The Civil War generation saw its world in ways startlingly different from our own. In these essays, Glenn W. LaFantasie examines the lives and experiences of several key personalities who gained fame during the war and after. The battle of Gettysburg is the thread that ties these Civil War lives together. Gettysburg was a personal turning point, though each person was affected differently. Largely biographical in its approach, the book captures the human drama of the war and shows how this group of individuals-including Abraham Lincoln, James Longstreet, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, William C. Oates, and others-endured or succumbed to the war and, willingly or unwillingly, influenced its outcome. At the same time, it shows how the war shaped the lives of these individuals, putting them through ordeals they never dreamed they would face or survive.

How Gettysburg shaped the lives of the Civil War generation

About the Author

Glenn W. LaFantasie is Richard Frockt Family Professor of Civil War History at Western Kentucky University. He is author of Twilight at Little Round Top and Gettysburg Requiem: The Life of William C. Oates. He lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Reviews

Glenn LaFantasie is one of the finest writers in the field of Civil War history. His prose is accessible, pleasurable to read, and always insightful and provocative . . . this book should excite a lot of interest.

-- Joan Waugh * editor of The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture *

Glenn LaFantasie flat out knows how to write Civil War history!

-- Richard N. Larsen * The MidWest Book Review *

LaFantasie has written in a lucid, easy-to-understand manner . . . highly recommended.July 13, 2008

* Daily News (Bowling Green, KY) *

Gettysburg Heroes offers concise and clear stories of soldiers, civilians, generals and presidents. . . . Bring[ing] us a little closer to the truth about the battle of Gettysburg and how it has become an oracle for this nation. April 4, 2008

* Civil War Librarian *

Well-researched, Gettysburg Heroes makes a genuine contribution in the field of the Civil War in thought and memory, and specifically the significance of Gettysburg itself.Spring 2008

* Register of the Kentucky Historical Society *

[T]his is a superb collection of essays by an outstanding scholar reflecting on America's obsession with the battle of Gettysburg and 'perfect heroes.'Vol. 76, No. 3

* The Journal of Southern History *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253350718
Author Glenn W. LaFantasie
Format Hardback
Page Count 296
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press