Shaara’s 1975 novelization of the Battle at Gettysburg is tremendously moving and exciting. I read it in a single day. I know little about Civil War military history, and next to nothing about Gettysburg in particular, so I can’t really even begin to comment on the story’s historical accuracy. I can say, however, that in his telling it’s possible to see both the humanity and the inhumanity those horrific few days. This book is a tremendous achievement.