This is another "fiction, sort of" book, like The History of the World in 10½ Chapters. It covers only a few days out of the U.S. Civil War, the days that would come to be known as the battle of Gettysburg. At the beginning, Shaara gives a quick overview of all the major characters, which comes in handy as he shifts focus between the Union to Confederate sides, and among divisions within each army. (Longstreet and Chamberlain stood out the most to me.) He also details exactly what is based on primary sources and what he has invented (mostly just characterization).

We just ordered the two civil war novels that Shaara's son, Jeffrey wrote. One of them, Gods and Generals, was made into a movie.