[muir_redwoods]

Read Killer Angels

It's about the battle of Gettysburg and it will give you an insight into the character of the men on both sides who fought our civil war. Try to do it over the 4th of July the way I did. It brough tears to my eyes.

[rdl6989]

I second the recomendation to read "The Killer Angels" For other Civil War reading, try books by Bruce Catton, Stephen Sears, and Shelby Foote. The book Battle Cry of Freedom by James MacPherson gives a tremendous amount of information on the era of the Civil War.

Stephen Ambrose wrote "Nothing Like It In The World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869" and I recommend it.