Best Civil War Military Books

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WHEN I WAS ASKED TO CHOOSE FIVE GREAT books on military aspects of the Civil War, I was initially thrilled, then perplexed. The Library of Congress, which by no means houses all Civil War volumes, has at least 100,000 books on the subject in its collections. Attempts to narrow the list to five proved to be an impossible chore. Where would I be able to find room for Douglas Southall Freeman's three-volume Lee's Lieutenants (1946), James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom (1988), and the many other great Civil War military books? Ultimately, I chose a handful of very different rifles that have had a lasting influence on me. I cannot imagine five books more insightful than these.

A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)

Several years ago, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where I teach, hosted a Civil War conference. At dinner one evening my department chair, Lloyd Kramer, posed a question to the scholars assembled around the table: What book first piqued your interest in the Civil War? Nearly all of us named The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War. It has wonderful photographs, fascinating, hand-drawn battle maps, and, best of all, a terrific text by Bruce Carton. For more than five decades, this book and Catton's words have inspired readers, young and old alike. His single best …