Hallowed Ground

As the site of the bloodiest and perhaps most consequential battle ever fought by Americans, Gettysburg is one of the nation's most visited sites, attracting countless tourists, military buffs, and students of American history yearly. As a professor at Princeton University, James McPherson regularly conducts tours of the battlefield for students, faculty, and others. In Hallowed Ground, McPherson takes us on one of his tours, with stops at important spots such as Oak Hill, Seminary Ridge, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, and Little Round Top. He reflects on the meaning of the battle in the hearts and minds of Americans, describes the key events of those terrible three days in July 1863, and places the struggle in the greater contexts of American and world history. Along the way, he intersperses stories of his own encounters with the place. Hallowed Ground offers a unique perspective on a place and an event that have done so much to form a nation's character.