“Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade”

As Pickett's men made their final charge toward the clump of trees in the center of the Union line at Gettysburg, they smashed into the Philadelphia Brigade, which was assigned to this sector of the battlefield. This was not the first time that the brigade had distinguished itself in battle. From its first bloody battle at Ball's Bluff through the siege of Petersburg, the brigade fought in every campaign in the eastern theater of the war. One of only a handful of brigades with a unique name, it also had a distinction of being the only one that began the war under the flag of one state, and ended it under the city of another. Using a wealth of primary sources, the story of this distinguished brigade is told using a scholarly, yet highly readable approach. The reader journeys through the roller coaster of the war, from the euphoria of the early days to the grim reality of war.

Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in zoology and is currently dean of academic affairs at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania. His lifelong interest in the Civil War has resulted in a number of articles.