Allen R. Thompson
In the Shadow of the Round Tops
Longstreet’s Countermarch, Johnston’s Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2, 1863
Recipient of the 2024 Bachelder-Coddington Distinguished Book Award
Presented by the Civil War Round Table of Gettysburg
“Deeply researched and well-written . . . deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious student of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.”
— Eric J. Wittenberg, award-winning historian“A must read”
- John S. Heiser, National Park Service (ret.)“After reading In the Shadow of the Round Tops, you will reconsider much of what you think you know.”
— James A. Hessler, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide, author of Sickles at Gettysburg (2009) and Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard (2019), co-host of The Battle of Gettysburg Podcast“An important addition to a more accurate narrative of the pivotal events on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg.”
- Rob Abbott, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide and Colonel, USMC (ret.)“[E]asy to read, with vivid descriptions of historical figures and landscapes.”
- Emerging Civil War Book Review“The definitive exploration of Longstreet’s march to the Confederate right at Gettysburg.”
- David A. Powell, author of The Chickamauga Campaign“Thought-provoking”
- Scott L. Mingus, Sr., co-author of If We Are Striking for Pennsyvlania: The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg“A seminal work of ground-breaking American Civil War history and scholarship . . . A brilliant and dedicated study . . .”
- Midwest Book Review“Allen Thompson has done a masterful job of deconstructing all the soldiers’ accounts on such a controversial subject.”
- Rob Abbott, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide and Colonel, USMC (ret.)“An excellent addition to Gettysburg literature . . . I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.”
— David A. Powell, author of The Chickamauga Campaign“[A] coherent and now-definitive narrative of what occurred behind Confederate lines [on July 2, 1863]"
- Emerging Civil War Book Review“An extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library American Civil War history collections. . .”
- Midwest Book ReviewAbout Allen
Allen R. Thompson is a practicing attorney in New Jersey, where he lives with his wife and three kids. His writing focuses on reevaluating primary source materials to examine the standard interpretations of historical subjects, from legal doctrines to historical events. His articles have appeared in the St. Thomas Law Review and Gettysburg Magazine.