Linda I. Gottfried – författare

New York Times–Bestselling Author:The story of the battle''s aftermath—the burial of the dead, and Lincoln''s appearance to make "a few appropriate remarks." Almost 8,000 dead dotted the fields of Gettysburg after the guns went silent. The Confederate dead were hastily buried, but what of the Union dead? Several men hatched the idea of a new cemetery to bury and honor the Union soldiers just south of town. Their task was difficult to say the least. After the State of Pennsylvania purchased seventeen acres, a renowned landscape architect designed the cemetery''s layout. All was now ready for the bodies to be taken from their uneasy resting places around the battlefield, placed in coffins, marked with their names and units, and transported to the new cemetery to be permanently reinterred. More than 3,500 men were moved to the Soldiers'' National Cemetery. As these tasks gained momentum, so too did planning for the cemetery''s consecration or dedication. A committee of agents from each state that had lost men in battle worked out the logistics. Most of the program was easily decided—it would be composed of odes, singing, prayers, and remarks by the nation''s most renowned orator, Edward Everett. The committee argued over whether President Abraham Lincoln should be invited to the ceremony and, if so, his role in the program. Divided by politics, it decided on a middle ground, inviting the president to provide "a few appropriate remarks." To the surprise of many, he accepted the invitation, for the most part crafted his remarks in the Executive Mansion, and headed to Gettysburg, arriving on the evening of November 18, 1863. The town was filled with thousands expecting to witness the "event of the century." The next day, Lincoln mounted a horse to join the procession heading for the cemetery. The program was unremarkable, except for Lincoln''s remarks—whose reception was split along party lines. Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers'' National Cemetery and Lincoln''s Gettysburg Address recounts the events in vivid historical detail. Includes photographs Praise for Bradley M. Gottfried''s previous books: "Engrossing . . . Civil War buffs will delight in this gripping addition to the literature of Gettysburg." —Publishers Weekly "An intimate picture of life with the brigade." —The New York Times

Details the tense post-Gettysburg pursuit, as Lee and Meade navigate danger and strategy, shaping the course of the Civil War. Even before the guns fell silent at Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee was preparing for the arduous task of getting his defeated Confederate army back safely into northern Virginia. It was an enormous, complex, and exceedingly dangerous undertaking—all in a pouring rainstorm and all under the shadow of a possible attack from the Federal Army of the Potomac. Lee first needed to assemble two wagon trains, one to transport the wounded and the other to deliver the tons of supplies acquired by the army as it roamed across Pennsylvania and Maryland on the way to Gettysburg. Once the wagon trains were set, he mapped routes for his infantry and artillery on different roads to speed the journey and protect his command. The victor of Gettysburg, George Meade, remained unsure of Lee''s next move and dispatched Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick''s VI Corps on a reconnaissance-in-force. The thrust found the Confederate army in full retreat: Lee was heading back to Virginia. Meade launched a pursuit along different routes hoping to catch his beaten enemy without unduly exposing his own battle-exhausted troops to a devastating counterattack or ambush. Union cavalry moved out after the vulnerable Confederate wagon trains. The encounters that followed—including several engagements with Jeb Stuart''s horsemen—resulted in the loss of hundreds of vehicles, the capture of large numbers of wounded, and the seizure of tons of valuable supplies. The majority of Lee''s wagons reached Williamsport, Maryland, only to find the pontoon bridge had been cut loose by Union troops. Lee''s army, meanwhile, reached Hagerstown, Maryland, largely unscathed and erected a strong defensive line while racing to build a pontoon bridge across the swollen Potomac at Falling Waters. Even as Meade hurriedly pursued Lee, he sought opportunities to launch an attack that might crush Lee''s army—and even end the war—once and for all. Bradley M. Gottfried and Linda I. Gottfried share the high-stakes story of Gettysburg''s aftermath in Race to the Potomac: Lee and Meade After Gettysburg, July 4–14, 1863.