The American Civil War & Reconstruction
Whistlestop Bookshop’s first store opened in Gettysburg in 1985. Eventually, over 19 years there, our Civil War section grew to be three large wall cases. A disproportionate percentage of it, naturally, was about the battle of Gettysburg and biographies of those who fought there. In addition to this book selling experience, my southern upbringing and Army family life created a lifelong interest in the War Between the States and all of its complexities. It is an understandable national obsession, considering how the first half of our nation’s history contributed to its ferocity, and the second half of our history has been the struggle to live with and understand the consequences.
A Short History of the Civil War
A Short History of the Civil War
“Stokesbury’s rare combination of scholarship and readability merits the highest recommendation.”
—Booklist
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of America’s bloody War Between the States, Harper Paperbacks is republishing A Short History of the Civil War by noted historian James L. Stokesbury with a new photo insert. A concise and compelling full account of the brutal conflict that redefined the nation, Stokesbury covers the war’s causes and major battles (Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, etc.), the important players and generals (Grant, Lee, McClellan and others), as well as the weaponry, the unsung heroes, and a wealth of fascinating, little-known details in what is the definitive, one-volume history of the momentous struggle between the Confederacy and the Union.