Kent Masterson Brown

Follows the career of Alonzo Cushing, an 1861 graduate of West Point, as he serves as an artillery officer with the Army of the Potomac culminating with his death as he defended against Pickett's charge at Gettysburg.

Brown emphasizes the careful planning by Robert E. Lee, as he sought to move people, equipment, and more than fifty-seven miles of wagons and ambulances back to Virginia after the Gettysburg battle. He credits Lee's deliberate pace, skillful use of hostile and challenging terrain, and constant positioning behind defenses.

Although he took command of the Army of the Potomac only three days before the first shots were fired at Gettysburg, Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg