Booknotes: "Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children"

New Arrival:

• “Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children”: John Reynolds’ I Corps at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 by John Michael Priest (Savas Beatie, 2024).

Entire books have been devoted to the July 1 fighting at Gettysburg, most notably the Martin and Pfanz titles, but John Michael Priest's latest book “Strong Men of the Regiment Sobbed Like Children” offers a different kind of window into the events of that bloody day. In addition to focusing its attention on the Army of the Potomac's First Corps, the book primarily presents the day's action "from the perspective of the rank and file of both armies." Those familiar with Priest's earlier work of this nature (for me his South Mountain, Antietam, and Wilderness books) will know what that 'soldiers' battle' perspective entails. Having authored Pickett's Charge and Gettysburg Day 2 books as well, Priest is no stranger to the three-day battle in Pennsylvania.

From the description: During the confused July 1 meeting engagement fought north and west of Gettysburg, "(b)rigades and regiments often engaged on their own initiatives without the direction of a division or corps commander. The men of both armies fought with determination born of desperation, valor, and fear. By the time the fighting ended, the I Corps was in shambles and in pell-mell retreat for Cemetery Hill. Its bold stand, together with the XI Corps north of town, bought precious hours for the rest of the Army of the Potomac to arrive and occupy good defensive ground." The nearly four-hundred pages of main text cover the action from first contact through the devastating afternoon collapse and retreat of the corps between 3pm and 4:30pm.

More: In order to build the ground-level fighting man's outlook of battle that he's become best known for recreating, Priest "spent a decade researching this study and walking the ground to immerse readers into the uncertain world of the rank-and-file experience. He consulted more than 300 primary sources, including letters, diaries, memoirs, newspaper accounts, recollections, casualty lists, and drill manuals to present the battle from the ground up." Those sources are identified in the footnotes, which also frequently contain additional commentary and interpretation.

Preceded by a reprint edition of Elwood's Christ's Bliss Farm classic, Priest's book is Volume 2 of The Savas Beatie Essential Gettysburg Series. Follow the link for more information about the material enhancements that the series titles possess over the publisher's more standard releases. Included in the book are nineteen excellent maps that mostly represent 15-minute intervals in the fighting.