Gettysburg in Color: Volume 3: Sacred Ground, 1863-1938

Patrick Brennan, a long-time student of the Civil War and editorial advisor for The Civil War Monitor magazine, with his technology-astute daughter Dylan Brennan, brought Gettysburg into the 21st century with Gettysburg in Color: Volume 1: Brandy Station to the Peach Orchard and Volume 2: The Wheatfield to Falling Waters. The third and final entry examines the battlefield's transformation from post-battle hell to American shrine.

The Brennans used an artificial intelligence-based computerized color identifier to determine the general color of uniforms, flesh, hair, equipment, terrain, houses, and more with stunning accuracy. Additional research determined the exact colors. The result is a monumental study of the important three-day battle like it has never been seen before. The deep colorization of battle-related woodcuts, for example, reveals a plethora of details that have passed generations of eyes unseen. The photos of the soldiers, their officers, and the returning veterans look as if they were taken yesterday.

Gettysburg in Color: Volume 3: Sacred Ground, 1863-1938 details the meandering and fascinating story up to the eve of World War II by surveying the post-battle cleanup, the establishment of the National Cemetery, land acquisition and the monument movement, the three major anniversary celebrations, Camp Colt and the Marine reenactment of 1922, and the creation of the National Military Park. Even the effects of the automobile revolution and its deep impact on the park are covered in entertaining detail.

This sweeping installment closes the series, which every student of history in general, and the Civil War in particular, will want to own for a lifetime.