What do you think?
Rate this book
A Pocket History of the Civil War: Citizen Soldiers, Bloody Battles, and the Fight for America’s Future
Praise for: A Pocket History
“Martin F. Graham's A Pocket History of the Civil War is a font of information that will interest a wide range of readers, including the ardent history buff.”
-Foreword Magazine
Martin Graham, a former associate editor of Blue & Gray magazine, has penned a new book entitled A Pocket History of the Civil War. The book is published in conjunction with The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Each of the books' eight chapters presents a different theme, ranging from the transformation of civilians into soldiers to the prison systems of North and South. Graham also provides 4-5 page overviews of each of the key battles of war from Fort Sumpter to Appomattox. The final chapter offers brief biographies of eight unusual characters from the war-and an surprising event from its aftermath. An appendix provides a “test your knowledge” section, a glossary, and a list of books further reading.
Civil War buffs will enjoy the many tables that Graham provides. For example, there is a table that lists the greatest percentage of regimental loss in battle (for the Union it was 1st Minnesota which lost 82% at Gettysburg and for the Confederacy it was the 3rd North Carolina which lost 90% at Antietam). Another table lists the higher ranking generals killed in battle and their manner of death. History buffs will relish the information Graham serves up on the economics of the war, camp life, and such lesser-known personalities as Johnny Clem, “the drummer boy of Shiloh.”
For readers new to the war, or who have become interested in it due to the Sesquicentennial, Graham has provided, a concise overview that is sure to inspire further study. In his Foreword to the book, David A. Patterson, CEO of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg writes, “Incorporating all of the fundamental information about the Civil War in one concise, easy to reference and well laid-out volume makes this an essential purchase for the Sesquicentennial Commemoration.”
“Martin F. Graham's A Pocket History of the Civil War is a font of information that will interest a wide range of readers, including the ardent history buff.”
-Foreword Magazine
Martin Graham, a former associate editor of Blue & Gray magazine, has penned a new book entitled A Pocket History of the Civil War. The book is published in conjunction with The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Each of the books' eight chapters presents a different theme, ranging from the transformation of civilians into soldiers to the prison systems of North and South. Graham also provides 4-5 page overviews of each of the key battles of war from Fort Sumpter to Appomattox. The final chapter offers brief biographies of eight unusual characters from the war-and an surprising event from its aftermath. An appendix provides a “test your knowledge” section, a glossary, and a list of books further reading.
Civil War buffs will enjoy the many tables that Graham provides. For example, there is a table that lists the greatest percentage of regimental loss in battle (for the Union it was 1st Minnesota which lost 82% at Gettysburg and for the Confederacy it was the 3rd North Carolina which lost 90% at Antietam). Another table lists the higher ranking generals killed in battle and their manner of death. History buffs will relish the information Graham serves up on the economics of the war, camp life, and such lesser-known personalities as Johnny Clem, “the drummer boy of Shiloh.”
For readers new to the war, or who have become interested in it due to the Sesquicentennial, Graham has provided, a concise overview that is sure to inspire further study. In his Foreword to the book, David A. Patterson, CEO of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg writes, “Incorporating all of the fundamental information about the Civil War in one concise, easy to reference and well laid-out volume makes this an essential purchase for the Sesquicentennial Commemoration.”
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 22, 2015
First, I checked if it actually fits into your pocket (it does).
Next, I read. This is ‘just enough’ information on the major points of the Civil War, and even if you’re not all that interested it is written so engagingly as to keep your attention. Because every single American library has an entire wall – the 970s – devoted to the Civil War and most of these books are so deadly dull that they should simply be used to line the bottom of your pet hedgehog’s cage. The 970s are bursting with books.
This has little quizzes to test your reading acuity and describes in fine detail the little things that I’m most interested in such as, what is hardtack and would I enjoy it? The battles are described in miniature. It covers the great locomotive chase which is, truly, such an insane story that they should make a movie or something.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal.
Next, I read. This is ‘just enough’ information on the major points of the Civil War, and even if you’re not all that interested it is written so engagingly as to keep your attention. Because every single American library has an entire wall – the 970s – devoted to the Civil War and most of these books are so deadly dull that they should simply be used to line the bottom of your pet hedgehog’s cage. The 970s are bursting with books.
This has little quizzes to test your reading acuity and describes in fine detail the little things that I’m most interested in such as, what is hardtack and would I enjoy it? The battles are described in miniature. It covers the great locomotive chase which is, truly, such an insane story that they should make a movie or something.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal.
February 27, 2026
1.5, rounded down.
First of all, did not fit in my pocket, and I have big pockets. I have been able to fit all my pocket Star Trek novels and pocket Shakespeare plays comfortably in these pockets, but not this one. Automatically losses a star for false advertising.
Way too specific and dense. Based on the blurb, I expect a more broad overview of different topics. What I got was detailed breakdowns of a ton of different battles and campaigns. The book is tolerable when it’s not doing this, but it is almost always doing this. For this reason, the only chapter I thoroughly enjoyed the entire time was the last one, which was not so painful dry and detailed.
Like I mentioned above, I found the writing to be exceptionally for the most part. It states facts and sequences events with almost no style or an attempt to make things interesting. Reading it felt like being assaulted by an unrelenting torrent of facts that made the information very hard to retain.
Speaking to retention… those quizzes at the end of each chapter pissed me off. It was pitched as a way to make sure readers where following and really absorbing the information. This would make me think that it would focus on more broad strokes and making sure the general timeline and events were understood. Nope! It was THE MOST specific trivia. One of the questions was literally Which arm did Stonewall Jackson have amputated? Not Why did Stonewall Jackson have to amputate an arm? Not During which series of battles did Stonewall Jackson have to amputate his arm? Not even which Confederate general had to amputate an arm? WHICH arm was it? Right or left?
Now too be fair perhaps I’m just bitter because one of my friends who is a total Civil War buff stole this book out of my bag (because it does not in fact fit in your pocket) during US History class right after we finished the Civil War unit and began quizzing me using these back of the chapter questions. And I high key got them all wrong and he knew all the right answers, IN FRONT OF MY FAVORITE TEACHER!!! Sometimes your friends really are your worst enemies for real. So yeah keep in mind my review may be a little bias because of this, but god forbid a girl is bitter.
Overall, read this only if you are a total Civil War buff and want a detailed breakdown. If you’re just looking to gain a better general understanding of the civil war from a holistic point of view (or just don’t want to be bored to death) like I was, maybe look for something else.
I awarded this book one star because dispute all my criticisms, after reading I do feel like a have a much deeper knowledge of the civil war and its battles. I awarded an additional half a star that I rounded down because after reading this I found it exceptionally funny to rage bait my aforementioned friend by using evidence from the book to ship Sherman X Johnston.
First of all, did not fit in my pocket, and I have big pockets. I have been able to fit all my pocket Star Trek novels and pocket Shakespeare plays comfortably in these pockets, but not this one. Automatically losses a star for false advertising.
Way too specific and dense. Based on the blurb, I expect a more broad overview of different topics. What I got was detailed breakdowns of a ton of different battles and campaigns. The book is tolerable when it’s not doing this, but it is almost always doing this. For this reason, the only chapter I thoroughly enjoyed the entire time was the last one, which was not so painful dry and detailed.
Like I mentioned above, I found the writing to be exceptionally for the most part. It states facts and sequences events with almost no style or an attempt to make things interesting. Reading it felt like being assaulted by an unrelenting torrent of facts that made the information very hard to retain.
Speaking to retention… those quizzes at the end of each chapter pissed me off. It was pitched as a way to make sure readers where following and really absorbing the information. This would make me think that it would focus on more broad strokes and making sure the general timeline and events were understood. Nope! It was THE MOST specific trivia. One of the questions was literally Which arm did Stonewall Jackson have amputated? Not Why did Stonewall Jackson have to amputate an arm? Not During which series of battles did Stonewall Jackson have to amputate his arm? Not even which Confederate general had to amputate an arm? WHICH arm was it? Right or left?
Now too be fair perhaps I’m just bitter because one of my friends who is a total Civil War buff stole this book out of my bag (because it does not in fact fit in your pocket) during US History class right after we finished the Civil War unit and began quizzing me using these back of the chapter questions. And I high key got them all wrong and he knew all the right answers, IN FRONT OF MY FAVORITE TEACHER!!! Sometimes your friends really are your worst enemies for real. So yeah keep in mind my review may be a little bias because of this, but god forbid a girl is bitter.
Overall, read this only if you are a total Civil War buff and want a detailed breakdown. If you’re just looking to gain a better general understanding of the civil war from a holistic point of view (or just don’t want to be bored to death) like I was, maybe look for something else.
I awarded this book one star because dispute all my criticisms, after reading I do feel like a have a much deeper knowledge of the civil war and its battles. I awarded an additional half a star that I rounded down because after reading this I found it exceptionally funny to rage bait my aforementioned friend by using evidence from the book to ship Sherman X Johnston.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews