Tillie PIerce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg

Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg by Tanya Anderson gives a very interesting perspective of the battle of Gettysburg. As the title indicates, Tillie was a teenager at the time the Confederates invaded her state (Pennsylvania) and thence ended up at her hometown of Gettysburg. As the danger grows Tillie's parents allow her to go with a neighbor who desires to flee, with her two children to a safer spot at her own parents farm. Ironically, their refuge ends up being a not-so-safe place with war taking place around them and nearby on the Round Tops. Tillie and her friends accept the situation in which they are placed and end up helping with the wounded and helping give water to active soldiers and in so doing she meets various soldiers participating in the battle (including General Meade) all the while worrying about her own family back in the main town.

The book is filled with interesting facts about the Civil War and many photographs, some of which may be disturbing as they are of dead soldiers. One of the facts that they bring out is how an account that Tillie's father gave has been confirmed by forensic evidence, about his neighbor's house being used by a Confederate soldier to fire at the Union and subsequently being killed in that room.

All in all I thought that the book is well written and that Tillie's story was well edited and explained throughout and will probably be interesting enough to induce readers to look up her full account of her experiences.

I received a free copy of this book as a part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program: Many thanks! (My review did not have to be favorable)

One of the websites at which this book may be purchased is Amazon.com