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The Gettysburg Campaign A Study in Command Edwin B Coddington 9780684181523 Books

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The Gettysburg Campaign A Study in Command Edwin B Coddington 9780684181523 Books

Edwin Coddington's (1905-1963) "The Gettysburg Campaign" (1963) remains not only the seminal account of the Battle of Gettysburg but also a model of Civil War and historical writing. The book is an inspiring example of scholarship at its best. Coddington writes in a clear, eloquent, yet non-polemical style as he explores his subject. He does not back away from offering opinions and conclusions, which flow clearly from his narrative account. The reader can understand the basis of the judgments which Coddington offers. The account is detailed and yet selective. Coddington focuses on the broad picture of the Gettysburg story without getting bogged down in the minutae and legends that mar some otherwise excellent treatments of this battle. Coddington focuses on "why" things happened as well as "what" happened. The reader is given a context for the Gettysburg campaign and is seldom at a loss over the reason the author is discussing and devoting time to an issue. The book is thoroughly documented and the footnotes include much essential material.
Coddington begins with a lengthy consideration of the factors that led Robert E. Lee to propose an invasion of the North following the Battle of Chancellorsville. He concludes with a discussion of the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg, culminating in the return to Virginia on July 14, 1863. He discusses well the Union pursuit and considers judiciously whether Meade should have been more aggressive in trying to cut off the fleeing foe.
I found the factual account comprehensive on the major points of the Battle and careful and circumspect in its conclusions. Coddington allows the reader to see the deficiencies in the Confederate command structure (lack of coordination) and the overconfidence of the Southern forces at virtually every level as contributing factors to the defeat at Gettysburg. He is more critical of General Longstreet's role in the Battle than are many more recent accounts. On the Union side of the line, Coddington is highly critical of Third Corps General Sickles and his salient on July 2, which came close to costing the Union the Battle. The longest critical section of the book consists of an examination of the dispute between Meade and Sickles and his supporters following the battle regarding the wisdom, or lack of it, in Sickles's movement of the Third Corps.
Coddington has high, but careful praise for Commanding General Meade, for Hancock, Reynolds, Buford,Howard, and Slocum. He shows how the Army of the Potomac, for all its awkward structure (seven Corps at Gettysburg compared to the Confederate three) and for all the rivalries between its leaders was able to function as a coordinated unit when it needed to do so and hold the Union position at Gettysburg. Coddington has high praise for the valor of the fighting troops on both sides of the line.
Sometimes implicitly and sometimes explicitly, Coddington's book comes to grips with many competing accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg. He points to the tendence of many students to view the battle as a series of speculative "ifs" -- if General Early, Longstreet, what have you had done this at the time, the result would have been different. Most such analyses, Coddington argues, are fruitless, Furthermore, they tend to ignore, or downplay, the mistakes that, hindsight suggests, occurred in the Battle of the other side of the line. Coddington shows the reader what happened, marshalls the evidence about why it happened, and allows the reader to think the matter through.
This is a detailed, close and thorough account of the Battle of Gettysburg that is probably best approached by a reader who has a basic familiarity with the Civil War and a general understanding of the action at Gettysburg. It is not the only account of this endlessly fascinating battle, but it remains the standard work which needs to be considered in understanding the events of the Gettysburg campaign.


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The Gettysburg Campaign A Study in Command Edwin B Coddington 9780684181523 Books Reviews

I'm not totally convinced that Coddington's work is the "Bible" of books on Gettysburg although it could be the closest on the subject. At least top "3" material! Coddington's details of the early Union and Confederate politics, strategy and marches to Gettysburg was very informative. Coddington's information builds the setting of this tremendous battle through both armies which allows for some very good reading. Coddington covers all three days of the battle with a good balance of coverage to the events. He also gets into the minds of popular key players such as Lee, Meade, Hancock, Sickles, Longstreet and others. His battle coverage at times is not the ultimate in detail as I have read in Harry Pfanz's work although it is valuable. I found Trudeau's book on Gettysburg to use more of that in his coverage though Coddington's use of references is a book in itself which is a true asset and superior to others.
Written during the 60's Coddington was well ahead of his time in erasing popular battlefield myths that have grown over the years. He was very fair to veterans of the battle who have written about their experiences years after the battle in which may have conflicting reports. Coddington is very good at dispelling these accounts if needed which really gave this book a honest flavor without modern day politics getting into the way. It simply covers the campaign and leaves civilian life out of the battle that may leave some readers wanting more of it since the town of Gettysburg suffered from many hardships before, during and after the battle. Coddington sticks to the military drama with upmost focus. As the title states, it is a study of military command.
This book is very complete and is an immense study with 574 pages of reading while the references stack this monumental material well over 800 plus pages. If not a mandatory read, it is a must read for anyone serious about learning about Gettysburg. You can't be a good historian without this book as you owe to yourself to read it. 5 STARS
I've read a number of books about Gettysburg but this is the most detailed. Its not for someone with a casual interest in an overview of the battle but for those who appreciate logistics, troop movements, interpersonal interactions among field officers and strategic and tactical plans. To give an idea of the book's design, the first bullet isn't fired until page 256 and the footnotes and bibliography are over a hundred pages.
I am not well read on the Civil War, so I cannot compare Coddington's work with true peers. That said, I am a well-read student of history; I have read countless histories, biographies, and battle descriptions. This is one of the absolute best books I have come across. I purchased this book in preparation for a trip to Gettysburg. My hope has been to learn about the battle on multiple levels and Coddington's work more than delivered. The narrative is engaging and writing with good color. The battle descriptions are technical and in loving detail. The discussion of strategy implied and realized is interesting and fair. I have enjoyed it immensely. As I continue to study the Civil War, I only hope that I have not read the best first.
Edwin Coddington's (1905-1963) "The Gettysburg Campaign" (1963) remains not only the seminal account of the Battle of Gettysburg but also a model of Civil War and historical writing. The book is an inspiring example of scholarship at its best. Coddington writes in a clear, eloquent, yet non-polemical style as he explores his subject. He does not back away from offering opinions and conclusions, which flow clearly from his narrative account. The reader can understand the basis of the judgments which Coddington offers. The account is detailed and yet selective. Coddington focuses on the broad picture of the Gettysburg story without getting bogged down in the minutae and legends that mar some otherwise excellent treatments of this battle. Coddington focuses on "why" things happened as well as "what" happened. The reader is given a context for the Gettysburg campaign and is seldom at a loss over the reason the author is discussing and devoting time to an issue. The book is thoroughly documented and the footnotes include much essential material.
Coddington begins with a lengthy consideration of the factors that led Robert E. Lee to propose an invasion of the North following the Battle of Chancellorsville. He concludes with a discussion of the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg, culminating in the return to Virginia on July 14, 1863. He discusses well the Union pursuit and considers judiciously whether Meade should have been more aggressive in trying to cut off the fleeing foe.
I found the factual account comprehensive on the major points of the Battle and careful and circumspect in its conclusions. Coddington allows the reader to see the deficiencies in the Confederate command structure (lack of coordination) and the overconfidence of the Southern forces at virtually every level as contributing factors to the defeat at Gettysburg. He is more critical of General Longstreet's role in the Battle than are many more recent accounts. On the Union side of the line, Coddington is highly critical of Third Corps General Sickles and his salient on July 2, which came close to costing the Union the Battle. The longest critical section of the book consists of an examination of the dispute between Meade and Sickles and his supporters following the battle regarding the wisdom, or lack of it, in Sickles's movement of the Third Corps.
Coddington has high, but careful praise for Commanding General Meade, for Hancock, Reynolds, Buford,Howard, and Slocum. He shows how the Army of the Potomac, for all its awkward structure (seven Corps at Gettysburg compared to the Confederate three) and for all the rivalries between its leaders was able to function as a coordinated unit when it needed to do so and hold the Union position at Gettysburg. Coddington has high praise for the valor of the fighting troops on both sides of the line.
Sometimes implicitly and sometimes explicitly, Coddington's book comes to grips with many competing accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg. He points to the tendence of many students to view the battle as a series of speculative "ifs" -- if General Early, Longstreet, what have you had done this at the time, the result would have been different. Most such analyses, Coddington argues, are fruitless, Furthermore, they tend to ignore, or downplay, the mistakes that, hindsight suggests, occurred in the Battle of the other side of the line. Coddington shows the reader what happened, marshalls the evidence about why it happened, and allows the reader to think the matter through.
This is a detailed, close and thorough account of the Battle of Gettysburg that is probably best approached by a reader who has a basic familiarity with the Civil War and a general understanding of the action at Gettysburg. It is not the only account of this endlessly fascinating battle, but it remains the standard work which needs to be considered in understanding the events of the Gettysburg campaign.