Any Civil War buffs here?

lilwing88

Looking for a recommendation for a good book on the general history of the war. There's so many books I want to read about individual battles or people. But don't know where to start with just the overall account. Thanks.

Direwolf

I love touring civil war battle fields and have been to a bunch of them. As for the books I couldn't steer you towards a good one.

Salem

Me, me, ME!! Have always loved Civil War history. I have the old Time-Life series of books on the civil war. It's very good and detailed with wonderful pics. Several books in this series. I got it off ebay years ago. I have many other various books. I also have 2 authentic Confederate 10 dollar bill and a 50 cent fractional note. I have 2 civil war mini balls, one Confederate and one Union (you can tell the difference by the number of rings on it). I have many civil war era coins (had to recently buy more because all my coins were stolen during a break in this past Oct). I have a multitude of DVDs, and the best by far is The Civil War by Ken Burns. Well worth buying and you can probably buy it off ebay. I have watched this series many times over and it's great! I've been to Gettysburg which is a wonderful experience. So yeah, I'm somewhat of a Civil War buff, lol!!! Here's the Time-Life books I'm talking about: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIME-LIFE-BOOKS-COMPLETE-SET-28-CIVIL-WAR-SERIES-MASTER-INDEX-/150726840662?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item2318051156

Salem

And here's the Civil War by Ken Burns: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Civil-War-Film-Directed-Ken-Burns-US-SELLER-/220920422313?pt=US_DVD_HD_DVD_Blu_ray&hash=item336fe21fa9

JDH

lilwing88:

Looking for a recommendation for a good book on the general history of the war. There's so many books I want to read about individual battles or people. But don't know where to start with just the overall account. Thanks.

"The Civil War" a three volume narrative by Shelby Foote.

From the Amazon book description:

A stunning literary and historical achievement, the three volumes of Shelby Foote’s THE CIVIL WAR vividly brings to life the four years of torment and strife that altered American life forever. Presented in a handsome boxed set, these three beautifully bound hardcovers are an essential addition to every American history collection.

Taking the reader from the drama of Jefferson Davis’s resignation from the United States Senate and Abraham Lincoln’s arrival in the nation’s capital to Davis’s final flight and capture and Lincoln’s tragic death, Foote covers his subject with astonishing depth and scope. Every battle, every general, and every statesman has its place in this monumental narrative, told in lively prose that captures the sights, smells, and sounds of the conflict. Never before have the great battles and personalities of the Civil War been so excitingly presented, and never before has the story been told so completely.

phobicsquirrel

I love history. The civil was has a lot of layers too it. I can't remember any names of books I've read, maybe 2 or 3 but that was a long time ago. I do catch documentary's on it a lot though.

sol1821

which civil war ? :P

Bobbo2009

I'm a huge Civil War buff. I've probably got somewhere in the neighborhood of 50+ books on the subject. And that doesn't count the alternate history books I have on the matter. The Shelby Foote "Civil War' 3 volume set (already mentioned) is great. This is not a small volume. Each of the books (that I have) is over 800 pages. You might also try "The Civil War" by Bruce Catton or "The Civil War" by Geoffrey Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns. Both a good books. One more (off the top of my head) would be "Battle Cry of Freedom" by James M. McPherson. If you want any more suggestions please let me know. I can also you give some really good fiction Civil War books too.

Rob

JDH

The American Civil War was the result of an intentional failure by elected representatives to find common ground, to compromise in a common effort to solve a complex problem (slavery) that was threatening the existence of the Republic.

Ken Light

Bobbo2009:

You might also try "The Civil War" by Bruce Catton

I was going to suggest this. Read a good portion of it in a Civil War class in college, great introduction to the entire war, nice maps to follow the battles.

lilwing88

Thanks for all the suggestions, fellas! Much appreciated!

Heavy

Best Civil War book I've ever read (disclaimer: I haven't read all that many) is The Siege of Charleston 1861-1865 by E. Milby Burton. It's published by the University of S.C. Press and I got it at the market in Charleston, so I'm not sure how widely distributed it is. If you can find it, it's a very unique perspective of the war from the first shot fired from Sullivan's Island by a bunch of Citadel cadets thru the collapse of Charleston.

Krieg

After my father researched our family tree, he discovered we had family that fought at Gettysburg (and survived). So after being a WWI and WWII buff, I got interested in the Civil War. I happened to come across "The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865". It is a good book, written by someone who actually served in the war.

Ken Light

Also if you're looking for fiction, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. His son, Jeff Shaara continued it with a series, but I only read the first by Michael. I've heard good things about the others though, just never got around to it.

Bobbo2009

Ken Light:

Also if you're looking for fiction, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. His son, Jeff Shaara continued it with a series, but I only read the first by Michael. I've heard good things about the others though, just never got around to it.

The Killer Angles is a GREAT book. I ahve probably read it at least 6 times in the past 15 years. Michael Shaara's son actually wrote two books. "Gods and Generals" would be the first book in the series, than his fathers books, and the last one is "The Last Full Measure". All of them are GREAT books.

Ken Light

Bobbo2009:

Ken Light:

Also if you're looking for fiction, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. His son, Jeff Shaara continued it with a series, but I only read the first by Michael. I've heard good things about the others though, just never got around to it.

The Killer Angles is a GREAT book. I ahve probably read it at least 6 times in the past 15 years. Michael Shaara's son actually wrote two books. "Gods and Generals" would be the first book in the series, than his fathers books, and the last one is "The Last Full Measure". All of them are GREAT books.

Yeah, I think I mistyped, I meant he finished the series, as in the last two of the trilogy. One of these days I'll get around to re-reading Killer Angels and then read the Jeff ones.

Bobbo2009

Ken Light:

Bobbo2009:

Ken Light:

Also if you're looking for fiction, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. His son, Jeff Shaara continued it with a series, but I only read the first by Michael. I've heard good things about the others though, just never got around to it.

The Killer Angles is a GREAT book. I ahve probably read it at least 6 times in the past 15 years. Michael Shaara's son actually wrote two books. "Gods and Generals" would be the first book in the series, than his fathers books, and the last one is "The Last Full Measure". All of them are GREAT books.

Yeah, I think I mistyped, I meant he finished the series, as in the last two of the trilogy. One of these days I'll get around to re-reading Killer Angels and then read the Jeff ones.

Just make sure you start with "God and Generals" first. That is the first book in the series, written by Jeff Shaara. Even though "Killer Angels" was written first, G&G is the first. I always have to remember that when I reread that series.

zoom6zoom

Well, we have a different name for it down here. I'm lucky to live right in the area where a lot of this history happened.

xIcedGuardianx

zoom6zoom:

Well, we have a different name for it down here. I'm lucky to live right in the area where a lot of this history happened.

+1 living near where it happened. Love being this close to such an interesting part of history. Btw, anyone interested in a cool doc on the civil war should see the episode on America: the Story of Us. Pretty interesting info and really well done. ( it's on Netflix if you have that)

fla-gypsy

Been a student of the "War of Northern Aggression" since I was a kid. G-G-Grandfather was in the 51st Ga Infantry, Co. F ANV. A man named Benson J Lossing published a work soon after the war using Matthew Brady photograph facsimilies and included details from the field commander reports for every engagement of the war. I would suggest a book such as this to avoid the revisionist tendencies of todays writers. Admittedly it is written from a northerners view but has that first hand account that cannot be duplicated by later writers

JDH

There was no War of Northern Agression. The South was not a victim, but a damnable curse on the concept of a nation where "all men are created equal". Southern Confederacy should never be revered or admired, because it was an act of rebellion against the United States of America for the "noble cause " of preserving the institrution of slavery, under the guise, and the lie, of "states rights". I grew up in the south, and I am ashamed of the Confederacy, and of its legacy of hatred and racism made manifest in the American Aparthied that was Jim Crow, and of the violence committed by the KKK, an institution conceived in the "noble cause". I consider Robert E Lee to be a traitor against the United States of America, and it is fitting that the dead from that war should have been buried at his doorstep. There is much blood on his hands and conscience.

I had relatives who fought and died for both sides. As far as I'm concerned, they will never be honored until all glory is stripped form the Confederacy, and it is viewed by all Americans as being the shameful, despicable attack on human dignity and freedom that it was.

greg2648

After researching our family tree, we found out that a Great, Great, Great Grandfather of mine was in the battle of Shiloh. He was captured and died as a POW. He is buried in Georgia at Andersonville National Cemetary. He fought for the Union out of Missouri.

dowjr1

JDH, I find humor in the idea of someone still getting riled up about the various stances or views (which are strictly historical at this point) of those involved in the Civil War. We are all welcome to our opinion but the idea you would be worked up about the Confederacy is laughable. I, for one, do not share your views about the Conferacy being shameful, etc. The reality is people from the South joined the Confederacy for a variety of reasons and many had no interest or association with slavery. I also do not view Lee as a traitor or anything of the sort. I don't know how much reading you have done about Lee but he was a lot of things and revered and respected by many on both sides both before and after the war. But like I said, we are all welcome to our opinion.

fla-gypsy

JDH:

There was no War of Northern Agression. The South was not a victim, but a damnable curse on the concept of a nation where "all men are created equal". Southern Confederacy should never be revered or admired, because it was an act of rebellion against the United States of America for the "noble cause " of preserving the institrution of slavery, under the guise, and the lie, of "states rights". I grew up in the south, and I am ashamed of the Confederacy, and of its legacy of hatred and racism made manifest in the American Aparthied that was Jim Crow, and of the violence committed by the KKK, an institution conceived in the "noble cause". I consider Robert E Lee to be a traitor against the United States of America, and it is fitting that the dead from that war should have been buried at his doorstep. There is much blood on his hands and conscience.

I had relatives who fought and died for both sides. As far as I'm concerned, they will never be honored until all glory is stripped form the Confederacy, and it is viewed by all Americans as being the shameful, despicable attack on human dignity and freedom that it was.

A bit over the top there brother. Calling us names will not change any facts regardless of where you think you grew up. My experience would suggest your views would be a very, very small minority of those who are native southerners, has no factual basis and has not been disputed by historians on either side of the issue. You will not see the pride in the southern people of their heritage wane in your lifetime or any other lifetime.

fla-gypsy

greg2648:

After researching our family tree, we found out that a Great, Great, Great Grandfather of mine was in the battle of Shiloh. He was captured and died as a POW. He is buried in Georgia at Andersonville National Cemetary. He fought for the Union out of Missouri.

I have been to the National Cemetery at Andersonville. It is a sobering and haunting place and a starke reminder of what the results of war can be.

JDH

fla-gypsy:

JDH:

There was no War of Northern Agression. The South was not a victim, but a damnable curse on the concept of a nation where "all men are created equal". Southern Confederacy should never be revered or admired, because it was an act of rebellion against the United States of America for the "noble cause " of preserving the institrution of slavery, under the guise, and the lie, of "states rights". I grew up in the south, and I am ashamed of the Confederacy, and of its legacy of hatred and racism made manifest in the American Aparthied that was Jim Crow, and of the violence committed by the KKK, an institution conceived in the "noble cause". I consider Robert E Lee to be a traitor against the United States of America, and it is fitting that the dead from that war should have been buried at his doorstep. There is much blood on his hands and conscience.

I had relatives who fought and died for both sides. As far as I'm concerned, they will never be honored until all glory is stripped form the Confederacy, and it is viewed by all Americans as being the shameful, despicable attack on human dignity and freedom that it was.

A bit over the top there brother. Calling us names will not change any facts regardless of where you think you grew up. My experience would suggest your views would be a very, very small minority of those who are native southerners, has no factual basis and has not been disputed by historians on either side of the issue. You will not see the pride in the southern people of their heritage wane in your lifetime or any other lifetime.

No name calling there, none whatsoever. Just the cold hard facts. I lived in Birmingham Alabama 1962-1963. I have a very deep rooted understanding of exactly what the legacy of Southern Confederacy is. I worked for Southern Poverty Law in 1972 registering people to vote who had been denied that right for over 100 years in rural East Texas.

It is my conviction that until southerners finally come to terms with exactly what the confederacy stood for, the Civil War will never be over. There was no War of Northern Agression, and the Confederacy was not a victim of anything except their own beligerance, arrogance and evil.

After WWII, the German People came to terms with the true nature of Nazism, and have taken strong measures make amends for their crimes. Unfortunately, in the Southern US, no such action has ever occured, and the lingering romance surrounding the "lost cause" of rebellion against the USA in the name of slavery still haunts the USA today.

jasonusa1

Read this yesterday, thought some of you may enjoy it:

http://alumni.wm.edu/magazine/2011/Winter/#wars-long-reach-III-1

Salem

Here's my "history Shelf" where I have all lots of my books on Civil War, American Indian, The West, ancient history, etc. On the shelf showing I have original things except for the wooden bowl (my brother in law made it) and the wooden cask. It's a cigar box made recently I'm sure. Other than that, the Confederate bill is authentic, given to me by my mother-in-law that was passed down in the family. Indian spearheads that were dug up out of a field by my husband when he was a boy. An Indian Head Penny. And 2 mini balls I bought in Gettysburg that are suppose to be authentic....supposed to be, I hope they are.

Salem

Ken Light

JDH:

fla-gypsy:

JDH:

There was no War of Northern Agression. The South was not a victim, but a damnable curse on the concept of a nation where "all men are created equal". Southern Confederacy should never be revered or admired, because it was an act of rebellion against the United States of America for the "noble cause " of preserving the institrution of slavery, under the guise, and the lie, of "states rights". I grew up in the south, and I am ashamed of the Confederacy, and of its legacy of hatred and racism made manifest in the American Aparthied that was Jim Crow, and of the violence committed by the KKK, an institution conceived in the "noble cause". I consider Robert E Lee to be a traitor against the United States of America, and it is fitting that the dead from that war should have been buried at his doorstep. There is much blood on his hands and conscience.

I had relatives who fought and died for both sides. As far as I'm concerned, they will never be honored until all glory is stripped form the Confederacy, and it is viewed by all Americans as being the shameful, despicable attack on human dignity and freedom that it was.

A bit over the top there brother. Calling us names will not change any facts regardless of where you think you grew up. My experience would suggest your views would be a very, very small minority of those who are native southerners, has no factual basis and has not been disputed by historians on either side of the issue. You will not see the pride in the southern people of their heritage wane in your lifetime or any other lifetime.

No name calling there, none whatsoever. Just the cold hard facts. I lived in Birmingham Alabama 1962-1963. I have a very deep rooted understanding of exactly what the legacy of Southern Confederacy is. I worked for Southern Poverty Law in 1972 registering people to vote who had been denied that right for over 100 years in rural East Texas.

It is my conviction that until southerners finally come to terms with exactly what the confederacy stood for, the Civil War will never be over. There was no War of Northern Agression, and the Confederacy was not a victim of anything except their own beligerance, arrogance and evil.

After WWII, the German People came to terms with the true nature of Nazism, and have taken strong measures make amends for their crimes. Unfortunately, in the Southern US, no such action has ever occured, and the lingering romance surrounding the "lost cause" of rebellion against the USA in the name of slavery still haunts the USA today.

Plain and simple: the war had nothing to do with slavery. The north held slaves at the time of the war. Granted, not as many as the south, but the south had more need for their more agrarian economy, not inferior morals. Calling southerners inferior morally is tantamount to racism and far more revisionist than anything you're pointing fingers at. Slavery was tacked on later by Lincoln to win back over the people to continue what had become a very unpopular war. In fact, there are huge similarities between Lincoln's war and George Bush's war in Iraq. In both cases the motive was an emotional rallying point, enthusiasm for which quickly waned in the light of the true horrors of war, and in both cases a more moral motive ("Free the slaves" and "Free the Iraqis," respectively) replaced the previous one to win back some support.

Salem

Here's my opinion of the Civil War. It was an unfortunate event in history. The south did secede from the union due to their beliefs and the threat of the North to take away their rights and beliefs, which did include, but were not limited to. slavery. The war was horrible, especially on the south that lost almost everything. But the reason it was also a war against the citizens, was to make it so bad on the south that they'd never want to fight again, and this was attained. I feel that slavery was wrong, but it was ingrained in their society, but does not make it right. It took the civil war to right that wrong. The Civil War, though unfortunate, was what made our nation a united nation. I feel the union should have been preserved at all costs. I'm a southerner through and through, North Carolina born and bred and I believe this to be true.