Reading Recommendations for Cyclists Who Ride to Learn Civil War History
This annotated bibliography presents a curated list of Gettysburg reading recommendations—books that offer valuable insight into the 1863 battle and its legacy. The selection includes a mix of scholarly classics and public history favorites, each with a well-earned place on my personal bookshelf. Whether you’re new to Civil War studies or deepening your expertise, these titles provide a meaningful starting point.
This page includes a partial excerpt from Bicycling Gettysburg National Military Park: The Cyclist’s Civil War Travel Guide (Victor, NY: Civil War Cycling, 2019), paid link. Used with Permission. Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive a small payment from Amazon if you make a purchase through the links, below.
Updated:
Gettysburg Reading Recommendations
I. The Battle of Gettysburg
Brown, Kent Masterson. Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2021. This 475-book offers a comprehensive and favorable analysis of Gen. George Gordan Meade’s leadership and accomplishments at the Battle of Gettysburg. It includes 13 black-and-white military maps and many illustrations.
Catton, Bruce. Gettysburg: The Final Fury (paid link). New York: Random House, 1974. Catton’s short but classic telling of the Battle of Gettysburg is one of my favorites. It is fast-moving and clear for the general reader.
Coddington, Edwin B. The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command (paid link). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968. This big, dense book is widely recognized as a “must have” military history on the Battle of Gettysburg.
Dixon, Benjamin Y. Learning the Battle of Gettysburg: A Guide to the Official Records (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 2007. Of all the books on my bookshelf, this is the one I most regret not buying years ago. If you are serious enough to want to read the Official Records (OR) for the Battle of Gettysburg, Dixon’s 144-page book is a masterful index to the OR, by day and by theme. Better yet, the book is a concise and well-written introduction that is readable on its own.
Floyd, Steven A. Commanders and Casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg: The Comprehensive Order of Battle (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg Publishing, 2014. At 147 pages, this book is a convenient size to bring with you on the Gettysburg battlefield. The book provides Orders of Battle for both armies, and includes commanders at the regimental level and above. There are chapters that list units by state and one-page biographical sketches of commanders and key participants in the battle.
Guelzo, Allen C. Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (paid link). New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, 2014. This is a chronological history of the Battle of Gettysburg. Its thirty-nine black-and-white maps are relatively simple, and for that reason, very helpful.
Gottfried, Bradley M. The Brigades of Gettysburg (paid link). New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2012. I recommend Gottfried’s book for students who want to study the Battle of Gettysburg from the perspective of a particular brigade or set of brigades. Each sub-chapter in Gottfried’s book focuses on the battlefield actions of a brigade and its associated regiments.
———. The Maps of Gettysburg (paid link). New York: Savas Beatie, 2010. For students who want to understand Gettysburg’s battlefield actions at the regiment-level, Gottfried’s book is my favorite. The maps are colorful and easy to understand. The text for each map complements the map in a clear and focused way.
Hess, Earl J. Pickett’s Charge—The Last Attack at Gettysburg (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. This 497-page book provides a broad yet in-depth military account of the July 3, 1863 Confederate attack on Gettysburg’s Cemetery Ridge. It considers the perspectives of both armies, including the personal recollections of individual soldiers. The book includes 10 very clear battle maps, 38 black-and-white illustrations (most of which are portrait photographs), and an Order of Battle.
Hessler, James A. Sickles at Gettysburg (paid link). El Dorado, CA: Savas Beatie, 2009, 2015. 2024. The subtitle of this 490-page scholarly yet entertaining narrative captures the topic well: “The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Littles Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg.” The book includes an Order of Battle for Sickles’ Corps, 6 clean-looking black-and-white maps, and 84 pages of endnotes, bibliography, and index.
Hessler, James A., Wayne E. Motts, and Steven A. Stanley. Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg: A Guide to the Most Famous Attack in American History (paid link). El Dorado, CA: Savas Beatie, 2015. This 310-page color book contains maps and photos for four tours, as follows: Confederate Battle Line, Pettigrew-Trimble Charge, Pickett’s Charge, and Union Battle Line. It also contains Orders of Battle for infantry and artillery of both armies.
Hunt, Jeffrey Wm Hunt. Meade and Lee After Gettysburg (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2017, 2021. The subtitle of this book is descriptive, The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign, from Falling Waters to Culpepper Court House, July 14-31, 1863. In 292 pages, the author uses primary source material to explain the contributing factors to how and why General Meade’s Army of the Potomac did not destroy General Lee’s Army of Northern of Northern Virginia in the wake of the Battle of Gettysburg. The book’s 16 maps and 35 black-and-white photographs are remarkably clear and augment the narrative nicely.
Jorgensen, Jay. Gettysburg’s Bloody Wheatfield (paid link). Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books, 2002. This 178-page tactical study is an interesting mix of primary source material and 15 cleanly drawn maps. It is well-written and the narrative flows nicely. The book includes casualty statistics for both Confederate and Federal troops fighting in The Wheatfield, by brigade.
Kantor, MacKinlay. Gettysburg (paid link). New York: Landmark Books, 1952, 1980. Although written for children who can read at a Grade Six Level, Kantor’s book is an excellent introduction for adults who want to understand the basics of the Battle of Gettysburg before diving into more detailed material. Although the language is simple, the presentation is mature.
McPherson, James M. Hallowed Ground. New York: Random House Audio, 2003. CD-ROM. If you have a set of Gettysburg battle maps in front of you, McPherson’s audio “walk at Gettysburg” is an accessible and interesting introduction to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Petruzzi, J. David, and Steven A. Stanley. The Complete Gettysburg Guide (paid link). New York: Savas Beatie LLC, 2009. This is an auto-tour book that extends beyond Gettysburg National Military Park to the town and outlying field hospitals. Petruzzi’s book provides a helpful overview of historical sites that are not easily accessible by bicyclists who prefer to avoid major roads.
———. The Gettysburg Campaign in Numbers and Losses (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie LLC, 2012. Historians have heated debates over battlefield numbers. Although the numbers in this 2012 book might be debated by scholars, the book stands as a valuable reference. Its maps, orders of battle, and battlefield event summaries are great resources for history students.
Pfanz, Harry W., Scott Hartwig and George Skoch. The Battle of Gettysburg: National Park Civil War Series. Hatboro, PA: Eastern National, 1994, 2006. If you are looking for one clear but detailed and accurate summary of the military actions at the Battle of Gettysburg, this book by Harry W. Pfanz is my number one recommendation. This book was re-published in 2014, and available for purchase here (paid link).
Pfanz, Harry W. Gettysburg: Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993. This book is part of Pfanz’s classic trilogy on the Battle of Gettysburg.
———. Gettysburg: The First Day (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. This book is part of Pfanz’s classic trilogy on the Battle of Gettysburg.
———. Gettysburg: The Second Day (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987. This book is part of Pfanz’s classic trilogy on the Battle of Gettysburg.
Reardon, Carol and Tom Vossler. A Field Guide to Gettysburg (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013. This book is an auto-tour of Gettysburg National Military Park and the surrounding area. The author’s purpose is to tell the history of the battle’s three days from the perspective of people and places. It contains photographs, maps, and directions for tourists driving cars. (They are not usable for bicyclists.)
Reardon, Carol. Pickett’s Charge in History & Memory (paid link). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. This 285-page book describes the facts and memories pertaining to the famous Confederate charge to Gettysburg’s Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863. The narrative is well-written and thought-provoking. I counted only 4 maps, which I did not find easy to read.
Ryan, Thomas J. Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2015. This is a 482-page hardbound book with comfortable margins, font size, and vertical spacing. Its eighteen chapters cover mid-May to July 14, 1863, plus preceding context and aftermath. There are 23 maps and 68 illustrations. Several award-winning authors highly recommend this book.
Sears, Stephen W. Gettysburg (paid link). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Sears’ book is regularly listed as an important historical contribution to American Civil War history and the Battle of Gettysburg. The book’s main source is the Official Records of the U. S. War Department. Sears’ book takes very difficult primary source material and recasts it in readable form for students of history.
Symonds, Craig L. and William J. Clipson. Gettysburg: A Battlefield Atlas (paid link). Charleston, SC: The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America, 1992. Although an introduction to military tactics at the Battle of Gettysburg, Symonds’ book is more detailed than Pfanz’s National Park Series book. The narrative and maps are clearly connected, which helps to turn a complicated battlefield history into an understandable story.
Teague, Charles, Compiler. Gettysburg by the Numbers (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Adams County Historical Society, 2006. This small booklet consists of many lists and interesting facts. Want to know how many horses and mules died at the Battle of Gettysburg? How about the length in miles of a Union infantry bridge on-the-march? This booklet will answer those questions and much, much more.
Thompson, Allen R. In the Shadow of the Round Tops: Longstreet’s Countermarch, Johnston’s Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2, 1863 (paid link). New York: Knox Press, 2023. This very well-written and widely acclaimed book begins with a 23-page chapter on historiography titled “Perceiving History.” The text itself reconstructs from primary source material the memories of Civil War veterans pertaining to the Confederate attack on Cemetery Ridge, Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863. Of its 516 pages, the book has 102 pages of endnotes, 8 pages of black-and-white maps, a 26-page bibliography, and a 17-page index.
Trudeau, Noah Andre. Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage (paid link). New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2002. Of all the one-volume summaries of the Battle of Gettysburg, Trudeau’s book might be the most enjoyable. It is clear and compelling. The book’s back matter has some interesting sections, including for example, an overview of the lives of battlefield participants long after the Battle of Gettysburg.
U. S. War Department. The War of Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1889. The Official Records are available online through the HathiTrust of Cornell University Library. Volume 27 Parts 1-3 cover the Gettysburg Campaign. For your reading convenience, Civil War Cycling has published “by officer name” and “by report number” hyperlinked indexes to the HathiTrust page scans for Volume 27, Part 1 and Part 2.
Wittenberg, Eric J. Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions (paid link). New York: Savas Beatie LLC, 2011. Eric Wittenberg is widely known as Gettysburg’s expert on cavalry. If you want to expand your knowledge to cover a more complete military history, you might consider reading this book on Farnsworth’s Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield.
Wittenberg, Eric J. and J. David Petruzzi. Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg, 2nd ed. (paid link). New York: Savas Beatie LLC, 2006. This is an interesting history of Jeb Stuart and his cavalry action at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Wittenberg, Eric J., J. David Petruzzi, 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 (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2008, 2013. This 528-page book is a comprehensive and highly detailed military history that includes many engagements in the ten-day retreat from Gettysburg. For the most part, each day is a chapter, and the book is packed with maps and appendices that include driving tours and an Order of Battle.
II. Gettysburg National Military Park
The Gettysburg Foundation. Gettysburg National Military Park: Official Guidebook (paid link). Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2011. If you want to buy only one, high-level guidebook to Gettysburg National Military Park, this book is a good one to consider. It is colorful and artfully assembled for tourists who want an introduction to many Gettysburg topics.
Hartwig, D. Scott and Anne Marie. Gettysburg: The Complete Pictorial of Battlefield Monuments (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1995. I recommend this book for students who want to memorize monument photographs and their associated military unit. For that purpose, the book is a good study guide. Unfortunately, the photographs are black-and-white, and the book does not contain a map with monument locations.
Hawthorne, Frederick W. Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments as Told By Battlefield Guides (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: The Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides, 1988. This book offers a more lengthy history of a smaller number of Gettysburg monuments than, for example, the Huntington book. For its remarkable accuracy and reliable (error-free) summary of monument metadata, the Hawthorne book is one of my favorite references. (I could not find any historical mistakes after checking three government and privately maintained databases.)
Huntington, Tom. Guide to Gettysburg Battlefield Monuments (paid link). Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2013. This pocket-size book is a handy catalog of monument photographs and metadata. For bicyclists, the book’s greatest limitation is that, knowing where you are on the battlefield, it is difficult to use the book to find information about monuments in your location.
Murray, Jennifer M. On a Great Battlefield: The Making, Management, and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933–2013 (paid link). Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2014. In my opinion, Murray’s book is the single-best history of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933-2013.
III. Gettysburg Human Interest Stories
Alexander, John and Jim Slade. Firestorm at Gettysburg: Civilian Voices, June-November, 1863 (paid link). Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1998. Nearly every page of this hardbound book contains crisp black-and-white photographs on thick and glossy paper. The text tells the personal stories of dozens of Gettysburg citizens, covering each day of battle but also the battle’s aftermath.
Coddington, Ronald S. Gettysburg Faces: Portraits and Personal Accounts (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg Publishing, 2022. On high-quality glossy paper, this book tells the story of the four-day Battle of Gettysburg using 100 portrait photographs of people whose personal letters and public histories (in newspapers, journals, and reports) inform the narrative. The book is 362 pages.
Coe, James M., and Rev. Roy E. Frampton. Lincoln and the Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg National Cemetery (paid link). Hanover, PA: The Sheridan Press, 1995. If you want to read about the lives of soldiers who are buried in Soldiers’ National Cemetery, this book is for you. The book begins with a brief history of the cemetery, and it includes many photographs.
Conklin, Eileen F. Women at Gettysburg 1863, Revisited (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Americana Souvenirs and Gifts, 2013. This 478-page book features the stories of forty women who served on the Gettysburg battlefield, organized as follows: July First, July Second, July Third, July Fourth, July Fifth through July Eighth, and “Remainder of July.” The narrative, grouped by featured woman, emerges from the diaries, letters, and memoirs collected by the author in her work as a Licensed Gettysburg Guide.
Creighton, Margaret S. The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg’s Forgotten History (paid link). New York: Basic Books, 2005. A page-turner, Creighton weaves a fascinating narrative about the stories of women, immigrants, and African Americans and their experience during and after the Battle of Gettysburg.
Guelzo, Allen C. Voices from Gettysburg: Letters, Papers, and Memoirs from the Greatest Battle of the Civil War (paid link). New York: Citadel Press Books, 2024. This 328-page book consists of a fascinating collection of original documents from civilian, military, and political contemporaries of the battle, especially eyewitness accounts. It includes an order of battle and a 14-page index.
McMillan, Tom. Gettysburg Rebels: Five Native Sons Who Came Home to Fight as Confederate Soldiers (paid link). Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2017. This is the story of Wesley Culp, Henry Wentz, and three Hoffman brothers, as told by a Pennsylvania native and former journalist. The narrative is well-written and interesting. This 332-page book includes a chapter on prisoners of war and Reconstruction. The bibliography is helpful, especially if you are looking for secondary source material.
Meredith, Frank, Ed. The Battle of Gettysburg As Seen By Two Teens: The Stories of Tiller Pierce and Daniel Skelly. Schoharie, NY: Savannah Books, 2010. Tillie Pierce and Daniel Skelly were teenagers during the Battle of Gettysburg. This small book contains their eyewitness accounts of the battle.
Small, Cindy L. The Jennie Wade Story. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1991. This small book presents the story of Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade, the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. The book was re-published in 2018 and available for purchase, here (paid link).
IV. Other Gettysburg Reading Recommendations
Boritt, Gabor. The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows (paid link). New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006, 2008. Boritt provides an interesting history of Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, and more broadly, the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery, Gettysburg, November 19, 1863.
Coco, Gregory A. A Vast Sea of Misery: A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Field Hospitals at Gettysburg, July 1–November 20, 1863. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 1988. Coco’s book provides an extremely detailed history of 160 hospital sites that formed to care for soldiers who were wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. This book was republished in 2017 and is available for purchase, here (paid link).
Gottfried, Bradley M. and Linda I. Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2021. The print quality of this 167-page book is consistent with others in the Emerging Civil War Series, with low resolution black-and-white images. Putting that aside, the book is notable for including a tour and map of the cemetery in Appendix B. The chapters that cover the establishment of the cemetery, burial processes, and the dedication ceremony are interesting and well-written.
Ryan, Thomas J. and Richard R. Schaus. Lee is Trapped and Must Be Taken: Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863 (paid link). El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2021. In 342 pages, the author dedicates a chapter to military events for each of eleven days, July 4-14, 1863. It is focused principally on the decisions of the two opposing army commanders. The book includes 14 black-and-white topographic maps that show the corps-level movement of armies.
Smith, Timothy H. Farms at Gettysburg: The Fields of Battle (paid link). Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 2007. This book is an interesting overview of several Gettysburg family farms and a description of the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Wills, Garry. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (paid link). New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992, 2006. Wills offers an intriguing exegesis of the different versions of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This book is not a general history of the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery; rather, it is a detailed analysis of the text of Lincoln’s address and the story behind its different revisions.
For U.S. Civil War reading recommendations, click here.
For Antietam and C&O Canal reading recommendations, click here.
For Chickamauga reading recommendations, click here.
For Shiloh reading recommendations, click here.