This text examines the events of 3rd July 1863: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg - considered by many to be the "climax of the climax" of the American Civil War. The author explores how and why it endures so strongly in the American imagination as the result of the amalgamation of history and memory.

Assessing the myths and facts surrounding Pickett's charge, Carol Reardon explores why this event endures so strongly in the American imagination. She demonstrates that the story told today of the charge is really an amalgam of history and memory and that the evolution of that mix has much to tell about how the past of the USA can be understood.