My father collected Gettysburg history in all of its forms, from vast academic tomes to bits of trivia. Among his things I found two slim booklets by Gregory A. Coco titled On the Bloodstained Field and On the Bloodstained Field II; the pair of booklets was reprinted in 2022 as a single volume with just the original title.

Each book promised a selection of "human interest stories of the campaign and battle of Gettysburg." How could I resist?

Reading these books will not give you a clear understanding of the tactics and movements on the battlefield, and that's not their purpose. Instead, the books provide a series of brief vignettes and anecdotes telling readers about the people who fought on both sides of the battle, officers as well as enlisted men, along with some of the civilians who lived nearby.

Some of the stories are sad, even tragic. Some are comical. Some will surprise you. You'll read about deaths during the battle, as well as near misses and narrow escapes. You'll learn about the people who tried to help the wounded survivors, as well as those who tried to profit from them. You'll learn about grieving family members, mistaken identities, dogs and horses.

Most of the items are quite short -- even the longest are usually only a page or two -- so it's a handy collection to keep around for times when you have just a few minutes to read.