Please see my review of Mr. Frassanito's original Gettysburg "Then and Now" book. I briefly detail/review and compare both books, this one, the "Companion" being the second book.

The Osprey Order of Battle series presents the military enthusiast with a microanalysis of famous battles, in this case devoting six volumes to the pivotal Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. This second volume is devoted to the deployment of the General Meade's Union Army of the Potomac on July 1, 1863, while the first volume in the series does the same for the Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The chief utility of these volumes is for war gamming enthusiasts who want to be able to position troops accurately for recreating the battlefield situation and trying to achieve a different objective; I have used the information to generate a brigade level version of the Battle of Gettysburg with the Civil War 2 computer game. The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg hinged on the absence of Stuart's cavalry for reconnaissance purposes and the critical failure of the Confederates to take Culp's Hill, thereby securing the high ground overlooking the city. From the Union perspective this places importance on the delaying action fought by Buford's cavalry units while waiting for Reynold's Corp to get into action, especially in a war game situation where the Confederate commander knows what is at stake and what mistakes to avoid this time around.

This book provides comprehensive organization diagrams, an analysis of operational objectives, and most importantly where each unit was at what point during the first day of the battle. This includes the "tooth" combat elements and the vital "tail" support troops. There are two-dozen full-color maps and almost as many charts, along with dozens of photographs. Certainly, the Order of Battle books meet their objective in providing the most detailed information ever published about the great battles of history. In addition to Gettysburg this series has also covered the 1759 Battle of Quebec and the WWII Battle of the Ardennes in 1944.

The copy outlines the significant areas of the battle very well. Regardless of your level of expertise, it is easy to follow the progress of the battle. Although the maps are clear and show topographical features, they do not include the roads added since the battle. However, there is a segment on the Battlefield Today that brings the past and present into focus. Overall, this is an excellent source. Buy it if you can find it.

This is a photo archive of nearly every monument at Gettysburg. The new Gen. Longstreet equestrian monument is not featured but seemingly everything else is, so this book is great to find an ancestor's unit and to catch monuments you might have missed during a visit. There are b&w photos with the name of each monument and a few color photos in this 72 page softcover booklet.

In addition to the famous battle, Gettysburg is a tourist attraction for the sculptured monuments built over the generations and this book provides an armchair view of those Civil War themed monuments

This is a good book about the reality of Civil War soldiers. Written by their beloved captain, who later became a Methodist minister, this book seeks to capture the hearts of all. The book was written mainly for the men and their descendents, and though one sometimes gets the feeling that there's some "inside joke," it is a good read about real people. I recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in the Civil War. It is a better, more interesting read than may company histories, although it does at times seem like a yearbook.

The Gettysburg Address is one of the two most famous speeches in American history, the other being Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech." But Lincoln's speech is the most important oration in our nation's history because before these 271 words were uttered at Gettysburg the United States did not really pay attention to the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and the idea that "all men are created equal." At the dedication of the National Cemetary at Gettysburg Lincoln declared that those who died did so in defense of that proposition. From that point on, all of the advances in civil rights in this country can be tied to the Gettysburg Address. When the nation was founded "men" meant free, adult, white, male, property owners. Consider today what is meant by "men" when we talk about equality in this country and you have an idea of what Lincoln set in motion. Without Lincoln's speech and the Union winning the Civil War, King would never have given his speech.

The only real shortcoming of "Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln: The Story of the Gettysbug Address" by Jean Fritz is that it fails to address the significance of the oration beyond the idea that it was a speech to remember. Fritz focuses on the story, both in general terms of the Civil War and the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the specifics of the occasion for the speech, including the sickness of Lincoln's son Tad and the lengthy oration by Edward Everett. The complete text of the speech is provided at the back of the book, which is a Level 3 All Aboard Reading book aimed at grades 2-3. The illustrations are mostly watercolors by Charles Robinson although there are also some historic photographs of Lincoln and his son. The important thing is that here is a book that tells the story of a great American speech and at least introduces to young students the idea that words can make a difference in the history of a nation.

Helen Longstreet, the second wife of Confederate Genneral James Longstreet, works at length to set the record straight concerning the politics that "tarnished" Lee's #2 man in the Army of N. Virginia after Lee's death. This is out of print, but is a book to read in conjunction with "Lee's Tarnished Lieutenant" by William G. Piston

The book covers all aspects of what led Lincoln to what he wrote, the reaction from what was written and what he wanted to convey.

If you truly want to know about the Gettysburg Address this is the book for you. Unlike Gary Wills' book this book deals with what actually happened at Gettysburg and why, not just the theory behind the address. In my mind, the best part is the last chapter which is simply a reprinting of a couple dozen firsthand accounts of the Address. This book is extremely readable, and the only real complaint I have is that Barton did not footnote his work, but given the era in which it was written that is understandable. If you want to truly understand the Gettysburg Address, this is the book you need to read.

Meade of Gettysburg is one of the few books written about the life of General George G. Meade. From reading other books about the Civil War, I became interested in General Meade. I was surprised to find that there are only a few books written about this soldier. When I purchased the book, I thought it would be about Meade's actions in the Battle of Gettysburg. While most of the book did revolve around his part in the Civil War, I was pleased to find that it was also a complete history of the man's life. The Battle of Gettysburg was just one part of the book. For example, I was surprised to learn that Meade was actively involved in the Topographical Corps and played a large role in the construction of the Brandywine light in the Delaware Bay. Meade of Gettysburg begins with the birth of George G. Meade and takes the reader through his entire life, ending with his funeral procession where his war horse, "Old Baldy" was brought out of retirement to march riderless behind the caisson bearing his master. For anyone interested in the life of General George G. Meade, this is your book.