The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Civil War

by Alan Axelrod

A battle ready guide to the deadliest war in American history.

Completely revised for the Sesquicentennial, The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Civil War, Third Edition is a comprehensive overview of America's bloodiest war. From the first shots fired at Fort Sumter to Lee's surrender at Appomattox, this book embodies the latest scholarship, offering fascinating stories of the men and women who fought bravely and often died for a cause they believed in. The book features a clear chronology of major events, detailed explanations of key battles such as Gettysburg, Chattanooga, and Chancellorsville. Author Alan Axelrod offers intimate impressions and anecdotes from generals and soldiers alike, and strategies of war leaders such as Sherman, Lee, and Grant.

Genres: History, Civil War, American Civil War, Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Kendrick Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read

[Steve Bolt · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is an idiots guide

It doesn't even give a rough overview of the Civil War. It misses large important parts of the war, it doesn't even touch on many campaigns. It is worthless ! Don't buy.

[Kurry Swigert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a concise, easy to understand read on the Civil War. This was perfect. It covered much of what led up to the war and what happened post-war.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.Not perfect of course with some gaps but for someone with no knowledge of the war it does a pretty good job of explaining the main points.

[Herbal-T · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an aspiring seditionist but with little to no relevant experience (I had Pilates class on January 6 and missed the insurrection), I was hoping for more of a step-by-step tutorial on civil war. Instead, about half-way through the book I realized it was about something called the Civil War. Face-palm! LOL. Although I'm not the intended audience of the book (I'm a half-idiot at best, three-fifths on a good day), I still found some helpful tips on preparing for lower-case civil war. That's why I've started stocking up on hard tack and leeches. I’m also practicing tourniquets on friends and neighbors…with what I will call “mixed” results LOL. But practice makes perfect, amirite? LOL!
#legitimatepoliticaldiscourse

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good succinct narrative of the Civil War, as well as the causes and repurcussions. It could have been a little better on detailing some of the battles and the maps of the battlefields was poor. Better maps would have aided my understanding, but few people care as much about that stuff as me. A great starter book.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, combined with the amazing Ken Burns miniseries on the Civil War, was crucial for my passing the DSST Civil War and Reconstruction exam. I found it approachable, comprehensive, and enjoyable. After moving to Northern Virginia, I still find myself looking things up in the book to better understand the areas that I am visiting.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Information on the war is good and interesting. Some good quotes. Shows some of the atrocities committed by both sides. Ties in some of the persistent problems created by slavery, which were not solved by the war. The maps are fair to poor, better ones are available in other books.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of visuals and side bars make this book easy and quick to read. The information can be a bit more specific than a general interest reader may want, but it's not so dense that a general interest reader would not understand what was going on.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that this book was very in depth with regards to the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. The author gave the reader a closer view of the war's generals. A definite must read for all Civil War history buffs.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to review to learn how awful the Civil War was. So many men died and the others suffered the ill effects of rotten food, tattered clothing and shoes and bad medical care. A sad time in our country's history.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading these books. They always teach me something new or remind me of something I have forgotten, even if it's on a subject I have already studied. Excellent book to start you out in a new area of interest. Well written and well laid out chapters make them an easy read. Very recommended.

[Ray A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing new, but presented very well.

[Pam Reedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand the Civil war better through this book

[Harron68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It earns its 4 stars for the interest it brings to the cruel four year brother-against-brother war. One can also read of the technology that was developed and would bring even greater devastation in other wars later.
The design of the book gives great coordination as it often refers to other relevant pieces on armies, sites, etc as well as modern National and state battle sight info.
The book does have glaring flaws, as mentioned in other reviews. It definitely could use clear large maps of battles as they evolved. It also has difficulty as battles were often fought in different states on the same calendar days. Cavalry could cover goodly distances as well, and fight over large swaths in relatively short spans of time. It was indeed total war.
Sidebars on the important military leaders, heroes and misjudgments made in the fog of war all add meaning to what could've been a dry and depressing era of the U.S.

[Chewie]

This book is really interesting.