The best one for a general audience I've found is Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson.
http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Cry-Freedom-Oxford-History/dp/019516895X It does a good job on the lead up to the Civil War and then goes into enough detail about the war itself, without becoming bogged down in tedious minutia. What's better is that its very readable. On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Scott Stroz <[email protected]> wrote: > > Can anyone recommend a good book or books about Civil War history? > > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 10:20 AM, Scott Stroz <[email protected]> wrote: >> Yea - Antietam is not far and Harper's Ferry (some say John Brown's >> raid on Harper's Ferry was the 'unofficial' start of the Civil War) is >> the next town over. >> >> Also, the town I live in has some colonial history as well. Charles >> Town was named after Charles Washington (George's brother) and the >> 12th tee of the golf course I live on has the remnants of a home owned >> by Lucy Washington (George's niece). The clubhouse at the golf course >> also has a display of Civil War items (bullets, rifle parts, etc) from >> a battle that took place on the property. >> >> The kids are getting interested in history, so I really need to brush up. >> >> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 10:11 AM, Larry C. Lyons <[email protected]> >> wrote: >>> >>> Actually where you live, you're not too far from Phillipi or the other >>> sites at the start of the Civil War. >>> >>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 9:58 AM, Scott Stroz <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> I may be wrong, but I thought that slavery did nto become an issue in >>>> the Civil War until after the Emancipation Proclamation - which, if >>>> memory serves me correctly - only freed the slaves in the states that >>>> had seceded. >>>> >>>> I also remember being taught that the _start_ of the Civil War was >>>> based on socio-economic issues between North and South (I am not sure >>>> if slavery falsl into that category or not). >>>> >>>> Not claiming any of this as fact - just trying to remember from >>>> history class. (You would think, with where I live now, I would be >>>> more up on Civil War history - I do plan to rectify that, though) >>>> >>>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 9:51 AM, Medic <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> C'mon Larry, everyone knows that civil war was about healthcare and not >>>>> becoming socialist. It had nothing to do with slavery, which by the way >>>>> wasn't really slavery, it was simply an inequality in the pay structure >>>>> for >>>>> black workers. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Larry C. Lyons >>>>> <[email protected]>wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Nice bit of historical revisionism there. Lets see after that are you >>>>>> going to rewrite the history of the Civil War, like the latest >>>>>> Republican darling Virginia governor McDonnell has done? >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/07/AR2010040705100.html?sub=AR >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 9:06 AM, Sam <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> > >>>>>> > I don't remember anyone calling him soft on terror, I do remember many >>>>>> > calling Bush evil. Obama is just continuing with the Bush strategy and >>>>>> > getting called a hero. >>>>>> > >>>>>> > You mention drone attacks as a signal Obama is tougher on terror than >>>>>> > Bush but is it that simple? Is the bombing helping or making things >>>>>> > worse. Could we have done more bombings two years ago? >>>>>> > >>>>>> > Seems to me it's an illusion, step up bombing, keep the wars going but >>>>>> > make nice with terrorists and beg them to be nice. It's not working, >>>>>> > the whole "The world will stop hating us" plan failed. Now the >>>>>> > question is what's next, does he have a plan B or will he just keep up >>>>>> > with the Bush policies? >>>>>> > >>>>>> > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 12:30 AM, Judah McAuley <[email protected]> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >> >>>>>> > >>>>>> >> Certainly a ballsy move, though if what has been said about this >>>>>> >> particular guy is true, it seems like the order would naturally follow >>>>>> >> given what else the admin has done. Amazing to think that there have >>>>>> >> been more CIA missile strikes in Obama's first year in office than in >>>>>> >> the last 3 years of Bush's tenure combined. I'm not entirely sure that >>>>>> >> the people we are involving ourselves with in Afghanistan, Pakistan >>>>>> >> and Yemen (to name a few) are entirely the wisest choice but I'm >>>>>> >> astounded that people can actually think that the Obama admin is "soft >>>>>> >> on terror". >>>>>> >> >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:315298 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
