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by: Carol Reardon
List Price: $18.95Amazon.com's Price: $15.16 You Save: $3.79 (20%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780807854617
ISBN: 0807854611
Label: The University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 296
Publication Date: February 24, 2003
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Release Date: September 03, 2008
Sales Rank: 553442
Studio: The University of North Carolina Press
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
If, as many have argued, the Civil War is the most crucial moment in our national life and Gettysburg its turning point, then the climax of the climax, the central moment of our history, must be Pickett's Charge. But as Carol Reardon notes, the Civil War saw many other daring assaults and stout defenses. Why, then, is it Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg--and not, for example, Richardson's Charge at Antietam or Humphreys's Assault at Fredericksburg--that looms so large in the popular imagination?
As this innovative study reveals, by examining the events of 3 July 1863 through the selective and evocative lens of 'memory' we can learn much about why Pickett's Charge endures so strongly in the American imagination. Over the years, soldiers, journalists, veterans, politicians, orators, artists, poets, and educators, Northerners and Southerners alike, shaped, revised, and even sacrificed the 'history'' of the charge to create 'memories' that met ever-shifting needs and deeply felt values. Reardon shows that the story told today of Pickett's Charge is really an amalgam of history and memory. The evolution of that mix, she concludes, tells us much about how we come to understand our nation's past.
Amazon.com Review:
Pickett's Charge--the Confederates' desperate (and failed) attempt to break the Union lines on the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg--is best remembered as the turning point of the U.S. Civil War. But Penn State historian Carol Reardon reveals how hard it is to remember the past accurately, especially when an event such as this one so quickly slipped into myth. She writes, 'From the time the battle smoke cleared, Pickett's Charge took on this chameleonlike aspect and, through a variety of carefully constructed nuances, adjusted superbly to satisfy the changing needs of Northerners, Southerners, and, finally, the entire nation.' With care and detail, Reardon's fascinating book teaches a lesson in the uses and misuses of history.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - The War Over The Battle
"Pickett's Charge In History And Memory" begins with the question as to why this charge, of all the charges of the Civil War, has captured and held the imagination of a nation for over 140 years. This is not the book in which to find the history of the battle of July 3, 1863. This book records the battle over the legacy, the memory and the place in history of that historic charge.
The tenor of this book came as a surprise to me. I had always viewed Pickett's Charge as an ill conceived, vain ... Read More
Rating: - The Battle Over The Battle
"Pickett's Charge In History And Memory" begins with the question as to why this charge, of all the charges of the Civil War, has captured and held the imagination of a nation for over 140 years. This is not the book in which to find the history of the battle of July 3, 1863. This book records the battle over the legacy, the memory and the place in history of that historic charge.
The tenor of this book came as a surprise to me. I had always viewed Pickett's Charge as an ill conceived, ... Read More
Rating:  - How Americans have viewed Pickett's Charge
The third day, July 3, 1863, of the Battle of Gettysburg has become immortalized by what is commonly referred to as Pickett's Charge. After an extensive cannonade, a Southern infantry forced crossed about one mile of open ground to attach the Union position on the center of Cemetery Ridge. A small number of Confederate troops reached and briefly penetrated the Union defense. The attack was repulsed with great loss to the Confederate troops. The Battle of Gettysburg was essentially over and the Confederate ... Read More
Rating: - Truth Ever Elusive
Ms. Reardon's wonderful book underscores the challenge that we all face as we read and attempt to separate fact from fiction and fancy.This book is a case study in the mysterious confluence of objective history and subjective history. Ms Reardon deftly takes the reader from July 3, 1863, the day of Pickett's Charge, to the present day and shows how elusive the truth is. As an avid student of the American Civil War in particular and history in general,I learned three very important lessons from Ms Reardon. ... Read More
Rating: - Central Moment in History
With new books on the Civil War hitting the stands every day it's nice to see that hard nosed research with attention to detail is still alive. Carol Reardon has brought forth past memories, mirrored with a modern day look at Pickett's charge. As the book unfolds, her style of writing lends itself to a wonderful portrayal of the efforts made to fully understand what happened on 3 July 1863.
No matter what the outcome, American lives were lost during a bitter struggle at a time when brother fought ... Read More
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