Best Civil War Books (65 books)

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Great books about the American Civil War

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1	Terrible Swift Sword by Bruce Catton 4.39 avg rating — 1,994 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) by Michael Shaara 4.34 avg rating — 94,420 ratings score: 281, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart 4.06 avg rating — 6,170 ratings score: 277, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Coming Fury (Centennial History of the Civil War, Vol 1) by Bruce Catton 4.34 avg rating — 2,890 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Never Call Retreat by Bruce Catton 4.38 avg rating — 2,069 ratings score: 193, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James M. McPherson 4.41 avg rating — 35,095 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville by Shelby Foote 4.45 avg rating — 13,984 ratings score: 190, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote 4.54 avg rating — 7,868 ratings score: 187, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga by Peter Cozzens (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 520 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga by Peter Cozzens (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 239 ratings score: 183, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Grant by Ron Chernow 4.51 avg rating — 46,524 ratings score: 181, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant by E.B. Long (Editor) 4.15 avg rating — 10,303 ratings score: 179, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction by Allen C. Guelzo 4.35 avg rating — 572 ratings score: 178, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Lincoln by David Herbert Donald 4.20 avg rating — 49,435 ratings score: 176, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Mountains Touched With Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863 by Wiley Sword 4.22 avg rating — 143 ratings score: 175, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Mr. Lincoln's Army (Army of the Potomac Trilogy Book 1) by Bruce Catton 4.34 avg rating — 3,086 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Look Away!: A History of the Confederate States of America by William C. Davis 3.88 avg rating — 458 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Send for the Doctor: The Life and Times of Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet by Clarence R. Hickey 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	An Irishman’s Odyssey by J. Thomas Hennessey Jr. PhD it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 37 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Civil War by Bruce Catton 4.10 avg rating — 2,029 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Civil War at Sea by Craig L. Symonds 4.06 avg rating — 105 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule 4.40 avg rating — 5,991 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey 3.97 avg rating — 1,223 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War by Andrew Delbanco 4.32 avg rating — 1,188 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.22 avg rating — 484 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Story of a Border City During the Civil War by Galusha Anderson it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee: The Forgotten Case against an American Icon by John Reeves (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 108 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Gettysburg: The Final Fury by Bruce Catton 4.28 avg rating — 530 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Thunder on the River: The Civil War in Northeast Florida by Daniel L. Schafer 3.85 avg rating — 27 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Civil War St. Louis by Louis S. Gerteis really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 35 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	This Hallowed Ground: The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War by Bruce Catton 4.41 avg rating — 1,493 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton 4.09 avg rating — 3,537 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution by Eric Foner 4.22 avg rating — 2,857 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta by Marc Wortman 3.83 avg rating — 260 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil War Guerrilla by Thomas Goodrich 4.12 avg rating — 314 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Lincoln's Code: The Laws of War in American History by John Fabian Witt 4.01 avg rating — 244 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Chickamauga and Other Civil War Stories by Shelby Foote (editor) 3.79 avg rating — 177 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Battle of Peach Tree Creek: Hood's First Effort to Save Atlanta by Earl J. Hess 3.88 avg rating — 41 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Hardtack and Coffee or, The Unwritten Story of Army Life by John Davis Billings 4.05 avg rating — 1,299 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Confederate Athens by Kenneth L. Coleman liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	American Civil War: A History From Beginning to End by Henry Freeman 4.04 avg rating — 693 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Way Up North in Dixie: A Black Family's Claim to the Confederate Anthem by Howard L. Sacks 3.90 avg rating — 20 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War (Vintage Departures) by Tony Horwitz 4.10 avg rating — 25,950 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville by Wiley Sword 4.33 avg rating — 590 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era by David Herbert Donald 4.03 avg rating — 208 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Ordeal By Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction by James M. McPherson 4.14 avg rating — 557 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Freedom: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by William Safire 4.12 avg rating — 750 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands 4.13 avg rating — 6,259 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight 4.18 avg rating — 13,209 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Life in the Confederate Army by William Watson 4.23 avg rating — 309 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Stonewall in the Shenandoah (Graphic Novel) by Wayne Vansant (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, 1871-1888 by Frances M.A. Roe 4.22 avg rating — 74 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz 4.02 avg rating — 6,812 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom by H.W. Brands 4.18 avg rating — 1,587 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War – A Remarkable Military History of Unique Collaboration and Ultimate Victory by Charles Bracelen Flood 4.11 avg rating — 2,802 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South by Stephanie McCurry 3.98 avg rating — 573 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Grant Moves South by Bruce Catton 4.50 avg rating — 1,296 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,659 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West by William L. Shea 4.30 avg rating — 207 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863 by George R. Stewart 4.16 avg rating — 322 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War by Frank P. Varney 4.17 avg rating — 52 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills 4.16 avg rating — 8,742 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863 by Eric J. Wittenberg 4.12 avg rating — 116 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Civil War Experiences With the New York Cavalry Under Bayard, Gregg, Kilpatrick, Custer, Raulston & Newberry 1862-1864 by Henry Coddington Meyer 3.88 avg rating — 25 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Calhoun: American Heretic by Robert Elder 4.21 avg rating — 456 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars