review--Without Warning-The Saga of Gettysburg: a Reluctant Union Hero

Terry Pierce brings an extraordinary novel (over 700 pages) detailing the events and personalities on the Union side of the battle which changed the course of the Civil War in the Eastern Theater. General George Meade was assigned command of the Army of the Potomac only 3 days prior to its biggest challenge yet, stopping Robert E. Lee's triumphant Army of Northern Virginia from a successful invasion in the lush Yankee countryside. Lee came for critically-need boots, but he found Meade and his massive army in excellent defensive positions. The result was horrific bloodbath: one-quarter of the Union soldiers and one-third of the Confederate solders were casualties.