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Three Roads to Gettysburg: Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle That Changed the War, the Speech That Changed the Nation
An epic, revelatory account of the Battle of Gettysburg, where George Meade, Lincoln's unexpected choice to lead the Union army, defeated Robert E. Lee and changed the course of the Civil War.
By mid-1863, the Civil War, with Northern victories in the West and Southern triumphs in the East, seemed unwinnable for Abraham Lincoln. Robert E. Lee’s bold thrust into Pennsylvania, if successful, could mean Southern independence. In a desperate countermove, Lincoln ordered George Gordon Meade—a man hardly known and hardly known in his own army—to take command of the Army of the Potomac and defeat Lee’s seemingly invincible Army of Northern Virginia. Just three days later, the two great armies collided at a small town called Gettysburg. The epic three-day battle that followed proved to be the turning point in the war, and provided Lincoln the perfect opportunity to give the defining speech of the war—and a challenge to each generation of Americans to live by.
These men came from different parts of the country and very different Robert E. Lee, son of the aristocratic and slaveholding South; George Gordon Meade, raised in the industrious, straitlaced North; and Abraham Lincoln, from the rowdy, untamed West. Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860 split the country in two and triggered the Civil War. Lee and Meade found themselves on opposite sides, while Lincoln had the Sisyphean task of reuniting the country.
With a colorful supporting cast second to none, Three Roads to Gettysburg tells the story of these consequential men, this monumental battle, and the immortal address that has come to define America.
By mid-1863, the Civil War, with Northern victories in the West and Southern triumphs in the East, seemed unwinnable for Abraham Lincoln. Robert E. Lee’s bold thrust into Pennsylvania, if successful, could mean Southern independence. In a desperate countermove, Lincoln ordered George Gordon Meade—a man hardly known and hardly known in his own army—to take command of the Army of the Potomac and defeat Lee’s seemingly invincible Army of Northern Virginia. Just three days later, the two great armies collided at a small town called Gettysburg. The epic three-day battle that followed proved to be the turning point in the war, and provided Lincoln the perfect opportunity to give the defining speech of the war—and a challenge to each generation of Americans to live by.
These men came from different parts of the country and very different Robert E. Lee, son of the aristocratic and slaveholding South; George Gordon Meade, raised in the industrious, straitlaced North; and Abraham Lincoln, from the rowdy, untamed West. Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860 split the country in two and triggered the Civil War. Lee and Meade found themselves on opposite sides, while Lincoln had the Sisyphean task of reuniting the country.
With a colorful supporting cast second to none, Three Roads to Gettysburg tells the story of these consequential men, this monumental battle, and the immortal address that has come to define America.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 24, 2026
I have mixed feeling about this book, as I expected the focus to be primarily on Gettysburg; however, the bulk of the 528-pages examined the lives of Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and George Meade both before and after this pivotal battle of the Civil War. Even so, while I was familiar with much of the information, the author’s impressive story-telling ability fully held my attention. In this regard, early in the book, it was interesting to envision the 20-year old Lincoln encountering a slave auction on the streets of New Orleans…the 12-year old Lee diligently caring for his invalid mother…and the 15-year old Meade entering West Point solely to get a free education. Later, during the Mexican-American War of 1846, there was a sad irony in how many close friends of these three men became their adversaries in the Civil War.
While the passages on Gettysburg were quite interesting, this covered only a small fraction of the overall book. Thus, despite being an interesting read, it was frustrating not to have a greater focus of the book on this important battle, which was featured in the book’s title. In addition, given the quick passage on Gettysburg, I felt that author never fully addressed or answered the question as to “why” Meade didn’t more aggressively pursue Lee after the Union victory. Thus, along with needing a more accurate title, I think this book would be better suited for readers somewhat unfamiliar with the Civil War.
While the passages on Gettysburg were quite interesting, this covered only a small fraction of the overall book. Thus, despite being an interesting read, it was frustrating not to have a greater focus of the book on this important battle, which was featured in the book’s title. In addition, given the quick passage on Gettysburg, I felt that author never fully addressed or answered the question as to “why” Meade didn’t more aggressively pursue Lee after the Union victory. Thus, along with needing a more accurate title, I think this book would be better suited for readers somewhat unfamiliar with the Civil War.
April 26, 2026
Three Roads to Gettysburg by Tim McGrath
I really loved this book. Three Roads to Gettysburg offers a fresh and compelling look at one of the most studied battles in American history by telling the story through the perspectives of George G. Meade, Abraham Lincoln, and Robert E. Lee. It’s a smart structural choice—and McGrath absolutely delivers on it.
What makes this book stand out is the balance. It’s a wonderful blend of serious scholarship, deep research, and narrative creativity. McGrath has a real gift for writing. The battle scenes are vivid and engaging without drifting into overdone dialogue. Think Jeff Shaara—but without the heavy interior monologues. Instead, McGrath writes almost like a great sports announcer, building tension and drama through pacing and detail. You feel the stakes rising with every page.
One of my biggest takeaways was a newly earned respect for Meade. Often overshadowed in Civil War narratives, he comes across here as steady, disciplined, and quietly heroic. With the fate of the Union hanging in the balance, his leadership at Gettysburg was exactly what the moment demanded—and McGrath makes that case convincingly.
I also appreciated the treatment of Lincoln, especially the context surrounding the Gettysburg Address. McGrath adds depth to that moment, reminding us that the battlefield didn’t just shape military history—it reshaped the moral direction of the country.
On a personal note, this book hit at just the right time. I’ll be hosting a trip to Gettysburg this July with my sons and some close friends, and this felt like the perfect starting point. It sharpened my understanding, deepened my appreciation, and honestly just made me more excited to walk that ground again.
If you’re interested in the Civil War—whether you’re a longtime student or just getting started—this is an outstanding read. Insightful, engaging, and highly recommended. 5 stars- audio and hard cover
I really loved this book. Three Roads to Gettysburg offers a fresh and compelling look at one of the most studied battles in American history by telling the story through the perspectives of George G. Meade, Abraham Lincoln, and Robert E. Lee. It’s a smart structural choice—and McGrath absolutely delivers on it.
What makes this book stand out is the balance. It’s a wonderful blend of serious scholarship, deep research, and narrative creativity. McGrath has a real gift for writing. The battle scenes are vivid and engaging without drifting into overdone dialogue. Think Jeff Shaara—but without the heavy interior monologues. Instead, McGrath writes almost like a great sports announcer, building tension and drama through pacing and detail. You feel the stakes rising with every page.
One of my biggest takeaways was a newly earned respect for Meade. Often overshadowed in Civil War narratives, he comes across here as steady, disciplined, and quietly heroic. With the fate of the Union hanging in the balance, his leadership at Gettysburg was exactly what the moment demanded—and McGrath makes that case convincingly.
I also appreciated the treatment of Lincoln, especially the context surrounding the Gettysburg Address. McGrath adds depth to that moment, reminding us that the battlefield didn’t just shape military history—it reshaped the moral direction of the country.
On a personal note, this book hit at just the right time. I’ll be hosting a trip to Gettysburg this July with my sons and some close friends, and this felt like the perfect starting point. It sharpened my understanding, deepened my appreciation, and honestly just made me more excited to walk that ground again.
If you’re interested in the Civil War—whether you’re a longtime student or just getting started—this is an outstanding read. Insightful, engaging, and highly recommended. 5 stars- audio and hard cover
June 18, 2025
From this book’s description, which promises “an epic, revelatory account of the Battle of Gettysburg,” you’d be forgiven for thinking this book is primarily about the Battle of Gettysburg. Instead, the battle, which doesn’t occur until a full two-thirds of the way into the book, is more of the climax than the main event. As the book’s title suggests more accurately than its description, it’s more about the “roads to Gettysburg” that each main character took to get there than it is about the battle itself.
That being the case, the book ends up being a triple biography of the battle’s opposing generals and the Union’s commander-in-chief. And as in other triple biographies that I’ve read, one person’s story invariably ends up being far more interesting than the others’.
Abraham Lincoln’s biography is well known to most readers, but here we get his full life story anyway, from his birth and upbringing through his presidency. Robert E. Lee’s biography is somewhat lesser-known to the average reader, but he’s still a familiar figure whose story has been told endless times. Then there's Union General George Meade, who's much less familiar to most. And whether in spite of that or because of that, I found his story far more compelling.
So could this, or should this, have been a biography of Meade instead? Would that have appealed to a general readership? Was it necessary to put Lincoln and Lee on the cover and Gettysburg in the title for marketing purposes?
Already in the book’s foreword, Meade’s story is by far the most intriguing, as he is stunned to be informed in the middle of the night that he’s been named to lead the Army of the Potomac - as it turns out, mere days before the Battle of Gettysburg. After this dramatic start, though, the book backtracks and progresses at a far more leisurely pace, as each protagonist’s full life story unfolds in successive chapters.
I learned nothing new from the retelling of Lincoln’s life story. I was slightly less familiar with all the details of Lee’s upbringing. But I knew nothing about Meade’s background, so once again found myself far more interested in his story than anyone else’s. McGrath’s detailed description of Meade’s pre-Civil War career designing and constructing lighthouses turned out to be surprisingly captivating, though I still couldn’t help wondering while reading it, “but isn’t this book supposed to be about Gettysburg?”
Not until a quarter of the way into the book do the three men’s stories begin to converge, as each plays a part in the Mexican-American War (as a participant, or in Lincoln’s case, an opposition lawmaker in Congress). And after a full recounting of the circumstances leading up to the Civil War, the three biographies that had been proceeding mostly on separate tracks fully come together as the war begins.
As the narrative finally makes its way toward Gettysburg, McGrath foreshadows the event by justifying all the background he’s provided in the first two-thirds of the book: “What was about to take place in the following days was a direct result of the roles these three men had played over the past two years and the decisions they had made through the course of their lives.”
When the battle gets underway, however, the narrative doesn’t necessarily hearken back to the three men’s life stories, so much as it is a concise retelling of how the battle played out, from Generals Lee and Meade’s perspectives, with a bit about what Lincoln was doing at the time.
When the battle ends, we jump ahead to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and an epilogue wraps up everyone’s story. Lincoln’s ends pretty quickly, as a paragraph that begins with him learning of Lee’s surrender ends with his assassination. Lee’s life story wraps up with little reflection on Gettysburg or the war. And once again, Meade’s story proves to be the most compelling - and the most connected to Gettysburg. He’s the only one to remain in active military service, and he spends the rest of his life defending himself, his actions at Gettysburg, and his perceived failure to finish off Lee, from critics who focus their efforts on “smearing his reputation” and “relegating him to being a footnote.”
Meade himself seemed resigned to his own historical obscurity, lamenting that “I suppose after awhile it will be discovered that I was not at Gettysburg at all.” McGrath does a lot to redeem him, but it’s unfortunate that in getting his due here, Meade has to share triple-billing with two bigger names.
Good stories are meant to be told, and retold. So when a popular author without any prior expertise on a subject like the Civil War decides to write about it, and ends up retelling familiar tales about things like Lincoln’s childhood, the circumstances precipitating the Civil War, and Gettysburg itself, I can’t complain if I don’t learn anything new about them. This is not a necessary work of new scholarship, and isn't really meant to be. But McGrath’s writing is very good and engaging, and there are those who don’t know much about these subjects who may pick up this book and read these stories for the very first time, so there’s not necessarily anything wrong with him telling them again.
Just as in his earlier biography of James Monroe, McGrath’s appealing storytelling does so much to help Meade stand out and restore his reputation. McGrath believed Monroe was a compelling enough subject to deserve his own book. I only wish he had decided the same about Meade.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Dutton Caliber for providing an advance copy of this book for review, ahead of its November 18th release.
That being the case, the book ends up being a triple biography of the battle’s opposing generals and the Union’s commander-in-chief. And as in other triple biographies that I’ve read, one person’s story invariably ends up being far more interesting than the others’.
Abraham Lincoln’s biography is well known to most readers, but here we get his full life story anyway, from his birth and upbringing through his presidency. Robert E. Lee’s biography is somewhat lesser-known to the average reader, but he’s still a familiar figure whose story has been told endless times. Then there's Union General George Meade, who's much less familiar to most. And whether in spite of that or because of that, I found his story far more compelling.
So could this, or should this, have been a biography of Meade instead? Would that have appealed to a general readership? Was it necessary to put Lincoln and Lee on the cover and Gettysburg in the title for marketing purposes?
Already in the book’s foreword, Meade’s story is by far the most intriguing, as he is stunned to be informed in the middle of the night that he’s been named to lead the Army of the Potomac - as it turns out, mere days before the Battle of Gettysburg. After this dramatic start, though, the book backtracks and progresses at a far more leisurely pace, as each protagonist’s full life story unfolds in successive chapters.
I learned nothing new from the retelling of Lincoln’s life story. I was slightly less familiar with all the details of Lee’s upbringing. But I knew nothing about Meade’s background, so once again found myself far more interested in his story than anyone else’s. McGrath’s detailed description of Meade’s pre-Civil War career designing and constructing lighthouses turned out to be surprisingly captivating, though I still couldn’t help wondering while reading it, “but isn’t this book supposed to be about Gettysburg?”
Not until a quarter of the way into the book do the three men’s stories begin to converge, as each plays a part in the Mexican-American War (as a participant, or in Lincoln’s case, an opposition lawmaker in Congress). And after a full recounting of the circumstances leading up to the Civil War, the three biographies that had been proceeding mostly on separate tracks fully come together as the war begins.
As the narrative finally makes its way toward Gettysburg, McGrath foreshadows the event by justifying all the background he’s provided in the first two-thirds of the book: “What was about to take place in the following days was a direct result of the roles these three men had played over the past two years and the decisions they had made through the course of their lives.”
When the battle gets underway, however, the narrative doesn’t necessarily hearken back to the three men’s life stories, so much as it is a concise retelling of how the battle played out, from Generals Lee and Meade’s perspectives, with a bit about what Lincoln was doing at the time.
When the battle ends, we jump ahead to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and an epilogue wraps up everyone’s story. Lincoln’s ends pretty quickly, as a paragraph that begins with him learning of Lee’s surrender ends with his assassination. Lee’s life story wraps up with little reflection on Gettysburg or the war. And once again, Meade’s story proves to be the most compelling - and the most connected to Gettysburg. He’s the only one to remain in active military service, and he spends the rest of his life defending himself, his actions at Gettysburg, and his perceived failure to finish off Lee, from critics who focus their efforts on “smearing his reputation” and “relegating him to being a footnote.”
Meade himself seemed resigned to his own historical obscurity, lamenting that “I suppose after awhile it will be discovered that I was not at Gettysburg at all.” McGrath does a lot to redeem him, but it’s unfortunate that in getting his due here, Meade has to share triple-billing with two bigger names.
Good stories are meant to be told, and retold. So when a popular author without any prior expertise on a subject like the Civil War decides to write about it, and ends up retelling familiar tales about things like Lincoln’s childhood, the circumstances precipitating the Civil War, and Gettysburg itself, I can’t complain if I don’t learn anything new about them. This is not a necessary work of new scholarship, and isn't really meant to be. But McGrath’s writing is very good and engaging, and there are those who don’t know much about these subjects who may pick up this book and read these stories for the very first time, so there’s not necessarily anything wrong with him telling them again.
Just as in his earlier biography of James Monroe, McGrath’s appealing storytelling does so much to help Meade stand out and restore his reputation. McGrath believed Monroe was a compelling enough subject to deserve his own book. I only wish he had decided the same about Meade.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Dutton Caliber for providing an advance copy of this book for review, ahead of its November 18th release.
January 15, 2026
Interesting bits I have not heard of before. Very solid book and it didn't drag on.
November 20, 2025
This book is a well written joint biography of Meade, Lee and Lincoln, followed by a solid description of the Battle of Gettysburg and its immediate aftermath. I am just not sure why we need it.
The first half is alternating chapters about the early life of each subject, followed by chapters on their early careers and then chapters on their roles in the early years of the Civil War. The second half of the book is a straightforward and clearly written description of the battle.
Lincoln and Lee do not really need another biography. McGrath doesn't really add anything significant to their story. Meade's background is less well known. His father was a bigger than life businessman who had huge ups and downs in his career. Meade was a conscientious soldier who was not particularly well known before the war. We get more than I needed on the details of his supervising the construction of new style lighthouses.
It is interesting that all three of them had difficult fathers. Lincoln's father was a stern rigid man who did not approve of Lincoln's book learning. There seems to have been no warmth between them. Lee's father was a hero of the Revolutionary War and a wild spendthrift who impoverished and embarrassed his family. Meades' father was a remote bigger than life character. McGrath doesn't draw any particular lessons from this coincidence.
The description of the battle is solid. He highlights all of the traditional subjects, including Sickles advance against orders, the fight at Little Round Top, Pickett's Charge, and Longstreet's disagreement with Lee.
There are many first-rate books on Gettysburg. Stephen Sears 2003 "Gettysburg "is probably the best one volume narrative. McGrath appears to have done plenty of research for this fully footnoted history, but I didn't take away anything new and significant about the battle or about Lee or Lincoln. I did learn some new background on General Meade.
The first half is alternating chapters about the early life of each subject, followed by chapters on their early careers and then chapters on their roles in the early years of the Civil War. The second half of the book is a straightforward and clearly written description of the battle.
Lincoln and Lee do not really need another biography. McGrath doesn't really add anything significant to their story. Meade's background is less well known. His father was a bigger than life businessman who had huge ups and downs in his career. Meade was a conscientious soldier who was not particularly well known before the war. We get more than I needed on the details of his supervising the construction of new style lighthouses.
It is interesting that all three of them had difficult fathers. Lincoln's father was a stern rigid man who did not approve of Lincoln's book learning. There seems to have been no warmth between them. Lee's father was a hero of the Revolutionary War and a wild spendthrift who impoverished and embarrassed his family. Meades' father was a remote bigger than life character. McGrath doesn't draw any particular lessons from this coincidence.
The description of the battle is solid. He highlights all of the traditional subjects, including Sickles advance against orders, the fight at Little Round Top, Pickett's Charge, and Longstreet's disagreement with Lee.
There are many first-rate books on Gettysburg. Stephen Sears 2003 "Gettysburg "is probably the best one volume narrative. McGrath appears to have done plenty of research for this fully footnoted history, but I didn't take away anything new and significant about the battle or about Lee or Lincoln. I did learn some new background on General Meade.
January 12, 2026
Just when I think I've read everything [that I want to anyway] about a subject, a new book comes along and I am just blown away by all the new stuff I learn. Such is the case here.
I will say that I didn't know much about George Meade and so his story here [mixed in with Lincoln and Lee's stories] was extremely fascinating to me, and all I learned[about him and about Lincoln and Lee] was so interesting and I was not disappointed [I was once again reminded why I dislike Robert E. Lee].
Well-written and expertly researched, this is a must-read for any Civil War book buff, but especially those who are interested in the battle that changed the whole war, as well as the speech that inspired [an continues to] inspire many.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tim McGrath, and Dutton/Dutton Caliber for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will say that I didn't know much about George Meade and so his story here [mixed in with Lincoln and Lee's stories] was extremely fascinating to me, and all I learned[about him and about Lincoln and Lee] was so interesting and I was not disappointed [I was once again reminded why I dislike Robert E. Lee].
Well-written and expertly researched, this is a must-read for any Civil War book buff, but especially those who are interested in the battle that changed the whole war, as well as the speech that inspired [an continues to] inspire many.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tim McGrath, and Dutton/Dutton Caliber for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2026
Excellent addition to the Civil War library. Deep dive into the background of each of the main characters, Meade, Lee and Lincoln before the became infamous in the 1860s.
Good synopsis of the three day Battle of Gettysburg Juli 1,2,3, 1863.
Better aftermath description of Meade’s attempt to chase Lee.
Good synopsis of the three day Battle of Gettysburg Juli 1,2,3, 1863.
Better aftermath description of Meade’s attempt to chase Lee.
February 14, 2026
"If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher." Abraham Lincoln.
This outstanding book is a MUST READ for all students of history and the Civil War, in particular.
Mr. McGrath writes in fine detail about General Meade, General Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln and their expert leadership during the historical battle at Gettysburg.
This outstanding book is a MUST READ for all students of history and the Civil War, in particular.
Mr. McGrath writes in fine detail about General Meade, General Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln and their expert leadership during the historical battle at Gettysburg.
April 1, 2026
I am always fascinated by books on the American Civil War and thought this was a good one. There has of course been lots written on Gettysburg, but I thought the author’s tactics of looking at the three major figures involved was interesting, and by leading the reader through their earlier life prior to the war and this battle gave insights into how their characters were formed and how that impacted their decisions. Admit that I am glad to have visited and walked this battlefield, as that helps in visualizing what took place. Interesting, thoughtful, well written.
March 24, 2026
Very well done!
March 8, 2026
Great book!
Very informative!
Very informative!
February 1, 2026
“There is irony in the fact that Lee was stopped by an army led by a man who loved building lighthouses. George Gordon Meade’s victory allowed Abraham Lincoln to give a short but perfect speech, welding Thomas Jefferson’s proposition ‘that all men are created equal’ with Lincoln’s ‘new birth of freedom.’ Each generation of Americans is given ‘a new birth of freedom’ and the opportunity and responsibility of living up to Lincoln’s challenge.”
January 12, 2026
McGrath's book provides a thorough understanding of the events leading up to Gettysburg and biographies of the major generals are given. I thought it was interesting that Lincoln was once given the opportunity to be in charge of the Oregon Territory. I appreciate how the book made each of these generals very relatable.
January 31, 2026
An excellent work that combines the details of the Gettysburg battlefield with the lives of three of the principals involved in that great battle, Lincoln, Lee and Meade. Told in a compelling style, if you are one like me who has interest in history and U.S. Civil War, it is a must read for your collection.
January 29, 2026
An outstanding work of Civil War scholarship. A triple (!) biography of President Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and George Meade which culminates with the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. Crisply written, well paced, and extraordinarily moving. Highly recommended.
January 22, 2026
If you enjoy American History this is a fascinating intertwining of Lincoln, Lee, and Made.
February 8, 2026
Fantastic read, I have read many books on the Civil War and it was a pleasure to learn many new things here. A well told story.
June 10, 2026
Someone once wisely said that no individual is created in isolation. Each of our lives is intertwined with that of countless others. The same applies to the lives of the all-time greats, or those who have left a mark on history. Because of this, in studying one man, we must inevitably study more than one man; we must study the men and women around him, some great, some not so great; some forgotten, some as well remembered as the principal.
Much as William C. Davis's masterpiece *Three Roads to the Alamo*, Tim McGrath's new release, *Three Roads to Gettysburg*, is not a story of the battle, though of course the latter does figure prominently, but the story of the battle-makers. One of them is universally admired, and for good reason: Abraham Lincoln's moral clarity, both before the presidency and during it, is one of the great strengths of our American republic. The Gettysburg Address is perhaps the most memorized, most repeated, and most memorable speech ever given on American soil. How many students have been required to memorize the speech in its two-minute entirety simply by virtue of the fact that it possesses some of the qualities we most admire, both in oratorical skill and in the embodiment of the moral citizen?
Robert E. Lee, on the other hand, is a more complex figure. Certainly, he has become, by some measure, the embodiment of the Lost Cause myth, which views the grievances of the South as legitimate and the encroachment of the North as a morally viable *casus belli*. On the other hand, Lee is despised by many revisionist historians who seek to demonize him as a racist who tried to keep human beings enslaved simply because of their skin color. Yet others see Lee as somewhere in between; as a man of personal conviction and upright character who was, sadly, by circumstance and familial allegiance, forced to take part in a war against the country which his father had helped to found.
The general who actually led the Union to victory at Gettysburg occupies a different place in American history altogether. George Gordon Meade is, unlike Lincoln, rarely, if ever, remembered as a hero of the Union cause. Ulysses S. Grant is remembered largely because it was under him that the war was ended. George McClellan is remembered mainly due to his young and dashing but ultimately unsatisfactory performance as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Also, unlike Lee, few outside military historians would place Meade in the midst of endless controversy. Yet, argues McGrath, this lack of attention makes him no less compelling.
Unlike many historians, McGrath is content to leave Lincoln atop his monument in D.C. He is content to leave Lee in the muck and mire of history, sinking in the swamp of infamy until a new biographical boat comes along to lift him out of it once more and into the sunshine of public acclamation. The one figure whose legacy he does contest is that of Meade. McGrath avoids any type of moral situating. He does not try to argue that Meade was the savior of the Union cause, nor that he was an entirely loyal Northerner who supported emancipation. Instead, he simply places Meade back in the historical imagination. In this he succeeds.
Beginning with the story of Meade's father, the influential though eventually bankrupt Richard Meade, and then describing Meade's, as well as Lee's, involvement in the Mexican-American War, one of the most interesting things that McGrath does is to show how these two men, who would eventually fight each other in a real war, were learning from two men who, though on the same side of a real war, were on different sides of a diplomatic one. George Meade served under General Zachary Taylor, the unflappable father-in-law of Jefferson Davis, who would also briefly serve as president. The calm Taylor at times resembles the calm Lee, respectful of authority, cool under fire, in short, "Old Rough and Ready." Yet Lee admired not Taylor but Scott. Meade, on the other hand, admired Taylor, yet in personality much resembles General Winfield Scott, with a flammable temper, colorful language, yet also brilliance on the field of battle.
It would be tempting to see Lee and Meade as simple protégés or continuations of these two generals, yet that is far from the truth. The story McGrath tells is not of how the younger generals became the next Scott or the next Taylor, but how they learned from them, and how the lessons they drew would serve them well, or let them down, at Gettysburg.
Indeed, a theme of this book is the fact that influence does not of necessity imply imitation. Lee inherited neither Scott's temperament nor Taylor's command style in full, and Meade certainly was not a full reflection of either man. The roads to Gettysburg, McGrath reminds us, were never straight.
The author also shows us how Gettysburg's lines of battle were drawn not only along the dimensions of North and South, but also between generals, soldiers, commanders, and others. No man can truly cease to be a man when he becomes a soldier, and that is true both in his humanity and in his human nature. Although many have noted how soldiers also feel repulsed at the sight of death, fewer have noted how commanders are repulsed by the sight of each other. From the battles between McClellan and Lincoln to those between Meade and Hooker and Meade and Dan Sickles, the legacy of battle, the story that will be told, may be influenced far less by what objectively happens on the field and more by who has the ear of the media, the ear of the politicians, the eye of the public and of the president, and finally, who lives longer and tells their side of the story to more people.
This does not mean that lessons cannot be drawn, that conclusions, moral ones even, cannot be reached. Indeed, to deny that history can teach moral lessons is to deny one of the chief reasons for studying it in the first place. Yet any conclusions must be reached only when events are first understood through the lens of the men and women who made them. To understand Lee properly is to understand, first of all, why he fought for the South. It is not to excuse him for doing it, explanation is not exoneration, but explanation will lead to either exoneration or condemnation. Neither of the latter can, of themselves, lead back to the explanation.
McGrath succeeds ultimately not in telling history better than other historians, or in explaining factors which would cast a new light on or enable us to reach a new verdict about this battle, nor yet in doing something new at all, but in doing something as old as the universe itself: saying that one did such and such a thing for a reason and then asking the reader, by judging the reason, to judge the man.
Much as William C. Davis's masterpiece *Three Roads to the Alamo*, Tim McGrath's new release, *Three Roads to Gettysburg*, is not a story of the battle, though of course the latter does figure prominently, but the story of the battle-makers. One of them is universally admired, and for good reason: Abraham Lincoln's moral clarity, both before the presidency and during it, is one of the great strengths of our American republic. The Gettysburg Address is perhaps the most memorized, most repeated, and most memorable speech ever given on American soil. How many students have been required to memorize the speech in its two-minute entirety simply by virtue of the fact that it possesses some of the qualities we most admire, both in oratorical skill and in the embodiment of the moral citizen?
Robert E. Lee, on the other hand, is a more complex figure. Certainly, he has become, by some measure, the embodiment of the Lost Cause myth, which views the grievances of the South as legitimate and the encroachment of the North as a morally viable *casus belli*. On the other hand, Lee is despised by many revisionist historians who seek to demonize him as a racist who tried to keep human beings enslaved simply because of their skin color. Yet others see Lee as somewhere in between; as a man of personal conviction and upright character who was, sadly, by circumstance and familial allegiance, forced to take part in a war against the country which his father had helped to found.
The general who actually led the Union to victory at Gettysburg occupies a different place in American history altogether. George Gordon Meade is, unlike Lincoln, rarely, if ever, remembered as a hero of the Union cause. Ulysses S. Grant is remembered largely because it was under him that the war was ended. George McClellan is remembered mainly due to his young and dashing but ultimately unsatisfactory performance as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Also, unlike Lee, few outside military historians would place Meade in the midst of endless controversy. Yet, argues McGrath, this lack of attention makes him no less compelling.
Unlike many historians, McGrath is content to leave Lincoln atop his monument in D.C. He is content to leave Lee in the muck and mire of history, sinking in the swamp of infamy until a new biographical boat comes along to lift him out of it once more and into the sunshine of public acclamation. The one figure whose legacy he does contest is that of Meade. McGrath avoids any type of moral situating. He does not try to argue that Meade was the savior of the Union cause, nor that he was an entirely loyal Northerner who supported emancipation. Instead, he simply places Meade back in the historical imagination. In this he succeeds.
Beginning with the story of Meade's father, the influential though eventually bankrupt Richard Meade, and then describing Meade's, as well as Lee's, involvement in the Mexican-American War, one of the most interesting things that McGrath does is to show how these two men, who would eventually fight each other in a real war, were learning from two men who, though on the same side of a real war, were on different sides of a diplomatic one. George Meade served under General Zachary Taylor, the unflappable father-in-law of Jefferson Davis, who would also briefly serve as president. The calm Taylor at times resembles the calm Lee, respectful of authority, cool under fire, in short, "Old Rough and Ready." Yet Lee admired not Taylor but Scott. Meade, on the other hand, admired Taylor, yet in personality much resembles General Winfield Scott, with a flammable temper, colorful language, yet also brilliance on the field of battle.
It would be tempting to see Lee and Meade as simple protégés or continuations of these two generals, yet that is far from the truth. The story McGrath tells is not of how the younger generals became the next Scott or the next Taylor, but how they learned from them, and how the lessons they drew would serve them well, or let them down, at Gettysburg.
Indeed, a theme of this book is the fact that influence does not of necessity imply imitation. Lee inherited neither Scott's temperament nor Taylor's command style in full, and Meade certainly was not a full reflection of either man. The roads to Gettysburg, McGrath reminds us, were never straight.
The author also shows us how Gettysburg's lines of battle were drawn not only along the dimensions of North and South, but also between generals, soldiers, commanders, and others. No man can truly cease to be a man when he becomes a soldier, and that is true both in his humanity and in his human nature. Although many have noted how soldiers also feel repulsed at the sight of death, fewer have noted how commanders are repulsed by the sight of each other. From the battles between McClellan and Lincoln to those between Meade and Hooker and Meade and Dan Sickles, the legacy of battle, the story that will be told, may be influenced far less by what objectively happens on the field and more by who has the ear of the media, the ear of the politicians, the eye of the public and of the president, and finally, who lives longer and tells their side of the story to more people.
This does not mean that lessons cannot be drawn, that conclusions, moral ones even, cannot be reached. Indeed, to deny that history can teach moral lessons is to deny one of the chief reasons for studying it in the first place. Yet any conclusions must be reached only when events are first understood through the lens of the men and women who made them. To understand Lee properly is to understand, first of all, why he fought for the South. It is not to excuse him for doing it, explanation is not exoneration, but explanation will lead to either exoneration or condemnation. Neither of the latter can, of themselves, lead back to the explanation.
McGrath succeeds ultimately not in telling history better than other historians, or in explaining factors which would cast a new light on or enable us to reach a new verdict about this battle, nor yet in doing something new at all, but in doing something as old as the universe itself: saying that one did such and such a thing for a reason and then asking the reader, by judging the reason, to judge the man.
July 9, 2026
A very well written documentary which takes an in-depth look into the lives of three famous Americans; Abraham Lincoln, George Meade, and Robert E. Lee.
This story goes in depth into their lives growing up their family life, falling in love and the different events in life they’re prepared them for what they were to face on that battlefield in Gettysburg. You see early on how their lives started to intertwine through events starting as early as a their educational training and or military training which led their past steadily toward each other. The two generals were both serving together in the Mexican-American war along with many other generals of the Civil War on both sides. You follow their history their thoughts their minds what the political climate was until all three lives intertwined at the beginning of the Civil War and culminating at Gettysburg.
Extremely well researched and written in a manner to reveal a private and personal battles of each of the three individuals at the heart of this book. Our author has written this intelligently and empathetically showcasing the trials and terminals during this very hard season of our nations history. Using memoirs and letters to their wives written religiously and giving us a chronological timeline which literally walks you through the events leading up to and including the battles that made up the majority of the nations momentous war. Focusing heavily on the battle of Gettysburg the author gives you day by day true movements which include maps of the battlefield itself and what happened during each step of the battle. Not ending with the battle was Gettysburg it also leads you to the different battles that remained and the mindset and political climate of what was happening between the generals, in the political minds in the north and in the south until the end of the war itself.
Also beautiful in itself was struggles that our nations president Abraham Lincoln went through as he sought to lead our country through the most strenuous and heartbreaking of times our nation has suffered.
I personally found this book fascinating. It was a little slow for me as it is a very deep read as you get to know each of the people involved and what developed their characters to become who they were as a mature into the icons they became. I learned a lot about General Meade that I did not know and have a lot more respect for him because of it and what he accomplished and suffered for our country. This was definitely well worth the time to read and would recommend it for anyone who loves history and or Civil War facts.
This story goes in depth into their lives growing up their family life, falling in love and the different events in life they’re prepared them for what they were to face on that battlefield in Gettysburg. You see early on how their lives started to intertwine through events starting as early as a their educational training and or military training which led their past steadily toward each other. The two generals were both serving together in the Mexican-American war along with many other generals of the Civil War on both sides. You follow their history their thoughts their minds what the political climate was until all three lives intertwined at the beginning of the Civil War and culminating at Gettysburg.
Extremely well researched and written in a manner to reveal a private and personal battles of each of the three individuals at the heart of this book. Our author has written this intelligently and empathetically showcasing the trials and terminals during this very hard season of our nations history. Using memoirs and letters to their wives written religiously and giving us a chronological timeline which literally walks you through the events leading up to and including the battles that made up the majority of the nations momentous war. Focusing heavily on the battle of Gettysburg the author gives you day by day true movements which include maps of the battlefield itself and what happened during each step of the battle. Not ending with the battle was Gettysburg it also leads you to the different battles that remained and the mindset and political climate of what was happening between the generals, in the political minds in the north and in the south until the end of the war itself.
Also beautiful in itself was struggles that our nations president Abraham Lincoln went through as he sought to lead our country through the most strenuous and heartbreaking of times our nation has suffered.
I personally found this book fascinating. It was a little slow for me as it is a very deep read as you get to know each of the people involved and what developed their characters to become who they were as a mature into the icons they became. I learned a lot about General Meade that I did not know and have a lot more respect for him because of it and what he accomplished and suffered for our country. This was definitely well worth the time to read and would recommend it for anyone who loves history and or Civil War facts.
January 19, 2026
Starts off a little slow and the pacing being a bit boring as it rotates through the titular characters. I wonder if cutting the okay Licoln biography would have allowed a more interesting story even if it wasn't replaced. As the Union president he overshadows the general a bit ironically which seems antithetical to the books themes. But once you get to the battle the prose steps up a level and McGrath starts cooking like a mf. Incredible researched and interesting vignettes of the battle,
They were accompanied briefly by a young boy on horseback who was not scared of the artillertu duel at all. "This urchin took a diabolical interest om the bursting of shells, and screamed with delight when he saw them take effect," Fremantle recalled, "I Never saw this boy again, or found out who he was" (329.)
They were accompanied briefly by a young boy on horseback who was not scared of the artillertu duel at all. "This urchin took a diabolical interest om the bursting of shells, and screamed with delight when he saw them take effect," Fremantle recalled, "I Never saw this boy again, or found out who he was" (329.)
May 18, 2026
Ever since reading the Killer Angels in college, I've been fascinated by the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War, so finding a book that gives me new information is always great. A lot of this book is re-telling familiar stories, but I'm OK, with that, as Lincoln and Gettysburg are endlessly fascinating. The Meade stories were unfamiliar; I had no idea he was in charge of building lighthouses up and down the east coast; some are still in service today. This book also takes apart the idea that Meade could've easily followed up the victory at Gettysburg with another attack and ended the war right there; maybe, maybe not; but it's not the certainty that has often been presented over the years. Anyway, I enjoyed this book; I think it's good whether you are familiar with the story or not.
April 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this book about the lives of three disparate leaders whose lives intersected at the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. It was interesting to observe how different the lives of George Meade, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln were in some ways, yet they shared some similarities as well. The fighting at the battlefield on the first days of July in 1863 changed the lives of both Lee and Meade as well as the men who they commanded on those three fateful days that summer.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Civil War, especially those who enjoyed Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Civil War, especially those who enjoyed Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.
July 8, 2026
A well researched history. The first chapters each looking at just one of the title's names from youth to the War was, for me a truly valuable introduction towards understanding the later man. I learned many facts previously unknown to me which greatly enriched my appreciation for the writer and for the three subjects. My personal failing is not knowing which General was on which side apart from the ones most noted in historical accounts.
February 26, 2026
Love the history of our Civil War and especially what happened at Gettysburg. This was a great recounting of that battle. The descriptions of some of battles were a little too detailed for my interest. Happy that I got to know a little more about the main characters, Meade, Lee and Lincoln.
April 11, 2026
Concise mini bios of the three men. Great summary of Mexican- American War and the introduction of many of the names so well known in Civil War history. To be as old as I am and still get goosebumps at Lincoln’s Gettysburg address still surprises me.
June 19, 2026
Superb, easy-to-read book. Hard to put down.
January 30, 2026
Good but nothing new. Wouldn’t put it on my recommended list for people but wouldn’t be opposed to people reading it either.
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