The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign

Jeffrey J Harding, Jon M. Nese

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2025
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781467173209
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

Searing Heat and Torrents of Rain As the nation's future hung in the balance, the Weather Gods delivered a wrath of fury on Union and Confederate forces throughout the Gettysburg Campaign. First, record-breaking heat and humidity wore down the warring armies during ungodly forced marches. Next, relentless storms plagued the soldiers with resultant muddy slogs on nearly impassable roads. As the armies met in mortal combat, soul-crushing heat turned the bucolic fields of Gettysburg into a sanguinary and barren expanse. Finally, torrential rains haunted the Confederate retreat and narrow escape across a swollen Potomac River. Authors Jeffrey J. Harding and Jon M. Nese present firsthand accounts, harrowing narratives and groundbreaking meteorological research that reshapes how we view the Civil War's Gettysburg Campaign.

Table of contents

• Cover
• PRAISE FOR THE WEATHER GODS CURSE THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. The Science: Weather 101
• 2. Primary Sources and Firsthand Accounts: Seeing Is Believing
• 3. The Beginning: The Calm Before the Storm, June 3–9, 1863
• 4. The Approach: Hotter Than Hades, and Then Some, June 10–18, 1863
• 5. The Approach: Fair Weather Folly, June 19–24, 1863
• 6. The Approach: Rain Was the Order of the Day, June 25–30, 1863
• 7. The Battle: Hell on Earth, July 1–4, 1863
• 8. The Retreat: The Rain and the River, July 5–12, 1863
• 9. The Retreat: The Weather Gods’ Last Dance, July 13–14, 1863
• 10. Conclusions: A Weather Recipe for Disaster
• Afterword
• Appendix
• Notes
• About the Authors