The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the pivotal confrontations in the American Civil War. At no point did a Southern victory in the war seem as tangible as on the afternoon of July 3, 1863, when General George Pickett's men charged against the Union's defensive positions. However, the attack was repelled; this turning point marked the moment when there could be no doubt about the South's defeat. The residents of the North and South assessed the outcome of the battle very differently. For President Lincoln, the Union's victory at Gettysburg was the starting point for a rebirth of freedom in America. In the South, an alternative memory emerged, portraying the Confederates as having heroically fought for a just cause against an overpowering North. The book sheds light on strategic discussions leading up to the campaign.