Gettysburg

Children's Literature - Greg M. Romaneck

The Battle of Gettysburg fundamentally changed the course of the Civil War. Fought near a small Pennsylvania college town on July1-3, 1863, this engagement not only stopped the Confederate invasion of the North but also planted the seeds of eventual Union victory in the war at large. At Gettysburg over 50,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded or captured in the bloodiest single battle of the Civil War. Linked with the simultaneous surrender of the Confederate garrison at Vicksburg, Mississippi the Federal victory at Gettysburg was broadly seen both at the time it occurred, and over the years, as the turning point of the war. Here, in this illustrated chapter of the "Cornerstones of Freedom" series, readers are given a look back at those eventful days in the Civil War. Gregory takes his readers back to the precursor events that set the stage for this meeting engagement pitting General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against General Meade's oft times defeated Union Army of the Potomac. In the end the efforts of Lee's seemingly indomitable veterans were not enough to overcome the forces of fate and tactics. This Civil War story is one that is critical for any student to the war and is presented in a cogent and readable way in this fine little book.