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Best U.S. Civil War Naval Operations History

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad!
Each of the books in Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales has elements of the strange but true and is presented in an engaging, funny format, highlighting the larger-than-life characters that pop up in real history. Praise for Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad "Livelier than the typical history textbook but sillier than the many outstanding works on the Civil War available for young readers, this will appeal to both history buffs and graphic-novel enthusiasts." Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Reviews
"My son loves these books."
"My 9-year-old son says this is one of his favorite books because Nathan Hale makes history funny and interesting."
"Very popular with my 8 year old boy."
"Was a Christmas present that was assembled by a grandson."
"Our family loves these books, especially my 11 year old."
"Great for 2nd-3rd graders."
"A definite recommended story for young readers with a slightly more mature personality to handle some of the concepts."
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Big Bad Ironclad! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Book 2)
From the ship's inventor, who had a history of blowing things up and only 100 days to complete his project, to the mischievous William Cushing, who pranked his way through the whole war, this book is filled with surprisingly true facts and funny, brave characters that modern readers will easily relate to. Nathan Hale is the illustrator of the graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge , which was an Al Roker Book Club for Kids selection, an ALA Notable Book, and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens and earned three starred reviews.
Reviews
"My son loves these books."
"My 9-year-old son says this is one of his favorite books because Nathan Hale makes history funny and interesting."
"Very popular with my 8 year old boy."
"Was a Christmas present that was assembled by a grandson."
"Our family loves these books, especially my 11 year old."
"Great for 2nd-3rd graders."
"A definite recommended story for young readers with a slightly more mature personality to handle some of the concepts."
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Iron Dawn: The Monitor, the Merrimack, and the Civil War Sea Battle that Changed History
From acclaimed popular historian Richard Snow, who “writes with verve and a keen eye” ( The New York Times Book Review ), the thrilling story of the naval battle that not only changed the Civil War but the future of all sea power. The North got word of the project when it was already well along, and, in desperation, commissioned an eccentric inventor named John Ericsson to build the Monitor , an entirely revolutionary iron warship—at the time, the single most complicated machine ever made. “With muscular vitality, vast knowledge of military technology, and a novelist's gift for capturing vivid detail, Richard Snow retells the story of Civil War ironclads as if it is unfolding before our startled eyes for the first time. Their story—and that of the misunderstandings and maneuverings that preceded the Battle of Hampton Roads—is irresistible, nowhere more so than in this crackling, supremely poised account.” —Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Witches, Cleopatra: A Life, and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America. In Iron Dawn, Richard Snow opens up the vast, enthralling world of politics, war, technology, maritime history, and human drama that lies just back of that momentous battle. "Snow's energetic account encompasses issues large and small, including discussions of arms and armament; the origin of the word 'splinter'; the battle's inconclusive end; a Southern joke of the day ('Iron-plated?'. 'Sir, our navy is barely contem-plated'); Lincoln's special interest in the Union's ironclad; the difference between shells and solid shot, the 'mystery' of the Merrimack's name; and the enthusiastic Monitor fever that swept the relieved, almost giddy North. A few notable naval battles changed the course of wars, even history, but the clash at Hampton Roads transformed the nature of warfare itself and offered a glimpse of the 'grim modernity' Snow vividly captures."
Reviews
"Snow even manages to make his iron-clad characters as compelling as the human ones: the tough little Monitor whose deceptively whacky appearance provokes ridicule among both his allies and enemies, and the terrifying jerry-rigged Merrimack who storms out like Darth Vader to wreak havoc on and demonstrate the death of once-invincible wooden fighting ships."
"The author describes carefully and accurately the steps that led both sides to produce their designs, the personal commitment that builders and officials made to their concepts, and the matter-of-fact heroism that the crews manifested as the first battle between ironclads raged in Hampton Roads."
"An all round excellent book that not only tells the tale of the Monitor v. Merrimack, but also ties together the key individuals and technological innovation that led to this watershed moment in naval history."
"The description of how the CSS Virginia (Merriack) came out to attack the northern wooden ships and was like a ship no one had ever seen before. Keller was the paymaster on board the ship and was in the battle. After the battle, "the duldrums", when the ship had nothing to do but stand guard, seemed brief and the misery aboard the ship in the prolonged heat was not given its due."
"I've read about 40 books on the Civil War, including a few specifically on the Monitor and Merrimack, but this book stands out in the vivid detail not just of the battle, but also of the origins and characters behind the huge coincidental meeting of the first ironclads."
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Best Children's American Civil War Era History Books

Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Adapted from Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling historical thriller, Killing Lincoln , this book will have young readers—and grown-ups too—hooked on history. It opens in the often-chaotic closing days of the Civil War, capturing the jubilation following Lee's surrender, the events of Lincoln's last days, and Booth's obsessive hatred of Lincoln and his conspiracy to assassinate him.
Reviews
"Good book to read if one is a history seeker and decent book for a story into lives of individual of the time."
"Interesting book."
"I came away disappointed in this book because I felt that, given the volume of research material available, the authors could have provided much more of a backstory to the issues that motivate men like Booth to be driven to achieve such an ignominious act."
"An excellent book, well writing, factual, including facts I had not read before."
"A very compelling documentation, told like a story, of the events leading up to the assassination of President Lincoln."
"The storytelling is gripping...a real page turner."
"O'Reilly's fall from grace, notwithstanding, he gives information about Booth's fiance, which I had not read in another book."
"I had no idea of the circumstances surrounding Lincoln's assassination or how closely it was to the end of the war."
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Best U.S. Civil War Women's History

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it. “Eloquent… A riveting psychological inquiry and probing examination of the courage, incomparable patriotism, stamina, and agility of four women who repeatedly risked their lives to serve their citizenry... Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy [feels] like an operatic espionage novel, where deception, betrayal, love, and redemption are interspersed with gripping combat scenes and perilous rescues.” ( Los Angeles Review of Books ). “Compelling... Karen Abbott stitches together a patchwork narrative as complex as a pieced quilt, combining the colorful, unrelated tales of four women who fought in the Civil War as surely as Lee and Grant… [her] high achievement lies in her Augean compilation of published and archival material.” ( Washington Times ).
Reviews
"Because the narrative fluctuates among the four women, sometimes I lost tract of who was who since several of the women were similar even thought they were on different sides of the conflict.I considered whether the author could have handled the stories differently and I decided her method was best and she tracked them as the war progressed rather than covering their stores separately."
"An excellent book about four women who devoted themselves to helping out their countries (North & South) during the Civil War."
"We felt Ms. Abbott brought each of the women to life, and we felt we better understood the role of women in the Civil War."
"Even looking back on this horror one can’t say how it happened."
"First 3 chapters kept my interest and took a break from the after the 5th, I was almost through the book."
"Although especially good for women to acquaint themselves with strong women playing important roles, addition facts and the viewpoints of both Northern and Southern people are provoking."
"Very interesting and absorbing."
"Some of Johnston’s troops, in blue uniforms, caused some Union regiments to hold their fire making a contribution to them breaking. She has men playing ball with severed heads, cutting off noses, ears and testicles for souvenirs. She fails to admit that no respected Civil War author accepts these stories as fact. In stating them as fact, she is either a poor historian or dishonest, in either case I do not want to waste my time reading this book."
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Best U.S. Civil War Confederacy History

Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson
From the author of the prize-winning New York Times bestseller Empire of the Summer Moon comes a thrilling account. of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. became a great and tragic American hero. It traces Jackson’s brilliant twenty-four-month career in the Civil War, the period that encompasses his rise from obscurity to fame and legend; his stunning effect on the course of the war itself; and his tragic death, which caused both North and South to grieve the loss of a remarkable American hero. "In Rebel Yell , Mr. Gwynne's easy, loping style wraps itself effortlessly around the particulars of Stonewall Jackson's life, from his back-of-the-mountain upbringing to the outburst of military genius in the Civil War. "In the magnificent Rebel Yell , one of the year's best biographies, writer S.C. Gwynne brings Jackson ferociously to life... His battle scenes are marvels of description and kinetic action. [He] brings a deep humanity to his portrayals of Jackson, his fellow Confederate generals and their Union adversaries... Gwynne's pages fly by, brimming with excitement and terror." “Gwynne stirringly recreates the bloody, error-plagued battles of the early war and argues that Jackson’s legend galvanized the South, outmanned and outgunned, to keep fighting.” ( New Yorker ). "A worthy book that does much to present the general in a realistic, critical and evenhanded manner.... Gwynne writes with style... he creates vivid word pictures and descriptions that keep the reader engaged.
Reviews
"In terms of the quality of the descriptive writing, the structure and skilful use of language, and the depth Gwynne brings to the characters of Jackson and his comrades and friends, the book stands not just as an outstanding biography but as a very fine piece of literary writing. As Jackson and his force of cadets set out to war, Gwynne tells us of his pre-war life as a rather strange and awkward man, deeply religious, suffering from poor health and perhaps a degree of hypochondria. This is very much a biography of Jackson and a history of his military campaigns, rather than a history of the Civil War itself. As we follow Jackson through his campaigns, Gwynne, with the assistance of clear and well-placed maps, brings the terrain to life, vividly contrasting the beauty of the country with the brutality and horrors of the battlefields. From the beginnings of the creation of the Jackson legend in the Shenandoah Valley campaign, then on through the series of battles where he snatched victory from what should have been certain defeat, till his final stunning achievements as the right-hand man of General Robert E Lee, Gwynne shows the growing admiration and even love of his troops for this man whose total belief in the rightness of his cause and God's protection led him to take extraordinary risks. We see the other side of Jackson - the family man, grieving for the death of his first young wife and then finding happiness with his second, Anna."
"His life was far different then the picture of him in my mind before reading the book."
"However my husband loves it and sits with maps as he reads it so he can know exactly what they are talking about."
"This is a fairly easy read that has all the essential details in it--e.g., Jackson's last words, how he got his nickname, examples of his religious devotion and his warfare abilities."
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book."
"The author repeatedly describes his big feet, awkward gait, poor social skills, eccentric nature and surprising private giddiness that betrays his public persona."
"My only criticism of this book is that Mr. Gwynne can really get bogged down in the minuate of troop movement and battle plans that make a 400 page book a 600 page book, but that is only a minor issue."
"Any student of the Civil War or US military history should read this book."
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Best U.S. Civil War Regimental Histories

Lincoln's Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac
From the best-selling author of Gettysburg, a multilayered group biography of the commanders who led the Army of the Potomac The high command of the Army of the Potomac was a changeable, often dysfunctional band of brothers, going through the fires of war under seven commanding generals in three years, until Grant came east in 1864. “A masterful synthesis...a narrative about amazing courage and astonishing gutlessness…It explains why Union movements worked and, more often, didn't work in clear-eyed explanatory prose that's vivid and direct.”. — Chicago Tribune “A monumental group biography…reminds us that the outcome of the war was not a foregone conclusion.”. — The Wall Street Journal “Massive, elegant study...a staggering work of research by a masterly historian.” — Kirkus, ST ARRED.
Reviews
"My first Civil War books read --- many years ago --- were Catton's trilogy on the Army of the Potomac (AotP). Enter Stephen Sears, who has written several excellent campaign histories of the CW Eastern Theater (Antietam, Peninsula, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg) as well as much about General McClellan, Besides being very, very old at this point, Sears has also covered a lot of background details about the AotP in his other books. This sort of material is usually the background to campaign studies, but here Sears inverts the usual approach and the campaigns are instead background to the institutional history. This may sound dull, but it is not, as Sears is graceful and highly skilled writer, and his campaigns and battles material is well done and, of course, occurs frequently enough to make things interesting. More significantly, Sears makes the info on the generals seem fascinating - between flamboyant characters like Sickles and Kearny, intriguing failures like Sigel and Heintzelman, and McC's cadre of sycophants like Porter and Franklin, Sears has an eye for telling detail and interesting (well-documented!). Sears (and many other writers) does this sort of thing in the battle and campaign books. First, I assume most persons reading a 900 page history on the AotP are probably pretty familiar with the CW, and so can probably follow along on the maps from memory, or can dig out other books and use those as references. For new CW readers, I will say only that this is a fine book for anyone with an interest in the subject as long as they have a reasonable familiarity with the overall subject of the Civil War in the East."
"My guess is that LINCOLN'S LIEUTENANTS is as close to an overall history of the Civil War as we are likely to get from Sears (he now is 84). As an overall history of the Civil War, LINCOLN'S LIEUTENANTS is told through the prism of the Army of the Potomac (which started out as the Army of Northeastern Virginia). The focus of the book is on the Army's generals -- from the commanding generals (MacDowell, McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade, and Grant) to the underlings who led the various corps and brigades -- and how they performed, both in battle and as a member of a military organization. The special slant of Sears's book is that he does not consider the performance of the high command solely in military terms. Rather, Sears expands his inquiry to consider the civilian and political factors that influenced the conduct of the generals of the Army of the Potomac, as personified by President Lincoln, the Cabinet (especially the Secretary of War), the Congress, and the press. Sears provides detailed accounts of the many battles and campaigns waged by the Army of the Potomac, including First and Second Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg. But for someone who already has a good understanding of the War and the major battles fought by the Army of the Potomac, it is a very rewarding book."
"This book was well written and catalogues the chronicles of Lincoln's generals as the title states."
"A quality read that keeps the reader engaged throughout the book."
"Excellent look at the Commanders and Politicians of the Union High Command and Army of the Potomac."
"If Sears is to be believed, and I suspect he should be, the amazing level of incompetence repeatedly displayed by the Army of the Potomac's senior officers was not only excused by Washington, it was abetted for reasons that were plausible and (depressingly) necessary."
"Outstanding writing and a most valuable addition to the prolific literature on the American Civil War."
"Sears is a great historian, but after 400 pages of George McClellan, I just had enough."
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Best Civil War Campaigns & Battlefields History

Civil War Volumes 1-3 Box Set
Foote's comprehensive history of the Civil War includes three compelling volumes: Fort Sumter to Perryville, Fredericksburg to Meridian, and Red River to Appomattox. "Anyone who wants to relive the Civil War, as thousands of Americans apparently do, will go through this volume with pleasure.... Years from now, Foote's monumental narrative most likely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind." "I have never read a better, more vivid, more understandable account of the savage battling between Grant's and Lee's armies.... Foote stays with the human strife and suffering, and unlike most Southern commentators, he does not take sides. “Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters.”—Van Allen Bradley, Chicago Daily News “A stunning book full of color, life, character and a new atmosphere of the Civil War, and at the same time a narrative of unflagging power. Years from now, Foote’s monumental narrative most likely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind.”— New York Herald Tribune Book Review “To read this great narrative is to love the nation—to love it through the living knowledge of its mortal division. Whitman, who ultimately knew and loved the bravery and frailty of the soldiers, observed that the real Civil War would never be written and perhaps should not be.
Reviews
"It is extremely rare to find a book so compelling you can't wait to get back to it and I spite of knowing the ending the tears for all concerned won't stop flowing."
"Shelby Foote is a great story teller and does an excellent job of bring the civil war to life."
"Each time I read the trilogy I came away with a greater appreciation of the literary genius of Shelby Foote."
"Very detailed and informative!"
"Son was overjoyed to receive book 3."
"Devil's in the details, and this compilation has so much detail your brain will explode with historical references."
"Mr. Foote has been able to capture like noone else I have ever read, the tedium and the terror; the honor and the bravery; the reason and the reluctance; the endlessness and the necessity of our civil war."
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Best U.S. Abolition of Slavery History

The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism
A sweeping, authoritative history of the expansion of slavery in America, showing how forced migrations radically altered the nation's economic, political, and cultural landscape. As historian Edward E. Baptist reveals in The Half Has Never Been Told , the expansion of slavery in the first eight decades after American independence drove the evolution and modernization of the United States. "Wonderful.... Baptist provides meticulous, extensive, and comprehensive evidence that capitalism and the wealth it created was absolutely dependent on the forced labor of Africans and African-Americans, downplaying culturalist arguments for Western prosperity. "By far the finest account of the deep interplay of the slave trade...and the development of the U.S. "Baptist has a knack for explaining complex financial matters in lucid prose.... "Baptist's real achievement is to ground these financial abstractions in the lives of ordinary people. Above all, Baptist sets out to show how America's rise to power is inextricable from the suffering of black slaves.
Reviews
"He details how slavery, by use of torture and terrorism, increased productivity and made the cotton industry the biggest, most sustained, expansion of the economy in human history. He makes the point that it wasn't just a Southern industry; indeed it benefitted the entire world -- from Northern banks, ship builders and industries that supported slavery (farm implements, whips, ropes, chains, etc) to the textile mills of Western Europe, especially Britain. He also adds powerful voice to the millions of men, women and children who suffered under the bondage of slavery."
"I read heavily on the subject of slavery and found this to be the best treatment to date that I have found to address the connection between slavery and America's rise to become a 20th century superpower."
"Fascinating read that brought a different, deeper understanding of our country’s history and contradictions."
"Such a great read."
"Revelatory; an added dimension to the story of slavery and pure America's ongoing racism in context."
"Eye opening read on the deep history of slavery that fueled the capitalistic foundation of this country."
"This book should be read by every American and taught in all high schools and colleges."
"Well written and informative."
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