The American Civil War, one of the defining moments in American history, was a conflict fought between 1861 and 1865, primarily over issues of slavery, states' rights, and the preservation of the Union. The war pitted the Northern states, known as the Union, against the Southern states, known as the Confederacy. The roots of the Civil War can be traced back to long-standing tensions between the North and South over economic, social, and political differences. One of the central issues was slavery, with the Northern states advocating for its abolition while the Southern states relied heavily on slave labor, particularly in agriculture.
The election of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican opposed to the expansion of slavery into new territories, in 1860, served as a catalyst for the secession of Southern states from the Union. In response, several Southern states declared their independence and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the outbreak of war in April 1861 when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Civil War was characterized by a series of major battles and campaigns, including the First Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Siege of Vicksburg. These battles resulted in staggering casualties on both sides and caused immense suffering and devastation across the country. The war also saw the introduction of new technologies and tactics, such as rifled muskets, ironclad warships, and trench warfare, which revolutionized the nature of warfare and contributed to the high casualty rates.
In
1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring
all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free. This marked a
significant turning point in the war, aligning the Union cause with the
abolition of slavery and garnering support from European powers. The
tide of the war began to turn in favor of the Union following key
victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863. In April 1865,
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses
S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War.
The
Civil War resulted in the abolition of slavery, the preservation of the
Union, and the establishment of federal authority over the states.
However, it also left a lasting legacy of bitterness, resentment, and
racial divisions that would shape American society for generations to
come. The Civil War remains one of the most significant events in
American history, shaping the nation's identity, politics, and culture,
and serving as a reminder of the cost of division and the struggle for
freedom and equality.
Easton Press Civil War books
The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War by George B. Davis - 1982
Gettysburg; The Final Fury by Bruce Catton - 1986
Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War by David Donald - 1987 (Library of American History)
Lee and Grant; A dual biography by Gene Smith - 1987 (Library of Military History)
Reflections on The Civil War by Bruce Catton - 1987
American Heritage Picture History of The Civil War by Bruce Catton - 1988
Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen W. Sears - 1988
From Manassas to Appomattox by James Longstreet - 1989 (Library of Military History)
The Gettysburg Campaign; A Study in Command - 2 volumes - Edwin B. Coddington - 1989
To Appomattox by Burke Davis - 1990
The Civil War; A Narrative - 3 volume set - Shelby Foote - 1991
Lee's Lieutenants a Study in Command by Douglas Southall Freeman - 3 volume set - 1991
Sherman: Fighting Prophet by Lloyd Lewis - 2 volumes - 1991
The Wilderness Campaign by Edward Steere - 1991
Images of The Civil War by Mort Künstler - 1992 (signed edition)
Lee - 1993 (2 volumes in the Great Military Commanders set)
Don Troiani's Civil War - 1995 (signed edition)
Lee; An Abridgement by Douglas Southall Freeman - 1995 (Library of Great Lives)
Jackson and Lee; Legends in Gray - The Paintings of Mort Künstler - 1995
McClellan's Own Story - 1995
The Photographic History of the Civil War - 10 volume set - 1995
How The North Won: A Military History of the Civil War by Hattaway and Jones - 2 volumes - 1996
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (Illustrated by Mort Künstler) - 1996
The Blue and the Gray: The Story of the Civil War As Told By Participants - 2 volume set - 2000
The Civil War Chronicle - 2000
The Civil War in the Words of Its Greatest Commanders: Lee and Grant by Armistead L. Long - 2000
Memoirs of The Civil War Generals - 7 volume set - 2000
Battles and Leaders of The Civil War - 4 volume set - 2002
Witness to the Civil War - 2003
The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler - 2004 (signed edition)
Great Battles of Civil War - 6 volume set - 2004 - including titles:
Shiloh
The Fredericksburg Campaign
Chancellorsville
Landscape Turned Red
Grant Wins the War
Gettysburg
Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War - 2 volumes - 2004
The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference - 2004
Memoirs of The Civil War Generals - 6 volume set - 2005
The Civil War by Diane Canwell and Jonathan Sutherland - 2008
1861; The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart - 2012
The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War - 2012
The Civil War Library - 35 Volume set including titles:
Chancellorsville 1863: The Soul of the Brave by Ernest B. Furgurson
Why the Confederacy Lost
Fort Henry and Donelson: The Key to the Confederate Heartland by Benjamin Franklin Cooling
Partners in Command: The Relationship Between Leaders in the Civil War by Joseph T Glatthaar
The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy by Bell Irvin Wiley
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson (2 volumes)
The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government by Jefferson Davis (2 volumes)
This Terrible Sound: The battle of Chickamauga by Peter Cozzens
The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command by Edwin B. Coddington (2 volumes)
Sheridan in the Shenandoah: Jubal Early's Nemesis by Edward J. Stackpole
Fiasco at Fredericksburg by Vorin E. Whan, Jr.
The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union by Bell Irvin Wiley
Memoirs of general William T. Sherman, two volumes complete in one
Jefferson Davis: The Man and his Hour by William C. Davis
Mary Chesnut's Civil War (2 volumes)
R. E. Lee: A Biography by Douglas Southall Freeman (4 volumes)
The Civil War: A narrative by Shelby Foote (3 volumes)
Mighty Stonewall by Frank E. Vandiver
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
The Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign of 1862
Civil War Trilogy: A Stillness at Appomattox, Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory Road by Bruce Catton (3 volumes)
Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War by William C. Davis
To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign by Stephen W. Sears
The Web of Victory: Grant at Vicksburg by Earl Schenck Miers
Franklin Library Civil War books
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane - 1976 (100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature)
A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton - 1977 (signed limited edition)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane - 1979 (100 Greatest Books of All Time)
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - 1979 (Library of Pulitzer Prize Classics)
The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton - 1980 (signed limited edition)
A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton - 1983 (Pulitzer Prize Classics)
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane - 1983 (World's Best Loved Books)
Palladium Press Civil War books
Firearms of The Confederacy by Claud E. Fuller & Richard Stewart - 1995 (Firearms Classics Library)
Abraham Lincoln and the Union : A Chronicle of the Embattled North by Nathaniel W. Stephenson - 2006 (Library of American Freedoms)