The Second Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership

Gallagher has put together a worthy sequel to his The First Day at Gettysburg. The volume contains five essays, originally delivered as papers at a 1991 conference. Each examines the mistakes and successes of a different military commander involved in the confrontation between 100,000 Union troops and 70,000 Confederate soldiers that sealed the fate of the Southern cause. Robert K. Krick offers a convincing reassessment of Confederate James Longstreet, long vilified as the author of the rebels' defeat. William Glenn Robertson provides a no less controversial appraisal of Federal General Daniel Sickles, who, according to conventional history, blundered in his actions at the Peach Orchard. Gallagher himself takes on the formidable task of rating the performance of Robert E. Lee, concluding that his actions were more reasonable than they have often been judged. The book proves a reflection on the nature and foibles of military leadership, and it opens up the entire panorama of the engagement and of Lee's campaign. Civil War buffs will doubtless be left eagerly awaiting a similar treatment of the final day of the encounter. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)