Twilight at Little Round Top: July 2, 1863--The Tide Turns at Gettysburg

Just before midnight, while the moon rose steadily higher in the sky, General Meade arrived in Gettysburg with his entourage, which included his son and aide-de-camp, Captain George G. Meade, and Brigadier General Henry J. Hunt, his artillery chief. Meade quickly found General Howard and asked, rather brusquely: He may have been relieved to discover that two regiments-- the 5th Ohio and the th Pennsylvania--from Brigadier General John W. Geary''s Second Division of the Twelfth Corps had, sometime just before dark on July 1, occupied the slopes of Little Round Top, the eye of the Union army''s fishhook line.

Between the hill and the left flank of Major General Daniel E.

Greene--filled the gap in the shank of the Union line, where Cemetery Ridge melted into the lower ridge of Little Round Top. But mostly Meade''s attention was fixed on the right of his line, Culp''s Hill and Cemetery Hill, where he knew the Confederate forces had been massed in what certainly appeared to be a firm intention of the enemy to storm the Union works on those hills. After daybreak, Meade established his headquarters on the Taneytown Road in a small white cottage owned by a widow, Mrs. Almost at once, the tiny house became a beehive of activity as Meade worked feverishly to ensure the proper placement of his corps; as daylight came over the land, Union troops flowed down the narrow roads and spread like a blue ink stain across the fields and hills and ridges south of Gettysburg.

It was late in the afternoon of July 1, while the fighting still raged around Gettysburg, that Major General John Bell Hood, who commanded one of the three divisions in Longstreet''s First Corps, received orders to move his men east from their bivouac outside of Chambersburg and on toward Gettysburg.

Robertson, "lazily and plethorically" moved in column, as one private in the 4th Texas reported. Marching toward the sound of the guns, the Texas brigade--which consisted of the 1st Texas, 4th Texas, 5th Texas, and 3rd Arkansas regiments--passed a field hospital, where the wounded of the first day''s fighting were receiving medical treatment.

West differed from his comrades in Company E in other respects as well. He was a former schoolteacher who had joined the 4th Texas in May , so he had yet to see action as he marched with the men of his company along the moonlit Chambersburg Pike toward Gettysburg. Nor was he a native Texan, like most of the men in Company E and in the regiment. He was born in Camden, South Carolina, on April 12, , where he demonstrated his ability as an apt student and a quick learner.

Twenty years later, he was graduated from the University of South Carolina, and the following year, he moved to Austin, Texas, where his brother Charles, an attorney, resided. While he read law in Charles''s office, he also taught school. He returned to South Carolina in to marry Mary E.

Stark of Columbia, and the couple set up their household outside Austin. In , after passing the bar, he moved with his wife to Waco, where he became the headmaster of the Waco and Trinity River Classical School. When the secession crisis drove Texas out of the Union, West sided with the Confederacy and condemned Governor Sam Houston for taking a stand against disunion.

400,48 RUB

The book is refreshing in its use of all manner of records including letters from ordinary troops. He handles some of the controversies in a straightforward and seemingly fair style e. All in all, a good guide to the sanguinary struggle on Little Round Top. Jan 22, David Elkin rated it it was amazing.

I found the book to be different is some very important ways. Dealt with more than the 20th Maine 2. Dealt with the feeling and letters of the soldiers on the ground 3. Treated the leaders without rose colored glasses 4. Deals with the deeper meaning of the Civil War and how death changed in America 5. Tells of the horrible aftermath of the battle.

A must read for fans of the Civil War and Gettysburg. Sep 12, Craig rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Excellent account of the events of day 2 at Gettysburg, focusing mostly on the battle in the shadow of Little Round Top, but also in-depth details of the battle in surrounding portions of the battlefield. Includes many personal accounts I found interesting and informative.

This is kind of a weird one.

The Battle of Gettysburg is considered by many to be the central turning point in the Civil War. It was certainly an important battle, and the deadliest by a wide margin. Nearly fifty thousand casualties were suffered in three days of fighting. To put that in perspective, the Battle of Shiloh, which contained more American casualties than every prior American war combined, had half the number of dead and wounded as Gettysburg.

Some of the most exciting and important f This is kind of a weird one. Some of the most exciting and important fighting happened on the second day, which is the focus of LaFantasie's book. Many books have been written on the Civil War. I've read a number of them. Unless they're focused on a particular detail of the war, and its scope necessarily excludes Gettysburg, the most famed of battles is almost definitely getting a mention somewhere. So in an ocean of Civil War books, in a sea of Gettysburg publications, what makes LaFantasie's book stick out?

It's not a bad book, not really. The prose can be a little maudlin at times giving you the occasional eye-rolling nugget of wisdom like "Death was the real foe on Little Round Top" , and paragraphs had a habit of jumping forward and backward in time that confused more than it educated. But it wasn't bad. This is a competently book on Gettysburg.

I picked it up because I was hoping that it's narrow scope would afford its author more opportunities to really shine on the things I liked about Gettysburg, like Chamberlain's bayonet charge. It's just not that good. There are just too many exceptional Civil War books to settle on "adequate. You'll have a better treatment on Gettysburg. In another world, this book would be worth three stars, or maybe even four.

It's certainly not as awful as most other books that I rate as two stars. But it's not exceptional enough to be worth anyone's time. Today, Little Round Top is stop number 8 on the driving tour at the Gettysburg National Military Park, and some busy tourists may drive right through without fully realizing the significance of that little rocky hill. But LaFantasie makes clear the reasons why the successful Union defense of Little Round Top on the second day at Gettysburg was key to Union victory in the battle.

LaFantasie acknowledges the importance of the roles played by key officers like Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, but emphasizes more the heroism of the ordinary Civil War soldier, especially the Union soldiers who successfully defended that little hill in spite of horrific losses. Good use of photographs and battlefield maps; the latter, interspersed throughout the book, are particularly helpful in clarifying the sometimes confusing actions of that engagement.

It is good that LaFantasie emphasizes the cruelty and horror of Little Round Top -- this is not by any means a romanticized view of war -- and that he explores the social reality behind the American Civil War, discussing the pro-slavery ideologies voiced by many of the Confederates who fought in the battle. This account of how the tide turned at Gettysburg is recommended for students of Civil War history, of the Gettysburg Campaign, and of U.

Jul 06, Rick Edwards rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a great book. The author provides good narrative descriptions of the preparations, the several distinct engagements that together constituted the Battle of Gettysburg, and the personalities of commanders on both sides.

He also offers insights and personal observations gleaned from the correspondence and other writings of numerous soldiers of the Blue and the Gray persuasions. He finds considerable fault with the strategic and tactical planning and leadership of Confederate General Robert This is a great book. He finds considerable fault with the strategic and tactical planning and leadership of Confederate General Robert E.

Lee, and believes that had Lee followed Longstreet's counsel he'd have gotten a more favorable result. Citizens of the U. As a reader of the excellent narrative, I wished for better maps of the battlefields and the arrangement and movement of the opposing forces on them--to be precise, more maps, reflecting different movements in the battle, with more detail regarding the two opposing forces. All in all, however, I recommend it as an excellent read.

Oct 18, Lester McFarland rated it liked it. Most of the soldiers described in the book should be known to readers of Gettysburg battle accounts. He proceeds to give an account that gives a good description of what happened from the union as well as the confederate viewpoint, from artillery and infantry. The book includes information about civilians caught up in the battle. Some attention is given to the suffering endured by both Most of the soldiers described in the book should be known to readers of Gettysburg battle accounts.

Some attention is given to the suffering endured by both sides as wounded were trapped between lines as night closed the battle. Personal stories of those who died are interesting. The author highlights the after-war lives and accomplishments of soldiers described in the book. The author gives special attention to confederate Colonel William Oates, as he has written another book about this interesting officer. LaFantasie writes an eloquent narrative of the struggle for Little Round Top and of the sacrifice made by men of the blue and grey to uphold their honor and preserve their way of life for future generations.

Drawing from a myriad of sources, many of which are buried in archives, he weaves his history as close to reality as one distant a hundred and forty some years can. Often you feel the agony of a fallen soldier as they are struck down in the heat of battle only to be captured by another just LaFantasie writes an eloquent narrative of the struggle for Little Round Top and of the sacrifice made by men of the blue and grey to uphold their honor and preserve their way of life for future generations.

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Often you feel the agony of a fallen soldier as they are struck down in the heat of battle only to be captured by another just as brave standing firm in his resoluteness to uphold his ideals. Twilight at Little Round Top will hold you as it pummels you with its ferocity of battle and words. Dec 31, Matthew Robus rated it liked it. Detailed recapitulation of fighting at Little Round Top during the second day of the Gettysburg battle.

Kind of hard to follow without being able to see the terrain--I wish I'd had this the last 2nd time I was at the battlefield.

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Only a couple of details of this part of the battle e. By concentrating only on this area, this book is able to give a logical pict Detailed recapitulation of fighting at Little Round Top during the second day of the Gettysburg battle. By concentrating only on this area, this book is able to give a logical picture about how all the different units of the two armies interacted.

Aug 01, Marlena rated it it was ok Shelves:

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