Ed Root, who co-authored the book, "Isn't It Glorious," with historian Jeffrey D. Stocker, was the guest speaker during the Whitehall Historical Preservation Society's June 26 meeting.

Root said the book focuses on three infantry regiments from Massachusetts. The authors used letters written by the soldiers to research the men's involvement in the battle. The book also provides details about the soldiers' lives. Readers meet the men, their wives and children and see the types of lives they lived before and after the war.

Root explained that the men understood their place in history and sought to be remembered. After the war, a great deal of political jockeying existed as various regiments attempted to seek accurate recognition for their part in the battle.

Unfortunately, some of the battlefield markers for the Massachusetts regiments were moved and therefore incorrectly placed.

The troops from these three regiments fought at The Copse of Trees, which was the focal point of Pickett's Charge July 3, 1863, the last day of the battle. However, the battlefield markers were moved to a different location, one much farther away from where the regiments engaged in battle.

Root explained how he and other members of the Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Pennsylvania worked through the National Park Service to correct these mistakes. The group provided funding that was used to recreate and reinstall iron battlefield markers to the 15th, 19th and 20th Massachusetts Regiments near Gettysburg's Copse of Trees, where the monuments once stood.

The historic battlefield markers can be seen at Gettysburg, on the exact spots where these brave men fought so gallantly.

"Isn't It Glorious" was awarded the coveted Bachelder–Coddington Literary Award for the most outstanding work in 2006 on the Battle of Gettysburg. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's bloodiest battle, which resulted in 51,000 casualties over the three day period.