At Gettysburg

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. Some were teen-aged boys; others were in their 40's or 50's. Some attended college or military schools like West Point or the Virginia Military Institute; others never learned to read. Prior to the war, some were politicians; others couldn't care less about politics. 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. It's become unpopular or insensitive in our culture to talk about "God stuff" unless we're in the context of a religious setting like a funeral or church service. However, it was different for the average 19th century American. In their letters home as well as in their journals, soldiers regularly mentioned God, heaven, and Jesus. Many carried Bibles and read them by a campfire at night, singing hymns from memory. In their letters home they asked for prayer; if they were close to death they told their wives, sweethearts, children or parents that they were going home and that "one day we'll all be reunited in the presence of God." This book shares lessons of faith gleaned from what happened at Gettysburg: lessons on God, courage, fear, failure, forgiveness, redemption, transformation, sin and evil. It contemplates what our drivers are, those rudders steering us through life. It shares stories and truths that you can use to examine your life and how you are living it, so that you can have, as did the soldiers at Gettysburg, purpose and hope.