An appreciation of what Civil War participants experienced cannot be fully realized by studying just the programmed movements of armies about the battlefield. The mechanisms which create emotional bonds between us, today, and those in the past are their human interest stories. Human interest stories allow us to understand their hardships and deprivations. They connect and endear us to the participants in ways which we can relate. They instill in us respect for them by seeing their commitment to duty and they also amaze us with tales of lighter, sometimes humorous, moments amidst tragic circumstances. Scott Mingus has woven together an extraordinary collection of human interest stories covering the Gettysburg campaign as witnessed by the soldiers and civilians. Taken from primary sources, including diaries, pension records, historical collections, official records, as well as newspapers,journals, and books, this work presents a unique blend of stories arranged in chronological order to enhance the reader's experience. Here is just a sampling of such stories: ?An unusual group of volunteers responded in Harrisburg to Governor Curtin?s plea. Capt. Charles C. Carson and a company of 17 men, the youngest being 68 years old, came forward and presented themselves for military service. Each senior citizen was a veteran of the War of 1812, and they wanted to again serve their state and country in a time of need. A color bearer proudly carried a historic relic, a highly tattered battle flag that had once been borne at the Battle of Trenton by Pennsylvanians serving under George Washington.? **** ?In one case, some members of the 3rd Michigan found that the most threatening enemy was not the Confederates they were pursuing. The Wolverines, hungry for some honey, raided some beehives in a nearby garden, initially driving off the bees. However, as the men reached the hives, the bees counterattacked en masse, repeatedly stinging the men as they struggled to get away from the prolonged assault. An amused onlooker, Color Sgt. Daniel Crotty, later wrote that the slashing and darting bees made some men ?turn such somersaulting on the ground as to put to shame a lot of Japanese acrobat performers in a circus ring.' The soldiers made an inglorious retreat, their swollen heads and faces now resembling huge mortar shells.? **** ?A massive thunderstorm on the evening of July 4 drenched the armies, creating untold misery and torture for the thousands of wounded that still dotted the fields and woods surrounding Gettysburg. Creeks and streams, already swollen from days of rain before the Battle of Gettysburg, swiftly overflowed their banks, and flash floods claimed the lives of scores of unfortunate wounded men. The hospital of Clark?s Battery was in a field near Rock Creek east of Taneytown Road. The attendants and orderlies frantically worked to move the injured soldiers to higher ground. However, the water rose so quickly that not all could be moved. Artilleryman Dick Price held himself up above the torrent with his elbows draped over the branch of a dogwood tree. The lower extremities of both arms had been amputated, so Price?s agony must have been excruciating. Still, he held his composure...Price would soon die from complications resulting from his wounds. He is buried in the National Cemetery.?

The Harrisburg Telegraph says: “…an unique and authoritative book, The Story of the Battles at Gettysburg” will arouse great interest among military men throughout the country.” It is not generally known that the three-day battle of Gettysburg, one of the most important and significant engagements of the Civil War, is included in the course of training of student officers in practically all the European war colleges as an outstanding example of tactics and strategy. Once a year the students of the West Point Military Academy spend several days at Gettysburg in studying the battle problems during the first three days of July 1863. The outstanding features to the military, are the maps of the battlefield…these maps are drawn to scale with careful fidelity and the position of each regiment and branch of service is shown every hour of the day at different stages in the progress of the battles.

The complete text of one of the most important speeches in American history, delivered by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln arrived at the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to remember not only the grim bloodshed that had just occurred there, but also to remember the American ideals that were being put to the ultimate test by the Civil War. A rousing appeal to the nation’s better angels, The Gettysburg Address remains an inspiring vision of the United States as a country “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

150 years after the event, the grand near-suicidal attack against the Union position on Cemetery Ridge still emotionally resonates with Gettysburg enthusiasts like no other aspect of the battle. On the afternoon of July 3, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered more than 12,000 Southern infantry to undertake what would become the most legendary charge in American military history. This attack, popularly but inaccurately known as ÒPickettÕs Charge,Ó is often considered the turning point of the Civil WarÕs seminal battle of Gettysburg. Although much has been written about the battle itself and PickettÕs Charge in particular, PickettÕs Charge at Gettysburg is the first battlefield guide for this celebrated assault. After the war, one staff officer perceptively observed that the charge Òhas been more criticized, and is still less understood, than any other act of the Gettysburg drama.Ó Unfortunately, what was true then remains true to this day. The authors of this bookÑtwo of GettysburgÕs elite Licensed Battlefield Guides along with one of the Civil WarÕs leading cartographersÑhave corrected that oversight. Grounded in the premise that no better resource exists for understanding this unique event than the battlefield itself, PickettÕs Charge at Gettysburg encourages its readers to explore this storied event from a wide variety of perspectives. For the first time, readers can march toward the Copse of Trees with ArmisteadÕs Virginians, advance on the Confederate left with PettigrewÕs North Carolinians, or defend the Angle with Alonzo CushingÕs gunners and thousands of Union soldiers. There is much here to enrich the experience, including dozens of full-color original maps, scores of battlefield and other historic photographs, a unique mix of rare human interest stories, a discussion of leadership controversies, and a rare collection of artifacts directly related to the charge. PickettÕs Charge at Gettysburg is designed for readers to enjoy on or off the battlefield, and will give Civil War enthusiasts an entirely new appreciation for, and understanding of, GettysburgÕs third day of battle.