History was made on the first three days of July 1863 at Gettysburg, Pa., where Confederate General Robert E. Lee waged a final desperate gamble to win the Civil War — and lost. Now TIME celebrates the 150th anniversary of this pivotal battle in a freshly reported, incisively written and beautifully illustrated volume. TIME has enlisted a brilliant roster of writers to offer fresh perspectives on this iconic battle. Best-selling novelist Jeff Shaara will create a fictional portrait of a Southern soldier in the ranks, and military historian David Eisenhower will examine the strategy of the battle. Noted TIME weekly writers include Richard Lacayo on photography in the war, Jeff Kluger on medicine on the battlefield, David Von Drehle on Lincoln and his generals, and critic Richard Corliss on the war on film, while veteran TIME cartographer Jackson Dykman is creating all new maps for the book. This oversized hardcover edition will offer a magnificent canvas for classic war photographs and other images from the period.