Volume 2 of *The Civil War: A Narrative* by Shelby Foote, titled *Fredericksburg to Meridian*, covers the middle years of the American Civil War (1862-1863). It begins with the Battle of Fredericksburg and follows key events such as the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Siege of Vicksburg, and the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg. Foote explores the leadership and decisions of figures like Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, as well as the Union’s growing advantage. The volume emphasizes the strategic shifts in the war, the hardships faced by soldiers, and the increasing toll the conflict took on the nation.