Phillip Thomas TuckerGettysburg's Most Hellish Battleground: The Devil's Den, July 2, 1863

Devil’s Den. The name brings to mind fantastical horror monsters ready to take your soul. But no… it is the story of an important Civil War battle. Just as fascinating as a horror story made even more horrific for the fact that it really happened. With “Gettysburg’s Most Hellish Battleground,” Phillip Thomas Tucker weaves an interesting, historically fact-based, telling of the bloody clash between Union and Confederate soldiers.The book gives the background of the Texas brigade and how they came to be the most tactically accurate unit in the Confederate troops. I enjoyed how the book explained the fighting style and attitudes of the Texas soldiers and how that led to them being the best the Confederacy had to offer. Other historical books I’ve read have not dove so deep into the minds of that unit and how they came to be. It was a unit of sharpshooters, daredevils, and gamblers, all eager to leave their mark on the battlefield. Their disregard for rules and regulations actually helped them to be the supreme fighting unit they were. Having all that background before the discussion of the Battle of Devil’s Den added a layer of understanding and appreciation for the battle itself that I had not had before. The actual telling of the battle of well-detailed and gives the reader a bird’s eye view of what was happening in different locations before, during, and after the battle and helps one to understand the importance of Devil’s Den in the Civil War. The tone of the book was a little dry but the information was plentiful and you can tell it was well researched. A lover of Civil War facts and trivia would enjoy this book a lot, it was a very good read.

History has always been an interesting subject to me, and I love reading accounts with details of history I haven't had the opportunity to learn about before. This book seemed perfect because, although I'm familiar with the Battle of Gettysburg, I don't know many specifics about The Devil's Den, which was an essential battle itself. This book definitely gave me a thorough and detailed understanding of The Devil's Den, its place in the war, and the soldiers who fought there, and I finished feeling like I had added something new and interesting to add to my history repertoire.Although the subject matter itself was very intriguing (and again, very thoroughly detailed) I will say that it took awhile to get used to the author's writing style -- this book was definitely geared more towards covering the facts than it was towards ease of reading. However, once I got into the reading I felt like the author more than made up for that with how organized and insightful he was about the topic. Tucker managed to present The Devil's Den in a way that seemed analytical and objective while still being dramatic and captivating, and I ended up having a hard time putting the book down.All in all, while this book is definitely not light reading material, it was a very descriptive and intriguing work chock full of facts you've likely never been exposed to before. If you're a Civil War buff or a fan of history in general, I would absolutely recommend this book!

The title of this book should be called, “My Love Affair with the Texas Brigade”. The first 160 pages are all about the men of the Texas brigade, the locations they’re from, the history of Texas, and other things that have nothing to do with Devils Den....the same things over and over and over again. I can’t begin to tell you how many times the book mentions that Devils Den is at the southern end of Houcks Ridge a was the original left flank of the Union Army. The coverage of the fight for Devils Den starts at about page 160x and it’s a 230 page book. Book is very hard to read as there are many sentences that make no sense whatsoever. Do not waste your money on this book.

"Gettysburg's Most Hellish Battleground, Devil's Den" is a history about the famous battle at Devil’s Den. The opening pages of the book showcase classic photos of soldiers and other historical information relating to Devil’s Den. These images set the stage perfectly for the book.The book is an Ode to the Texas brigade soldiers. In a way, the title is misleading. The first three chapters, in essence are dedicated to the background of the Texas fighters and thus their important role in the battle. A more appropriate title would showcase the main topic: the Texas Brigade involved at Devil’s Den. While the title can be considered unfortunate, it does not detract from the quality and integrity of the book’s research.The vocabulary and descriptions were often repetitive. I did not find it dull, rather the repetition was to emphasize the importance of his message. For instance, living on the Western frontier, in Texas was difficult. As the author continually emphasizes, it’s a “survival of the fittest” and Darwinian approach. Those who cannot challenge, fight and conquer natures, wild animals or the local Native Americans will die. While it’s not the most academic approach to writing history, it’s an easy and informative read.The names and personal histories of the mentioned soldiers are striking and intriguing. I enjoyed the open conversational tone the author shared with the reader. The information shared is detailed and precise. Any person with an appreciation for the American civil war should give this book a try.

This book is an awesome book for Civil War fans or war fans in general, even if you know little about the Civil War. Before reading the book I did not know much about the battle of Devil's Den, but now I have a whole wealth of knowledge. With all the information the book includes I am really surprised I hadn't heard of the battle before. The book is great because it provides the information in a simple manner that is easy to understand. Also, it organizes it in a manner that makes it easy to remember. One of the best parts though is, on top of the information, the book has a decent amount of pictures. The first 20 or so pages have a picture with a description. This really helps pull you in and makes you understand who you are reading about. The book is written in a very historical way, which I like as a social studies teacher, but if you are wanting something less fact driven, then this book might not be the one for you.The book is also pretty long at 256 pages (not all of those are content though), but this means if you are wanting specific information about the battle, then this might not be the best book for that. To help you find information though the back has an index and a bibliography if you want to do more research. Even though the book is written in a fact driven way, it does not have a history book feel to it. To me the author does a great job of keeping things interesting. This isn't a history book that you read to help you go to sleep. I would recommend this book to all civil war fans and also anyone who wants to know more about the civil war. It is an interesting read about an important part of the civil war that not every book talks about. The author did a great job researching and clearly put a lot of effort into this book. It is definitely worth your time.