Hassler manages to bring the reader to the front without much delay and the action gets right to the point. Common among other 1st Day books in regards to Gettysburg are sometimes boring biographies of people involved. This book simply skips the biography and states the incident quite quickly. From AP Hill's movements, Buford's defense, the 1st and 11th Corps retreat and the mad dash through town to Cemetary Hill this book quickly defines what happened. It was refreshing reading the regiment movements and actions along with the officers' guidance in these chapters. This book is not of the huge detail that is common in Harry Pfanz's book on the 1st Day, though it is a rather quick study of the general events that played out on July 1st 1863.

One thing that I wished were more prevalent were the use of maps. Hassler's regiment movements were sometimes a bit hard too follow. This book is one you would want to take to the battlefield and read as you could use the markers and monuments to get a better understanding. Some maps are used though I found them not as helpful as in other books on the subject.

Overall I think this book deserves the 5 stars as it captures the important aspects of Day #1 without lengthy trivial details. It reads well and focusses on just one thing- Day #1!