Gettysburg--The First Day

Harry W. Pfanz is author of Gettysburg--The Second Day and Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. He served for ten years as a historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired from the position of Chief Historian of the National Park Service in 1981.
For more information about Harry W. Pfanz, visit the Author Page.

"An exhaustive and intimate description of the tactical events of day one." —Washington Post Book World

"A fast-moving narrative liberally sprinkled with anecdotes and fascinating details. . . . Extremely well researched. . . . Highly recommended."—Civil War News

"Pfanz is superbly qualified to guide us through Gettysburg--The First Day. In this long-awaited book, Pfanz. . . has produced a fitting companion to his earlier work, Gettysburg-The Second Day. . . . [This book] is a careful reconstruction of events, based on extensive research in official reports, contemporary accounts, and soldiers' memoirs. . . . The result is certainly a success."—Civil War Book Review

"Pfanz . . . has new things to say about the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the least studied of the pivotal three-day Civil War battle. . . . His riveting narrative of battlefield emotions and dynamics is richly detailed on various levels, from individual enlisted men to the officers of brigades, regiments, and armies. Pfanz even looks at Gettysburg's residents. . . . Recommended for academic and public libraries with in-depth collections on Civil War battles."—Library Journal

"An intricately detailed narrative of the opening act of the battle, revealed through the artful weaving of countless first-person accounts left by participants. Pfanz draws upon a wealth of original sources to allow the officers and soldiers on the field to tell the story of an extremely confused fight."—North Carolina Historical Review

"Pfanz writes with a uniquely exuberant style, always selecting appropriate anecdotes that demonstrate a complete mastery of the battle's primary source materials. He has crafted a well-organized and thoroughly researched account. . . . A welcome addition to the library of any Civil War scholar or buff." —Georgia Historical Quarterly