THE LONG ROAD TO GETTYSBURG

The dedication ceremony of the national cemetery at Gettysburg sets the scene as Murphy weaves actual diary entries of two young officers, one Union and one Confederate, with battle details to create a compelling re-creation of the bloodiest battle of our nations's bloodiest war. The three narrators, Ray Childs, Terry Bregy, and William Dufris, do an admirable job of communicating the boredom of the wait juxtaposed with the terror of the combat as the Irish-American Cpl. Thomas Galway and the Virginian Lt. John Dooley record the battle from their unique perspectives. Sound effects give a “you-are-there” feel to the listening experience. A return to the dedication ceremony, including a recitation of Lincoln's address, and information about Galway and Dooley's postwar lives round out the program. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]