Pickett's Charge In History And Memory

If, as many have argued, the Civil War was the most crucial moment in our national life and Gettysburg its turning point, then a central moment in our nation's history is Pickett's Charge. But, as Reardon notes, the Civil War saw many other daring assaults and stout defenses. Why, then, is it Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg that looms so large in the popular imagination? Usually, we turn to the objective truth of "history" to resolve such questions, but as this innovative study reveals, the story told today of Pickett's Charge is really an amalgam of history and memory. The evolution of that mix, she concludes, tells us much about how we come to understand our nation's past.

"This fine book provides vivid evidence of just how far we will go to alchemize fantasy into fact." (Washington Post)