I like McPherson's books, and he is one of the foremost authorities on the Civil War, but I was expecting something a little different than what I got. I wanted more about the actual battle, not a long leadup, with little meaty description of the actual battle. I guess I was looking for something along the lines of KILLER ANGELS, and what I got was a summation of his former work, as if this was an assignment given him by his publisher to fill a need in their list. Not that it was in anyway wrong or poorly written; no, just not what I hoped for. I also felt, at least a few times, that the folks who transcribed the book into large print, did not do their job well.