“If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania”

“While the battle of Gettysburg has been deeply studied by amateur and professional historians, the preliminary campaign movements of both armies often receive only superficial attention. In the first volume of “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania,” co-authors Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg start the clock in the aftermath of Chancellorsville as both armies reorganized and planned for their summer campaigns. They then methodically take the readers day-by-day from opening developments on June 3 through this volume’s conclusion on June 21. Along the way, Mingus and Wittenberg mine a wealth of primary military, political, and personal anecdotes that provide fresh perspectives for even the most seasoned students of this great battle. Excellent maps and other supplementary material enhance the reader’s experience as the armies move north. This is an invaluable reference for those who want to understand fully the entire scope of the Gettysburg campaign.” ~James A. Hessler, Gettysburg Battlefield Guide and award-winning author of Sickles at Gettysburg (2009) and Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard (2019)

“A decidedly fresh account of the Gettysburg Campaign that follows both armies as they move across Virginia and Maryland toward the Pennsylvania line and great battle. Mingus and Wittenberg deftly weave the strategic, operational, and human aspects of the campaign, while examining its impact on soldiers, politicians, and civilians. Even veteran Gettysburg readers will find much that is new in this well-written and thoroughly researched work.” ~Jeffrey Wm Hunt, author of the award-winning Meade and Lee After Gettysburg: The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign, from Falling Waters to Culpeper Court House, July 14–31, 1863

“Volume 1 of Scott L. Mingus and Eric J. Wittenberg’s “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania” carries the Confederate army’s nearly month-long journey from the outskirts of Fredericksburg through the eve of the first day’s battle on the ridges, hills, and knolls north and west of Gettysburg, collectively an often overlooked or briskly covered facet of Lee’s summer 1863 campaign. The authors’ exhaustive coverage, deep research, and careful attention to detail, has produced a momentous work that will be indispensable for both historians and students of the war for years to come. I highly recommend this volume (which ends on the evening of June 21) to anyone looking to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how and why the Confederates ultimately found themselves precipitating a major engagement on the outskirts of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.” ~Cory M. Pfarr, award-winning author of Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment and Righting the Longstreet Record at Gettysburg: Six Matters of Controversy and Confusion

“Another outstanding collaboration by award-winning Gettysburg authors Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg, this one focusing on the often overlooked events leading up to the great July battle. The study is well-researched, effectively presented, and endlessly interesting. I have no doubt it will be warmly received by historians and general readers alike.” ~Joseph L. Owen, award-winning author of A Fine Introduction to Battle: Hood’s Texas Brigade at the Battle of Eltham’s Landing, May 7, 1862, and co-author, Unceasing Fury: Texans at the Battle of Chickamauga, September 18–20, 1863

“Until recently, most Civil War histories have focused on tactical battle studies, not the campaign movements that precede them. In “If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania,” Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg have brought us an insightful new exploration of the first three weeks of that most iconic of all civil war events: Gettysburg. They have given us a story that is both a great read and a deeply researched dive into the events of June 1863.” ~Dave Powell, award-winning author of The Chickamauga Campaign Trilogy

“Mingus and Wittenberg have dug deeply into primary resources, and through lively prose have crafted a very engaging work.” ~Emerging Civil War

"Scott L. Mingus Sr., and Eric J. Wittenberg present here an engaging and comprehensive retelling of the critical period that preceded the conflict’s bloodiest encounter. Mingus and Wittenberg have produced what is sure to become a modern classic in Gettysburg Campaign literature." ~The Civil War Monitor

“…likely to become the definitive treatment of the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign, not only because it carefully lays out the decision making of the commander, the movements of their troops, and the consequences of those movements, but also because they take into account the effects of these on the people of Maryland and Pennsylvania. …certain to become a classic, one of the few times that word applies and should be used.” ~The NYMAS Review

“Wittenberg and Mingus deliver an easy-to-read narrative that will muscle its way onto the shelves of students of Gettysburg and enthusiasts of the American Civil War across the globe…even taking into consideration the thousands of volumes already published on Gettysburg.” ~Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era