One Day of the Civil War: April 10, 1863: America in Conflict

by Robert L. Willett

Focuses on April 10, 1863 as a microcosm of American life during the Civil War, detailing battles, train raids, military blunders, illnesses, boredom, homesickness, and courage

Genres: Civil War

316 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writing alternates between period quotations and somewhat dry modern writing, the strength of the book is the overall snapshot idea. The idea of choosing a day, roughly halfway through the war, and then examining what went on in different places, was an inspired choice, and the book is well worth reading. The only down side is that sometimes, in some places, nothing is going on, and that very slightly weakened the story being told. Willett made up for that by expanding the snapshot to a few days before and after in some cases, or things which were just getting started or just ending on that one day.
This unusual overview of the Civil War is a worthwhile read for anyone seriously interested in looking at the war from a different style of viewpoint.