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Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage. By NOAH ANDRE TRUDEAU. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. xx, 694 pp. $34.95.
No matter how seemingly familiar, the story of Gettysburg is always compelling, and perhaps that may explain why books and articles on the battle keep pouring forth in a seemingly endless stream. Noah Andre Trudeau acknowledges this fact, and especially what he terms the work of "microspecialist[s]" (p. xv), but his goal is to offer the first substantial single-volume treatment of the entire battle since Edwin Coddington's classic study appeared in 1968. The author of several popular studies of Civil War military history, Trudeau brings thorough research and lively writing to this daunting subject.
The approach is almost strictly chronological, offering a day-by-day account of the unfolding campaign, and sometimes almost a minute-by-minute account of the battle itself. The narrative is for the most part gripping. The opening contrast between the confident Robert E. Lee and the hapless Joseph Hooker grabs the reader. Throughout the book, alternating looks...