The Battle of Gettysburg (Expanded, Annotated)

Frank Haskell's eyewitness account of the Battle of Gettysburg has been considered a classic for nearly 140 years. Haskell was not only singled out by General Hancock for praise of his actions in the battle, he was quoted in Ken Burns' epic Civil War documentary. The Dartmouth-educated Haskell provided a compelling and exciting narrative in a long letter to his brother, written just days after the battle. First published privately by his brother in 1878 (Haskell was killed at Cold Harbor), it was later reprinted for the public. Haskell's details are to be found nowhere else and make for a superb first-person account of one of America's most important battles. Men of the Philadelphia Brigade, however, took exception to Haskell's portrayal of their men at Gettysburg. Included in this edition is their 1910 reply to a narrative that was never intended for publication. The reply is a somewhat amusing statement but is in itself an interesting example of the passions that Gettysburg has generated for well over a century. Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.