A commemorative book detailing each monumental battle from July 1-3, 1863.
- Real stories of people on both sides, including the unidentified father, the lone civilian soldier, and many others
- Compilation of articles written by leading experts, historians, award-winning authors, and scholars of American history
- Abraham Lincoln, his infamous Gettysburg Address, and how he shaped Gettysburg
- Maps, timelines, fact sheets, historic photographs, reunion anecdotes, and more
Between July 1 and July 3, 1863, massive Union and Confederate armies fought in the fields and hills around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. By the time the smoke cleared close to 50,000 men were casualties.
Remembered as one of the bloodiest battles in American history, 7,863 Americans lost their lives on the fields of southeastern Pennsylvania during the Battle of Gettysburg, including 3,155 Union and 4,708 Confederate troops. The Union victory — often in doubt but ultimately decisive — sent Robert E. Lee's ragged, defeated army back to the South and changed the course of the American Civil War.
Gettysburg commemorates the three-day battle that took place in an "unimportant" Pennsylvania town over 150 years ago, regarded as the turning point of the American Civil War. From the first shots fired on the morning of July 1, 1863, to Robert E. Lee's losing gamble known as Pickett's Charge on July 3 that resulted in thousands of Confederates being driven back by Union forces, Gettysburg is a snapshot of three of the most important days in US history.
Discover rare photos, expertly written articles, intriguing illustrations, and maps detailing the political, military, and social conditions that thrust the sleepy town of Gettysburg forever into the pages of history books.
Explore all these stories and details:
- President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg, including how he stayed informed about the battle while it was unfolding.
- The medical conditions at Gettysburg and how the battle introduced a new approach to taking care of the wounded.
- Jubal Early, an unlikely general and "snarling misanthrope" who "scared Abraham Lincoln like hell" and whose writings after the war helped romanticize Gen. Lee.
- The Irish Brigade, a unit famous for its bravery and terrible losses on the battlefield, and its chaplain Father Corby, a priest who stood on a rock performing a general absolution as bullets whizzed by.
- A father found dead on the battlefield clutching an ambrotype of three children, how his identity was eventually discovered, and the odd postscript to a dramatic tale.
- The moving reunion at Gettysburg in 1913, 50 years after the battle, and the story of John Clem, the boy sergeant who was just 61 years old on the battle's 50th anniversary.
- Gettysburg's many monuments, from the strange 30-ton rock from Boston to the general who is forever scanning the horizon atop Little Big Top.
- Civil War sites near Gettysburg, including Chambersburg, PA, the only town north of the Mason Dixon line to be demolished in the war.
- Battlefield preservation and how philosophical change is reshaping Gettysburg today.
Filled with informative timelines and fact sheets, details on the commanders, weapon technology, and much more, this book also captures personal stories, including the 11-year-old sergeant who killed a Confederate soldier, the only civilian to fight in the battle (John Burns), and many others.
Gettysburg also provides a remarkable look at the historic Reconciliation Reunion, Gettysburg today and the preservation efforts, and tons of other interesting details that American history buffs will love!
Ben Nussbaum has worked professionally as an editor in various book genres, from technical manuals such as Pilates For Dummies to children’s books featuring Winnie the Pooh and Elmo. His experience in magazines includes the launching of USA Today’s newsstand program for magazines, which offers magazines on topics ranging from women’s health and travel to fantasy football to US history, Hollywood movies and beyond. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his two daughters.
