This book is about people: the men who fought at Gettysburg and their decisions in moments of crisis, some good, some bad, some selfless, some selfish. It’s about the wonderful and the ugly of human nature, something that battle—or everyday life—brings out in us.
The men who fought at Gettysburg came from a variety of backgrounds. They were farmers, shop-keepers, lumbermen, clergy, merchants, fishermen, and lawyers. Whoever they were, they believed in and were driven by something bigger than themselves; an ideal or purpose that compelled them to do great things. All of us are driven by something. It is that something, whether noble or self-centered, that steers our life. It is that something that is the focus of this book.