The Ultimate Battle of Gettysburg Collection

Includes:•Charles River Editors original history of the Battle of Gettysburg•Over two dozen generals post-battle accounts of Gettysburg from the Official Records.•A series of articles written about Gettysburg by participating generals from the famous Battles & LeadersThe most famous battle of the American Civil War took place outside of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which happened to be a transportation hub, serving as the center of a wheel with several roads leading out to other Pennsylvanian towns. From July 1-3, Robert E. Lees Confederate Army of Northern Virginia tried everything in its power to decisively defeat George Meades Union Army of the Potomac, unleashing ferocious assaults that inflicted nearly 50,000 casualties in all. Day 1 of the battle would have been one of the 25 biggest battles of the Civil War itself, and it ended with a tactical Confederate victory. But over the next two days, Lee would try and fail to dislodge the Union army with attacks on both of its flanks during the second day and Picketts Charge on the third and final day. Meades stout defense held, barely, repulsing each attempted assault, handing the Union a desperately needed victory that ended up being one of the Civil Wars turning points. After the South had lost the war, the importance of Gettysburg as one of the high tide marks of the Confederacy became apparent to everyone, making the battle all the more important in the years after it had been fought. While former Confederate generals cast about for scapegoats, with various officers pointing fingers at Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and James Stuart, historians and avid Civil War fans became obsessed with studying and analyzing all the command decisions and army movements during the entire campaign. Despite the saturation of coverage, Americans refuse to grow tired of visiting the battlefield and reliving the biggest battle fought in North America. The Ultimate Battle of Gettysburg Collection comprehensively covers the entire Pennsylvania campaign, analyzes the decisions made by the battles most important leaders, and explains the aftermath of the Union victory and the legacies that were made and tarnished by the battle. In addition to a history of the battle with bibliographies, maps of the battle, and pictures of important people and places, the collection includes post-battle accounts written by the battles most famous generals, including Lee, Longstreet, A.P. Hill, Winfield Scott Hancock, George Meade and more.