A Stillness at Appomattox. Catton was not a historian by vocation, but a journalist, and that was a vital sk in his wonderful work, which stands until this day as an account of the political and military maneuvering of the Army of the Potomac and its leadership, while at the same time telling the story through the eyes of the common soldier Another iconic book long on my bookshelf is Stephen Sears’ Landscape Turned Red, a masterful account of a single battle dealing with the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, one of the bloodiest in American history, with nearly 23,000 casualties. Sears drew on di aries, memoirs, letters, and official reports to recreate the horror of Antietam on every level on both Union and Confederate sides The New York Times Book Review called it “the best account the Battle of Antietam.” It perhaps the best account of day long Civil War Battle. Eric Wittenberg’s “The Devil’s to Pay”: John Buford at Gettysburg A History and Walking Tour is another grea battle study. Whenever I
think of John Buford, I see Sam Elliott, who portrayed the cavalry commander in the movie Gettysburg in a photo standing next to my friend Duncan MacQueen, who played his bugler in the film. Having said that, Wittenberg’s award-winning book nails down the cavalry’s role in the run up to Gettysburg and the important first day’s fighting. No aut details the critical delayin tactics engineered by Buford and his cavalry and horse ar tillery as well as Wittenber who uses using a variety of primary sources, many of which have never been used before. Not only do you get definitive account of Buford role in the battle, but also tour with GPS coordinates. According to one reviewer, Allen Guelzo’s book, Gettysburg: The L Invasion “enlarges the conventional battle narrative. ...It’s his expansive, rolli storytelling that makes this book so engrossing and sets Guelzo’s Gettysburg apart from the many others.” I agree. I had the opportunity read the manuscript prior to publication. The book covers the battle comprehensively.
It is a true pleasure to rea even though we all know the outcome already. Kevin Levin’s Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth is the newest volume on my list and deals with claim that have arisen in the past years or so that a number of African Americans served in Rebel ranks voluntarily despite the Confederate government’s prohibition agains such service. Levin, using e tensive primary sources, doe a thorough job in debunking the myth, while noting that the valuable supply services of slave labor was a conside able asset to the Confederat logistical effort. The war did not really end with Lee’s surrender or Juneteenth. The struggle con tinued at a reduced level af the armed conflict, a subjec largely ignored or downplayed for many years. Eric Foner’s Reconstruction is considered by almost everyone to be the best book on t subject. Like David Blight’s Race and Reunion, it is the work to which all scholars o the subject must in some way respond, whether they agree or disagree with Foner’s
conclusions. I have heard him speak and he is an excellent scholar. Today more and more people are looking to the Reconstruction era and the subsequent “Jim Crow” years and how they influenced American history. 9. Dean S. Thomas contributed significantly to the ultimate details of Civil War studies. His four-volume set, Round Ball to Rimfire: A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition stands out as the only modern, and most thorough, analysis of the subject I use it frequently in my own work. His account of the development and use of ammunition used in muskets, rifle muskets, revolvers, and a bevy of carbines is, frankly, priceless to those of us interested in the weapons of the war in action, but also i development. 10. Bell Irvin Wiley was the firs serious historian of the life of the common soldier on both sides. His work in two volumes, The Life of Johnny Reb and The Life of Billy Yank, are both thoroughly researched and professionally written studies of the common soldiers. His work is one of those must-read books on the conflict.
Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966–1967. H is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author
or editor of 21 books and over 400 articles on N.J. and military history and firearms. He is also publications editor for the N.J.
War 150 Committee and edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to
War. His latest book, New Jersey: A Military History, was published by Westholme Publishing in 2017. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (N.J.) history and an Award of Merit from the N.J. Historical Commission for contributions to
Publishers: Send your book(s) for r 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 Charleston, SC 2941
For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson. Oxford University Press, 1997. One of the Civil War’s great historians takes on the audacious task of succinctly articulating what drove men to enlist and fight in th nation’s deadliest conflict. McPherson relies on a massive sampling of soldiers’ letters and diaries, analyzin and categorizing each with a scientific precision. In so d ing, McPherson illustrates th deep ideological convictions of the soldiers and their dis parate understandings of the causes for which they fought. That McPherson is able to do all of this in a single conci volume is a testament to the historian’s legendary capability to articulate the nuan es of history while identifying comprehensible themes. The Golden Book of the Civil War by Charles Flato. American Heritage Publishing Company, 1960. It is rare that a book engages readers as well in 2020 as in 1960. The Golden Book of the Civil War’s use of colorful maps, vibrant images, and a clear, readable prose makes it a truly timeless work. Although intended for “young readers,” the Golden Book has been the “bug” that sparked and kin-
dled the interests of generations of Civil War buffs, and is just as enjoyable to pick the bookshelf at fifty years
as it was in 1960. Doubtless, this simple, nostalgic pleasure will continue to spark a interest in the Civil War for young people for decades to come.
Mr. Lincoln’s Army by Bruce Catton. Doubleday, 1951. Catton tells the stories of Union soldiers as only some-
one who grew up listening to veterans recount their wartime experiences could. A masterful storyteller, Catton’s narrative utilizes a