This is an excellent book. It details the shooting of Rebecca Wight and Claudia Brenner, two lesbians hiking near the Appalachian Trail in Adams County, Pennsylvania. When Stephen Roy Carr, the "mountain man," saw them engaged in sexual activity, he shot at them with a .22 caliber rifle, killing Wight and injuring Brenner. What follows is a reconstruction of those events, Carr's subsequent capture, and the legal proceedings that followed.

Pohlman does an excellent job describing the events that occured that day in the woods in May 1988 - so well that it reads like a murder mystery. He is also equally strong in presenting the legal issues at hand. Did Carr shoot the women because of his anti-homosexual beliefs, or was he simply jealous? Could the victims and their families expect justice in a conservative small town such as Gettysburg, PA, where the jury could conceivably lessen Carr's crime because of their own anti-homosexual beliefs? The author makes good use of interviews with the prosecuting and defense attorneys in the case, as well as with the State Police officers associated with the investigation. One quickly realizes that what would appear to be an open-and-shut case - no one really belived Carr *didn't* shoot the women - can easily develop into a complcitaed web of legal issues. This happens as easily in small-town America as it does in O.J. Simpson's L.A.

I grew up in Adams County, and I was in junior high when this incident happened. I remembered hearing about it and even remember seeing it in the local news paper. For me, it was incredibly interesting to go back as an adult and read about these events. Just recently, I was able to use the author's description of the crime scene to retrace the steps Brenner and Wight took on that fateful day. That should give you some idea as to how detailed this book is.

Pohlman, a political science professor, has done an excellent job of shedding light on the inner workings of the criminal justice system and raising issues with which every thoughtful American should be concerned. I read this book in two sittings and found it fascinating. The story is dramatic, the writing tight and clear, and the treatment of the issues even-handed.

Solid research of how a group of Union soldiers prepared themselves, both physically and mentally, prior to the Confederates onslaught of the town of Gettysburg in July 1863. The books reads like a movie, with interesting characters and fascinating events.

This book was one of the best books on this battle I have ever read

The juvenile history of the Battle of Gettysburg (aimed at grade school students) begins with the popular reason for the battle happening where it did: that Confederate troops were looking for shoes in the small Pennsylvania town that simply were not there. Author Michael Burgan makes the argument that both Lee and Meade anticipated there would be a battle in the area of Gettysburg, and while the fact that the small town was at an intersection of major crossroads that would allow the two armies eight different routes in and out of the area, my understanding has always been that the battle happened there mostly by happenstance. After providing a concise explanation for the causes of the Civil War, Burgan details what how Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, now under the commander of George Meade, came to be where they were on the eve of battle. The battle itself is divided into three chapters, each covering the key military engagements for the three days the battle took place in July 1863. The final chapter of this small volume looks at the aftermath of the battle, both in terms of what happened to the two armies but also the creation of the National Cemetery and the famous speech given at its dedication by President Lincoln.

Burgan does a nice job of presenting the overall strategy of the battle, while still taking time to flesh out the key moments with details, such as choice quotations from key participants. This We the People volume is illustrated with historic photographs, paintings, etchings and the like. However, except for a map of the area from the Susquehanna to the Potomac, there is not a map of the actual town of Gettysburg and surrounding environs on which the battle was fought. I do not think I have ever seen a book about a Civil War battle that did not include a map of the battlefield. Consequently, young readers forego the opportunity to see the infamous "fishhook" defined by the Union defensive position from Culp's Hill in the north, along Cemetery Ridge, down to the Round Tops. More than most Civil War battles, Gettysburg benefits from having a clear understanding of the geography because it played such a vital role in what happened from start to finish.

The editorial reviews on this paperback are right on the mark. It is an excellent 124-page booklet that follows the formal tour guide route.
The front tour section starts by providing just the right amount of "selected" detail (with some well-cropped and selected photos)on each of the 16 stops (36 pages). I was able to take the book out and use it as a quick stop tour. I found the positons easily (as they were concisely marked), then read the short, but complete narrative. I really got the context of the complete battle by putting all the tour stops together because the "important details" were included at each stop.

After the tour, an account of the fighting is described by day, hours and short descriptor, e.g."Action of Buford's Calvary, 8:00 to 10:00 am, July 1" (78 pages). Superb graphics that clearly sketch out positions with key topography markers help you fix on the formations. They are very distingushable as they are marked with reference to the modern day road structure in he park (e.g. you can tell the bulk of Pickett's division-by brigade-was originally lined up much farther south than the positon of Lee's statue in their charge by the Spangler house).

The final pages of the book summarize the strength and losses by unit (i.e. numbers by brigade level, but specifying the regiments included) and a good one-page suggested reading list (that shows the better Gettysburg books).

I have been to this field five times. It is a very good book for new and repeat visitors.

This is a fascinating book wrapped around a fresh presentation. The author has essentially presented the history of each division and brigade that served in the campaign, and does so with a smooth and fast-paced style. We learn about the commander(s), the units involved, actions, marches, significant events, and so forth. Division histories are presented in standard format, while each brigade entry is double-columned--a slick idea (it is an oversize book, so it works well). Each entry is followed with a useful series of end notes / bibliography that makes it easy to find more information about each unit. A complete bibliography is also included at the end of the book. The maps included in the front are standard George Skoch fare, but excellent. Although I did not see anything new or striking, that is not the purpose of this book.

This book, coupled with Larry Tagg's The Generals of Gettysburg, which came out a few years ago, compliment eachother nicely. I highly recommend both. This current title is a must for all Gettysburg students.

This book is a must have for any serious student of Ohio, military, Civil War, or Gettysburg Campaign history . . .
Contains a brilliant assortment of the different soldiers hailing from the Buckeye state who fought amongst the rocks and dells of Adams County, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863.
Baumgartner proves his mettle as one of the premiere documentary historians of the modern era, building from his previous author/co-authorship's with his work at Blue Acorn Press, he masterfully joins original accounts, period photography and significant historical insight to the campaign which saw one of the bloodiest battles on American soil.
To own this work (any of the Strayer/Keesee/Baumgartner works) is to own a piece of history ...

This is an excellent historical review of the events that surround the most important day in American History. July 2, 1863 in Gettysburg, PA. Mr. Sauer's concise history is a good beginning although many of the questions will never be answered. The Sickles-Meade Controversy is still vigorusly debated 130 years after the event. Most events are long out of the public memory by then but, I feel this one will last as long as there is an United States of America.

This book was one of my best Christmas presents. It challenges the long established view that the Gettysburg campaign was a clearcut success for the Union horsemen. Indeed, given their advantages in supplies, weapons, numbers, horseflesh, and fighting on home ground, it is a surprise the Rebs did not do worse. It also shows that many of Stuart's command decisions were correct, since they are often overshadowed by his gargantuan failure of leaving Lee in the dark as to the movements of the Federal army. However, what I found most helpful about this book was its emphasis not just on the fighting around Gettysburg, but the cavalry battles that occured during the advance and retreat of the Confederate army. All in all, a great book that deals eloquently and concisely with its subject.

The Union cavalry spent the first years of the war trying to equal Southern horsemen, until new leaders emerged with new tactics for handling these horsemen. Cavalry on the Roads to Gettysburg covers mounted actions in 1863, outlining units, battles, and leaders and individuals who made names for themselves in the cavalry. Civil war buffs will find it excellent, packed with depth and insight.