Three Roads to Gettysburg: Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle That Changed the War, the Speech That Changed the Nation

McGrath (James Monroe) takes the long road to Gettysburg in this rambling group biography of Gen. George G. Meade, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and President Abraham Lincoln. McGrath first focuses on the men’s early lives; the breezy biographical details on Lincoln and Lee do not reveal much that’s new, whereas the innovative and meticulous lighthouse builder Meade is more robustly explored. McGrath then pegs the Mexican American War as changing all three men’s trajectories: Lincoln in his political stance against the war, and Lee and Meade, as West Point graduates called to serve, in the lessons they learned in battle. Meade realized the “importance of taking and holding the high ground,” a key component of his victory at Gettysburg, while Lee observed the “fragility” of senior military officer’s relationships with their civilian commanders in chief, which, McGrath posits, led to his later success working with Confederate president Jefferson Davis (Lee always “made it a point to keep Davis informed”). The first two years of the war receive short shrift, while the Gettysburg battle itself gets three chapters, one for each day of the fighting; in them, McGrath provides some neat factoids and the drama is at times stirring. Less successful is the lightweight look at the Gettysburg Address. Nevertheless, Civil War buffs will find a few flashes of insight here. (Nov.)