Remembering the Civil War: The Conflict as Told by Those Who Lived It

After the American Civil War, numerous individuals wrote firsthand accounts of their experiences, including generals, politicians, journalists, and soldiers. These memoirs offer valuable perspectives on the war, providing vivid descriptions of major battles, political developments, and other momentous events. Remembering the Civil War, by Michael Barton and Charles Kupfer, selects excerpts from the memoirs of key participants and weaves them together to tell the story of the war in a single volume. The book includes contributions from Union and Confederate authors, as well as personal documents that provide soldiers' perspectives of what fighting was like on the ground and in hospitals and prisons.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 488 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2021
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Following the conclusion of the American Civil War, a multitude of individuals, encompassing generals, politicians, journalists, and soldiers, penned firsthand accounts of their distinct experiences. As noted by Alfred E. Smith of the Library of Congress in 1998, "no chapter of American history has been so voluminously recorded." While the quality and accuracy of these memoirs may vary, a significant number offer valuable insights that, when combined, provide vivid descriptions of pivotal battles, political developments, and other significant events spanning from Fort Sumter to Appomattox.

In their book, Remembering the Civil War, historians Michael Barton and Charles Kupfer have meticulously curated excerpts from the memoirs of prominent figures, effectively weaving them together to present a comprehensive narrative of the war in a single volume. Contributors to this work include Union generals such as Ulysses Grant, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, W.T. Sherman, Abner Doubleday, and Philip Sheridan. Confederate authors include Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, Corporal Sam Watkins, Lieutenant John W. Worsham, Colonel Edward Porter Alexander, Captain John Wilkinson, and Jefferson Davies. Personal documents offer soldiers' perspectives on the realities of combat, as well as their experiences in hospitals and prisons. Each excerpt is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and headnote that provide background information and context, enhancing the reader's understanding of the material.

Weight: 667g
Dimension: 230 x 155 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781493059331