First published 1978
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain stands on Little Round Top as Confederate forces mass below. The Maine professor turned soldier must hold this rocky hill or watch the Union army crumble. Over three sweltering days in July 1863, Chamberlain fights alongside fellow officers while Confederate General James Longstreet launches desperate attacks against the Union positions. Robert E. Lee gambles everything on one final assault across an open field. Soldiers from both armies face musket fire and artillery barrages as the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. Chamberlain watches his men fall while questioning whether their sacrifice serves any greater purpose than the ambitions of distant politicians.
Genres: american-civil-war, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, military-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: sacrifice, war
Setting: Little Round Top, Union Army, Confederate Army
Period: July 1863
360 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war