IN DEFENSE OF LONGSTREET

for his overall positive review of our book, , in the November 2019 issue. His tightly summarized positive comments were outweighed, however, by two detailed criticisms. First, he criticized our premise that Gettysburg historians have generally ignored the importance of the Peach Orchard, citing a 1910 book by veteran John Bigelow and an excellent 2008 essay by Ranger Eric Campbell to make his point. We cited both in our bibliography, and respectfully disagree with Dr. Orr’s assessment that this meant we were unable to “master the battle’s voluminous historiography.” Our premise remains that no full-length treatment of the Peach Orchard’s significance, on both July 2 and July 3, has appeared until now. As Gettysburg’s legion of enthusiasts knows, the historiography on Day 2 typically focuses on the perceived significance of Little Round Top. Although we devote much of our final two chapters to matters of “memory,” available space regrettably kept us from fully dissecting the