis
Summer Otis.
I just posted a substantive remark about Gettysburg but thought this July 4 question might be more propounding.
Yes, Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4 after nearly 7 weeks of siege.
I say: Vicksburg was on the spit and the charcoal fired when Pemberton lost to Grant at Champion Hill on 5/16. Prior to that, Grierson's Raid had shown the feebleness of Mississippi's defense, Grant had cut off most of the Mississippi River to traffic, the Inland Navy's gunboats were making River crossings extremely chancy, and Grant had scared Johnston out of Raymond.
It's nice to have a party to celebrate on July 4, but that was just when the poor roast was done cooking and served up.
Despite recent rulings by an ostensible arm of the Federal Government, Happy Birthday, Us!
Personally, I hope to visit the local military cemetery (Presidio of San Francisco), lay a few flowers on the grave of Pauline Cushman Fryer, very successful Union spy. Awarded the rank of major by President Garfield.
And one of the foremost in-the-weeds historians of Gettysburg continues his chemo. See his gofundme page: Eric Wittenberg.
First things first - hugs & love to Otis 🥰.
Second, the meme is priceless because it is true, as we both know from teaching those events. Vicksburg was such an important US Army victory; as Lincoln said, “The Father of Waters again flows unvexed to the sea.” As for Meade, he stopped the rebel advance but his failure to stop Lee’s retreat was responsible, IMHO, for all the death and destruction of the next two years. Though it may also be said that Rosecrans had some responsibility, since he also failed to strike a final blow and in September lost decisively, and brutally, at Chickamauga.
Finally, the more I learn, the more I have yet to learn, as I was unaware of the Meade Hearings. I look forward to reading Hyde’s book - thx!