“The author notes that his purpose and intention in writing yet another book on Gettysburg Battle is to provide an account that will both interest and educate younger readers. In this I believe he has succeeded admirably…Mr. Martin manages to provide both a clear description of the battle and incorporate lengthy accounts from his selected eye–witnesses, plus an excellent choice of illustrations.”
—John Sloan
"Martin writes in a straight-forward style that should be easily understood by young readers and novice history students. Of the many young adult books I have read, this is one of the best. It is well presented, informative history and offers much incentive for further study…It is the perfect volume to start your favorite young history buff on the road to discovering Civil War history."
—Civil War News
“With art by Civil War painter Don Troiani, lavish use of photographs and maps, and innovative page design, Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War is an effective vehicle to introduce young readers to the monumental saga that was Gettysburg.”—James R. Hall, America's Civil War Magazine
“The author notes that his purpose and intention in writing yet another book on Gettysburg Battle is to provide an account that will both interest and educate younger readers. In this I believe he has succeeded admirably…Mr. Martin manages to provide both a clear description of the battle and incorporate lengthy accounts from his selected eye–witnesses, plus an excellent choice of illustrations.”
—John Sloan
"Martin writes in a straight-forward style that should be easily understood by young readers and novice history students. Of the many young adult books I have read, this is one of the best. It is well presented, informative history and offers much incentive for further study…It is the perfect volume to start your favorite young history buff on the road to discovering Civil War history."
—Civil War News
“With art by Civil War painter Don Troiani, lavish use of photographs and maps, and innovative page design, Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War is an effective vehicle to introduce young readers to the monumental saga that was Gettysburg.”—James R. Hall, America's Civil War Magazine
Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War is a good source for students doing research on the Battle of Gettysburg or for students who are interested in Civil War history. The insertion of quotes from letters and diaries brings history to life and plants the reader in the middle of the action. Although the title indicates that the emphasis is on the stories of two young citizens of Gettysburg, the book is much more than that. It includes detailed descriptions of battles, biographies of military leaders and civilians, photographs and illustrations, and a glossary of terms. Gettysburg will keep the reader's interest from the first salvo to the final reunion of aging veterans.
Iain Martin has produced one of the best introductory books on the battle of Gettysburg for young readers. Readers gain a solid understanding of Gettysburg in easy-to-comprehend prose, accentuated with excellent use of appropriate maps and illustrations. A fine contribution to the education of the next generation of Civil War buffs!
A thorough, engaging and generously illustrated account of the battle of Gettysburg. Quotes from participants and eyewitnesses create a 'you-are-there' quality as the narrative builds through the terrible summer days of July, 1863. Biographies, glossary and a postscript provide additional details on the heroes of Gettysburg.
This title is a good one to incorporate into your library for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Just in time for the 150th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, this book. . . delivers a balanced, detailed chronicle of the two armies’ paths to Gettysburg; the battle itself; and its aftermath, including vivid quotes from a number of leaders and participants on both sides.
The author notes that his purpose and intention in writing yet another book on Gettysburg Battle is to provide an account that will both interest and educate younger readers. In this I believe he has succeeded admirably. . . . Mr. Martin manages to provide both a clear description of the battle and incorporate lengthy accounts from his selected eye-witnesses, plus an excellent choice of illustrations.
Martin writes in a straight-forward style that should be easily understood by young readers and novice history students. Of the many young adult books I have read, this is one of the best. It is well presented, informative history and offers much incentive for further study. . . . It is the perfect volume to start your favorite young history buff on the road to discovering Civil War history.
Gr 7 Up—To enhance his account of this momentous battle, Martin draws on the memoirs of Tillie Pierce and Daniel Skelly, teen witnesses, as well of those of soldiers and officers who fought in it. He opens with Pierce's account of the Confederate advance on Gettysburg in the days preceding the fighting and then describes General Lee's strategy for a Confederate invasion of Union territory, the convergence of the armies around Gettysburg, the details of the three-day battle, and the devastation and carnage it left behind. He closes with analysis of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the importance of the battle and battlefield in American memory and identity. A postscript tells about the post-Civil War fates of major civilian and military characters. Martin writes well, integrating details with an accounting of human costs to combatants, townspeople, and the nation. He is objective about the conflicting war aims of the opposing sides and admiring of the bravery and sacrifices of the soldiers in both armies. Period photos and highly detailed maps supplement the text. Although this book includes Pierce's and Skelly's experiences, it is much more focused on the fighting than Tanya Anderson's Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg (21st Century, 2013), which concentrates more on how townspeople and Pierce reacted to and survived the battle. Although superficially similar, the two books' perspectives are very1 different.—Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO
Wagonloads of detail weigh down this overstuffed account of the Civil War's most significant battle and its aftermath. Martin builds his narrative around numerous eyewitness accounts, despite the implication of the subtitle. He covers events from the rival armies' preliminary jockeying for position to Lee's retreat, the heroic efforts to care for the thousands of wounded soldiers left behind, as well as the establishment some months later of the cemetery that was the occasion for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The battle itself, though, quickly becomes a dizzying tally of this regiment going here, that brigade charging there, the movements insufficiently supported by the small, hard-to-read battle maps. Overheated lines like "As the armies met in battle, the ground…soaked up the blood of Americans flowing into the soil" have a melodramatic effect. Moreover, as nearly everyone mentioned even once gets one or more period portraits, the illustrations become a tedious gallery of look-alike shots of scowling men with heavy facial hair. Still, the author does offer a cogent, carefully researched view of the battle and its significance in both the short and long terms. Thorough to a fault, and for young readers at least, no replacement for Jim Murphy's oldie but goodie The Long Road to Gettysburg (1992). (glossary, index, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12-15)
