The epic battle fought in the farm fields and craggy hills of southern Pennsylvania in early July 1863 remains a pivotal moment—both in the Civil War as well as the broad sweep of American history. By the time the smoke cleared from three days of fighting at Gettysburg, more than 7,000 Americans from both armies lay dead, and another 43,000 were wounded or missing.

Drawing on original documents from that fateful summer, Christopher Hamner, a professor of history at George Mason University, explores the most destructive battle ever fought in North America, from the beginning of Lee’s invasion in early June through the climactic fighting in central Pennsylvania to the Confederate retreat in July. He also analyzes the effects of the Union victory on the two bloody years that followed.

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