"If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania"

The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg. Volume 2: June 22–30, 1863

by Scott L. Mingus Sr. and Eric J. Wittenberg

Imprint: Savas Beatie

456 Pages, 6 x 9 in, 58 images, 22 maps

Hardcover
9781611216110
April 2023
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$34.95

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Award-winning authors Scott L. Mingus Sr. and Eric J. Wittenberg are back with the second and final installment of “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania”: The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg, June 22–30, 1863. This compelling and bestselling study is the first to fully integrate the military, political, social, economic, and civilian perspectives with rank-and-file accounts from the soldiers of both armies during the inexorably march north toward their mutual destinies at Gettysburg. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s bold movement north, which began on June 3, shifted the war out of the central counties of the Old Dominion into the Shenandoah Valley, across the Potomac, and beyond.

The first volume (June 3–21) carried the armies through the defining mounted clash at the battle of Brandy Station, after which Lee pushed the head of his army into the Shenandoah Valley and achieved the magnificent victory at Second Winchester on his way to the Potomac. Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker, who was caught flat-footed by the move, used his cavalry to probe the mountain gaps, triggering a series of consequential mounted actions.

The current volume (June 22–30) completes the march to Gettysburg and details the actions and whereabouts of each component of the armies up to the eve of the fighting. The large-scale maneuvering in late June prompted General Hooker to move his Army of the Potomac north after his opponent and eventually above the Potomac, where he is removed from command and replaced by V Corps commander George G. Meade. Jeb Stuart begins his controversial and consequential ride that strips away the eyes and ears of the Virginia army. Throughout northern Virginia, central Maryland, and south-central Pennsylvania, civilians, politicians, and soldiers alike struggle with the reality of a mobile campaign and the
massive logistical needs of the armies.

Mingus and Wittenberg mined hundreds of primary accounts, newspapers, and other sources to describe the passage of the long martial columns, the thunderous galloping of hooves, and the looting, fighting, suffering, and dying. As careful readers will quickly discern, other studies of the runup to Gettysburg gloss over most of this material. It is simply impossible to fully grasp and understand the campaign without a firm appreciation of what the armies and the civilians did during the days leading up to the fateful meeting at the small crossroads town in Adams County, Pennsylvania. This powerful and gripping saga is a ground-breaking study.

“A decidedly fresh account of the Gettysburg Campaign that follows both armies as they move through Maryland and into Pennsylvania toward the great battle awaiting them. Mingus and Wittenberg deftly weave the strategic, operational, and human aspects of the campaign, while examining its impact on soldiers, politicians, and civilians. Even veteran Gettysburg readers will find much that is new in this well-written and thoroughly researched work.” ~Jeffrey Wm Hunt, author of the award-winning Meade and Lee After Gettysburg

“Another outstanding collaboration by award-winning Gettysburg authors Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg. The study is well researched, effectively presented, and endlessly interesting. I have no doubt it will be enthusiastically received by historians and general readers alike.” ~Joseph L. Owen, award-winning author of A Fine Introduction to Battle and co-author of, Unceasing Fury

“Until recently, most Civil War narrative history focused on tactical battle studies, not the campaign movements that precede them. In “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania,” Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg bring us an insightful new exploration of the first three weeks of that most iconic of all civil war events: Gettysburg. Here is a story that is both a great read and a deeply researched dive into the fateful events of late June 1863.” ~Dave Powell, award-winning author of The Chickamauga Campaign trilogy

“Once again, the award-winning team of Mingus and Wittenberg have created an exciting narrative that in this volume brings the reader to the battle itself. Most commendable is the ability of the authors to keep control of the narrative while using hundreds of different sources, including letters, diaries, memoirs, newspapers, government documents, military records, and secondary sources. Arranged chronologically, the reader is swept along by the rapid pace of events and ironically, by knowing what the participants did not: the biggest battle of the war was soon to begin.” ~Emerging Civil War

“Volume 2 of “If We Strike for Pennsylvania” is every bit as good as Volume 1. Both books make for riveting reading, even if we do know the outcome beforehand. The officers, soldiers, and civilians at the time did not know what would happened, and Mingus and Wittenburg neatly convey the hopes, the fears, and the terror that people experienced.” ~Glynn Young

“These two volumes are likely to become the definitive treatment of the events that brought the armies to Gettysburg. "If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania" is not merely recommended, but should be a required reading for anyone seriously interested in the war, and is certain to become a classic, one of the few times that word applies." ~The NYMAS Review