Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War
Iain C. Martin, Sky Pony Press, 2013, $16.95
With art by Civil War painter Don Troiani, lavish use of photographs and maps, and innovative page design, Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War is an effective vehicle to introduce to young readers to the monumental saga that was Gettysburg.
Granted, the title is a little misleading, since the book’s focus is much broader than the stated experiences and written observations of “two young heroes.” But Iain Cameron Martin has produced a work that will appeal to young readers while also serving as a useful reference for long-time aficionados of the war, thanks to his liberal inclusion of material from diaries, letters and other sources
The teenagers referred to in the title, Tillie Pierce and Daniel Skelly, are trapped in Gettysburg as the bloody combat unfolds around them. The material they write provides the reader with an insider’s view of what was undoubtedly a terrifying experience for all the town’s citizens.
Probably my only complaint is the approach Martin takes when he gives a relatively brief analysis of the early stages of Pickett’s Charge. “These men and their officers were Lee’s finest, hailing from all parts of the Confederacy. Few, if any, of these men owned slaves and they were not fighting for slavery. They had volunteered to protect their homeland and their families. They believed in Lee, who had brought them here and ordered them to make this attack. If they succeeded, they knew the war could be over by sundown.” Undoubtedly a number of the Confederate soldiers who fought at Gettysburg did not own slaves. But there were countless numbers who did, and especially in the families of the officers who the author has cited. What’s more, writing that those soldiers “knew that the war could be over by sundown” is mere speculation, and would be considered a major reach by most historians.
Still, this attractive Gettysburg book has a lot to offer. It might inspire lasting interest in some, and could even result in a new generation of historians and Civil War aficionados.
Originally published in the January 2014 issue of America’s Civil War. To subscribe, click here.
