Torn Families

Death and Kinship at the Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg lasted only three days but involved more than 160,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. Seven thousand died outright on the battlefield; hundreds more later succumbed to their wounds. For each of these soldiers, family members somewhere waited anxiously. Some went to Gettysburg themselves in search of their wounded loved ones. Some were already present as soldiers themselves. In this book are extraordinary—and sometimes heartbreaking—stories of the strength of family ties during the Battle of Gettysburg. Excerpts from diaries, letters and other correspondence provide a firsthand account of the human drama of Gettsyburg on the battlefield and the home front.