Roads from Gettysburg

by John W. Schildt

After the worst three-day battle in American history at Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac marched from the fields of Pennsylvania to the Potomac River. Historians have recorded this movement from the perspective of the generals and their tactics.  In Roads from Gettysburg, author John W. Schildt lets the soldiers and civilians tell the story in a much more poignant manner.

William Powell of the V Corps U.S.A. never forgot the burial parties. "There were so many... It seemed a gigantic task. Sometimes a grave was dug beside where the body lay, and it was merely turned over into a narrow pit. Sometimes long trenches were dug,...one corpse after another was laid in; then the earth was thrown back, making a long ridge of fresh ground. Whenever names could be ascertained, each grave was marked by a headboard with name and regiment of the dead soldier."

The wounded of the Confederate army were under the care of John Imboden. "Our situation was frightful. We had probably ten thousand animals and nearly all the wagons of General Lee’s army under our charge, and all the wounded,...that could be brought from Gettysburg. Our supply of provisions consisted of a wagon-load of flour,...a small lot of fat cattle which I had collected in Pennsylvania on my way to Gettysburg, and some sugar and coffee procured in the same way at Mercersburg."

The ten days after the Battle of Gettysburg are told here in human terms. From the burial and cleanup of the battlefield to the marching in mud and rain, the suffering and agony of the wounded, this is the overlooked story of Gettysburg.

• Paperback
• 132 pages