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ONE CONTINUOUS FIGHT: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863 | 
 enlarge | Authors: Eric J. Wittenberg, J. David Petruzzi, Michael F. Nugent
Publisher: Savas Beatie
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $22.98
You Save: $11.97 (34%)
New (9) Used (4) Collectible (1) from $18.00
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 28954
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 576
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.5
ISBN: 193271443X
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9781932714432
ASIN: 193271443X
Publication Date: June 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The titanic three-day battle of Gettysburg left 50,000 casualties in its wake, a battered Southern army far from its base of supplies, and a rich historiographic legacy. Thousands of books and articles cover nearly every aspect of the battle, but not a single volume focuses on the military aspects of the monumentally important movements of the armies to and across the Potomac River. One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863 is the first detailed military history of Lee's retreat and the Union effort to catch and destroy the wounded Army of Northern Virginia. Against steep odds and encumbered with thousands of casualties, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee's post-battle task was to successfully withdraw his army across the Potomac River. Union commander George G. Meade's equally difficult assignment was to intercept the effort and destroy his enemy. The responsibility for defending the exposed Southern columns belonged to cavalry chieftain James Ewell Brown (Jeb) Stuart. If Stuart fumbled his famous ride north to Gettysburg, his generalship during the retreat more than redeemed his flagging reputation. The ten days of retreat triggered nearly two dozen skirmishes and major engagements, including fighting at Granite Hill, Monterey Pass, Hagerstown, Williamsport, Funkstown, Boonsboro, and Falling Waters. President Abraham Lincoln was thankful for the early July battlefield victory, but disappointed that General Meade was unable to surround and crush the Confederates before they found safety on the far side of the Potomac. Exactly what Meade did to try to intercept the fleeing Confederates, and how the Southerners managed to defend their army and ponderous 17-mile long wagon train of wounded until crossing into western Virginia on the early morning of July 14, is the subject of this study One Continuous Fight draws upon a massive array of documents, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and published primary and secondary sources. These long-ignored foundational sources allow the authors, each widely known for their expertise in Civil War cavalry operations, to describe carefully each engagement. The result is a rich and comprehensive study loaded with incisive tactical commentary, new perspectives on the strategic role of the Southern and Northern cavalry, and fresh insights on every engagement, large and small, fought during the retreat. The retreat from Gettysburg was so punctuated with fighting that a soldier felt compelled to describe it as "One Continuous Fight." Until now, few students fully realized the accuracy of that description. Complimented with 18 original maps, dozens of photos, and a complete driving tour with GPS coordinates of the entire retreat, One Continuous Fight is an essential book for every student of the American Civil War in general, and for the student of Gettysburg in particular. About the Authors: Eric J. Wittenberg has written widely on Civil War cavalry operations. His books include Glory Enough for All (2002), The Union Cavalry Comes of Age (2003), and The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads and the Civil War's Final Campaign (2005). He lives in Columbus, Ohio. J. David Petruzzi is the author of several magazine articles on Eastern Theater cavalry operations, conducts tours of cavalry sites of the Gettysburg Campaign, and is the author of the popular "Buford's Boys" website at www.bufordsboys.com. Petruzzi lives in Brockway, Pennsylvania. A long time student of the Gettysburg Campaign, Michael Nugent is a retired US Army Armored Cavalry Officer and the descendant of a Civil War Cavalry soldier. He has previously written for several military publications. Nugent lives in Wells, Maine. REVIEWS "...Is there anything left unwritten about the Gettysburg Campaign? Absolutely, and this bookis but one example. It is a must have for any student of the Civil War, and especially for a student of the Gettysburg Campaign."Civil War Notebook, 06/2008"...most likely the definitive book covering the battles and skirmishes with all the major players associated with the time period... One can't help but enjoy the well done narrative with such fine, thorough detail."Reviewer's Bookwatch, 08/2008"..popular history at its best- simultaneously engaging and educating."The Midwest Book Review 08/2008"...text and primary sources smoothly fit together unlike some book which are just a collection of primary sources with no real transition language between them... deserves a spot in any Civil War historian's library because of the author's detailed account and analysis of the days following the battle of Gettysburg." Collected Miscellany, 08/2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 one continuous fight September 19, 2008
Kris Christensen (Iowa, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I cannot say enough good things about this work. I read Plenty of Blame first (same publisher), which was also groundbreaking and changed entirely the way I look at the cavalry in the campaign and Stuart in particular. Who knew all that about the horses, their endurance, the choices that had to be made, etc. Everyone had an opinion, but no one except Petruzzi and Wittenberg actually spent the time to research it. Bravo to you both.
One Continuous Fight is everything the blurbs and the great reviews says that it is. The fighting matched the title. And who the heck knew that? I have been reading about Gettysburg for 20 years. I had no clue about this. What do you hear about except Falling Waters? And who knew Falling Waters was such a vast enterprise when taken in its totality? Kent Brown's book on the same time period was nearly silent on all this. He barely scratched the surface. His treatment of logistics and movements was good, but pretty dry in my estimation. You can only read about corn and captured ammunition so long. One Continuous fight rocks, from the first page to the last. It is fast paced, interesting, well written, has great maps, great photos, and two stellar tours. I did both of them with my rental car GPS, and they are perfect. I have driven those back roads before but know I actually KNOW what I am looking at. And the book is meaty in length, too.
Unlike so many books today, this one is put together well. The jacket is lovely, the printing and binding is great, and the publisher used a lot of maps and illustrations. I know some limit that (which is stupid in my estimation--but hey, I am just a reader, the person who BUYS the books. UNC and LSU press, are you listening??). And the price was also fair. You could use One Continuous Fight as a doorstop is is so solid, but I have a pair of White Mane books out there for that purpose in case it rains. Some books are priced ridiculously. This one at less than 35 was a bargain. A couple people commented on spelling or grammatical errors. There were a more than there should have been, but really, who cares? I didn't. I would rather have a great book published well, than a well published book that tells me the same crap all over again in a boring style.
Hoorah for One Continuous Fight! Wholly recommended without reservation. Now, can we get another from this trio?
This truly is work of epic proportions September 12, 2008
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you ever wondered what happened to Robert E. Lee's army of northern Virginia in the ten days following its defeat at Gettysburg on Pennsylvania July 3, 1863, look no further than One Continuous Fight. Herein, Jeb Stuart is redeemed in the eyes of Lee for poor scouting reports prior to July 1st. Meade explains why he didn't intercept Lee's broken army during the retreat. Learn of the twenty or so skirmishes between Southern and Northern cavalry in places like Funkstown, Boonsboro and finally Falling Waters, suffer with the slow moving, 17 mile long Confederate wagon train carrying the wounded and the lame, including captured union soldiers for ten days from Gettysburg to Williamsport, Maryland.
Never before have I seen such broad range of resources, from diaries to documents, letters, newspaper accounts, military, civilians along the route of retreat, Confederate and Union.
This truly is work of epic proportions, taken on by three well known Civil War historians and experts on cavalry action. There is even a detailed modern driving tour for those of you who can still afford gasoline, from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Williamsport, Maryland.
Richard N. Larsen
Reviewer
 Excellence Diminshed August 13, 2008
R. Shuman (Cape Elizabeth, Maine)
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
The understandably complex and detailed movements of both armies were handled well. Unfortunately the editing job was shockingly inadequate. Numerous mis-spelled words, words omitted and grammatical errors took the bloom off what should have been a rose.
A great book that still needs an editor before going to its 2nd edition July 14, 2008
David K. Porter (Minneapolis, MN)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Union Army in the Civil War provides a tremendous example of how an institution can survive its own imperfections and turn itself into a successful organization. It was not easy, and it took awhile. Corruption and indolence under the Buchanan administration were endemic. Incompetence prevailed after the cream of the officer corps defected to the Confederacy. As with the present administration, its highest ranking officers were too often those whose skills lay in their politics.
Eventually, these people were filtered out, but the cost was tremendous,
and invariably paid by others.
This book is a marvelous addition to the common base of knowledge about the critical days after Lee's assault on Gettysburg. It may well lead to the conclusion that the entire battle should be viewed as comprising the first two weeks in July, 1863, rather than just the first three days. The scholarship is first rate, the logic and conclusions profound. If nothing else, we now have the reasons why Lincoln's intuition led to his shelving that famous unsent letter to Meade.
A book this important calls for a competent editor. Three writers working together turns this call into a scream. The occasional typographical error can be forgiven - even though the copy is overrun by the writers' spelling errors. Assaults on grammar are endemic. What I cannot forgive, and what inspires this review, is the frequent repetition of whole paragraphs.
I salute the publisher, Savas Beatie, of El Dorado Hills, California. I also beg them, and the authors, to insist on a competent editor before committing this volume to its well-deserved future printings.
 the dramatic aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg July 8, 2008
Henry Berry (Southport, CT)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The plotting of the maneuvering and engagements between the Confederate and Union armies in the week and a half right after the climactic battle of Gettysburg leaves off with a trip along the route of the armies giving GPS coordinates so readers can follow in the footsteps of the armies and also locate the exact spots covered in the regular text. But for this book, many of the routes and spots could not easily be located as these days of the conflict have received little attention. In many cases, there are no historical markers or official sites. Historians and Civil War buffs tend to think both armies, spent after the battle of Gettysburg, licked their wounds and recuperated, not to engage in any significant confrontations until the battles in northern Virginia marking the closing phase of the war. But by their detailed recounting of the week and a half after Gettysburg, the coauthors show that this period evidences its own strategic aims and fateful clashes. It was especially important for the South in that Lee's army survived intact by fending off Union forces trying to deliver a crushing blow to it in its weakened state.
The authors have a special interest in the Civil War cavalry. But it is not because of this they pay particular attention to the role of the cavalry of both sides. They pay close attention because the cavalry was particularly important in the brief period. Southern cavalry was mainly responsible for protecting the 17-mile long wagon train of wounded rebel troops. For its part, Union cavalry played a leading role in combat against the Confederates; and some units proved to be a match against the highly-touted Southern cavalry forces. The variety of sources--letters, diaries, military communications, news reports, and books--allows for shedding light on varied aspects of the days covered. The title is taken from a phrase in a letter by a Union soldier. Overarching strategic views are succeeded by first-person accounts of particular combat episodes; from communications among officers, one follows the battle preparations on both sides; newspaper articles give a picture of the concerns of civilians trying to follow developments; papers from civilian leaders reveal their efforts to bring about the respective desired outcome. This variety of material is skillfully integrated for a dramatic narrative. The reader hardly notices the shifts in content as one becomes engrossed in the tale to learn specifics of how the known outcome of the escape of Lee's army happened. "One Continuous Fight" is popular history at its best--simultaneously engaging and educating.
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