Pickett's charge--the last attack at Gettysburg

"With this book, Hess sweeps away the accumulated myths about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive history of the engagement. He explores why the assault took place, how it was organized, what mistakes were made in launching or repelling it, and what it really meant for the final outcome of the Civil War.". "Drawing on exhaustive research, especially in unpublished personal accounts, Hess creates a narrative of the attack from both Union and Confederate perspectives. He examines the history of the units involved, their state of readiness, how they maneuvered under fire, and what the men who marched in the ranks thought about their participation in the assault. Ultimately, Hess explains, such an approach reveals Pickett's Charge as both a case study in how soldiers deal with combat and a dramatic episode of heroism, failure, and fate on the battlefield."--BOOK JACKET.