In February of 1862, Lincoln turned down an offer by the King of Siam to send a herd of elephants to help the Union win the Civil War. Lincoln kindly replied, “I appreciate most highly Your Majesty’s tender of good offices in forwarding to this Government a stock from which a supply of elephants might be raised on our own soil... Our political jurisdiction, however, does not reach latitude so low as to favor the multiplication of the elephant...”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Fritz Heinzen and Julie Matysik, who were ever supportive in writing this book. Also, I wish to give a heartfelt thank you to my wife, Chona, for her vast reserves of patience being married to a Civil War historian.
Special thanks also to Leon Reed, Ken Gloriando, Jen Goellnitz, Dana Ju-riew, John Heiser and the Gettysburg National Military Park, Becky Ceravolo and the Snite Museum of Art, Don Troiani and Robin Feret at Historical Art Prints, Mike Campbell, and Sara Kitchen.
Glossary
abolish: to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void: to abolish slavery.
abolitionist: a person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery in the United States.
absolution: a remission of sin or of the punishment for sin, made by a priest.
allegiances: loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like.
amnesty: a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government.
audacity: boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety.
bedizened: to dress or adorn in a showy, gaudy, or tasteless manner.
beseech: to beg eagerly for; solicit.
blunder: a gross, stupid, or careless mistake.
bombardment: to attack or batter with artillery fire.
border states: the slave states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, which refused to secede from the Union in 1860–1861.
breastworks: a defensive work of wood and or stone, usually breast high.
brevity: shortness of time or duration.
brigade: a military unit having its own headquarters and consisting of two or more regiments.
caisson: a two-wheeled wagon, used for carrying artillery ammunition.
calamity: grievous affliction; adversity; misery; the calamity of war.
canister: a shaped metal charge filled with small metal balls fired at close range against infantry.
cannonade: a continued discharge of cannon, especially during an attack.
cantankerous: disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish; argumentative.
commenced: to begin; start.
commendation: the act of commending; recommendation; praise.
commissioned: an authoritative order, charge, or direction.
comprehend: to understand the nature or meaning of; grasp with the mind; perceive.
conflagration: a destructive fire, usually an extensive one.
consecrated: to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow.
converge: to tend to meet in a point or line; incline toward each other.
corps: a military unit of ground combat forces consisting of two or more divisions.
counsels: advice; opinion or instruction given in directing the judgment or conduct of another.
courier: a messenger, usually traveling in haste, bearing urgent news.
cupola: a light structure on a dome or roof, serving as a belfry, lantern, or belvedere.
decisive: having the power or quality of deciding; crucial or most important.
demise: termination of existence or operation: the demise of the empire.
demoralized: to deprive (a person or persons) of spirit, courage, discipline, etc.
deployed: to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately.
deprive: to remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of.
detachment: the act of sending out a detached force of troops; a separate group.
dictator: a person exercising absolute power.
dire: causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible: a dire calamity.
discretionary: subject or left to one’s own discretion; their own choice.
distraught: distracted; deeply agitated; upset.
diversionary: to divert or distract the attention; a diversionary attack.
elite: representing the most choice or select; best: an elite group of soldiers.
eloquence: the practice or art of using language with fluency and aptness.
emancipation: the act of emancipating; to free someone from slavery.
en echelon: a formation of troops in which groups of soldiers are arranged in parallel lines, either with each line extending to the right of the one in front (right echelon) or with each line extending to the left of the one in front (left echelon) so that the whole presents the appearance of steps.
enfilade: a position of works, troops, etc., making them subject to a sweeping fire from along the length of a line of troops, a trench, a battery, etc.
exultant: exulting; highly elated; jubilant; triumphant.
firebrand: a person who kindles strife or encourages unrest; an agitator; troublemaker.
flank: the extreme right or left side of an army or military unit.
forsakes: to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert.
gallant: brave, spirited, noble-minded, or chivalrous.
guile: insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.
havoc: great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.
humiliating: lowering the pride, self-respect, or dignity of a person; mortifying.
hypocrisy: a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
initiative: an introductory act or step; leading action; readiness and ability in initiating action.
keynote: the main idea or central principle of a speech, program, thought, action, etc.
laden: burdened; loaded down.
levied: an imposing or collecting, as of a tax, by authority or force.
militia: a body of citizen volunteer soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.
morale: emotional or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc.
muster: to assemble troops as for battle, display, inspection, orders, or discharge.
Napoleons: cannons of the Napoleonic era designed to fire twelve-pound projectiles.
Navarre: a reference to Henry of Navarre (Henry IV), King of France in 1610.
oration: a formal public speech, especially one delivered on a special occasion.
outflank: to outmaneuver or bypass.
perpetuate: to preserve from extinction or oblivion: to perpetuate one’s name.
pickets: a soldier or detachment of soldiers placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance.
portico: a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns or piers; a porch.
practicable: capable of being done, effected, or put into practice, with the available means.
premise: a basis, stated or assumed, on which reasoning proceeds.
proclamation: something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.
prominence: something that is prominent; a projection: a prominence high over a ravine.
prophecies: the foretelling or prediction of what is to come.
protégé: a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare.
provisions: a supply or stock of something provided; usually refers to food.
railway cut: where a hill has been excavated to allow the passage of a train,
rallied: to bring into order again; gather and organize or inspire anew.
reconcile: to win over to friendliness; to reconcile hostile persons.
reconnaissance: a search made for useful military informat
ion in the field, especially by examining the ground.
recriminations: the act of recriminating, or countercharging; assigning blame.
redemption: deliverance; rescue; atonement for guilt.
regiment: a unit of ground forces, consisting of two or more companies.
reinforce: to strengthen (a military force) with additional troops.
sacred: reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, object, or religious purpose.
scolded: to find fault with angrily; chide; reprimand.
siege: the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.
skirmishers: small units of troops, especially advanced or outlying detachments of opposing armies.
squad: a small number of soldiers, commonly ten privates, a staff sergeant, and a corporal.
tactical victory: a victory that results in the completion of an objective as part of a larger operation or campaign.
tantalizing: something that provokes or arouses expectation, interest, or desire, especially that which remains unobtainable or beyond one’s reach.
timidity: lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; timorous; shy.
topographical: the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area.
tourniquet: any device for arresting bleeding by forcibly compressing a blood vessel, as a bandage tightened by twisting.
transcendingly: to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed:
typhoid fever: an infectious, often fatal, feverish disease affecting the stomach and intestines.
tyranny: arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.
ultimately: maximum; decisive; conclusive: the ultimate authority.
unified: to make or become a single unit; unite: to unify a country.
unparalleled: unequaled or unmatched; peerless; unprecedented.
veteran: a person who has served in a military force, especially one who has fought in a war.
withering: to abash, as by a scathing glance.
Bibliography
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Boritt, S. Gabor. The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.
Burns, Ken. The Civil War, PBS, 1990.
Chamberlain, Joshua L. Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg. Gettysburg: Stan Clark Military Books, 1996.
Coffin, Charles C. The Boys of’61; Or, Four Years of Fighting: Personal Observation with the Army and Navy, From the First Battle of Bull Run to the Fall of Richmond. Boston: Estes and Laurat, 1886.
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian. New York: Vintage, 1986.
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Freeman, Douglas S. Lee. New York: Scribner, 1997.
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Meade, George. The Life and Letters of George Gordon Meade. New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1913.
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RECOMMENDED READING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
The Private History of a Campaign That Failed by Mark Twain
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Long Road to Gettysburg by Jim Murphy The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Stars in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign, June–July 1863 by Shelby Foote
Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg by James M. McPherson
Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign—Vols I&II by Scott Mingus
ADDITIONAL TITLES BY IAIN C. MARTIN
The Greatest U. S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told
The Greatest U. S. Army Stories Ever Told
The Greatest U. S. Navy Stories Ever Told
Worthy of Their Esteem: The Timeless Words and Sage Advice of Abraham Lincoln
With Strong and Active Faith: The Wisdom of Franklin De
lano Roosevelt
The Quotable American Civil War
Index
A
African-American refugees, 29,29. see also slavery
Alexander, Edward Porter, 8, 113, 113, 120
Alleman, Horace, 163
Anderson, Richard H., 76, 96, 96, 97
Andrews, E. W., 147, 153
Angle, 122, 125, 126, 128, 162
Antietam. see Battle of Antietam Appomattox. see Battle of Appomattox
Archer’s Brigade, 40, 43, 44
Arlington plantation, 3
Armistead, Lewis, 124, 124–126, 125, 166
Army of the Potomac, 31, 89, 105–106, 114
attacked at Culp’s Hill, 100
under command of Hooker, 10
under command of McClellan, 7
under command of Meade, 18, 20, 22, 34, 63, 72
Dawes reflects on, 66
leaves Fredericksburg, 13, 16
Lee’s victory over, 1, 9
B
Baltimore Pike, 116
Baltimore Street, 47, 49, 75, 112, 137, 143, 144, xv, xvii
Barksdale, William, 91–93, 92, 93
“Battle Cry of Freedom”, 33
Battle of Antietam, 7, 7, 20, 22, 35
Battle of Appomattox, 3, 5, 128, 164, 165, 167, 168
Battle of Brandy Station, 10, 11, 35
Battle of Gettysburg, 16, 21, 23, 25, 35
anniversaries celebrated by soldiers, 161–162, 161–162
Confederate prisoners, 127
costs of war, 137
map of, 25, 40, 75, 84, 108, 117, 118, 135
map of Culp’s Hill, 101, 111
map of Pickett’s Charge, 122
unknown soldier of, 141–142
withdrawal of Confederate troops from, 137
Battle of Seven Days, 7, 20
Battle of South Mountain, 20
Belmont Ridge, 52
Bingham, Henry, 126
Blocher’s Knoll, 50, 51, 52, 54, 58
Booth, John Wilkes, 168
Bourns, J. Francis, 141, 143
Gettysburg Page 16