GETTYSBURG: A Novel of the Civil War
Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen
St. Martin's Griffin
Historical Fiction
ISBN: 0312309368

There was a series of children's fiction books several decades ago that, for many junior high students, was an introduction to history. They were called the WE WERE THERE books, as in WE WERE THERE AT THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN and WE WERE THERE WITH COMMODORE PERRY. The premise behind these books was that they were told from the point of view of one or two teenagers or pre-teens who happened to be toting water for the Continental Army, or were orphans aboard Commodore Perry's ship when he sailed into Japanese waters, and so on. These books were really well done. They are, of course, no longer published (though you can find them used if you look a bit), which is probably a good thing, as they would undoubtedly feature Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with titles such as WE WERE THERE AT THE TIMES SQUARE MACY'S or WE WERE THERE ON MALIBU BEACH. I couldn't help but think of that series, though, as I read GETTYSBURG by Newt Gingrich and William R. Fortschen.

GETTYSBURG, to some extent, takes the same approach as the WE WERE THERE series, relating the events of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of several of the principals. Where GETTYSBURG departs from that series, however, is that it answers the question, "What if Confederate General Robert E. Lee had won?" Actually, it doesn't answer that question, not entirely. GETTYSBURG does, however, demonstrate how events could have gone the other way if only a decision or two on either side had been made differently. The result is a work that is for the most part historical, yet is part fantasy as well.

GETTYSBURG is not, however, a dry recitation of battle strategies. Gingrich and Forstchen make the battle, and the people, come alive on the printed page. The Battle of Gettysburg was crucial to the final result of the Civil War, yet it is often summarized in a sentence or two. Gingrich and Forstchen drop the reader into the heat of the battle, placing the reader in the room with the decision-makers who, with quiet agony, send thousands of men to their angry, terrible fates. The text is generously interspersed with daguerreotypes from the era, as well as much-needed maps to aid the reader in following the troop movements that take place during the course of Gettysburg. Patches of the United States and the Confederate States of America precede various paragraphs, functioning as a reader's aid in guiding which viewpoint, whether Republic or Confederacy, is about to be presented.

The authors also capture the quiet dignity and courtesy that were accorded between warring soldiers even in the heat of pitched battle, as well as the quiet kindnesses afforded fallen foes. The Civil War was truly a battle between brothers, not ultimately over the issue of slavery, but whether the Constitution, which attempted to create an association of free states loosely connected by a central government, would be preserved. Friends, neighbors, and family members often found themselves on opposing sides when the issue came to a head.

What ultimately makes GETTYSBURG an important work is that the issues raised in the Civil War and its aftermath affect the nation to this day. There may well have been a different result for the nation had the events described in GETTYSBURG actually taken place. How a Confederate victory at Gettysburg might have ultimately resulted in a Civil War victory, and how that would have changed the nation and the world, may well be a topic for another collaboration between Gingrich and Forstchen.

   --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

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