Learn all about the crucial Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War or pick up a novelist’s take on the events in these books at the Library.

Nonfiction

Gettysburg
By Stephen W. Sears
Gettysburg, the great Civil War campaign, was the turning point of the war. Sears tells the story in a single volume, from the first gleam in Lee's eye to the last Rebel hightailing it back across the Potomac.

Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg
By James M. McPherson
James M. McPherson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, and a Civil War historian, walks us through the site of the bloodiest and perhaps most consequential battle ever fought by Americans. He reflects on the meaning of the battle, describes the events of those terrible three days in July 1863, and places the struggle in the greater context of American and world history. Along the way, he intersperses stories of his own encounters with the place over several decades, as well as debunking several popular myths about the battle itself.

Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage
By Noah Andre Trudeau
An award-winning historian presents a comprehensive account of the Civil War battle, vividly recounting the heightening tension of the 1863 campaign, the decisions made by commanders and the struggle endured by thousands of soldiers.

The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History: Immigrants, Women, and African Americans in the Civil War's Defining Battle
By Margaret S. Creighton
In The Colors of Courage, Margaret Creighton narrates the tale of this crucial battle from the viewpoint of three unsung groups--women, immigrants, and African Americans--and reveals how wide the conflict's dimensions were. A historian with a superb flair for storytelling, Creighton draws on memoirs, letters, diaries, and newspapers to bring to life the individuals at the heart of her narrative.

These Honored Dead: How the Story of Gettysburg Shaped American Memory
By Thomas A. Desjardin
In this historical reappraisal, Civil War historian, Thomas Desjardin, sets out to examine the truth behind the myth of the Battle of Gettysburg by probing how this battle became legend in American hearts and minds. What emerges from Desjardin's research is a fascinating biography of a story--the story of Gettysburg--as he highlights how flawed our knowledge of this enormous event is, and how Americans have fashioned the Battle as a reflection of, and testimony to, our culture and our nation.

Find more books about the Battle of Gettysburg at the library.

Fiction

The Killer Angels
By Michael Shaara
Winner of the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation's history, two armies fought for two dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Shattered futures, forgotten innocence, and crippled beauty were also the casualties of war. The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable--a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America's destiny.

Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War
By Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen
Action-packed, the former House speaker and historical fiction author's novel is the first book in a series to tell the story of how a victory for General Robert E. Lee would have changed the destiny of the nation forever.

The Deserter: Murder at Gettysburg
By Jane Langton
Most of the Harvard men who were killed at Gettysburg died as valiant heroes. But according to Mary Kelly's family lore, one of her ancestors was a deserter. In setting out to clear his name, Mary and her husband, the brilliant and lovable Professor Homer, uncover what may have been a very dastardly deed indeed.

Book descriptions provided by BookLetters.