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Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War (The Gettysburg Trilogy) Mass Market Paperback – April 5, 2005
| Newt Gingrich (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
| William R. Forstchen (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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The Battle of Gettysburg has become the great "what if" of American history. Gettysburg unfolds an alternate path and creates for General Robert E. Lee the victory he might have won. Full of dramatic battle scenes, military strategy, and captivating period details, Gettysburg stands as a remarkable entry in the pantheon of Civil War literature and as a vivid novel of the realities of war.
The year is 1863, and General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia are poised to attack the North and claim the victory that could end the brutal conflict. Launching his men into a vast sweeping operation, General Lee, acting as he did at Chancellorsville, Second Manassas, and Antietam, displays the audacity of old. He knows he has but one more good chance to gain ultimate victory. Now Lee's lieutenants and the men in the ranks, imbued with this renewed spirit of the offensive, embark on the Gettysburg Campaign that many dream "should have been"...
An action-packed and painstakingly researched masterwork by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen, Gettysburg stands as the first book in a series to tell the story of how history could have unfolded, how a victory for Lee would have changed the destiny of the nation forever. This is a novel of true heroism and glory in America's most trying hour.
- Print length544 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Paperbacks
- Publication dateApril 5, 2005
- Dimensions4.08 x 1.11 x 6.82 inches
- ISBN-100312987250
- ISBN-13978-0312987251
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Surprisingly plausible, written with compelling narrative force and meticulous detail.” ―The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“Gingrich and Forschten write with authority and with sensitivity.” ―St. Louis Post Dispatch
“[Gettysburg] is believable and beautifully written...every bit as good as Michael Sharra's The Killer Angels. Not only do Gingrich and Forstchen bring the characters to life, and often horrible death, but they do so with memorable observations on the ways of war and vivid, technically accurate descriptions of frightful Civil War combat.” ―The Courier Journal (Kentucky)
“An eye-opener...filled with gore, smoke, heat of battle and a surprise ending. The writing is vivid and clear. A ripping good read.” ―Washington Times
“Well-executed alternative history. The authors show thorough knowledge of the people, weapons, tactics, and ambience of the civil war. A veritable feast.” ―Publishers Weekly
“As historical fiction this stands beside The Killer Angels. As an alternative history of Gettysburg, it stands alone. The mastery of operational history enables the authors to expand the story's scope. The narrative is so clear that the action can be followed without maps. And the characters are sometimes heartbreakingly true to their historical originals.” ―Dennis Showalter, Former President of the Society of Military Historians
“Gettysburg is a creative, clever, and fascinating 'what if?' novel that promises to excite and entertain America's legions of Civil War buffs.” ―James Carville
“The novel Gettysburg puts forth an highly plausible and exciting scenario of a Confederate victory in the Pennsylvania campaign of 1863. The authors exhibit an in depth knowledge of not only technical details, but also the various personalities of the leaders how they could have reacted had things gone quite differently from history as we know it.” ―Don Troiani, noted Civil War artist
From the Back Cover
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL
OF TRUE HEROISM AND GLORY IN AMERICA'S MOST TRYING HOUR.
"COMPELLING."
--The Atlanta Journal Constitution
"A RIPPING GOOD READ."
--The Washington Post
"A VERITABLE FEAST."
--Publishers Weekly
The Battle of Gettysburg has become the great "what if" of American history. Gettysburg unfolds an alternate path and creates for General Robert E. Lee the victory he might have won. Full of dramatic battle scenes, military strategy, and captivating period details, Gettysburg stands as a remarkable entry in the pantheon of Civil War literature and as a vivid novel of the realities of war.
The year is 1863, and General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia are poised to attack the North and claim the victory that could end the brutal conflict. Launching his men into a vast sweeping operation, General Lee, acting as he did at Chancellorsville, Second Manassas, and Antietam, displays the audacity of old. He knows he has but one more good chance to gain ultimate victory. Now Lee's lieutenants and the men in the ranks, imbued with this renewed spirit of the offensive, embark on the Gettysburg Campaign that many dream "should have been"...
"Believable and beautifully written...every bit as good as Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels."
-The Courier Journal (Kentucky)
About the Author
NEWT GINGRICH, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is the author of several bestselling books, including Valley Forge, To Try Men's Souls, and Pearl Harbor. He is the CEO of The Gingrich Group and an analyst for the Fox News Channel.
DR. WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN is the author of over thirty works of historical fiction, science fiction, young adult works, and traditional historical research; his titles include the New York Times bestselling One Second After and We Look Like Men of War. He holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in military history from Purdue University.
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 5, 2005)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 544 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0312987250
- ISBN-13 : 978-0312987251
- Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.08 x 1.11 x 6.82 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,779 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books)
- #18,539 in War Fiction (Books)
- #35,718 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

NEWT GINGRICH is the former House Speaker and 2012 Presidential Candidate. Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor and To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine are three of his 14 New York Times bestsellers. He is a regular guest on national political shows.

William R. Forstchen has a Ph.D. from Purdue University with specializations in Military History and the History of Technology. He is a Faculty Fellow and Professor of History at Montreat College. He is the author of fifty books including the New York Times bestselling series One Second After, the Lost Regiment series, and the award-winning young adult novel, We Look Like Men of War. He has also authored numerous short stories and articles about military history and military technology.
Dr. Forstchen's interests include the Civil War, archaeological research on sites in Mongolia, and the potential of space exploration. As a pilot he owns and flies an original World War II "recon bird." Dr. Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his dog Maggie.
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The premise of “Gettysburg,” for those that are not familiar with it, is as follows: July 1st, 1863, happens almost as it did 153 years ago except that Lee does in fact order the late afternoon assault against Cemetery Hill. The Southerners are cut to pieces during the attack, which leads Lee to rethink his idea of a large-scale assault all along the Union lines on July 2. The witnessed carnage and destruction cause Lee to listen to his “old war horse,” James Longstreet, and try and flank the Federals out of Gettysburg.
This is where the book becomes interesting to many, yet also most confusing and unbelievable to many more. The Confederates swing to the southeast to cut the Federal Army off from their main base of supply at Westminster, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. As one may well assume, the Confederates take Westminster and occupy the formidable defensive line of Pipe Creek, baiting the Federals to come headlong into well placed Confederate artillery and entrenched infantry.
The Federals take the bait and try to punch a reopening to Washington through the Army of Northern Virginia, but as you may guess, they fail to break through. The Army of the Potomac is hammered during the battle of Union Mills, causing several key commanders to go down while leading their units in an all-out frontal assault against the heights. The Federals, for all intents and purposes, basically fall apart after the repulse, and skedaddle 100 mph back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A victorious Lee and his army head to D.C. hoping to end the war once and for all.
While the book is incredibly entertaining for fans of the “what ifs” of history, there are several things throughout the book that made me scratch my head. For starters, Lee would never have removed A.P. Hill and Richard Ewell as corps commanders in the middle of a campaign—especially one as important as Gettysburg. The reasons for their removal are believable, but to do so at that juncture would have spelled certain chaos for Lee’s army. Other issues that bothered me was the unabashed hero worship of Lee, and continuous accusations of bitterness and incompetence of the Union commanders. I also fancy myself as a fan of Lee’s generalship, but likening him to a Christ-like personality tended to get a bit thick and hard to believe.
Lastly, the idea that Meade would send 40,000 men against the heights at Union Mills is simply preposterous, to me. Meade was a veteran commander who lived through the hell of Fredericksburg, in 1862. This alone would have precluded Meade from doing so, but realizing that frontal attacks at Union Mills would have ruined his army and left Washington even more vulnerable, would have more than certainly ruled out such an attack. Other things here and there were also questionable such as John Bell Hood’s promotion to corp command over Anderson or Early, Pickett becoming the savior of the army at Taneytown, and various other little things thoughout.
All things aside, however, this book was more than entertaining for me. In all honestly this book was hard to put down once you started it, and you couldn’t wait to see what the authors had in store for you next. I am hopeful the rest of the series is as good as this book was.
In this version, Lee sends Ewell, Pickett, and Longstreet on a vast flanking march into northern Maryland on day 2 of the Gettysburg campaign. In reality Lee sent Pickett into the center of the heavily defended Union lines where his corps was anihilated. Only one man survived Pickett's charge and reached the Union lines.
The rebels are then able to control several Maryland towns including Emmittsburg, Tawneytown, and the railhead at Westminster, and to capture huge quantities of badly needed Union supplies. Longstreet then turns the tables on history, by setting up a defensible position along a Maryland creek.
As the rebels are now behind the Union lines and between the Army of the Potomac and its capital, Mead is determined to attack, at any cost, in spite of overwhelming odds and poor fighting ground. Mead is routed, Lee outflanks the retreat and the Army of the Potomac appears doomed.
Of course, Lincoln won't give up so easily. Remnants of the Army of the Potomac escape across the Susquehanna, regroup under new commanders, and Lincoln summons US Grant to the Eastern front (but that is volume 2 of this trilogy).
Like me, Newt Gingrich is from central Pennsylvania; although he later moved to Georgia and achieved some notoriety there and in DC. The Speaker is familiar with Gettysburg and the role of the Pennsylvanians who fought there, including Generals Reynolds and Mead. Gingrich clearly thinks that the rebel leadership was superior in character, integrity, and intellect to that on the side of the Union, and he might be right about that.
General Sickles is given an interesting treatment; he is the New York politician who became a Union general, although better known as the congressman who got away with murder. Sickles shot a friend, another prominent Washingtonian named Key, a descendant of the famous lawyer-songwriter, who was having an affair with Sickles' wife.
Ultimately Sickles was found innocent by reasons of insanity, reunited with his wife, and got with his military and political careers. Gingrich paints Sickles very sympathetically, with Sickles showing much better judgement than Mead and likely poised for a bigger role with the new Army of the Potomac. Clearly Gingrich likes to see politicians do well in other areas of endeavor and he is sensitive to those with marital strife.
This book is for Civil War fanatics and not necessarily for the general public, but it is a fascinating view of how our history and country could have changed so completely if one decision made late at night by an exhausted and sick man had been reversed. In 2006, there could be several nations between Canada and Mexico, speaking various languages, and the Europeans could be living under repressive dictatorships and monarchies.
Top reviews from other countries
1st July, 1863. The Union and Confederate armies meet at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. The result is ambiguous, but General Lee and his Confederate army colleagues and leaders consider it a victory after the Union army takes a major beating. Union general George Meade fails to capitalise on his army's numerical advantage and suffers heavy losses in a further battle at Union Mills a day later. The Army of the Potomac retreats and has to re-group at Fort Stevens in Washington. The Confederate forces follow on with a view to taking the capital.
The battles are detailed, good and graphic. We see what happens to characters from the Generals all the way down to the foot soldiers and artilleryman. Fierce battle scenes are described in conjunction with scenes of strategic decision making far from the fighting and the action is tense and flows quickly. Rarely is the reader left feeling as though the story is stagnating.
I was impressed by how the authors developed the battles and reached the outcomes which they did. This is not simply a formulaic 'Southern win' story. The results are not clear and the conclusion leads the way into the second book in the trilogy; Grant Comes East. The characters are well rounded and intelligently developed and not all survive the initial engagements either.
Good story and full of action. It misses out on five stars merely because the political content is very minimal with most scenes set around the military situation.










