Protecting the Flank at Gettysburg: The Battles for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge and East Cavalry Field, July 2 -3, 1863
by Eric J. Wittenberg
Product Details
- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Savas Beatie (February 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1611210941
- ISBN-13: 978-1611210941
The publisher of the 2002 edition allowed this well received book to go out of print. This valuable study stayed on the shelf the first publishing contract ended.
The author admits this book is one of his “favorites” and always wanted to see it back in print. Savas Beatie accepted the book for publication and we have a 2013 edition.
New editions of books are always questionable. Often “New” consists of little more than additional editing, moving the illustrations around and new cover art.
When this happens, you quickly realize this is not really from the book you read n years ago. Neither the author nor the publisher wanted this type of “New” edition.
Eric Wittenberg felt the original was “a bit muddled in places” and wished to fix this.
The discovery of official reports to and from Custer on the fighting in the East Cavalry Field created an opportunity to include additional vital materials.
In 2005, Lost Triumph: Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed has Stuart and Pickett making a coordinated attack on July 3.
Principally those who cannot believe Lee ordered unsupported attacks accept this idea. The new edition takes a detailed look at this idea in a twenty-page appendix.
Lastly, the landscape at Gettysburg has changed since 2002; the new Visitor’s Center is an important one.
Equally important is the personal GPS, which is now a common item. These changes caused a rewrite of the driving tour.
All of the above went into this edition. The result is a more detailed study that is more understandable and readable. This is as much a new book as it is a new edition and it should be in your library.
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