Synopses & Reviews
Praise for: A Pocket History “Martin F. Graham's A Pocket History of the Civil War is a font of information that will interest a wide range of readers, including the ardent history buff.”
—Foreword Magazine
Martin Graham, a former associate editor of Blue & Gray magazine, has penned a new book entitled A Pocket History of the Civil War. The book is published in conjunction with The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Each of the books’ eight chapters presents a different theme, ranging from the transformation of civilians into soldiers to the prison systems of North and South. Graham also provides 4-5 page overviews of each of the key battles of war from Fort Sumpter to Appomattox. The final chapter offers brief biographies of eight unusual characters from the war—and an surprising event from its aftermath. An appendix provides a “test your knowledge” section, a glossary, and a list of books further reading.
Civil War buffs will enjoy the many tables that Graham provides. For example, there is a table that lists the greatest percentage of regimental loss in battle (for the Union it was 1st Minnesota which lost 82% at Gettysburg and for the Confederacy it was the 3rd North Carolina which lost 90% at Antietam). Another table lists the higher ranking generals killed in battle and their manner of death. History buffs will relish the information Graham serves up on the economics of the war, camp life, and such lesser-known personalities as Johnny Clem, “the drummer boy of Shiloh.”
For readers new to the war, or who have become interested in it due to the Sesquicentennial, Graham has provided, a concise overview that is sure to inspire further study. In his Foreword to the book, David A. Patterson, CEO of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg writes, “Incorporating all of the fundamental information about the Civil War in one concise, easy to reference and well laid-out volume makes this an essential purchase for the Sesquicentennial Commemoration.”
Synopsis
Whether novice or buff, readers across the spectrum will find unique and entertaining bits of trivia, facts, and lore about key Civil War battles in A Pocket History of the Civil War, a collection of the unusual from Civil War author Martin Graham. From the identification of key troop locations during seminal battles of the Civil War, to details about monuments, to facts about Union and Confederate officers, readers will find myriad bits of fun and fascinating information in this unique collection. Quizzes peppered throughout the book allow readers to test their knowledge.
About the Author
Martin F. Graham has written or contributed to several books about the Civil War and World War II: Mine Run: A Campaign of Lost Opportunities was the first, followed by The James E. Taylor Sketchbook. Since then, he has contributed to several histories of the Civil War and World War II for Publications International, Ltd. He was an associate editor of Blue & Gray Magazine and a contributor to Civil War Times Illustrated and World War II Magazine. He also has been a featured speaker before a number of Civil War Roundtables.
Table of Contents
FOREWORDCHAPTER ONE: THE EVOLUTION OF SOLDIERS
Why Did Civilians Go to War?
Transforming Civilians to Soldiers
The Organization of Northern and Southern Armies
The Daily Life of a Union and Confederate Soldier
Rations
On the March
The Face of Battle
The Men Who Fought and Their Tools of War
Test Your Knowledge About the Soldiers
Who Fought in the Civil War
CHAPTER TWO: KEY BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR -- 1861-62
First Bull Run (Manassas) -- Meeting the Elephant
THE USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia (the Merrimack) -- The Battle of the Ironclads
Shiloh -- Grant's Close Call
The Seven Days -- Lee Takes Command
Second Battle of Bull Run -- A Familiar Stampede
Antietam -- McClellan's LAst Test
Fredericksburg -- IT Is Good That War Is So Terrible
Stones River -- The Fight for Middle Tennessee
Test Your Knowledge About the Major Battles of 1861-62
CHAPTER THREE: KEY BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR -- 1863
Chancellorsville and Second Fredericksburg -- Stonewall's Last Victory
Gettysburg -- Lee Takes the War to the Union Heartland
Siege of Vicksburg -- Grant Conquers the Great Mississippi
Fort Wagner -- The Eyes of Thousands Will Look on What You Do Tonight
Chickamagua -- The "Rock of Chickamagua" Saves an Army
Chattanooga -- The Battle Above Clouds
Test Your Knowledge About the Major Battles of 1863
CHAPTER FOUR: KEY BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR -- 1864
The Overland Campaign of Virginia -- Total Warfare
The Atlanta Campaign -- Johnston's Retreat
Siege of Petersburg -- Life in the Trenches
Cedar Creek -- Sheridan Wills a Victory
March to the Sea -- Sherman Cuts a Huge Path Through Georgia
Hood's Tennessee Campaign -- The Destruction of a Great Army
Test Your Knowledge About the Major Battles of 1864
CHAPTER FIVE: PEACE AT LAST
Appomatox Court House, Virginia -- An Affectionate Farewell
Durham, North Carolina -- With Feelings of Cordial Friendship
Irwinsville, Georgia -- Captured in Women's Clothes
Test Your Knowledge About the War's End
CHAPTER SIX: FOUR YEARS OF WAR -- THE NUMBERS
Those Who Served -- North and South
Battles and Skirmishes -- The Numbers
Famous Regiments -- Heroics and Loss
Death in the Ranks -- Commanders and Generals
The Economics of War -- Money and Life
Test Your Knowledge About the Cost of War
CHAPTER SEVEN: CIVIL WAR PRISONS
Camp Sumter -- Andersonville, Georgia
Camp Douglas -- Chicago, Illinois
Libby Prison -- Richmond, Virginia
Johnson's Island -- Sandusky, Ohio
Test Your Knowledge About Civil War Prisons
CHAPTER EIGHT: TEN INTERESTING CHARACTERS AND EVENTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
Sam Davis -- Boy Hero of the Confederacy
Henry and Clara Rathbone -- The Last Guests of the Lincolns
Sergeant Richard Kirkland -- Angel of Mercy
Ambrose Bierce -- The Mysterious Death of the Soldier and Journalist
Johnny Clem -- The Drummer Boy of Shiloh?
Angelo Crapsey -- A Tragic End to a Heroic Life
James Andrews and William Fuller -- The Great Locomotive Chase
Confederate General Clement Evans -- The Sewing Kit That Saved His Life
Alonzo Cushing -- A 147-Year Wait for the Congressional Medal of Honor
The Last Reunion of the Blue and Gray -- and the Years Beyond
Test Your Knowledge About the Characters and Events of the Civil War
GLOSSARY
RECOMMENDED READING
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ANSWER KEY
ENDNOTES
INDEX