[[File:Gettysburg.jpeg|thumbnail|300px|left|<i>Gettysburg</i>]]__NOTOC__The Civil War is the most written about event in United States history. There are an extraordinary number of books covering all aspects of the war from large overviews like James McPherson's <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019516895X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019516895X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e33f3bb02b609b5b80ce0c3755444af0 Battle Cry Freedom]</i>, Gary Gallagher's books on <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674066081/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0674066081&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=de7ad6c37a2cdfff0cc474c341f422c9 The Union War ]</i> and <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674160568/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0674160568&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=781edeb3e16fe4ea8cd7f34e566f954c The Confederate War]</i>, Allan Nevins 8 volume set on the conflict, and Shelby Foote's [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394749138/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0394749138&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=34c399c569f5af2adb9dba9a17652804 three volume set of books ] on the war. Like a lot of people, I started with Shelby Foote's books, but over the years I have drifted towards more academic works. Unsurprisingly, all kinds of different authors have written non-fiction books on the topic. Some of these authors are academic historians such as James McPherson and Gary Gallagher, more literary authors such as Winston Groom (author of fiction works such as Forest Gump and Civil War nonfiction works Shiloh, 1862 and Vicksburg, 1863) and Shelby Foote, and an extraordinary number of independent scholars. I would not be surprised to learn that there are more self-published books on the American Civil War than any other American historical topic.
Creating this list has been both very easy and extraordinarily difficult. It is easy to find great books on Civil War Battles, but it is almost impossible to pick only ten. If you are a stickler and count the books listed, you will notice that the final is little bit higher than 10. Therefore, this list is not comprehensive. That would be impossible. Additionally, it only focuses on specific battles or campaigns of the war. Even when you intentionally restrict the number of total books on the war, you are still left with thousands of book titles. There are over 1,000 books available on Amazon discussing some aspect of just the battle of Gettysburg. The books on At the list has a focus on both traditional academic historians and independent historians. While this list has been focused on battlesvery least, there these books are some truly extraordinary Civil War historians who have never written about battles or military campaigns. Drew Gilpin Faust's The Republic of Suffering may be one a great place to start an exploration of the most important books ever written about the Civil War and it focused people dealt with the growing numbers of dead. The number of great Civil War historians left off of the list is tragic.
Creating this Here is our list has been both very easy and extraordinarily difficult. It [[File:Crossroads_of_Freedom.jpg|thumbnail|left|200px|<i>Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam</i>]]<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618344195/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618344195&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=edb1d6a640423279a1d72001664a0a91 Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam]</i>, (Mariner Books) Stephen W. Sears - Stephen Sears'<i>Landscape Turned Red</i> is easy considered to find great booksbe the preeminent book on the Battle of Antietam. When it was published in 1983, but Sears book received near universal acclaim and it is almost impossible to pick still holds up extremely well. Sears book not only ten. If you are a stickler and count walks the reader through the books listedbattle, you will notice that but clearly explains why the final is little bit higher than 10stakes were so high for both sides of this battle.
These books have typically been lauded as some <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195173309/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0195173309&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=80102c73906ceab964b0b0831e1713a2 Antietam: Crossroads of Freedom]</i>, (Oxford University Press) James McPherson - McPherson has written extensively on the best Civil War, but he has usually approached this topic from broader narrative. In his Pulitzer Prize winning book Battle Cry Freedom, he masterfully wrote about the entire war. In one of his most recent books on these battles The War that Forged a Nation, he explained how the war fundamentally changed the United States and campaignswhy it still resonates today. In Antietam, McPherson took a different approach. Even if your favorite listedHe not only walks the reader the entire battle, these books are fantastic place to startbut he explains why the battle of Antietam fundamentally altered the course of the war.
Here is our list<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679728317/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679728317&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0c817b7e934d7d21fdce5d684d5b36c0 Chancellorsville 1863, The Souls of the Brave]</i>, (Knopf) Ernest B. Furguson - Furguson's book elegantly explains the tactically complicated Battle of Chancellorsville and puts the reader into the midst of the action. Furguson, a former columnist and journalist for the <i>Baltimore Sun</i> has written several other outstanding books on Civil War including <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679746609/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679746609&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=eef30d1217401c560a729113f0e2470d Ashes of Glory]</i> and <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375404546/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375404546&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d6571b2049a36690996a15169737f671 Freedom Rising]</i>.
<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807872695/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807872695&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e75411434194a906c349e1f16ab03074 Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!]</i>, (UNC Press) George Rable - Rable's book is the classic book on the Battle of Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg was a disastrous defeat for the Union army and his books not only looks at the military aspects of the conflict, but also the social and political aspects that influenced and shaped the battle. This is the best book to start with if you want learn about Fredericksburg. [[File:Landscape_Turned_Red.jpg|thumbnail|200px|left|<i>Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam</i>]]<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469625334/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1469625334&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5cbd7fb2ebb6d725d9af14b1b262f59af Cold Harbor to the Crater: The End of the Overland Campaign]</i>, (UNC Press) Edited by Caroline Jenner & Gary Gallagher - Jenner and Gallagher's book is one in a series the excellent Military Campaigns of the Civil War series of books published by the University of North Carolina Press. Other books in the series examine the Fredericksburg, Shenandoah Valley and Wilderness campaigns. Like other books in this series it includes essays from noted Civil War and 19th Century historians including Joan Waugh, Stephen Cushman, Keith Kathryn Shively Meier, Gordon Rhea. Instead of simply describing the campaign, these essays delve deeply into a diverse array of topic including the work of Confederate engineers, enduring the life of a soldier, Searsthe resilience of Confederate soldiers after Gettysburg, and the experiences of civilians caught in the battle for Petersburg for over a year.
Antietam: Crossroads of Freedom, James McPherson <dh- McPherson has written extensively on the Civil War, but he has usually approached this topic from broader narrative. In his Pultizer Prize winning book Battle Cry Freedom, he masterfully wrote about the entire war. In one of his most recent books The War that Forged a Nation, he explained how the war fundamentally changed the United States and why it still resonates today. In Antietam, McPherson took a different approach. He not only walks the reader the entire battle, but he explains why the battle of Antietam fundamentally altered the course of the war. ad/>
Chancellorsville 1863[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807128031/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807128031&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e3bedc1d34a4ab0394b1409242343e9c Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26-June 3, 1864], (LSU Press) Gordon Rhea The Souls Overland Series - Unlike Gallagher's and Jenner's more expansive book of essays, Rhea's book focuses on the battle for Cold Harbor. Despite the Bravedisproportionate losses by the Union, Fergusonthe Battle of Cold Harbor was a stalemate. Rhea goes into extraordinary detail about the battle and tries to demystify why the so many Union troops were killed. Cold Harbor is part of Rhea's Overland Campaign series published by LSU Press. The series also includes <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807118737/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807118737&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=1a7a074dfdfd20472c7b5bc65ad4ee79 The Battle of the Wilderness]</i>, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807121363/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807121363&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=0dd2d7241d92d21a95949197fe89c647 The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern]</i>, and <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807125350/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807125350&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=14623c18b0d4a0619a022701fd1080d9 To the North Anna River]</i>. Rhea's book on the <i>Battle of the Wilderness</i> is also considered to be the classic book on this battle.
Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!<b>The Battle of Gettysburg</b> - It is impossible to pick just one book on the Battle of Gettysburg. While there has been a longstanding debate over which battle was more important during the war - Antietam or Gettysburg, George RableGettysburg has become part of the American consciousness. Not only did it end the Confederacy's advance into the North, it gave birth to the most famous speech in American history. Each of these books attempts to answer different questions about Gettysburg.
Harry Pfanz book <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807847305/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807847305&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=99ab2cbaf9236d0f568e9341bdfd8aec Gettysburg: The Fredericksburg CampaignSecond Day]</i>(UNC Press) focuses solely on the second day of the battle, Gary Gallagher while Stephen Sears takes a much more expansive look at the entire in battle <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618485384/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0618485384&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c- Military Campaigns 20&linkId=d3659b96be7588346745720a4e005e02 Gettysburg]</i>(Mariner Books). <div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'>====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====*[[American Civil War Biographies Top Ten Booklist]]*[[What Were the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of "Stonewall" Jackson?]]*[[Why Was the Battle of Antietam a Pivotal event in the American Civil War?]]*[[Gilded Age/Progressive Era History Top Ten Booklist]]*[[Was the Destruction Perpetrated by Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman Necessary to End the Civil War?]]*[[The Best Historians and Books According to James McPherson]]</div> Carol Reardon's book <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807854611/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807854611&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a78632122521fd5b8ff8e9046e163dc Pickett’s Charge in History and Memory]</i> (UNC Press) takes an entirely different approach by focusing on perhaps the most important charge in United States history. She explains why Pickett's Charge has been elevated to the status of an American myth and attempts to put the charge back into its proper historical place. [[File:The_Civil_War_at_Sea.jpg|thumbnail|left|200px|<i>The Civil Warat Sea</i>]]Finally, Mark Grimsley and Brooks D. Simpson's <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803270771/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803270771&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=13f92ebb8229f28b42f9fa539ae62a3a Gettysburg: A Battle Guide]</i> (Bison Books) is the battle guide on Gettysburg. The authors help the reader make sense of confusing and complicated battlefield better than any other book. This book essential if you plan on visiting [https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm The Gettysburg National Military Park].
Gettysburg<i>[https: //www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199931682/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199931682&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=77557c16fc84e192ad77dc4d567da088 The Second Day Civil War at Sea]</i>, (Oxford University Press) Craig Symonds - GettysburgWhile not technically a Civil War battle book, Sears<i>The Civil War at Sea</i> demonstrates how important the Union naval campaigns were to their victory. The book is broken up into sections covering the Union blockade of Confederate ports, Pickett’s Charge in History the sieges of Charleston and Memory Carol Reardon, Amerircan Hertiage History Wilmington and the role of privateers during the war. Symondsdoes a fantastic job bringing a neglected aspect of the Civil War to the forefront.
The Civil War at Sea, Symonds, Gettysburg<i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081313384X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=081313384X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ca763a4ee1a73f7e49475b2ab601d0e9 Perryville: A This Grand Havoc of Battle Guide Grimsley and Simpson Cold Harbor]</i>, Gordon Rhea The Overland Series (University of Kentucky Press) Kenneth W. Noe (University of Kentucky Press)- The Battle of Perryville represents the high water point of the Confederacy's western campaign. Perryville was a Confederate victory, but it failed to achieve the South's strategic goal; bring Kentucky into the Confederate fold. Noe not only gives a detailed description of the Wildernessbattle, Gordon Rheabut he also describes the lives of the soldiers both during the western campaign and after the war.[[Category:Booklists]] [[Category:United States History]] [[Category:Civil War]][[Category:History Booklists]][[Category:African American History]] [[Category:Expert Booklists]]Perryvile{{MediaWiki: This Grand Havoc of BattleAmNative}}
