1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Civil War - Hardcover

Vandiver, Frank E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517228459 ISBN 13: 9780517228456

Publisher: Gramercy, 2006

Synopsis

What was "the twenty-slave law" and why did it divide the Confederacy?
What circumstances nearly forced Robert E. Lee to resign in 1863?
What was Grant's "crusher" strategy?
What did Booth yell as he jumped onto the stage at Ford's Theatre?
How did the Confederate Army win the last battle of the war?
What are the lyrics for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"--and did you know it was written by a woman?

The Civil War lasted four years and consumed the American continent, spreading from Maine to California, Florida to Wyoming, and even into Canada. It was the last war of the American Revolution and the first war of the Industrial Revolution. More than a million men--a quarter of all men of fighting age--were killed or wounded or died of disease. Every imaginable resource was expended in the war effort, and at its end, a new Union arose from the wreckage of the old.

No war is simple or uncomplicated, but the history of the Civil War is extraordinarily complex. In his new book, esteemed historian Frank E. Vandiver catalogs the significant characters, events, and cultural phenomena of the war in 1001 concise entries. Whether you read it straight from beginning to end or thumb through haphazardly, you are sure to find every page full of essential facts and fascinating trivia, from a short history of the most famous Confederate spy to the grisly details of battlefield surgery. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Civil War is an essential, exhaustive resource, covering the vote for secession, General Robert E. Lee's surrender, and everything in between.

About this title

Review:

Civil War historian Frank E. Vandiver prefaces his book with the confession that "the length, breadth, cost, and anguish of the American Civil War cannot be encompassed in 1001 entries." He does, however, give it a good shot, offering up a "highly personal selection" of Civil War people, places, and events. Vandiver is careful to avoid words such as "essential" when describing his list--it's clear that some entries are included because they're funny. (For example, General Joseph Hooker did little to discourage female camp followers, thus lending his name to practitioners of the oldest profession.)

The entries are arranged chronologically from the start of the war to some final analyses and presented as a coherent (though slightly choppy) narrative. Capsule biographies of important figures are interspersed with information on munitions, individual battles, technology, medicine, and "oddities"--factoids which Vandiver takes obvious pleasure in relating.

Although the book is aimed primarily at the general reader, Civil War buffs will still enjoy learning about the lesser-known figures, such as Mrs. Mary Jackson, who led a mob of women in a food riot in Richmond, and John Burns of Gettysburg, a septuagenarian who enlisted on the side of the Union. Dozens of black-and-white photographs illustrate the text and help make it an excellent choice for anyone interested in this sad part of American history. --C.B. Delaney

About the Author:

Frank E. Vandiver, president emeritus of Texas A&M University and a former acting president of the American University of Cairo, is currently director of the Mosher Institute for Defense Studies at Texas A&M. He is well known for his writings on the Civil War and military history, including Mighty Stonewall, Their Tattered Flags: The Epic of the Confederacy, Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing, and Blood Brothers: A Short History of the Civil War.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gramercy
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0517228459
• ISBN 13: 9780517228456
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288