A Short History of the Civil War Paperback – Illustrated, March 15, 2011

This book is a great read because it puts the entire war in context - the soldiers, the leaders, what was happening “at home”, as well as the battles in chronological sequence. It’s worth reading for that alone. The author doesn’t shy away from describing bad leadership and why soldiers sometimes deserted. It is not biased in terms of being pro North or pro South. If anything, the South is given credit for how it executed the war and its overall better leadership. At the same time, it doesn’t gloss over the role of slavery and the increasing push for its abolition as the war went on. It’s a very defining period of American history and impacted the social, political, and racial fabric of the country that still impacts us 160 years later. The book could have been A LOT longer. But if it was longer, it would have been tougher to get through and I could have lost interest because even as short (~325 pp) as it is, it isn’t a “light read”.

As a history buff, I really appreciated the quality of the written work.

good over view of civil war

This book is not for the Civil War buff. But if you want an overview of the conflict and a starting point to further reading, this is the place. Wish we had this in American History - it does a much better job in explaining the root causes than a High School text. A solid, basic introduction.

My favorite book on the Civil War.

I feel the book was well written. I found it terribly boring, as I find most American HistoryHowever I am glad I slugged through it

Stokesbury's five short histories (American Revolution, WW1, WW2, Civil War, Korean War) are exceptionally well-written and succinct. Civil War is a great introduction to the war and a pleasure to read. Too bad there's no Kindle version.

use this as a starter to a serious look at the war-then read "Fateful Lightning' by Guelzo The short history is well written, not boring and pays attention to the reasons for war-not just the battles