Gettysburg: The Pivotal Battle of the Civil War.

BEECHAM, Robert K.

Item Number: 132149

Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1911.

First edition of Captain Robert Beecham’s Civil War memoir. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated, folding map. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.

In this powerful and moving memoir, Robert Beecham tells of his experiences as an enlisted man in the fabled Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in April. The army's major battles and campaigns included the Fredericksburg Campaign, the Chancellorsville Campaign, the Gettysburg Campaign, and Appomattox including Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Often described as the turning point of the American Civil War, The Battle of Gettysburg was fought between July 1–3, 1863 and involved the largest number of casualties in any battle fought during the war. In the battle, Union Maj. Gen. George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, halting Lee's invasion of the North. Prior to Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee had established a reputation as an almost invincible general, achieving stunning victories against superior numbers. Following the decisive Union victory on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia and conducted no more strategic offensives.