Best of
Civil-War

1958

The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville


Shelby Foote - 1958
    1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac. The word "narrative" is the key to this extraordinary book's incandescence and its truth. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved in it. One learns not only what was happening on all fronts but also how the author discovered it during his years of exhaustive research. This first volume in Shelby Foote's comprehensive history is a must-listen for anyone interested in one of the bloodiest wars in America's history.

High Tide at Gettysburg


Glenn Tucker - 1958
    How near the South came to victory is clearly set forth in these pages. The author vividly conveys the background of the crucial b attle of the Civil War so that the reader can fully appreciate its unfolding.

The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1: Fort Sumter to Kernstown: First Blood--The Thing Gets Underway


Shelby Foote - 1958
    

First Lady Of The South: The Life Of Mrs. Jefferson Davis


Ishbel Ross - 1958
    The story gives a detailed account of their life in Washington and Richmond, the years of war, and follows their journey during the weeks and months of escape and then—following Jefferson Davis’ release from prison—exile.“EVERY move the made was noticed and commented on. She was accused of being friendly to the North, of harboring spies in her home, of feasting when others starred, of pretentious ways, of nepotism, of not reading the books which she quoted so freely, of extravagant entertaining in hours of crisis, and of meddling in politics and military affairs. Some of the stories were true; many were not, but it is self-evident that she instinctively generated heat lightning around her.”—First Lady of the South.Includes numerous illustrations.

Lee and His Men at Gettysburg: The Death of a Nation


Clifford Dowdey - 1958
    history. With vivid and breathtaking detail, Lee and His Men at Gettysburg is both a historical work and an honorary ode to the almost fifty thousand soldiers who died at the fields of Pennsylvania. Written with an emphasis on the Confederate forces, the book captures the brilliance and frustration of a general forced to contend with overwhelming odds and in-competent subordinates. Dowdey not only presents the facts of war, but brings to life the cast of characters that defined this singular moment in American history.

Red River Campaign: Politics and Cotton in the Civil War


Ludwell H. Johnson - 1958
    General Nathaniel Banks conducted a combined military and naval campaign up the Red River that lasted only from March 12 to May 20, 1864, but was one of the most destructive of the Civil War."It is an ugly tale, and except piecemeal--in diaries, memoirs, and chapters in other books--has not been fully told. Ludwell H. Johnson's book is thorough, scholarly, and moving. He goes into the complex of reasons, beginning with the annexation of Texas, that impelled men to employ shady means top attain decent ends. He goes into the Washington phase of the matter, especially Mr. Lincoln's part in it, something until now unrevealed. . . . Johnson describes the fighting, dollying his camera nicely for close shots when he wants them, giving dreadful pictures of war."--James M. Cain, New York Times Book Review"At a time when so much repetitious material is being produced on the Civil War era it is refreshing to read a monograph characterized by as much originality as this one. The book is well documented and thoroughly done, and the title is well chosen, since the narrative represents a careful intertwining of the play of military factors, cotton, and politics."--H. H. Simms, American Academy of Political & Social Science Annals

The Civil War Reader: The Union Reader / The Confederate Reader


Richard Barksdale Harwell - 1958
    

Blockade Runners of the Confederacy


Hamilton Cochran - 1958
    In response, professional runners, lured by both profits and patriotism, built faster, sleeker, low-profile ships and piloted them through the ever-thickening Northern cordon. The tonnage they imported, including items ranging from straight pins to marine engines, sustained the South throughout the conflict. This exciting chronicle of the men and ships that ran federal naval blockades during the Civil War also provides an overall assessment of the blockades conception, effectiveness, and impact on the Southern populace.