Smithsonian S Great Battles And Battlefields Of The Civil War

Organized by state and cross-referenced chronologically, this authoritative guide to every recorded battle and battlefield of America's bloodiest and most rending war explains the various battles and details the strategies behind troop movements. Lively anecdotes and biographies of the participants--both well-known and obscure--offer the personal perspective that makes history immediate and meaningful. 100+ photos & maps.

Smithsonian Civil War is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book featuring 150 entries in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. From among tens of thousands of Civil War objects in the Smithsonian's collections, curators handpicked 550 items and wrote a unique narrative that begins before the war through the Reconstruction period. The perfect gift book for fathers and history lovers, Smithsonian Civil War combines one-of-a-kind, famous, and previously unseen relics from the war in a truly unique narrative. Smithsonian Civil War takes the reader inside the great collection of Americana housed at twelve national museums and archives and brings historical gems to light. From the National Portrait Gallery come rare early photographs of Stonewall Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant; from the National Museum of American History, secret messages that remained hidden inside Lincoln's gold watch for nearly 150 years; from the National Air and Space Museum, futuristic Civil War-era aircraft designs. Thousands of items were evaluated before those of greatest value and significance were selected for inclusion here. Artfully arranged in 150 entries, they offer a unique, panoramic view of the Civil War.

"The battles that shaped America"--Cover.

It is commonly accepted that the South could never have won the Civil War. By chronicling perhaps the best of the South's limited opportunities to turn the tide, this provocative study argues that Confederate victory was indeed possible. On June 30, 1862, at a small Virginia crossroads known as Glendale, Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee sliced the retreating Army of the Potomac in two and came remarkably close to destroying their Federal foe. Only a string of command miscues on the part of the Confederates--and a stunning command failure by Stonewall Jackson--enabled the Union army to escape a defeat that day, one that may well have vaulted the South to its independence. Never before or after would the Confederacy come as close to transforming American history as it did at the Battle of Glendale.

Records the decisive battles of the Civil War, from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, reflecting both Union and Confederate viewpoints, with letters, journal accounts, newspaper articles, documents, and detailed campaign maps

Essays, maps, and illustrations provide information on every major battle and campaign of the Civil War battlefields.

By the summer of 1863, following Chancellorsville, it was clear to everyone on both sides of the Civil War that the Army of Northern Virginia was the most formidable force Americans had ever put in the field. It could only be ÒtiedÓ in battle, if against great odds, but would more usually vanquish its opponents. A huge measure of that armyÕs success was attributable to its cavalry arm, under Major General J.E.B. Stuart, which had literally Òrun ringsÓ around its enemies. But Northern arithmetic and expertise were gradually catching up. In this work, the sequel to his acclaimed Year of Glory, author Monte Akers tracks Stuart and his cavalry through the following year of the war, from Gettysburg to the Overland Campaign, concluding only when Jeb himself succumbs to a gunshot while fending off a force three times his size at the very gates of Richmond. Gettysburg put paid to the aura of unstoppable victory surrounding the Army of Northern Virginia. But when Grant and Sheridan came east they found that Lee, Stuart, Longstreet, and the rest still refused to be defeated. It was a year of grim casualties and ferocious fightingÑin short, a year of Òdesperate struggleÓ with the gloves off on both sides. This work picks up where Year of Glory left off, with a minute examination of StuartÕs cavalry during the controversial Gettysburg campaign, followed by the nine months of sparring during which the Army of Potomac declined to undertake further major thrusts against Virginia. But then the UnionÕs western chieftains arrived and the war became one huge Òfuneral procession,Ó as Grant and Sheridan found that their prior victories had by no means prepared them for meeting the Army of Northern Virginia. In this work Akers provides a fascinating, close-in view of the ConfederacyÕs cavalry arm during this crucial period of the war. After StuartÕs death the Army of Northern Virginia would eventually be cornered, but while he was alive it was often the Northerners who most needed to look to their security.