[fnord]

Yes this is a vanity, but I think others could use the info. I did a search and found nothing. If there is a good thread for this already, please give me the link.

I'm sure there is a circle of Civil War buffs here who know each other. Pings to those people would be appreciated greatly.

we now return you to your regularly scheduled FR

[bird humming]

Saw a GREAT interview w/Jay Wisnik on Booknotes. Pick up 'April, 1865.'

[KC Burke]

For a highly readible narrative of the entire event, nothing beats, Foote's Trilogy. After that, then pick a battle or person that interested you and examine the better studies that will likely be more detailed. Foote's smaller volumns are segments of the larger narrative for the most part...i.e, the Gettysburg campaign in "Star in their Courses" is just like his account in the larger narrative. Buy the first one in hard back,,,,you'll want to keep them.

[muleskinner]

Shelby Foote's trilogy for a good overview.

Co. Aytch by Sam Watkins is very interesting. Somebody ought to make a movie of Sam's story. Kind of a Southern "Red Badge of Courage" only better, IMO.

The Stars in Their Courses by Shelby. Get the audio tape, Foote reads it himself. With his voice and accent, you could almost think Foote was on Gen. Lee's staff and made the recording just after Gettysburg. Awsome.

Stick to the major historical authors for well written histories of specific battles.

Although many books have been written looking at the same battle, different authors will have different styles and explain certain aspects better than another author.

[sendtoscott]

Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men : A History of the American Civil War
by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel (Paperback - May 1996)

From Publishers Weekly
In this insightful treatment of the Civil War (addressing the causes, the war itself and Reconstruction), Hummel's text argues against the thesis that armed confrontation was inevitable. "As an excuse for civil war," he says, "maintaining the States territorial integrity is bankrupt and reprehensible. Slavery's elimination is the only morally worthy justification." But slavery, he suggests, was on its way out in any case. Not only was it a political liability, but the institution's many-faceted costs (social cost, enforcement, uprisings, mistreatment) outweighed any profits. If, after decades of unsuccessful compromise, the North had recognized the South's revolutionary right to self-determination and had let the Gulf states secede, slavery would have succumbed in the border states. Hummel goes on to argue, as have many others before, that after a devastating war and the disappointment of Reconstruction, a federal government that once interfered only a little in the affairs of individual states "had been transformed into an overbearing bureaucracy that intruded into daily life with taxes, drafts, surveillance, subsidies and regulations." Hummel, a professor of history and economics at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, quotes David H. Donald, saying, "Before the Civil War, many politicians and writers referred to the United States in the plural"--i.e., the United States are, a grammatical agreement no longer used after 1865. With its insightful analysis (not to mention the extensive bibliographical essays that elaborate each chapter), Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men will supply both the academic and Civil War buff with an added perspective on the causes and consequences of the Civil War.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hummel (history and economics, Golden Gate Univ.) presents some uncomfortable truths for both sides of the Civil War. For the South, Hummel builds a case that the war was indeed about slavery. For the North, he shows that a war to preserve the union was morally bankrupt and that freeing the slaves was the only justifiable reason for fighting. Yet Hummel demonstrates that even a war for such a noble cause was probably unnecessary, since slavery was politically doomed in an independent South. Hummel also illustrates some of the cost of the war, such as Lincoln's suppression of political opposition, the closing of dissenting newspapers, and the creation of big government under Republicans Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. Here, Hummel steps on some toes. A worthwhile purchase for public and academic libraries.

Robert A. Curtis, Taylor Memorial P.L., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

[Non-Sequitur]

Stonewall, by Byron Farwell. An excellent biography of General Jackson
Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864, by Albert Castel. Close to being the definitive history of Sherman vs. Johnston in Georgia
Three books by Stephen Sears. Landscape Turned Red, about the battle of Antietam; To The Gates of Richmond, about the Penninsula Campaign of 1862; and Chancellorsville, about the battle of the same name.
I recommend all of them highly.

[sendtoscott]

Lincoln's Little War

Lincoln's Little War, Webb Garrison's latest in a collection of Civil War books, examines the role Abraham Lincoln played in America's bloodiest war. Did Lincoln really provoke the war thinking it would be nothing more than a brief conflict? In this story of less familiar precipitating events that shaped the conflict, Garrison relates the incidents leading to the Civil War and the involvement that Lincoln had in them including:

*Lincoln's manipulation of Charleston *His refusal to work with Southern leaders *Vague campaign platforms which did not indicate his unwillingness to compromise *Lincoln'sunflagging determination to keep the Union together at any cost

With these and other factors, Garrison shows an Abraham Lincoln who believed that he had a divine right to keep the country united. He also reveals a religious President Lincoln who, in following the direction of God, absolved himself of any personal responsibility by claiming that God had led him to all decisions he made about the war. This book illuminates Lincoln's complex plan designed to restore the Union by means of a short and nearly bloodless war, however, what Lincoln expected to be a little war became the nation's darkest hour.

[thescourged1]

Northern generals are for the most part, well-documented and referenced. The Confederacy had 450-500 general officers, and the best rererence I have found concerning them individually was 'Confederate Generals in Gray.' I cannot recall the author, but if you can find it, it is a great tool to have nearby when reading about the Civil War.

[Right_Wing_Mole_In_Seattle]

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned yet:

THE LIFE and CAMPAIGNS of LT. GEN. T. J. "STONEWALL" JACKSON
by R. L. Dabney

Very inspiring. Dabney was a close friend of Jackson's, so you might want to read a modern biography as well.

[Cincinatus]

I second (or third or fourth) the many recommendations to you here to read Shelby Foote's magnificent trilogy, The Civil War: A Narative. Read it all; read the whole thing, straight through. Start on page one and don't stop until you finish page 3600. It's not only a scrupulously fair and meticulous history, it's a work of art. It's not only the best book on the Civil War, I believe that it's one of the finest books ever written.

After you finish Foote, you will be able to intelligently select the books on the aspects of the war that most interest you. Just for some guidance, I would heartily recommend...

Lincoln and his Generals by T. Harry Williams. The very best book on the problem of finding a union commander. Brilliant, witty, and entertaining.

Embrace an Angry Wind by Wiley Sword. About John Bell Hood's ill-fated 1864 campaign and the death of the western army of the Confederacy. Profoundly moving.

High Tide at Gettysburg by Glenn Tucker. The best campaign history of Gettysburg -- and I've read them all. Tucker was the first to "rehabilitate" Longstreet.

Decision in the West by Albert Castel. The Atlanta campaign; "Gone With the Wind" as it really happened.

Freedom by William Safire. Along with "The Killer Angels" and "Lincoln" (see below), one of the three best Civil war novels. Safire's theme is how much liberty should we expect to surrender to preserve our democratic experiment? The themes are unnervingly pertinent to today.

Lincoln by Gore Vidal. OK, so he's an extreme, leftist creep. But Gore Vidal can write. And his Lincoln is so well realized and rings so true, I can almost imagine Abe sitting in the room with me. Vidal's best book and one of the only two he's written that are really worth reading (the other is Julian, about the apostate Roman Emperor, but that's for another list!)

These should get you started. Good luck and enjoy!

[Nora]

Bibliography of Confederate Flag books: Flags Of The Confederacy.

[July 4th]

This one's not on the level of some of the others mentioned, but "A Brave Black Regiment" is pretty good.

There's also Weigley's history of the US military, which is great, but happens to include 400 years of military history along with the Civil War.

[LadyJD]

Hi,

I don't have time to read thru the thread to see if anyone has posted this link to you.

Greg Durand re-publishes a lot of the WONA (War of Northern Aggression) books that the empire's historians would like to consign to the memory hole. He has also written one of the definitive histories on Lincoln and his times.

Greg's page on that defining event in the destruction of the American Republic is here:

TRUTH IN HISTORY

[John_Kavanagh]

I agree with a number of previous posters that the best single work on the subject is The Civil War: A Narrative, by Shelby Foote. As someone observed above, it's great history and a work of art.

For the events leading up to the war, David M. Potter's The Impending Crisis provides a judicious overview.

For the common soldier's experience, Bell I. Wiley's Life of Johnny Reb and Life of Billy Yank are still a good place to start. Gerald Linderman's Embattled Courage is an absorbing study of Civil War combat.

Some of my favorite campaign books are The Gettysburg Campaign, by Edwin Coddington; Embrace an Angry Wind (on Hood's disastrous Tennessee Campaign), by Wiley Sword; Chancellorsville by Stephen Sears; Gordon C. Rhea's three volumes (so far) on Grant's Overland Campaign; and Larry J. Daniel's Shiloh, among many others.

There are good biographies of Robert E. Lee (by Douglas Southall Freeman and Emory M. Thomas), Stonewall Jackson (by Burke Davis, Frank Vandiver, and James I. Robertson), Jefferson Davis (by William C. Davis), and Ulysses S. Grant (by Lloyd Lewis [first volume] and Bruce Catton [volumes two and three]). Don't miss Lee's Lieutenant's, also by Freeman.

I'll add one novel to those already suggested: Long Remember, by Mackinlay Kantor, which looks at the battle of Gettysurg from the civilian point of view.

Finally, a book to avoid: William McFeely's Grant, which is riddled with errors and left-wing pap.

[general_re]

Well, everyone seems to have the war itself pretty well covered, so I'll throw in my 2¢ worth by recommending a book to backfill the plot for you ;)

William Freehling's The Road to Disunion : Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854 is a really great look at the politics and culture of the South leading up to the war. It's definitely worth the read, and Freehling's next work (volume two in what's shaping up to be a great series), Road to Disunion : Bleeding Kansas to Fort Sumter is due out Real Soon Now.

Also, if you just want a fun (but still historically accurate) piece of speculative historical fiction, try Harry Turtledove's The Guns of the South ;)

[kaylar]

If it's civil war fiction you like, here's some anthologies.

Chickamauga and other Civil war Stories ed. Shelby Foote )the Foote fans here should like it)

Civil War Fantastic ed Martin Greenberg

The Fantastic Civil War ed. Frank McSherry

Confederacy of the Dead ed. Gilliam, Greenberg, and Kramer

Like the 3 preceding, these two books will appeal to the fan of horror/SF as much as the civil war aficiando :

Bring the Jubilee Ward Moore

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

Both are set in an alternate universe where the south won the civil war. The Turtledove book has at least one sequel.

[Rebelbase]

My 2 cents worth. The best overall history of the Civil War in one book is James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom.

Author Burke Davis has a several books on various Civil War personalities and is a good story teller. J.E.B. Stuart, The Last Cavalier, and To Appomatox, Nine Days in April, 1865

The last book mentioned is a great accounting of the flight of the Confederate Army from Richmond to its final surrender at Appomatox. My favorite part of the whole book is when General Wise, the former VA. Governer stops to wash his face in a mud puddle one morning. General Lee rides up and Genl.Wise stands up to talk with him, only his face is covered in mud. General Lee says something to the effect of "General, I appreciate your enthusiasam in putting on your war paint this morning".

[bootyist-monk]

Can't give you advice about books, but if you want to see the best collection of Civil War figures ever produced, check out www.sideshowtoys.com. They have a Brother in Arms collection that is incredible.

I have the first set, and trust me, they are truly amazing and a must if you collect action figures or a history buff. They are offering a WWI collection, and famous Gunfighters as well. I've already pre-ordered the whole dang thing.

[1rudeboy]

I haven't read the thread yet, so does anybody remember a small "coffee-table" sized book that was published maybe 15-20 years ago that had 3D representations of the Civil War battlefields? I didn't buy it then, never saw it again, and have been regretting it ever since . . . .

[Snicker'sMom]

For an overview of the War in Arkansas, Christ's Rugged and Sublime is a good read.

The Campaigns of General Nathan Bedford Forrest by Jordan and Pryor is a very interesting, albeit biased, read. It provides detailed and insight into this controversial yet magnificent calvaryman.

Joshua Chamberlain's autobiography (I believe titled Passing of the Armies) is excellent, as well.

[PeaRidge]

I agree with many that would begin with either Shelby Foote or Bruce Catton's 'The Civil War'. In order to furthur understand the facts behind these popular post-war historians' descriptions, the book that is most often quoted for obscure facts is Pollard's 'Southern History of the War', which has been suggested, and was written as events unfolded.

Charles Adams' recent book which has also been recommended is most valuable in understanding the start of the war. It is interesting, and will stimulate you to furthur research. It uses data, combined with contemporary accounts, to verify Pollard and add understanding to Catton.

Finally, if you read Mary B. Chestnut's diary, then I would recommend 'Confederate Charleston' as a companion read.