Pettigrew's brigade was pitted against the Iron brigade on the first day at Gettysburg. While the Tar Heels had a clear numerical advantage, with the 26th NC alone approaching two-thirds of the total strength of the Iron brigade, the brigade took all the punishment the Yankees meted out. On the third day of Gettysburg, the brigade again paid a heavy price in the fateful attack on Cemetery Ridge. The brigade performed further sacrifices in covering Lee's retreat. The brigade as part of Heth's division became a mainstay of Lee's later campaigns.

Hess has written a marvel of a brigade history with just the right mix of biography of its leaders and men, a description of its organization and logistics as well as the events in camp, on the march and on the battle field. The addition of colorful vignettes about the 26th NC band and the original voices of its members create period flair and sympathy for the poor devils. "The bois sais they can whip five a peace." Which turned out to be wildly optimistic and soon turned into a defiant "they may over pour us, but they cant scear us." The boys paid a high price in blood, which makes it completely unnecessary for Hess to bloat the casualty numbers with the men captured. POWs may be casualties from an organizational point of view, but may not destroy unit morale (as the separation is temporary). This is just a minor distraction of an otherwise exemplary work. ( )

In the face of real excellance I have very little to say, simply that Hess covers just about every angle of this significant unit of which you might ask. Of particular interest was how the experiences of the band of the 26th North Carolina on one hand, and what these draftees of Quaker faith went through on the other, were documented; thus giving one a new perspective for a change. About my only complaint is that I would have liked to have seen more about the relationships the assorted brigade commanders had with their regimental leaders, but perhaps that material is thin on the ground; I can't doubt that if the author had located relevant material it would have been incorporated in this study. ( )