The Civil War: The First Year Told by Those Who Lived It

The Civil War #1

by Brooks D. Simpson (Editor), Stephen W. Sears (Editor), Aaron Sheehan-Dean (Editor)

After 150 years the Civil War still holds a central place in American history and self-understanding. It is our greatest national drama, at once heroic, tragic, and epic—our Iliad, but also our Bible, a story of sin and judgment, suffering and despair, death and resurrection in a “new birth of freedom.” Drawn from letters, diaries, speeches, articles, poems, songs, military reports, legal opinions, and memoirs, The Civil War: The First Year brings together over 120 pieces by more than sixty participants to create a unique firsthand narrative of this great historical crisis.

Beginning on the eve of Lincoln’s election in 1860 and ending in January 1862 with the appointment of Edwin M. Stanton as secretary of war, signaling a new energy and determination to the Union war effort, this volume collects writing by figures well-known—Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Mary Chesnut, Frederick Douglass, and Lincoln himself among them—and less familiar, like pro-slavery advocate J.D.B. DeBow, Lieutenants Charles B. Haydon of the 2nd Michigan Infantry and Henry Livermore Abbott of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and plantation mistresses Catherine Edmondston of North Carolina and Kate Stone of Mississippi. Together, the selections provide a powerful sense of the immediacy, uncertainty, and urgency of events as the nation was torn asunder. Secessionist appeals by Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown and Alabama legislator Stephen F. Hale give voice to the intense racial fears that helped drive the South toward disunion; Union corporal Samuel J. English and Confederate surgeon Lunsford P. Yandell evoke the shock, confusion, and horror of battle in Virginia and Missouri; memoirist Sallie Brock candidly records the impact of war on Richmond society; and Sam Mitchell recounts his liberation from slavery when the South Carolina Sea Islands fell to Union soldiers.

The Civil War: The First Year includes headnotes, a chronology of events, biographical and explanatory endnotes, endpaper maps, and an index.

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

814 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Brooks Donohue Simpson is an historian who is the ASU Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University, specializing in studies of the American Civil War.

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Civil War: The First Year

The year 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. To commemorate the event, the Library of America has begun a four-volume series that will offer a year-by-year account of the war drawn from original sources. The first volume of the series has recently been published, covering roughly the first year of the conflict beginning in November, 1860, following the election of Abraham Lincoln, and concluding in January, 1862, when Lincoln replaced Simon Cameron as Secretary of War with Edwin Stanton. Brooks Simpson, Stephen Sears, and Aaron Sheehan-Dean, three distinguished Civil War scholars, selected the texts. They also prepared extensive supplemental information, including a detailed chronology of the war's first year, introductory headnotes for each textual entry, explanatory footnotes, biographies of the authors of each entry, and information on source material. This material helps greatly in understanding the text.

The 800-page volume is arranged in chronological order and covers virtually every important aspect of the war's first year from the perspectives of North and South. The entries are drawn from a broad range of sources, including legal documents, (such as Chief Justice Taney's decision in the habeas corpus case, "Ex Parte Merriman" and the text of the First Confiscation Act) letters, speeches, military reports, newspaper articles, diaries, memoirs, and more. The book includes about 120 individual entries, many of which are substantial in length, by about 60 different authors. It covers military, political, diplomatic, economic, and personal issues resulting from the war as well as cultural responses -- poems by Melville and Whitman and songs such as "Let my People Go" and "John Brown's Body" are featured.

The selections are by both famous and obscure individuals, with a predominance of the former. For example, Abraham Lincoln is represented by his first Inaugural Address, his message to Congress in Special Session of July 4, 1861, his Annual Message to Congress of December 3, 1861, and be several shorter but crucial papers and letters. Jefferson Davis is represented by his farewell address to the United States Senate, his Inaugural Address of February 18, 1861, and his messages to the Confederate Congress of April and November 1861. Other well-known Civil War participants represented by entries include Frederick Douglass, U.S. Grant, Henry Adams, W.T. Sherman, Robert E. Lee, William Seward, and John Fremont, Horace Greeley, and George McClellan. There are two substantial entries by John Ross, Chief of the Cherokee Nation, regarding that Tribe's participation in the war.

The many entries by less familiar people include Sam Mitchell's, an aged former slave, recollections of the Union capture of the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Union Soldier Sullivan Ballou's letter to his wife Sarah of July 14, 1861, in which Ballou expressed his devotion to her in anticipation of what he correctly feared would be his death in battle, a lengthy sermon by a Southern minister, Henry Tucker, on "God in the War" delivered on November 15, 1861, Confederate surgeon Lunsford Yandell's account of the Battle of Belmont, Missouri, in which the Union forces were commanded by U.S. Grant, diary entries by Richmond resident Sally Brock as well as the more familiar Mary Chestnut, and much more.

Some of the early entries in the book which cover the secession debates in the Southern states were particularly informative. Almost every significant event in the book is covered by more than one entry, allowing the reader to see battles such as Fort Sumner, First Manassass, Belmont, Wilson's Creek, and Ball's Bluff from multiple perspectives. The narrative of the story develops slowly and on multiple fronts, so to speak, as the book proceeds from secession to the futile efforts before the war for compromise, to Fort Sumter and the growth of strong patriotic feelings and enlistments in both North and South. The Battle of First Manassas is the military centerpiece of the volume, and the book includes a map of the battlefield together with multiple entries, including an account by an English observer, William Howard Russell, of the chaotic Union retreat. The conflict between Lincoln and Fremont regarding emancipation of slaves in Missouri is presented in considerable detail, as is George McClellan with his substantial strengths and even more glaring weaknesses. Several entries late in the volume cover the "Trent Affair" in which the Union came dangerously close to war with Great Britain.

Those readers who have a good background knowledge of the Civil War will learn a great deal from reading this book with its extensive source material on the first year of the conflict. For readers lacking prior familiarity with the broad history of the war, this book with its detailed material on basically a single year of the conflict may pose a challenge. The head notes and chronology will ease such a reader along, but the book still may be a struggle. In general, this book will have a stronger appeal to students of the conflict than to newcomers.

The Library of America and the editors of the volume deserve praise and gratitude for this book and for its anticipated successor volumes. The volume collects a good deal of source material in one place. It will allow readers to learn about the Civil War and to reflect upon its continued importance to American life. I am looking forward to reading the following volumes in the series.

Robin Friedman

[Steven Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure this book is! It contains a series of documents of the Civil War's first year "by those who lived it."The inside front cover displays a map of the United States, with key battles from the first year underlined in red. Among them: Wilson’s Creek, Belmont, Port Royal, Rich Mountain and, perhaps most famously, Bull Run. A Preface and Introduction set the table for what follows. As the Preface has it (Page xix): "Sele3ctions have been chosen for their historical significance, their literary quality, and their narrative energy, and are printed from the best available sources." But it is the documents themselves that are at the heart of this book. A few illustrations. . .

The first selection is an editorial from the Charleston Mercury, a southern newspaper. It asks the question "What shall the South Carolina legislature do?" To address what the editorial author sees as an effort to extinguish slavery, the words call out for (Page 1) ". . .the ball of revolution [to] be set in motion." The vehicle to address this? A state convention. That essay is followed immediately by notes from a meeting in Springfield Illinois, taken by Lincoln's secretary John Nicolay. At one point, just before the election, Lincoln says that he has tried to reassure the South on numerous occasions, but that it would be futile to continue providing such reassurances. At one point, the notes state that (Page 5): "Having told them all these things ten times already would they believe the eleventh declaration?"

On page 37, Sam Houston's response to a letter by prominent individuals to, in essence, start the process of Texas leaving the Union. Houston was opposed and this poignant response lays out his position. John Nicolay's notes of a December conversation with Lincoln record his response to events in Charleston Harbor. And read the two inaugural addresses--one by Jefferson David (Page 201) and the other by Abraham Lincoln (Page 210), to get a sense of their respective perspectives. On the military front, we read Winfield Scott's message to General George McClellan, in which the commanding general, Scott, lays out his "Anaconda Plan." Pages 504 and 505 record Lincoln's response to the drubbing of the Union forces at Bull Run. The final reading to be mentioned is the January 1862 meeting with Montgomery Meigs in which Lincoln noted that (Page 691) "The bottom is out of the tub," as he discusses what the Union should do next.

This volume closes with a useful chronology (Pages 697 to 706) and biographical notes on key figures from the first year of the Civil War.

A splendid volume! If interested in who was saying what at the time, this is a wonderful resource.

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection of first hand accounts and memoirs of the first year of the ACW. Politicians, civilians, soldiers, slaves, all find their voices here.

[William A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing find for anyone interested in American history! It's the first volume in a series that's indispensable if you have more than a passing interest in the Civil War. That's because it contains the type of source material used by historians: letters, newspaper articles, copies of speeches, diary entries and so on. But that shouldn't scare the casual reader off. This is not a dry academic tome but a carefully edited selection of interesting readings.

I live in a South Carolina county that played host to William T. Sherman and his army for a short time and people still haven't gotten over it. Many had the myth of the "Glorious Cause" drummed into them growing up and still believe that the conflict is rightly called "The War of the Northern Aggression." They are convinced that slavery was not the cause of the war.

I wish these deniers would read this book! It includes the "South Carolina Declaration on the Causes of Secession,", Alexander Stephens "Corner-Stone" speech, and Jefferson Davis's Inaugural Address. These selections, and many others, leave no doubt that the Southern states seceded from the Union led by a cabal of slave-holders bent on protecting not just slavery, but the right to expand their "peculiar institution."

[Gary Land · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is an excellent collection of documents that is balanced between North and South, politicians and regular citizens, and soldiers and civilians. The most striking thing that I found in these documents was the claim by Southerners that they were following the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, that they believed the North had abandoned. Although I taught U.S. history for many years, I guess I never fully grasped the Southern argument. Another striking thing is the explicit defense of slavery by the Southerners as a reason for succession. This is striking only because for many years historians denied that slavery was the cause of the war. How they could make such arguments in the face of documents such as these is beyond me. I read this book in bits and pieces over the course of a couple of months, which I think is the best way to approach a collection of documents. I look forward to the next volume in the series.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If the Union be dissolved now, will we have additional security for slavery? Will we have our rights better secured? After enduring civil war for years, will there be any promise of a better state of things than we enjoy now? Texas, especially, has these things to consider. Our Treasury is nearly emptied....We have an extended frontier to defend....;but are we justified in sacrificing these, when we have yet the Constitution to protect us and our rights are secured." That was a letter written by Sam Houston explaining why Texas seceding from the Union was a terrible idea.

The Civil War: The First Year Told Those by Lived It is an absolute treasure. There are so many fantastic diaries, letters, and other written materials in this book that give us the views of various people from November 1860 until the end of 1861. There is also a map showing the locations of the different events that occurred during this time period. I also appreciate the explanations in the beginning of each chapter to explain what we are reading.

You can jump around to read this book. One of the best entries in the book by Library of America is from Sullivan Ballou to his wife Sarah before the Battle of First Bull Run (aka First Manassas). It is a haunting letter but a must read. The following is an excerpt from Sullivan's letter:

"I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death,-and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with God, my country and thee....Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone, and wait for me, for we shall meet again."

It is not just writings from President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. We get to read the stories of people we have never heard of. I have all four volumes of The Civil War: Told by Those Who Lived It and other books from Library of America. They are excellent. If you want to know about the Civil War, I recommend this book. Just start with this volume and see if this is for you. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Hatuxka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got diverted to this book in rereading Domenico Losurdo’s two books on Liberalism, and Revolution, respectively, since he often makes references to the Civil War in covering these two subjects. I read this volume looking for any mention of the defects in the “liberal democracy” of the U.S. (that contained a prominent role for slavery in how that form of democracy fundamentally functioned), cited by Losurdo, that drove northern antislavery opinion. In this compilation I found history that is excluded from the major popular histories of the Civil War that I read years ago. The editors provide a selection of secession statements and speeches that definitively demolish the notion that secession by the slave states was about anything other than preserving slavery. Additionally, these secession-justifying documents, including those written well into 1861, presuppose acts of aggression by the government. The confederate junta itself was the first to commit an act of aggression, in April 1861, attacking a U.S. Army fort.
Correspondance among members of the Adams family (the John Quincy, Charles Francis, Henry -one) in the course of the first year of the Civil War found in this volume (all are engrossing) include a letter describing with arresting interpersonal detail the early stages of a process of northern politicians obsequiously supplicating before intransigent southern demands, resulting in the passage of a constitutional amendment that prohibited Congress from abolishing slavery or interfering with it (never ratified)!
One will also find how Lincoln’s First inaugural address is dominated by restating the main points of a speech by the northern proslavery president Buchanan made a few months before, included in the volume. The only excerpt of that speech I have ever seen quoted is the “mystic chords of memory…better angels of our nature”-containing final sentence. All this supplication, and yet the slavocracy attacked regardless.
The poet James Russell Lowell’s incisive essay, “The Pickens-and-Stealin’s Rebellion” was my favorite piece in the book, encapsulating some hidden (at least not readily found in major popular works on the Civil War) history. In a ridiculing way he pointed out how secession was a sham process by an unelected elite, ‘but real taxes were levied on populations that never were allowed to vote on secession’. A coup.
The preening arrogance of Lincoln’s appointed U.S. Army commander-in-chief McClellan is exhibited in letters (the overweening insolence is to be featured in Volume II, both toward Lincoln). Diary excepts of the “southern ladies”category of civil war literature are well represented, with their characteristic feel for conveying the personal in reactions to the coming conflict in their small elite circles at the beginning of the war. The anecdotes of individual soldiers on both sides--including from foot soldiers on the northern side while they are by officers on the southern side, are well chosen. A dry, colorless narrative of the early capture of a South Carolina sea island by the upper-crust naval officer Samuel Francis DuPont is counterposed with a brief more evocative oral history anecdote from the slave Sam Mitchell watching “Maussa” in a panic tearing by the slave quarters in a carriage, loudly ordering up a crew of slaves to row him and his family across the sound in a dingy to the mainland as the cannon concussions of advancing Union forces reached his sea island plantation.
In any case, only James Russell Lowell provides what I was looking for among what Losurdo shows on how governance under U.S. slavery was similar to Britain’s purported democracy, including how democracy was a process restricted to the most powerful, and the lower levels of society were to shoulder the burden of their decisions by providing the cannon fodder, revenue, and foodstuffs. To fight the Civil War, the citizens of the north were to have their share in government resources (gold reserves, munitions, federal facilities and forts seized without compensation to defend property (slaves and plantations) held by the elites. Popular histories leave out most or all of this. Lowell sums up a litany of secessionist treachery over more than 80 years culminating in the onset of a war at the time of writing with this take on the underlying philosophy of the slavocracy, “Either this magnificent empire should be their plantation or it should perish” That the political elites of Britain supported the southern “cause” while criticizing the viability of U.S. democracy, mentioned by Losurdo, is touched on by Lowell and the Adamses. Lowell could have said more but “The Education of Henry Adams” has a few chapters on the British leadership’s conspiracies in favor of the south beginning soon after the south started the war with recognition of the confederate junta just before arrival of the new U.S. Minister to Britain.
Finally, the initial selections in this volume effectively encapsulate the accretion of conflicts and the accumulated mutual enmity existing by the eve of war, but there is no mention of a central grievance against the “peculiar institution” beyond the multidimensional immorality of slavery itself: because of the three-fifths clause of the U. S. Constitution (three fifths of the population of slaves augmented the electoral power of the slave states), four southern voters had more political power than ten northern voters. This volume is an antidote to the popular histories of the U.S. Civil War that have a tinge of romanticism about the combatants of the slave holding south or treats its politicians as even the least bit noble in adherence to their system. It also goes some way to present a more complete picture of the severity of the differences that led to total war, and in more instances than typical, the unwarranted hubris of the southern states. And there is enough for the standard “Civil War buff” i.e., fan of battle narratives.

[Cheryl Turoczy Hart]

It was eerie, reading this description of the beginnings of the Civil War at a time when there is, once again, such division in our country. I don't know whether it was more perturbing to see the similarities of two sides so divided or reassuring to know that the country survived in spite of the division.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting! This book is a compilation of documents relating to the first year of the Civil War. These documents were written by those who were either participants or witnesses or other categories in which they're hard to place and were not separated from the events by many years as we are today. For the most part the writers do write very well and are obviously well read. Understandably in some of the articles or entries the spelling could be improved but this was to be expected as schooling wasn't as yet compulsory and a number of them must have had very little schooling if any at all. Other than that these articles or documents gives the reader an incredible first hand account into just what went on during that first year whether it was by those who were in the midst of the battles or those accomplished writers who tried to impart just what was going on to their readers or those diarists who never imagined that what they were writing would be read by anyone other than themselves. Whether the writers were from the North or South they, for the most part, were passionate about what they or others were fighting for. You'll read the passion in which those who were advocating secession were trying to persuade others that to do so was the right thing and not so much the passion of those but the firm belief that the Union must be preserved! This was and is a wonderful read. In my opinion the writers here were better writers than those of today. Whatever your interest in the Civil War I believe that this book at least is a must.

One particular letter I'd like to point out that I consider a must read is the letter from Sullivan Ballou. His belief that his fighting to preserve the Union was just and his love for his wife and children are beyond description. How anyone can remain unmoved after reading it is beyond me.

[Kenneth Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful collection of letters, diary entries, speeches and newspaper accounts of the days leading up to and including the first year of the Civil War. The contrasting views of the South and North are well represented. Criticism of elected officials, military leaders and citizens was reminiscent of our current times, so it seems some things never change only the players. I am eagerly anticipating beginning Volume 2.

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of letters, article by those who lived through the war is both interesting and informative. Because it is written in the vernacular of the day, it is sometimes hard to read and follow with some unfamiliar terms. It was well organized and put forth a number of different viewpoints of how people felt about the war and their feelings on the causes of the war.

[Richard Subber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life during the early stages of the Civil War, as told to themselves and to each other, by folks who lived it and made it happen.

Primary sources are endlessly fascinating, and all too real.

Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 - great primary sources. Textbook.

[Emily, skylar, Sky, Emma, coffin, samantha, alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

use it for my term paper

[Brian]

The Army Military Historical Foundation's journal _On Point_ assigned this work as my first for what should be a series of book reviews. It is a long work at over 800 pages, of which 700 or so are primary text and the rest are supporting material (Chronology, Notes, a few maps, etc. The principal value, as the title implies, is that one confronts history in its raw originality--the voices of a wide array of figures from the most senior, such as Lincoln and Davis, Lee and Grant, to the minor, escaped fugitive slaves, soldiers who participated in the battle at Bull Run, etc. But the value also is in how it rebalances the perception of what was being fought over by those contemporaries. How each side defined its stake and its principal. The Southern cause rings predictably hollow to the modern ear, but at least we can see with what committed self-deception its adherents embraced it. The internecine battles between the Union generals and their political counterparts, which would undermine the North's efforts for nearly the entire war until Lincoln could depend upon U.S. Grant's iron stomach, serves as a fascinating backdrop.

I look forward to the forthcoming three volumes that will be out to commemorate each of the remaining three years of the war for the sesquicentennial.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confusion and anxiety: those are the two dominant themes of the war that have been lost under the weight of one and a half centuries of scholarship, romanticism, and pop history.

The abolitionist Lincoln (who never existed) and the autocratic, one-dimensional plantation owner (also a fiction) do not appear in this book. The easy dichotomy of North vs South is destroyed by the split loyalties, fear, cynicism, apathy, and ideological gymnastics of the authors.

Every generation learns the Civil War in a different way. The reconstruction era, the turn of the century, the Civil Rights era - all of these eras had their own separate Civil War which fit into their larger contemporary narratives.

I hope that this book, with its primary source material, will paint the portrait of a nation that was not so much Jekyll & Hyde as it was tortured adolescent.

[Garry · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/25/2020

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realize that we are not yet in 2013, but I have already produced my "Best Reads of 2012" so, I have to start a new list.

I already read "The Civil War: The Second Year Told by Those Who Live It" and LOVED it! This book is just as great!

Again, it is articles, congressional acts, speeches, official military letters, family letters, poems and so much more ... that forms a chronological history of the events that occurred in November 1860 - January 1862.

I learned so much about the key people, places, some of the battles that took place early in the war and then I learned about what life was like for the "regular" people -- people who were not the politicians, were not defending their lands / freedoms, etc. I think I found their lives to be the most interesting.

[Aaron Crofut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading these collections of primary sources, and this collection is particularly worthy of notice due to the subject studied. The arguments concerning the justification of secession on both sides are profound and well argued. The accounts of battles were good, but the social and political letters and articles are of more use to Civil War buffs already well versed in the military aspects. Also interesting to see the mistakes made in initial reports, just like we see in ongoing crises today.

Worth picking through at least, again in particular the arguments made prior to the start of the war.

[Wanda Holaday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book so much I bought an extra copy just to loan to friends. By using only source material from the time period of the Civil War the editors allow the reader to form his/her own opinions about the thoughts expressed. I had read snippets and quotes from the documents in other books and articles but had never read them in context with other writings from the same time period.
'The Civil War: The First Year Told by Those Who Lived It' is a must have for anyone interested in the history that has formed this nation.

[Jason Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of this volume is a tad boring and dense, but most of it is inspiring, insightful, and illuminating. With first-hand reports from grunts on the ground to Presidents Lincoln and Davis, this first of four volumes provides the student of the Civil War with a treasure of information. My approach was to read it over a year's time, i.e., material that was written in February 1861, I read in February, etc. This made it easier to "digest" and made it really enjoyable.

May not be for everyone, but really a joy for dedicated readers. I'm really looking forward to the remaining volumes.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing publication. Add you your short list of absolutely must-have books for anyone collecting or reading in the field. I guarantee you will find material you have never seen referenced, and even more you have heard of but never found. Sad to say, this book will also demonstrate how our educational system has dumbed down in the last hundred and fifty years. Read any of the speeches contained here, and see if you know anyone with such a vocabulary. I have the next volume waiting, and look forward to just as enjoyable an experience.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very impressive beginning to this multi-volume set of anthologies of primary sources. The editors might have erred on the side of too few entries (that is, I wanted a more complete picture of certain events that are not covered directly in these texts, only in the editorial notes), but the selection is still excellent and provides a fascinating portrait of people's thoughts and feelings as events progressed into the war.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book for anyone who is interested in the Civil War. Maybe a little too much focus on transcripts of political speeches and not enough on the private correspondence, which in my opinion provides a better feel for the impact of the war on both its major and minor participants. This is a really minor flaw however. I will definitely read the 'second year' soon.

[Roger Henley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was long in reading. Must have a lot of tolerence to read this book. Each event is however is in different settings and views of the Civil War. There are some personnel views from each person in this book to what the Civil War Meant to different persons. Some chapters however seem long but that is what that person have written in that period of time.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a chronological collection taken from the first year of the American Civil War. Among the pieces are addresses by Presidents Buchanan, Lincoln and Davis, as well as letters and diary entries from officers, politicians and others. A interesting group of documents that show the events of 1861 as they saw them.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading just about anything on the Civil War, but this is the first one I've read completely that contained documents and writings from politicians, soldiers and ordinary citizens. I thoroughly enjoyed it, Great Book!! :-)

[Burney Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Not a fast read, but so very much to be learned in this book. Reading the words of those who were there and writing at the time made me feel like I was living it, too. Very enjoyable! I want to read the other three books in the series.

[Carrie]

I think this is probably a very interesting book, but my Civil War phase did not last long enough to allow me to finish it.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely outstanding compilation of primary source material. A fantastic reference for the experiences of the people who lived through the first year of that dark time.