The three day Battle of Gettysburg - as everyone knows - was the climax of the American Civil War. The fictional account of that desperate struggle, given here, is told from the point of view of Lincoln's favourite son, Tad. Tad often accompanied his father on his nightly visits to the telegraph office in the War Department. There he saw the commander in chief reading coded telegrams and moving pins about on maps of the several theatres of the war.

F.N. Monjo, not only skilfully dramatizes this great, historic event, but also gives young readers a vivid sense of what happened, and what was at stake at Gettysburg. As Tad Lincoln tells his story, we see both armies crossing the Potomac, and witness the terror that swept Pennsylvania as the rebel invasion gathers momentum. The two giant hosts converge upon, and overwhelm the sleepy little town. Thousands of young men die in the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and in the Devil's Den. And four moths later, Father Abraham himself travels to Gettysburg, to put into words the compelling reasons for their dreadful sacrifice.

Superb illustrations by Douglas Gorsline depict Pickett's Charge, the delivering of the Gettysburg Address and all the important leaders who figured in the conflict.