Gettysburg's Other Battle

The Ordeal of an American Shrine during the First World War

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War I
Cover of the book Gettysburg's Other Battle by Mark A. Snell, The Kent State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark A. Snell ISBN: 9781631013416
Publisher: The Kent State University Press Publication: June 12, 2018
Imprint: The Kent State University Press Language: English
Author: Mark A. Snell
ISBN: 9781631013416
Publisher: The Kent State University Press
Publication: June 12, 2018
Imprint: The Kent State University Press
Language: English

Gettysburg is known as the second bloodiest battle of the 19th century and as the site of Abraham Lincoln's 1863 speech that gave new meaning to America's Civil War. By the turn of the next century, the battlefield was enshrined as a national park under the jurisdiction of the War Department. In 1913, graying veterans commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the momentous battle, dubbed the "Peace Jubilee," a unity celebration largely administered by the U.S. Army. Four years later, the Army returned to establish a Regular Army infantry-training cantonment on the battlefield. The Tank Corps took over in 1918, and the area was dubbed "Camp Colt."

Gettysburg's Other Battle is the account of Gettysburg's citizens and its tens of thousands of temporary guests during the Great War, a drama that took place on the most significant stage in American historical memory. It goes beyond the story of the training camps by using the Great War as a window-in-time to examine a unique community, one in the throes of modernization while at the same time trying to capitalize on, yet preserve a part of, the nation's past.

Gettysburg's residents, like all Americans during World War I, experienced measures such as conscription, food conservation, and censorship. As the nation applied Progressive reforms to the war effort, Gettysburg followed suit. Unlike other American towns and cities that hosted mobilization camps, Gettysburg was hallowed ground, and an earlier generation already had felt the ravages of war like few other American communities. Gettysburg was desecrated both unwittingly and intentionally-it took years for the national park to recover from this environmental catastrophe. Today, the only reminders of Gettysburg's Great War heritage are a tiny marker, memorial tree, and wayside exhibit to commemorate Camp Colt, along with a small exhibit in the museum. Had Ike Eisenhower not commanded that camp in 1918, it doubtless would not be remembered at all.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Gettysburg is known as the second bloodiest battle of the 19th century and as the site of Abraham Lincoln's 1863 speech that gave new meaning to America's Civil War. By the turn of the next century, the battlefield was enshrined as a national park under the jurisdiction of the War Department. In 1913, graying veterans commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the momentous battle, dubbed the "Peace Jubilee," a unity celebration largely administered by the U.S. Army. Four years later, the Army returned to establish a Regular Army infantry-training cantonment on the battlefield. The Tank Corps took over in 1918, and the area was dubbed "Camp Colt."

Gettysburg's Other Battle is the account of Gettysburg's citizens and its tens of thousands of temporary guests during the Great War, a drama that took place on the most significant stage in American historical memory. It goes beyond the story of the training camps by using the Great War as a window-in-time to examine a unique community, one in the throes of modernization while at the same time trying to capitalize on, yet preserve a part of, the nation's past.

Gettysburg's residents, like all Americans during World War I, experienced measures such as conscription, food conservation, and censorship. As the nation applied Progressive reforms to the war effort, Gettysburg followed suit. Unlike other American towns and cities that hosted mobilization camps, Gettysburg was hallowed ground, and an earlier generation already had felt the ravages of war like few other American communities. Gettysburg was desecrated both unwittingly and intentionally-it took years for the national park to recover from this environmental catastrophe. Today, the only reminders of Gettysburg's Great War heritage are a tiny marker, memorial tree, and wayside exhibit to commemorate Camp Colt, along with a small exhibit in the museum. Had Ike Eisenhower not commanded that camp in 1918, it doubtless would not be remembered at all.

More books from The Kent State University Press

Cover of the book Women and the American Civil War by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book The Philadelphia Phillies by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Dreaming Baseball by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Lynch Street by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Cautious Visionary by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book For Dear Life by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Edgar Huntly by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Greek-American Relations from Monroe to Truman by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Taken at the Flood by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book The Supply for Tomorrow Must Not Fail by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Democracy and Religion by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Ohio and Its People by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Buckeye Presidents by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book West of the Cuyahoga by Mark A. Snell
Cover of the book Arrow Talk by Mark A. Snell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy