In April 1865; Richmond had fallen; and the Confederacy was dying. Robert E. Lee had surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. Joseph Johnston was in North Carolina negotiating the surrender of his army to William T. Sherman. But in South Carolina; General Edward Potter was leading 2;500 Union soldiers; including the famed African American regiment the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts; through the state's interior; intent on destroying the railroads and equipment. This is the story of Potter's Raid. Using rare and nearly forgotten accounts; historian Tom Elmore has compiled the story of this often-overlooked campaign that featured the last shots of the Civil War in the state that started it.
#1278750 in Books 2014-07-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.50 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 1621900533312 pages
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A very good history of Gettysburg NMPBy PapiA very good history of Gettysburg NMP. Some infusion of personal and PC bias but not enough to ruin an otherwise well written history.10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The story of the battlefield after the battleBy James HoogerwerfDr. Murray has gone above and beyond in her book; "On A Great Battlefield: The Making; Management; and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park; 1933-2013." The modest size of the book is deceptive. With its typeset in 10/13 Adobe Caslon pro; 312 pages; detail; and extensive notes; it is encyclopedic in its content. "On A Great Battlefield" is readable and informative to anyone having an interest in the battlefield's place in the national conscience; it is timely and original for both a general and academic audience. Murray develops the theme of change over time chronologically in chapters that insightfully incorporate phrases from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in the titles--as does the book's title. One does not have to be a Civil War historian to appreciate the subject. It is the story of the battlefield after the battle. There will never be "battle walks" to the sites of non historic woodlots; the Home Sweet Home Motel; or the National Tower; but how the battlefield has been shaped since the battle; is a story all its own. Murray's depth of research will be hard to assail. A critic may pick at the fringes; but the overall work is a definitive study. Indeed; "On A Great Battlefield" will be a contender for a significant academic prize (see comment) and; in the long run; a second edition; it is that important. Although the study of Gettysburg and the Civil War continues to focus the attention of historians and enthusiasts; it is somewhat surprising that no one has previously undertaken such a project. Even had they; more than likely they would not have been as dedicated to their subject as Jennifer Murray. "On A Great Battlefield" sets a high standard for its timeliness and historical excellence.10 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Making; Managing and Creating Memories of Gettysburg National Military Park: clear; concise; cogent and accessibleBy civilwarlibrarianOn A Great Battlefield: The Making; Management; and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park; 1933-2013; Jennifer M. Murray; University of Tennessee Press; 2014; 312pp; notes; bibliography; index; 3 maps; 34 b/w photographs.$49.00.Certainly with 82 pages of notes and 14 pages of bibliography; Jennifer M. Murray was provided one of the very best studies of the history of Gettysburg National Military Park [NM]. The first chapter covers the first 70 years of the park. The next ten chapters details the 80 year span between 1993 to 2013. Murray; currently an assistant professor of history at University of Virginia's College at Wise is formerly a seasonal interpretative ranger during nine summer at at Gettysburg NMP.Of contemporary interest is the coverage Murray provides for the planning; the fundraising and the bitter controversies regarding expansive changes at Gettysburg. The public/private partnership to build the $103 million visitor center; the landscape rehabilitation; and the inclusion of exhibits presenting slavery; abolition; secession; Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s in the visitor center may well be studied and redirect the mission; tasks and future of the National Parks Service and its historical parks.The final years of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century is viewed as a watershed era in the story of the park. Excepting the years between 1933 and 1940; when the park had available funds from the New Deal; no other era contained the degree of expansion and improvement to the battlefield. Eight of the 11 chapters focus upon the era of 1946-2013. Though initially a Phd. dissertation; Murray's narrative in On A Great Battlefield is clear; concise; cogent and accessible to the general reader.
