One Continuous Fight

by Eric J. Wittenberg, J. David Petruzzi, Michael F. Nugent

The three-day Battle of Gettysburg left 50,000 casualties in its wake, a battered Southern army far from its base of supplies, and a rich historiographic legacy. This book is the first detailed military history of Lee's retreat and the Union effort to destroy the wounded Army of Northern Virginia.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Military History, Civil War Eastern Theater, War

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2008

About the author

Eric J. Wittenberg is an American Civil War historian, author, lecturer, tour guide and battlefield preservationist. He is a practicing attorney in downtown Columbus, Ohio. His published works have focused especially on the Civil War cavalryman and the cavalry battles of the Civil War, with emphasis on the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fighting Retreat From Gettysburg

For many years, there were few full-length studies of the retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia following its defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 -- July 3, 1863). But two outstanding books have recently been written to fill this gap. In 2005, Kent Masterson Brown published his "Retreat from Gettysburg." Brown's book focuses on the logistics of the retreat and on how Lee was able to mask his intentions, slowing Meade's pursuit. It also views Lee's goal in the Gettysburg campaign as primarily a raid -- an attempt by the Army of Northern Virginia to secure needed foodstuffs and other goods from Northern soil. With that objective in mind, Brown discusses the retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg, and implicitly the battle itself, in the context of the entire campaign. He finds that the campaign partially met its objectives.

I was eager to learn more about the retreat after reading Brown. His book has been followed by a new (2008) study of the retreat: "One Continuous Fight" by three noted students of the Civil War: Eric Wittenberg, David Petruzzi, and Michael Nugent. Wittenberg and his coauthors have written extensively on Gettysburg and they have focused on the role of the cavalry. This focus on cavalry operations is critical in understanding the retreat.

Wittenberg and his co-authors give a detailed tactical study of the retreat from both Union and Confederate perspectives. They offer a detailed military discussion of the over 20 engagements that occurred between the beginning of Lee's retreat on July 4,1863, and Lee's crossing over into Virginia on July 14. The book includes many stories, quotes and anecdotes from and about participants on both sides of the line. "One Continuous Fight" is an excellent study in its own right of the retreat and a worthy complement to Brown.

Many people think, when they consider the retreat, of Meade's alleged failure to pursue Lee's army. The title of this book "One Continuous Fight" should dispel that misapprehension. Wittenberg shows that there was continuous and severe fighting throughout the retreat. He describes in detail the engagements at Monterey Pass, Hagerstown, Boonsborough, and Funkstown, among other engagements. He also describes the fighting at Williamsport when on July 6, Confederate General Imboden led a heroic defense by his wounded soldiers and teamsters against a Union cavalry attack. The book offers detailed descriptions of the movements of the armies and of the results of little-studied battles.

Wittenburg gives a full picture of the strong defenses Lee constructed at Williamsport in the face of the flooded Potomac River which hindered his crossing. For three days, Meade and the Union Army failed to attack the position. When Meade at length wanted to attack on July 14, Lee's army had slipped away into the night. The hazardous crossings at Williamsport and Falling Waters are described in full detail.

The major issue surrounding the retreat is whether Meade could have done more in stopping Lee, won another victory, and perhaps ended the war. Wittenburg's study shows the complexity of this question, which in fact folds several discrete issues into one. Meade would have taken an enormous risk by attacking the fortified Confederate position at Williamsport with his exhausted and ill-provided army. His decision to refrain from attack until the Confederate position had been fully reconnoitered was probably sound. But the Union pursuit of Lee, Wittenburg argues, was flawed in several respects. He is somewhat critical of Meade but places most of the responsibility on Meade's cavalry chief, Pleasonton, for dividing his forces and not following the retreating Army in an aggressive, coordinated manner. In contrast, the individual cavalry commanders for the Union, especially Buford, get high marks for their efforts during the retreat as do Stuart, Imboden, and, generally, the entire Confederate cavalry. Lee's conduct of the retreat receives high praise.

Unlike Brown's study, Wittenberg's book gives little attention to the goods the Confederates carried back with them to Virginia. In fact, with Wittenberg's emphasis on the privations of the retreat, he doesn't seem to think the goods secured through foraging were a factor. Wittenberg also, in contrast to Brown, sees the Gettysburg campaign as a dismal failure for the Confederacy in terms of loss of life and loss of leadership. Overall, the impression is that Lee was fortunate to get away, and that the supplies of food he may have carried with him were of scant consolation for the large military defeat at Gettysburg.

This book is clearly written with good portrayals of the complex fighting. It offers good maps and includes two lengthy driving tours, one for the route followed by Imboden and his train of Confederate wounded, the other for the route followed by Lee's army. This book will appeal to serious students of the Civil War with a good background knowledge of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg campaign.

Robin Friedman

[Heinz Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gettysburg is one of the most written about battles in Western history. Odd, then, that the pursuit of Lee's retreating Army of Northern Virginia has gotten so very little ink spilled on it.
This book, written by a trio of military historians, is one of a small handful of works devoted to Lee's retreat and Meade's pursuit. Those who simply believe that there was no pursuit because they read a quote from Lincoln bemoaning Meade's lack of pursuit, will definitely be in for a major surprise if they read this book.
The Army of the Potomac's cavalry was hot on Lee's heels from day one. Every major and minor encounter between the horse soldiers from both sides (infantry was only occasionally involved) is covered here in precise detail.
The driving forces of both armies, Lee and Meade, aren't as well covered in this as one might think. That's really the only flaw in this work: the focus is mainly on the opposing forces at the sharp end, and the broader picture, while certainly discussed, can sometimes get left in the haze of carbine and cannon smoke from the numerous urban skirmishes between both sides cavalry.
The work's main characters are the likes of Jeb Stuart, Judson Kilpatrick (the story of how he earned his infamous nickname of Kill Cavalry is told here), George A. Custer, Richard Ewell, John Sedgwick, and other field commanders. Though this book does delve into the junior officers and average soldiers who trudge along, wearily, as the operation proceeds. Who stood out in my mind was Major James Breathed, Stuart's commander of the horse artillery, as well as James B. Calef, commander of horse artillery under Deven's Brigade with Buford's Division. The two opposing horse artillerists are frequently featured.
Beyond narrating the retreat and pursuit itself, which is incredibly well written and often reads like a work of action fiction, the authors do a very good job of using the last chapter to analyze the events. In doing so, they definitely bust a couple of myths that seems prevalent amongst War Between the States historians yet.
First of all, those who rote mimic Lincoln's frustration over the dearth of a hot Federal pursuit (Guelzo is definitely guilty of this, he even manages to blame Meade's politics as the reason...neocons, sigh) really don't have a leg to stand on. The Union pursuit was a close one, however, it was performed with an exhausted, battered Army.
An Army that had won it's first major victory against their foe since the beginning of the war, and one that was not as of yet confident enough of normalized success (it never would achieve that, at least not until the very last month of the War) to risk losing what they had won at Gettysburg, by throwing it away on a losing effort against Lee north of the Potomac.
And that ties into myth number two, that Lee's Army was demoralized post Gettysburg. Far from it, in fact the tremendously strong defensive position Lee's engineers erected at the Williamsport position, in a manner of less than a couple of days, and the eagerness with which many Confederates awaited a major Northern assault, undermines that belief.
Meade couldn't assault Lee's lines, he knew it would be the sentence of death for thousands of his men, and it would throw away the triumph of Gettysburg in the eyes of a Northern homefront that was incredibly fragile in it's devotion to the conflict.
Lincoln and Stanton's pressure to push Meade into action where done over 80 miles away, in Washington behind the safety of desks, and no thought was given to an Army that was at the edge of physical collapse, and that while victorious at Gettysburg, had suffered tremendously to win it.
One thing to bear in mind, too. Cavalry are the engines of 19th century pursuit. And both sides horses were on the verge of total breakdown from overuse. Horses need rest more so than a man does. And lack of rest, improper food, and inability to take care of simple daily maintenance on the animals due to the nonstop nature of activity from Brandy Station onwards, had all but wrecked the cavalry of both sides. If Meade did vigorously push into Lee, it might have permanently wrecked his own mounted arm in the process.
There's still plenty of work that can be done in illuminating this forgotten aspect of the War, but this book (and the several others published the last couple of years) goes a long ways towards filling that void. This was a joy to read, and one of the best books I have read in a while.
Highly recommended.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of a much-forgotten part of the campaign.

[Eric Norment · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitive, granular account of little-known or understood hard fighting in immediate aftermath of savage Gettysburg clash. Great to have for visiting sites!

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this one. While there's a ton of valuable information about the operational and tactical aspects of the final phase of the Gettysburg Campaign there were also some glaring issues. When it comes to this kind of campaign study I really appreciate good maps and this book is severely lacking in quality maps. What visual aids they do include are pretty bare bones and don't provide much clarity. I believe the authors of this book are quite knowledgeable on the subject, but they have a lot of trouble telling a cohesive narrative. The retreat from Gettysburg can be hard to tell chronologically because of how widespread it was, but there's just so much backtracking and it doesn't help that the chapters are just poorly organized. They could've used a better editor.

All that said, again, there's some good stuff here. The trio of authors are probably the foremost authority on Civil War cavalry in the East and they provide a great analysis of the mounted branch's role in the 10 days after Gettysburg. Their conclusion was thorough and balanced. I'd recommend this to a real Gettysburg head, but for the casual reader I would imagine this would be a bit too weedy.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that covers in detail a part of the campaign that is glossed over in most books. The real story is much more nuanced and complicated than the standard coverage.
The author adds an appendix that details a modern driving tour of both routes used in the retreat -- one for the majority of Lee's Army and one for the wagon train of wounded.

[Jack Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Known part of Gettysburg Battle

The aftermath in which Lee's retreating army followed by Mead's army adds another 6000 men to the death list. Good description of the cabal battles.

[Henry Kline · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty much a slow read and a bit confusing of the time line of events. However it did add a great deal of information to an important 10 days in Civil War History. After reading it I have raised my poor opinion of General Meade to being just a little below average for a commanding general.

[Paul F.Stottlemyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 3 days in July have always gotten the attention. A lot went on after those 3 days that aren't much talked about. It was great to learn about how the southern army was able to retreat and learn the route that they took

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched account. Sometimes, a little confusing, a little contradictory. But it is meticulous and well-done. It needs careful reading, though, to understand the story of the retreat.

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book which contains, among the many clashes chronicled here, a short account of what I consider to be the most remarkable battle of the Civil War, namely The Battle of The Teamsters. This incident deserves a book-length treatment by itself. After Gettysburg, Lee gave charge of his wounded to General John Imboden, and this wagon train became trapped against a uncrossable river when Union cavalry launched an attack. Many of the Confederate wounded dragged themselves out of the wagons to form a battle line and fought alongside the teamsters to save the train. Going into battle while healthy is hard enough; trying to fight when you're already wounded shows fortitude of staggering proportions, especially when the primitive medicine of the time meant no painkillers were available. An entire battle line of injured men who fight off an attack by healthy veterans is unprecedented. Imboden's rather crazy defense succeeded, and Lee's wounded escaped.

The book also presents an interesting counterpoint to Wittenberg's biases. Wittenberg detests Judson Kilpatrick and is a fan of John Buford. Buford, when probed by a spy in civilian clothing, has the man hung on the spot, the spy screaming for mercy all the while. This does not leave the reader with any good impression of Buford's humanity, whatever his abilities in battle.

In contrast, the feckless Judson Kilpatrick, who always gives the impression of perpetually being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool without the benefit of swimming lessons, nearly knocks himself out with his efforts to do his job, occasionally failing, but most often succeeding--this despite poor health. He had Bright's disease, which often made riding a horse a misery--a real handicap for a cavalry general. In book after book, Wittenberg keeps portraying Kilpatrick in a positive light without seemingly being aware that he is doing so. Kilpatrick was no saint--he took bribes, and was fond of women not his wife, but he keeps coming off as weirdly likeable under Wittenberg's pen.

All in all, a highly recommended book.

[Josh Liller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that often gets overlooked, unless someone wants to criticize George Meade: the ten days after Pickett's fateful charge, culminating with the Confederate army escaping across the Potomac. Some authors outright ignore this part of the Gettysburg Campaign, like Noah Andre Trudeau in his Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage.

A trio of authors, including Civil War cavalry guru Eric Wittenberg, look at just what happened during those fateful days. It's a story of hard marching, exhausted men, logistical problems, lots of rain, a surprisingly lot of fighting (22 different engagements), and generally terrible conditions for everyone involved. Both sides are given pretty in-depth coverage. It's well-researched, includes a driving tour, and generally an enjoyable read.

While I generally agree with the authors' conclusions, including that Meade did well under very difficult conditions, I still think a little more criticism could be levied against the Union general - not for failing to attack at Williamsport but in failing to explore options for turning Lee's left and in general failing to develop an effective plan of attack for the assault that was to have occurred had Lee not escaped during the night. I feel it foreshadows the attack at Cold Harbor 11 months later. Meade was also too sluggish and cautious in the days immediately after Gettysburg, and he seems to have placed too much confidence in Alfred Pleasanton and failed to recognize that cavalry commander's poor management.

There are a few places where the book does get a little repetitive, mostly when the narrative text is followed by a quotation that too closely mirrors what came before it. It can be a thin line between "make a point then defend that point with evidence" and redundancy.

I strongly recommend this to any Civil War buff.

[Cropredy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about the book. On the positive side, I learned a lot about the 11 days after Gettysburg that led up to Lee's successful withdrawal from Maryland despite an unfordable and unbridgeable swollen Potomac. The authors do a tremendous job of giving you a feel for the torrential rains, mud, and tired and hungry men. I also learned that Lee's position at Williamsport was 'Fredericksburg-like' and with foreknowledge of the battles of 1864, an assault would have been bloodily repulsed. Hence, destroying Lee and ending the rebellion was unlikely.

The downside of this book is its readability. There are three authors, never a good sign for narrative coherence. It seems as if every soldier who participated and wrote something down is quoted and this gets tedious.


Although there are plenty of maps, they fall short in two ways: (1) they didn't adequately convey the terrain of the mountains and their passes, which had a big influence on the movement of forces, and (2) as the story is told day by day, there are no maps that depict the armies' positions each day. This means you can't get into Lee's or Meade's heads as they made their orders. Or, to understand how the cavalry moved about (of which much of the book concerns)


Bottomline: this book is somewhere between popular readable Civil War history a la Stephen Sears and specialist publications of a more scholarly bent. There is no doubt the authors know their subject. Read it to learn about those post Gettysburg days, especially if you live in western Maryland as it can bring resonance to your environs.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric J Wittenberg, J. David Petruzzi and Michael F. Nugent's "One Continuous Fight" covers the July 1863 Confederate retreat from the battlefield at Gettysburg until it had safely crossed the flooding Potomac River into Virginia.

The Union Army of The Potomac Commander, George G. Meade was, and still is, censured for failing to trap and destroy the Confederate Army during the retreat. Yet, as this book shows, the Union Army did in fact aggressively pursue the Confederates and inflict grievous damage to The Army of Northern Virginia. The Union Army did finally locate and corner the Confederates against the flooded Potomac. However, Confederate commander Robert E Lee was able to strongly entrench his army, bridge Potomac River, and largely cross into the safety of Virginia before the Union Army could concentrate and attack.

I found the book well written and thoughtful. In addition to studying the historical documents, the authors traveled to and studied the terrain they discuss in the book.

I would recommend this book to any reader interested in Military, American or American Civil War history.

[Duane Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It dispelled all previous knowledge of the battle ending at Gettysburg. The book also provided an insight to Meade's caution in drawing Lee into a battle that arguably could have ended the war. It's astounding what took place in those nearly two weeks after the battle. I have family history in this event. My Great(x2) uncle was a POW involved in Lee's retreat. The book was so detailed and at points so unbelievable I re-read portions to make sure I got it right!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot more fighting went on after Gettysburg than I knew. What the book didn't address is why Meade didn't move out from Gettysburg more quickly in pursuit. Since the authors reference a Congressional hearing about the conduct, they could have at least included the rationale given there.

[Dave Frye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting conclusion to the Gettysburg campaign. Lots & lots of names but still interesting.