Lee and his men at Gettysburg

by Clifford Dowdey

Lee and His Men at Gettysburg: The Death of a Nation details the battle from the Confederate point of view. In this first volume in a trilogy of works focusing on the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia, Dowdey details the disastrous Confederate experience at Gettysburg during those three crucial July days in 1863. Leading up to the climax of Pickett's Charge, Dowdey's narrative offers an examination of the reasons for the ultimate defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia. Dowdey offers a very clear picture of events, faulting Lee's command subordinates for failures of reconnaissance and nerve and for disregarding orders. He assesses and probes the personalities and decisions of these chief lieutenants, including Ewell, Stuart, and Longstreet. Lee and His Men at Gettysburg depicts "Lee's worst-fought battle" in all its agonizing drama.