Pickett's Charge in History and Memory - (Civil War America) by Carol Reardon (Paperback)

About the Book

A telling assessment of the myths and facts surrounding the most famous single military event of the Civil War. "Quite apart from its notable historical interest, Ms. Reardon's work is a splendidly lively study of the manipulation, not necessarily deliberate or malign, of public opinion."--Atlantic Monthly

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating and valuable study." -- Georgia Historical Quarterly

"A fresh look at the disastrous assault." -- New Yorker

"A superb, informative, highly readable book. . . . This reviewer has for many years been fascinated by this particular battle, has read many historical accounts (virtually all written by Southern authors), and has had the opportunity to read personal letters and diaries as well. Professor Reardon's book is surely the most balanced and objective." -- Maryland Historical Magazine

"Everyone interested in the battle of Gettysburg must read and study Pickett's Charge in History and Memory." -- Journal of American History

"Exceptionally lucid. . . . This fine book provides vivid evidence of just how far we will go to alchemize fantasy into fact." -- Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

"Indispensable. . . . Eminently valuable beyond the confines of Civil War scholarship." -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Quite apart from its notable historical interest, Ms. Reardon's work is a splendidly lively study of the manipulation, not necessarily deliberate or malign, of public opinion." -- Atlantic Monthly

"Reardon gives a painstaking, vigorous and readable accounting of how legends are built in lieu of facts." -- Richmond Magazine

"This is a skillful and compelling example of the way an event whose story we think we know turns out to be as mobile as quicksilver when we try to put a finger down for certain." -- Allen C. Guelzo, The Barnes & Noble Review

"Well-written and meticulously researched, Pickett's Charge in History and Memory utilizes first-rate scholarship to tell a fascinating story. It deserves the attention of scholars and should win a wide audience among general readers." -- Civil War History