Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg by James M. McPherson

Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg by James M. McPherson-141 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

McPherson takes readers on a "tour" of the grounds of the Gettysburg battlefield. He discusses many monuments and dedications on the grounds. Stories about several officers and soldiers on both sides, Union and Confederate, are included. I was already familiar with some of the stories, but not all. For instance, there were a couple of Confederates from the town of Gettysburg who fought here. One was related to the Culp family for whom Culp's Hill was named. His name was Wesley Culp and he was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. 

McPherson also dispels a few myths surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg. One of these dispelled myths involves a spring on the battlefield. Supposedly, at the end of the second day of battle Confederate and Union soldiers declared a truce and shared water from the springs. However, according to McPherson there are no accounts which support this myth. An account from a Union soldier relates that he approached the spring but slowly backed away when he saw Confederate soldiers already there. He dispels several other myths in addition to this one. 

Overall, I really liked this short book. I want to visit Gettysburg National Military Park even more now. The only qualm I have is that there are no images of monuments that the author visits. It would have been nice to have even a small image of some of the monuments the author mentions. This is why I didn't give it five stars.