If you want to learn more about the civil war, these are the first books to read. These books are not only rich with historical facts, but the authors make sure to keep them entertaining. His writing skills were diminished, and he was left with a permanent speech impediment. Shaara rounds out the civil war trilogy started by his late father michael shaara, whose book the killer angels described the battle of gettysburg. Antietam documentary with james earl jones youtube. Pages in category american civil war novels the following 81 pages are in this category, out of 81 total. Jun 27, 2011 michael shaaras novel the killer angels inspired ken burns to make his documentary, the civil war. For most of the year, union and confederate forces. The killer angels was popular among civil war buffs and certain military enclaves like west point where at times it was required reading but otherwise the novel remained obscure. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. The american civil war was the most deadly and arguably the most important event in the nations history. A tale of history played out on a human scale in the grand shaara tradition, the smoke at dawn vividly recreates the climactic months of the war in the west, when the fate of a divided nation truly hangs in the balance. American civil war books fiction and nonfiction 345 books. Phil leigh is the author of two civil war books, an annotated and illustrated version of the memoirs of confederate private sam watkins entitled co.
Lees retreat from pennsylvania and continues through the end of the war. Sep 05, 2009 kristen suggests that the list reflects the state of the field today and how students of the civil war are still in many ways an old boys club. What was the most popular weapon after the civil war. Joseph and the daughters of charity, carried on mother setons work. While killer angels tells the story of the battle of gettysburg in poignant detail, and gods and generals provides the reader with insight into the minds of the men who commanded the armies of the civil war, in the last full measure jeff shaara brings you to your knees. From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are.
Although i have come to know a lot of the information, i credit that to the following books. The generals were found to be very falable and human. General sterling price and the civil war in the west by albert e. Nevertheless, the books on this list are, indeed, my alltime favorites cherished works that. Six books on the civil war these six histories of the civil war that are mustreads if you want to better understand the conflict. Far more books have been written about the civil war than about any other event in american history, and lincolns stack of books towers over that of any other american figure.
Bill and his family visited battlefields across the country, including shiloh in southwestern tennessee. When burnss series first aired on pbs for five consecutive nights in september 1990, 40 million people watched. The killer angels is one of the most interesting books of war literature ive read. The books span beyond just civil war history, and into other areas of historical interest. The killer angels takes the reader to gettysburg and makes him privy to the thoughts and conversations of the soldiers.
The list caught erics attention because it includes. The killer angels was the title of the 20 album by swedish heavy metal artists civil war, which included the song gettysburg, a song about the battle of gettysburg. Trying to name the top dozen civil war books of all time is, admittedly, a brazen act on my part. Aytch and trading with the enemy, which is about intersectional wartime commerce between the north and south. June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the union and the confederacy move into battle around the town of gettysburg, pennsylvania, and july 1, july 2, and july 3, when the battle was fought. Jan 23, 2018 what was the most popular weapon after the civil war.
Dec 01, 2015 but the naysayers and doubters hadnt been there. The last full measure tells the epic story of the events following the battle of gettysburg and brings to life the final two years of the civil war. I still assign this to graduate students as an example of historical writing at its best and for its deployment of the concept of irony to the sectional conflict. Antietam documentary they show at the visitor center. In the pulitzer prizewinning classic the killer angels, michael shaara created the finest civil war novel of our time. The first of four books deal with civil war in west and consist of a the book, which covers the battle of shiloh, a chain of thunder was the second volume, released on may, 20, and was jeffs twelfth bestseller which dealt with campaign and siege of the vicksburg. Shaara used the words of the men themselves and drew from their letters and. It details the battle from the perspective of a number of generals and other military leaders and brings out both the moral and military crises that marked the civil war. Jun 23, 20 check out my other civil war videos on my channel. It would never occur to many americans that anything connected with the civil war happened farther out west. The author cements the battle of gettysburg in your very soul.
The best civil war books of all time analysis civil war. An incredible story, as well as excellent historical detailing and insight into the eastern theatre of the war in virginia. Use the list below to locate a specific specialist bookseller or book store near you. Oct 26, 2015 the civil war is the subject of the majority of my articles. It is their story of service during the civil war that became our serendipitous find. Any recommended reading list therefore has to be highly selective and at least somewhat arbitrary. In the smoke at dawn, the last great push of the army of the cumberland sets the stage for a decisive confrontation at chattanooga that could. Heaven help the society that takes its wisdom from movies. After the civil war, the most popular weapons were those featuring the selfcontained cartridge, which displaced the paper cartridge used up through the civil war. A novel of the civil war the 4 th and final volume in the war in the west series, dealing with the extraordinary drama of shermans march, and the final days of the war in the carolinas. Sherman, william hardee, and an escaped slave, who see the fight from very different sides.
And they hadnt walked the dreadful road west from mons. He is currently writing a third book, civil war scandals and. Dec 26, 2018 most people who knew bill martin, a high school student in bowie, maryland, knew he was a civil war buff. His interest started because of his father, bill, sr. They hadnt fought against enormous odds, with comrades dying next to them, baked by a remorseless sun and drenched with rain. The book tells the story of the four days of the battle of gettysburg in the american civil war. Because it has a human touch that other civil war books lack because it captures the gloryand the horrorand the heartbreak that is war. Surmounting social and political obstacles, they emerged before and during the worst crisis in american history, the civil war. The civil war in the west 1863 strategic setting the campaign of 1863 in eastern tennessee was primarily a struggle for the small city of chattanooga, on the banks of the tennessee river in the mountainous southeastern corner of the state. Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Not really a civil war book, but crucial to understanding all other civil war books. Harriet tubman, harriet beecher stowe, clara barton, julia ward howe, and sarah josepha hale came from backgrounds that ranged from abject enslavement to new york citys elite. It tops several available lists of best novels of the civil war for good reason.
Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. It was 1914, and europe flamed and thundered with the red ruin of war. In 2002, burns remastered the series, digitally overhauling the visuals and adding a commentary. A second stage adaptation by brian newell, the killer angels, soldiers of gettysburg, opened may 5, 2017 at the maverick theater in fullerton california. When i received the killer angels it was as if i traveled thirty years back to civil war round table in middle school. Sectional tensions enshrined in the constitution erupted into a brutal war that cost over 600,000 lives and cleaved a nation in two. While gods and generals covered action prior to gettysburg, the last full measure picks up with confederate general robert e. E ric wittenbergs latest post includes a list of the 50 greatest civil war books compiled by the old baldy cwrt in philadelphia. After her death, the order she established, the sisters of charity of st. The book was required reading, but i loved it even then.
1532 734 495 1416 448 1174 1139 411 1201 876 1111 585 159 1282 1376 904 296 793 754 711 146 778 1234 1202 647 1270 751 567