J.D. Petruzzi's second book co-authored with Eric J. Wittenberg and Michael F. Nugent
One Continuous
Fight:
The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863
◄To order a
personally inscribed copy autographed by
all three authors, visit the
book web page►
Publisher: Savas Beatie LLC, El Dorado Hills CA
ISBN: 1-932714-43-2
576 pages, 18 maps, 40 illustrations, index, footnotes, bibliography, driving tour
with GPS waypoints
Retail: $34.95
Release Date: June 1, 2008
Synopsis:
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). A practicing attornery, he lives in
Columbus, Ohio.
J. David Petruzzi co-authored Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's
Controversial Ride to Gettysburg
(2006) with Wittenberg, and is the
author of several magazine articles on Eastern Theater cavalry operations,
conducts tours of cavalry sites of the Gettysburg Campaign, and maintains a
website at http://www.jdpetruzzi.com.
Petruzzi, an insurance broker, 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, including Armor
magazine. A police officer,
Nugent lives in Wells, Maine.
All material © 2008 JDPetruzzi.com
