Author:
Douglas Southall Freeman Publisher: Scribner (July 6, 1998) Overview: Lee's Lieutenants: When Douglas
Southall Freeman's original three-volume version of Lee's Lieutenants
appeared in the 1940s, it marked a high point in Civil War history, and the
books were lauded not only for their scholarship but for their elegant writing.
This monument of Civil War literature has been skillfully abridged by one of the
most noted present-day Civil War historians, Stephen W. Sears. The new
one-volume abridgement retains the core material of the original and makes
Freeman's fine writing available in a much more accessible format. Amazon Review.
Author: James F. McPherson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (February 25,
1988) Overview: Published in 1988 to universal acclaim, this single-volume treatment of the Civil War quickly became recognized as the new standard in its field. James M. McPherson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this book, impressively combines a brisk writing style with an admirable thoroughness. He covers the military aspects of the war in all of the necessary detail, and also provides a helpful framework describing the complex economic, political, and social forces behind the conflict. Perhaps more than any other book, this one belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War buff. Amazon Review.
Author:
Michael Shaara Publisher: Ballantine
Books (August 12, 1987) Overview: This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg
than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's
account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft
characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett,
Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the
Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at
Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are
also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3,
1863. Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages. Amazon
Review.
Author:
James M. McPherson Publisher: Oxford University
Press, USA (December 18, 1997) Overview: In Drawn With the Sword, McPherson offers a series of
thoughtful and engaging essays on some of the most enduring questions of the
Civil War. Drawn With the Sword explores such questions as why the North
won and why the South lost (emphasizing the role of contingency in the Northern
victory), whether Southern or Northern aggression began the war, and who really
freed the slaves, Abraham Lincoln or the slaves themselves...
The Civil
War - A Narrative - Fort Sumter to Perryville, Fredericksburg
to Meridian, Red River to Appomattox (3 Vol. Set)
Author: Shelby Foote
Date of Publication: December 1986 Overview: This beautifully written trilogy of books on the American Civil
War is not only a piece of first-rate history, but also a marvelous work of
literature. Shelby Foote brings a skilled novelist's narrative power to this
great epic. Many know Foote for his prominent role as a commentator on Ken
Burns's PBS series about the Civil War. These three books, however, are his
legacy. His southern sympathies are apparent: the first volume opens by
introducing Confederate President Jefferson Davis, rather than Abraham Lincoln.
But they hardly get in the way of the great story Foote tells. This hefty three
volume set should be on the bookshelf of any Civil War buff. Amazon Review.
Stars in
their Courses - The Gettysburg Campaign June-July 1863
Author: Shelby Foote
Date of Publication: Reprint edition July 1994 Overview: This careful study of the 1863 Gettysburg campaign assumes the
contours of a classical tragedy. Foote positions readers on the field of battle
itself, among swirling smoke and clattering grapeshot, and invites us to feel
for ourselves its hellishness: "men on both sides were hollering as they
milled about and fired, some cursing, others praying ... not a commingling of
shouts and yells but rather like a vast mournful roar." Foote's fine book
is history as literature, and a welcome addition to any Civil War buff's
library. Amazon Review.
The Union
Soldier in Battle - Enduring the Ordeal of Combat
Author:
Earl J. Hess
Date of Publication: May 1997 Overview: Drawing extensively upon the letters, diaries, and
memoirs of Northern soldiers, Hess reveals their deepest fears and shocks, and
also their sources of inner strength. By identifying recurrent themes found in
these accounts, Hess constructs a multi-layered view of the many ways in which
these men coped with the challenges of battle. He shows how they were bolstered
by belief in God and country, or simply by their sense of duty; how they came to
rely on the support of their comrades; and how they learned to muster
self-control in order to persevere from one battle to the next. Amazon review.
Inside
the Army of the Potomac - The Civil War Experience of Captain
Francis Adams Donaldson
Author: Gregory
Acken, Edwin C. Bearss
Date of Publication: July 1998 Overview: Donaldson's fiercely candid observations reveal much
about the political life of the Army of the Potomac, and his letters contribute
unforgettable descriptions of actions at Antietam, Fredericksburg,
Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. Fiercely idealistic in the early days of the
war, his letters and diary soon betray a growing disenchantment that leads to a
startling climax. 28 photos, 6 maps. Ingram.
Lee's
Endangered Left - The Civil War in Western Virginia Spring of 1864
Author: Richard R. Duncan
Date of Publication: February 1999 Overview: Basically well written and excellently researched , this
book offers insights on the critical battles of the Civil War in western
Virginia during the Spring of 1864, a subject usually not covered in detail. The
details provided and the sequence presented on military operations give a very
useful overview of strategy and tactics in this area in 1864.
Landscape
Turned Red - The Battle of Antietam
Author:
Stephen W. Sears
Date of Publication: Reissue addition March 1993 Overview: Of all the days on all the fields where American
soldiers have fought, the most terrible was September 17, 1862. The Civil War
battle waged on that date at Antietam Creek, in western Maryland, took a human
toll never exceeded in our history. Winner of the Fletcher Platt Award for best
nonfiction book about the Civil War, here is the definitive work on this bitter
struggle. 16-page photo insert; 10 maps. Ingram.
