Download Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg AudioBook Free
James M. McPherson, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, and arguably the finest Civil War historian in the world, walks us through the website of the bloodiest and perhaps most consequential battle ever fought by Americans: the Battle of Gettysburg.
The events that occurred at Gettysburg are etched into our collective memory, as they served to improve the span of the Civil War and with it the span of history. A lot more than another place in the United States, Gettysburg is indeed hallowed ground. It’s no real surprise that it's one of the nation’s most visited sites (nearly two million twelve-monthly visitors), attracting tourists, military buffs, and students of American history.
McPherson, who has led many tours of Gettysburg over time, makes stops at Seminary Ridge, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, and Little Round Top, among other key locations. He reflects on the meaning of the battle, describes the events of those terrible three days in July 1863, and places the struggle in the greater context of American and world history. Along the way, he intersperses stories of his own encounters with the area over several decades, as well as debunking several popular myths about the battle itself.
What brought those 165,000 soldiers—75,000 Confederate, 90,000 Union—to Gettysburg? Why did they lock themselves in that death grip across these once bucolic fields until 11,000 of these were killed or mortally wounded, another 29,000 were wounded and survived, and about 10,000 were “missing”—mostly captured? That which was accomplished by all of this carnage? Join James M. McPherson on the walk across this hallowed ground as he be encompasses the depth of meaning and historical impact of a place that helped define the nation’s character.
“[I]n a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our capacity to add or detract.”
—President Abraham Lincoln
