2005, ISBN: 9781615469406

The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, if not the turning point, not because the Federal Army of the Potomac won the battle, but because it simply did not lose; be… Meer...

The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, if not the turning point, not because the Federal Army of the Potomac won the battle, but because it simply did not lose; because General Robert E. Lee, commander of the famous Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, did not win. Make no mistake about it, Lee went north into Pennsylvania to destroy President Lincoln's main army of operations, the Army of the Potomac, and then swing south to surround Washington, D.C. , the Federal The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, if not the turning point, not because the Federal Army of the Potomac won the battle, but because it simply did not lose; because General Robert E. Lee, commander of the famous Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, did not win. Make no mistake about it, Lee went north into Pennsylvania to destroy President Lincoln's main army of operations, the Army of the Potomac, and then swing south to surround Washington, D.C. , the Federal capital, hoping it would lead to a negotiated settlement that finally recognized Southern independence from the United States. In this, Lee came close. I have created a historically accurate yet fictitious character around John Tricker, an actual member of the famous 114th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Collis's Philadelphia Zouaves) to help tell a small but significant part of the story of this fateful campaign. The Philadelphia Zouaves, along with several other Federal regiments, held the very center of the Union line at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, at a place that we now famously call "The Peach Orchard. " Although John Tricker and his brother, Alfred, were actual members of Company B, 114th Pennsylvania, I know little to nothing about them. I don't think anyone today does. I have simply combined my historical knowledge with my own combat experiences in Fallujah, Iraq, as an Iraqi Army advisor from 2005-06, to try to bring the desperate fight for the Peach Orchard Salient more to life for the average reader by using Sergeant John Tricker as a vehicle. I hope you enjoy the book and are inspired to read more about the Gettysburg Campaign and the Civil War in general. Books, Fiction~~Historical, A-Firm-Determination-to-Do-or-Die~~Gary-Schreckengost, 999999999, A Firm Determination To Do Or Die, Gary Schreckengost, 1615469400, Publish America, , , , , Publish America<