[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.

[muleskinner]

Forgot - Consider joining a Civil War preservation group. Either the Civil War Trust for overall site perservation activity or a local group that concentrates on one site, i.e., Friends of Gettysburg.

If preservation is important to you, it's the most rewarding activity you can do.

[csvset]

Get the audio tape, Foote reads it himself. Excellent series, I listened to them while driving across country.