44 Specific Battles and Campaigns (U.S. Civil War Reading List)
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This article is from the U.S. Civil War FAQ, by Justin M. Sanders jsanders@jaguar1.usouthal.edu with numerous contributions by others.
44 Specific Battles and Campaigns (U.S. Civil War Reading List)
Jay Monaghan, Civil War on the Western Border, 1854-1865 (University of
Nebraska Press, 1955).
Covers all aspects of the Trans-Mississippi west, including the
pre-war period, guerrillas, battles, and generals.
Robert Hendrickson, Sumter: The First Day of the Civil War. 1990.
Describes activities associated with events in Charleston Harbor
roughly from before the election of 1860 until Lincoln's call for troops.
Includes several appendices, one with the text of the "South Carolina
Declaration of Causes". Has a strong Northern bias.
William J. Shea and Earl J. Hess, Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the
West (Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1992) ISBN 0-8078-2042-3
The definitive book on the Battle of Pea Ridge. It is very well
written telling in a clear, straightforward way what happened where and
when. There are many helpful maps of the battle at various stages (among
them are 5 of the action at Leetown and 7 of the action at Elkhorn
Tavern). The authors clearly have a thorough familiarity with the terrain
of the battlefield and the vicinity of Pea Ridge. There are extensive
notes and a thorough bibliography. Orders of Battle for both sides are
included. Two additional chapters provide a military commentary on the
battle and discuss the battle's legacy.
Stephen Sears, To the Gates of Richmond. 1992.
An exceptionally good treatment of the Peninsula campaign and the
Seven Day's Battles.
John J. Hennessy, Return to Bull Run: The Campagin and Battle of Second
Manassas (1992).
Hennessy was formerly the historian for the National Park Service at
Manassas. A well-written account of Second Bull Run (August 10, 1862-
September 3, 1862). Fills the gap between Sears' books. A good
description of the failure of command of the federal Army of Virginia
headed by John Pope, and some interesting evaluations of how effective the
Confederates actually were.
Stephen Sears, The Landscape Turned Red. 1983.
An exceptionally good treatment of Antietam/Sharpsburg; Works equally
well as a guide to the battlefield and to the politics and personalities
of the moment.
Ernest B. Furguson, Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave. 1992.
Despite the corny title, this is the definitive modern work on
Chancellorsville. Covering the time between the defeat at Fredericksburg
and the defeat at Chancellorsville, Furguson gives an insightful,
well-written presentation of a confusing battle that is often difficult to
understand. Of particular interest are his conclusions about the
effectiveness of Confederate command. He argues convincingly that even
after Stonewall Jackson turned the right flank of the Army of the Potomac,
the federals had a number of excellent chances of crippling the
Confederate army had Hooker simply held his ground and allowed Lee to
attack frontally as Lee was planning to do.
Richard Wheeler, The Siege of Vicksburg. 1978.
A history of the siege of Vicksburg and the campaign leading up to it.
Wheeler tends to use eyewitness accounts heavily, tracing the broad
outlines in his own words but letting the participants speak for
themselves on the details of what happened. Wheeler has written many more
books in the same style, if you like this one you might want to read his
other books.
Edwin B. Coddington. The Gettysburg Campaign. Scribner's Press, 1968.
The definitive account of the campaign and battle of Gettsburg,
starting in June 1863 and running to the end of July. Though more books
have been written about Gettysburg than any other battle, this one is the
most accurate, most comprehensive, and most accessible of them.
Robert Kerby, Kirby Smith's Confederacy. 1972.
The definitive account of the war west of the Mississippi from 1863
through 1865. Discusses the generals and campaigns, the irregular warfare
in Missouri, the home front in the West, and the relationship of the
Western theater to the whole war in about equal parts.
Glenn Tucker, Chickamauga, Bloody Battle in the West. 1964?
A fairly detailed tactical history of Chickamauga, with some comments
though not many on the preceding campaign and on the general history of
the Western Offensive plan that Longstreet and Johnston, among others, had
been advocating for some time.
Ludwell Johnson, The Red River Campaign. 1958.
The history of the Red River campaign of 1864. Provides about an equal
mix of battle tactical details, and the political maneuvering over
Southern cotton that led to the campaign in the first place.
Noah Trudeau, Bloody Roads South. 1989.
History of the Grant's 1864 campaign from the Wilderness to Cold
Harbor. Contains an excellent description of Grant's strategy, tactics,
and the problems therewith as they manifested themselves in operations
against Lee.
Wiley Sword, Embrace An Angry Wind. 1991.
The Franklin/Nashville campaign.
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