Civil War

DK Eyewitness Books

by John Stanchack

Eyewitness 117 Here is a dramatic, photo-filled guide to the war that split the Union. Eyewitness Civil War includes everything from the issues that divided the country, to the battles that shaped the conflict, to the birth of the reunited states. Rich, full-color photographs of rare documents, powerful weapons, and priceless artifacts plus stunning images of legendary commanders, unsung heroes, and memorable heroines combine with stories of courage, adventure, and defiance to paint an unforgettable portrait of the American Civil War.
See Fort Sumter's battle-torn flag, a beardless Lincoln, the tools of a Civil war surgeon, and the Confederate capital in ruins.
Learn how to fire a cannon, the secrets of the Underground Railroad, about the Confederacy's First Lady, and what soldiers carried into battle.
Discover who plotted Lincoln's assassination, where the last Confederates surrendered, what happened to Jefferson Davis, and why the North won the war, and much, much more!

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

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2000

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these eyewitness books. I know they are written for a younger audience but its just so cool to be able to see some of the history things I read about so much more clearly. Amazing pictures and I always learn something new. Highly recommended

[Jessica Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Stanchack, Civil War, is part of the Eyewitness series that focuses on a topic and provides facts and many visuals to readers in order to get a better glimpse of the topic. Throughout many of our history classes we constantly hear stories over and over again about the famous well known war, the Civil War. In this eyewitness book, the reader sees topics from things like the clothes they wore to the tactics in fighting. It becomes very straightforward and to the point in order to provide the reader with the very important information. The best part about these books is that it provides many visuals and pictures in order to be able to understand the topic even better.
Although the book focuses on a topic that is brought up to the older elementary students, the fact that it includes many pictures makes it fun for younger kids to be able to skim through it. The benefit of these series is that it gives quick accessible information and very straight forward. The language in these texts make it simple to understand and comprehend as well. These books can be used for lessons and assignments but can also be entertainment for those that are looking to learn a bit more on the Civil War.

[Jamie Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A veritable cornucopia of amazing photographs--that would probably be a good description of 80% of Dorling Kindersley's books. Overall, this is a superlative capture of various aspects of the war that truly tried the U.S.A by fire. I found a little annoying the writer's tendency to trip all over himself trying to be politically correct, but of course every writer has a flaw or two. (My question: If you're talking very specifically about a Cherokee, why do you have to parrot 'Native American' again and again? I've met a number of people from different tribes, and not in a single case did one of them prefer 'Native American' to the name of their tribe.) Regardless, I highly recommend this as a great overview of this awe-inspiring conflict.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but I was absolutely obsessed with these Eyewitness Books when I was a kid, so I was excited to stumble upon one about one of my favorite topics. This didn't take me too long to read, and I found it surprisingly enjoyable as an adult, even though I know it's aimed at younger readers.

While I wouldn't call this a comprehensive look at the Civil War, it's certainly informative, and I even learned a handful of interesting tidbits. My favorite thing about this book was how it covered a wide variety of aspects of this war, making it an ideal introductory tool for readers to establish where their niche interests may lie. Overall, I thought this was a great read for all ages!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative book about the Civil War. This is great for all ages. The photographs are great and helpful and the book gives a great overview of the Civil War. This book is perfect for those who are interested in learning more about the Civil War, and especially those who don't know much about it.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased for my grandson, age 12, who has an interest in history. I think he'll enjoy.

[Jessica Meetze · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn about the civil war, or even if you don’t, this is the book!!! Love, love, love this book!!!! Easy to read, great photos, packed with interesting info!

[Kwesi Frank]

Eyewitness Books: Civil War is a great book
that allows the reader to expand their horizons and learn about the bloodiest war fought in the United States. This book gives all the causes of the Civil War in great detail, even revealing things I did not know from my history course on the Civil War. Along with the causes of the war, such as slavery and the presidential election of 1860, the book goes into the important battles of the war like the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point and the Battle of Appomattox Court House, the last battle. This is a great read!

Having completed a research paper on the Civil War, this book was a great help for me to learn more about the war than I already knew. If you take a course on the Civil War, I would recommend this book so that you can know more before even entering the classroom. I would also like to recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about their nations history.

[Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another one of the books from the Eyewitness set.

This one is all about the Civil War in American history and it is great! It includes pictures and tons of facts on everything from the leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to different battles like Gettysburg. It is full of facts on each page about the war, the North and the South, slavery, and a lot more than I can write about here.

All of the Eyewitness books are really good. You can get them on just about everything in history like places, events like wars and other subjects. I love them and I think they are worth buying and adding to your own collection. I have about 4 or 5 of them. Eyewitness books are cool!

[Wendy Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

We cannot get enough of the Eyewitness books in our house. Every subject seems to be interesting when paired with good writing, fabulous images, and good facts. The Civil War is especially good because of the way it covers all the different aspects of the war. Everything from society to weapons to leaders is covered in this one comprehensive volume. The newer editions have a fantastic resource section at the end.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about the civil war and all of its battle. This book informs a lot on the battles starting from the fire of fort Sumter to the last battle at Appomattox. This book also talks about all of the plans and strategies for winning battle. If you want to know how Ulysses S. Grant defeated Robert E. Lee and the confederate army, then read this book

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eyewitness books bring history alive with their abundance of relia photographs and indepth historical articles. A couple of the drawings in this book were uncomfortable for my 9-year-old. War is not pretty. Still, a valuable Civil War book.