Newswise — GETTYSBURG, Pa. – A Gettysburg College professor will release a new book on the Battle of Gettysburg less than two months ahead of the 150th anniversary of the Battle.
Allen Guelzo, Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and director of Civil War Era Studies, will release "Gettysburg: The Last Invasion" (available from Knopf) on May 14.
"Gettysburg: The Last Invasion" is an intimate and richly readable account of the battle, drawing the reader into the muck and grime of Gettysburg alongside the ordinary soldier. Guelzo illustrates the face, sights, and sounds of combat: the stone walls and gunpowder clouds of Pickett’s Charge; the reason that the Army of Northern Virginia could be smelled before it could be seen; and the march of thousands of men from the banks of the Rappahannock in Virginia to the Pennsylvania hills.
What emerges is a previously untold story, from the personal politics roiling the Union and Confederate officer ranks, to the peculiar character of artillery units. Through such scrutiny the cornerstone battle of the Civil War is given extraordinarily vivid new life.
Of what sets "Gettysburg: The Last Invasion" apart from other books about the Battle of Gettysburg, Guelzo said, “Politics. The American Civil War was, at bottom, a political war, so we shouldn’t be surprised, then, to find that politics slopped-over into military decision-making at Gettysburg.”
“Despite all that has been written about the battle of Gettysburg, Allen Guelzo provides new information and insights in this stirring account. Readers will find much to think about in this book,” said James McPherson, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Guelzo is the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and director of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College. He is also the author of "Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America" and "Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President," both winners of the Lincoln Prize. Guelzo’s essays, reviews and articles have appeared in publications ranging from "The American Historical Review" and "The Wilson Quarterly" to newspapers such as "The Philadelphia Inquirer" and "The Wall Street Journal."
Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. Alumni include Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate, and other distinguished scholars. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
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