Civil War Commanders: From Fort Sumter to Appomattox Court House

Civil War Commanders features concise career histories of approximately 180 Civil War Leaders, North and South. Some of them emerged from obscurity to become among the most able commanders in the history of warfare. Others less famous nevertheless played significant roles in the development of what would become one of the greatest nations in the world.

Born near Chicago, Rick Sapp grew up on Amelia Island, Florida. His unusual heritage― on one side a long line of southern farmers, shrimp boat captains and rebels, and on the other, a legacy of northern coal miners, gangsters and union organizers―gave him a restless spirit and an inquisitive mind. After three years at the U.S. Air Force Academy he joined the army as a paratrooper and subsequently worked as an intelligence officer in Europe. He completed his PhD. in cultural anthropology at the University of Florida, conducting field work with the National Institute of Mental Health (St. Elizabeth Hospital) in Washington, DC, and in the Great Bend of the Suwannee River, Florida. Rick owned a Media Consulting firm until 9/11 and soon thereafter began freelancing full-time. Rick has since authored (or coauthored) 30 books about camping, bicycle touring, urban redevelopment, history, political cartoons, and outdoor activities. A prolific freelance writer since 1980, his resume includes hundreds, perhaps a thousand, nonfiction articles, creative nonfiction, and short fiction stories, and even poetry. Rick lives in Florida.

Steve Smith is a successful magazine editor and writer who penned the bestselling sports autobiographies To the Point, for bad-boy cricketer Herschelle Gibbs, and SuperVan & I, for motor-racing legend Sarel van der Merwe. Steve is also an enthusiastic mountain-biker, having completed several multiday stage races. He is the editor of CAR magazine, and was previously at the helm of Red Bull’s magazine, The Red Bulletin, and Sports Illustrated. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.