Books for the Civil War Buff in Your Life

History runs deep in the American psyche, and the Civil War resonates still, 150+ years on. For those who love military history and grapple with the defining conflict of the American experience, our Civil War titles commemorate the impact on both sides, while telling the necessary stories of this epic conflict. From the First Shot at Fort Sumter, through Gettysburg, Sherman’s March and Antietam, there are more than 100 books which look at the Civil War from the local perspective of the people who lived it.
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Buffalo Soldiers on the Colorado Frontier
Buffalo Soldiers on the Colorado Frontier
$16.99
The Lost Freedmen's Town of Hamburg, South Carolina
The Lost Freedmen's Town of Hamburg, South Carolina
$16.99
A History Lover's Guide to Louisville
A History Lover's Guide to Louisville
$16.99
Mobile Under Siege
Mobile Under Siege
$16.99
Paducah and the Civil War
Paducah and the Civil War
$16.99
Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania
Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Texas Coastal Defense in the Civil War
Texas Coastal Defense in the Civil War
$24.99
Michigan Civil War Landmarks
Michigan Civil War Landmarks
$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
Litchfield County and the Civil War
Litchfield County and the Civil War
$24.99
Naming Arkansas
Naming Arkansas
$24.99
Black Civil War Veterans in Washington State
Black Civil War Veterans in Washington State
$24.99
Galveston's Juneteenth Story
Galveston's Juneteenth Story
$24.99
Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier
Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers
The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta
The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Paducah and the Civil War
Paducah and the Civil War
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and an Appreciation of General U.S. Grant
With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and an Appreciation of General U.S. Grant
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Grand Rapids and the Civil War
Grand Rapids and the Civil War
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Captain Charles Rawn and the Frontier Infantry in Montana
Captain Charles Rawn and the Frontier Infantry in Montana
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Tennessee Hero Confederate Brigadier General John Adams
Tennessee Hero Confederate Brigadier General John Adams
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Only in Lamar, Missouri
Only in Lamar, Missouri
$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
The Civil War Battles of Macon
The Civil War Battles of Macon
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Battle of White Sulphur Springs: Averell Fails to Secure West Virginia
The Battle of White Sulphur Springs: Averell Fails to Secure West Virginia
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton
The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe
A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Lenawee County and the Civil War
Lenawee County and the Civil War
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Norwich and the Civil War
Norwich and the Civil War
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
The War for Missouri
The War for Missouri
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
New Bern and the Civil War
New Bern and the Civil War
$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Lost Jefferson City
Lost Jefferson City
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Hidden History of Natchez
Hidden History of Natchez
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown, Virginia
$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
A Quaker Officer in the Civil War: Henry Gawthrop of the 4th Delaware
A Quaker Officer in the Civil War: Henry Gawthrop of the 4th Delaware
$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania

9781467119733

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Much like the rest of the nation, South Central Pennsylvania struggled with slavery. The institution lingered locally for more than fifty years, although it was virtually extinct everywhere else within Pennsylvania.


Gradually, anti-slavery views prevailed. The Appalachian Mountains and the Susquehanna River provided natural cover for fleeing slaves, causing an influx of travel along the Underground Railroad. Locals like William Wright and James McAllister assisted these runaways while publicly advocating to abolish slavery. Historian Cooper Wingert reveals the struggles between slavery and abolition in South Central Pennsylvania.

Slavery & the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania

Michigan Civil War Landmarks

9781626199408

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
When America faced its greatest internal crisis, Michigan answered the call with over ninety thousand troops. The story of that sacrifice is preserved in the state's rich collection of Civil War monuments, markers, forts, cemeteries, reenactments, museums and exhibits. Discover how General George A. Custer and the famed Michigan Cavalry Brigade "saved the Union." Visit the chair that President Lincoln was assassinated in at Ford's Theatre, and view the grave of the last African American Union veteran. With a foreword by Civil War historian Jack Dempsey, this work is the first of its kind to chronicle the many Civil War landmarks in the Wolverine State.
Michigan Civil War Landmarks

Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier

9781467154581

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Author Mark Neaves guides readers on an incredible tale through the life of one of America's greatest adventurers.

Born into slavery in the Mississippi Delta in 1847, Holt Collier was taught to hunt at an early age, killing his first bear at age 10, the first of 3,000 bears he killed during his lifetime, more than Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone combined. The number sounds impossible, until considered in the context of a life that reads like the stuff of fiction. When war erupted in the South, he remained loyal to the Confederacy, a teenager off to war. By the turn of the century, he'd become such a legendary hunter he was tapped to lead Teddy Roosevelt on a hunt that gave birth to the "Teddy Bear." As a former slave, Confederate soldier, and professional hunting guide, Holt goes down as an American legend.

Mississippi Bear Hunter Holt Collier

The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers

9781596291485

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
In his latest book, The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers, Charles Mauro has given voice to the heretofore silent majority of the participants in the Civil War: the civilians. This overdue study examines the full spectrum of men, women, slaves and freedmen who lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, during this chaotic, uncertain period. Drawn from the files of the Southern Claims Commission, Mauro recounts the stories the civilians told the Commission after the war to document their losses, lives and living conditions. The citizens of Fairfax County found themselves occupying front row seats at the most horrific show that this country has ever seen. Because of its position just across the Potomac River on the doorstep of the city of Washington, Fairfax County was heavily targeted by the Confederate army and defended with equal determination by the Union army. Fairfax was the first county in the South that the Union army invaded, and the last it occupied as soldiers were mustered out of service after the Grand Review. The Civil War in Fairfax County contains stories of the devastation that both armies brought upon the civilians and their property, as well as the daily strife caused by a war that pitted neighbor against neighbor and family members against themselves. It gives an important, fascinating and unprecedented look into the everyday lives of the civilians who lived through the most tumultuous four years in American history, in a county that was occupied by both the Confederate and Union armies throughout the entire Civil War.
The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers

The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

9781625858450

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
During the Civil War, only Virginia and Tennessee saw more action than Missouri. Ulysses S. Grant first proved his ability there. Sterling Price, a former governor of Missouri, sided with the Confederacy, raised an army and led it in battle all over the state. Notorious guerrilla warriors "Bloody" Bill Anderson and William Quantrill terrorized communities and confounded Union military commanders. Brian Warren and Joseph "Whit" McCoskrie provide a chronological overview of more than three hundred of the documented engagements that took place within Missouri's borders, furnishing photos, maps, biographical sketches and military tactics.
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta

9781625858399

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
After six failed attempts to reach Vicksburg, General Ulysses S. Grant developed a plan. The Yazoo Pass Expedition was a Union army/navy operation meant to bypass Vicksburg by using the backwaters of the Mississippi Delta. Operations began on February 3, 1863, with a levee breach on the Mississippi River. The expedition was delayed as a result of natural obstacles and Confederate resistance, which allowed the Confederate army under Lieutenant General John Pemberton to block passage of the Federal fleet. The Confederates continued to rebuff the fleet and finally defeated it in the spring. Larry McCluney examines the expedition from start to finish in never-before-seen detail.
The Yazoo Pass Expedition: A Union Thrust into the Delta

Paducah and the Civil War

9781467136969

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Despite Kentucky's aim to keep a neutral position in the Civil War and Paducah's Confederate tendencies, the Union captured the town soon after Confederate troops occupied Columbus. As a result, the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River became permeable entry points for infiltrating farther south and maintaining supply lines deep into Confederate states. That strategic advantage was halted when Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest invaded the town during the Battle of Paducah. Ultimately, a combination of guerrilla warfare tactics and General Eleazer Paine's Reign of Terror contributed to the Union's final victory over Paducah. Historian John Cashon recounts the tumultuous struggle for Paducah during the War Between the States.
Paducah and the Civil War

With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and an Appreciation of General U.S. Grant

9780738594941

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
In this year of 1915, when the sounds of battle and strife come wafted to us across the sea from Europe, the younger generation are asking questions of the Veterans of the Civil War about their experiences in battle. Formerly I lived in Galena, Ill., and having been personally acquainted with, and a neighbor of General U.S. Grant, and one of the "Boys in Blue" who followed him in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, I deem it my privilege to add my mite to the history that clusters round the greatest military genius of modern times. To please many friends who have heard my lectures on the Civil War, and at the request of my children, the following pages have been written, from data made at the time and since, and from a vivid memory of the stirring days of 1862 and 1863.
With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and an Appreciation of General U.S. Grant

Grand Rapids and the Civil War

9781467119191

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Grand Rapids responded to President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops with passionate swiftness. Kent County men fought stubbornly on memorable battlefields like First Bull Run, Stones River and Gettysburg, as well as obscure places like Boonville, La Vergne and Mossy Creek. An affinity for cavalry earned Grand Rapids the moniker "Michigan's Horse Soldier City," while Valley City engineers designed and constructed spectacular railroad bridges throughout the South. Back home, the soldiers' mothers, wives and sisters faced the conflict's many challenges with patriotic doggedness. Dr. Roger L. Rosentreter chronicles how Grand Rapids citizens responded to wartime trials and tribulations while helping the North save the Union and end slavery.
Grand Rapids and the Civil War

Captain Charles Rawn and the Frontier Infantry in Montana

9781626199866

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Stationed in Montana during the height of the Indian Wars, Captain Charles Rawn proved an unlikely hero and an indispensable leader in numerous battles. He took command from a drunken Major Baker at the Battle of Pryor's Creek, saving the 400 soldiers from possible annihilation at the hands of 1,000 Sioux. As commander of Fort Missoula, he led 35 soldiers and 200 volunteers in an attempt to halt 850 Nez Perce warriors. When Colonel Gibbon suffered an injury at the Battle of the Big Hole, Rawn's experience and leadership of the 7th Infantry helped prevent another Custer debacle. Author Robert M. Brown catalogues the career of this outstanding officer and the transformation of the frontier army from a Civil War legacy into an elite fighting force.
Captain Charles Rawn and the Frontier Infantry in Montana

Tennessee Hero Confederate Brigadier General John Adams

9781625859167

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Confederate brigadier general John Adams refused to leave his men despite his own critical injuries and died at the Battle of Franklin. Until recently, his service was rarely acknowledged. During his remarkable military career, he traversed the country from Tennessee to New York, Mexico to Maryland and then to California. Adams trained and rode alongside some of the most celebrated commanders of the Confederate army, but his greatest feat remains his unwavering devotion to his men and the Confederate cause in his home state of Tennessee. Bryan W. Lane follows Adams's rise in the military ranks until his inevitable fall at one of the most important battles of the Civil War.
Tennessee Hero Confederate Brigadier General John Adams

Only in Lamar, Missouri

9781467151412

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Lamar advertises itself as the city "where legends begin," and the city of four thousand lives up to that slogan. It was the place where frontier lawman Wyatt Earp first wore a star and where President Harry S Truman was born. When Truman successfully brought World War II to an end, the submarine fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific were commanded by Lamar High School graduates. Lamar's legends, however, are not limited to those who found fame after they left the city. Lamar was home to the longest-serving mayor in Missouri history, a legendary newspaperman, a football team that captured seven straight state championships and an infamous killer whose life was ended by a lynch mob. Author Randy Turner details these stories and much more.

Only in Lamar, Missouri

The Civil War Battles of Macon

9781467146944

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Macon was a cornerstone of the Confederacy's military-industrial complex. As a transportation hub, the city supplied weapons to the Confederacy, making it a target once the Union pushed into Georgia in 1864. In the course of the war's last year, Macon faced three separate cavalry assaults. The battles were small in the grand scheme but salient for the combatants and townspeople. Once the war concluded, it was from Macon that cavalry struck out to capture the fugitive Jefferson Davis, allowing the city to witness one of the last chapters of the conflict. Author Niels Eichhorn brings together the first comprehensive analysis of the military engagements and battles in Middle Georgia.
The Civil War Battles of Macon

The Battle of White Sulphur Springs: Averell Fails to Secure West Virginia

9781609490058

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Though West Virginia was founded for the purpose of remaining loyal to the Union, severing ties with Virginia, home of the capital of the Confederacy, would prove difficult. West Virginia's fate would be tested on its battlegrounds. In August 1863, Union general William Woods Averell led a six-hundred-mile raid culminating in the Battle of White Sulphur Springs in Green Brier County. Colonel George S. Patton, grandfather of the legendary World War II general, met Averell with a dedicated Confederate force. After a fierce two-day battle, Patton defeated Averell, forcing him to retreat and leave West Virginia, and ultimately the Union, in the balance. Civil War historian Eric J. Wittenberg presents a fascinating in-depth analysis of the proceedings in the first book-length study of this important battle.
The Battle of White Sulphur Springs: Averell Fails to Secure West Virginia

The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton

9781609491970

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

The Battle of Piedmont has long been considered a small battle with massive consequences. A must-have for Shenandoah Valley and Civil War enthusiasts.

In 1864, General Grant tasked General David Hunter with raiding the breadbasket of the Shenandoah Valley and destroying the Confederate factories and supply lines. General Lee dispatched General William E. ""Grumble"" Jones, and the forces collided up the fertile fields of eastern Augusta County. It was a bloody day--the Battle of Piedmont saw more men killed and wounded than in any of Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley encounters. Sweeping on to victory, Federal forces then occupied Staunton and laid waste to the railroad and Confederate workshops.

Join Civil War historian Scott C. Patchan, a leading authority on the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign and sitting member of Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation's Resource Protection Committee, as he chronicles the campaign and sheds light on its place in the war.

The Battle of Piedmont and Hunter's Raid on Staunton

The Battle of Brice's Crossroads

9781609495022

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Told through a collection of first-person soldier accounts, the history of this Civil War battle and how the South's dubious chances of victory were overcome with grit and determination.

The Battle of Brice's Crossroads

A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe

9781596297432

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
As the Civil War raged, Confederate brigadier general J.E.B. Stuart entrusted a secret album to Laura Ratcliffe, a young girl in Fairfax County, "as a token of his high appreciation of her patriotism, admiration of her virtues, and pledge of his lasting esteem." A devoted Southerner, Laura provided a safe haven for Rebel forces, along with intelligence gathered from passing Union soldiers. Ratcliffe's book contains four poems and forty undated signatures: twenty-six of Confederate officers and soldiers and fourteen of loyal Confederate civilians. In A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia, Charles V. Mauro uncovers the mystery behind this album, identifying who the soldiers were and when they could have signed its pages. The result is a fascinating look at the covert lives and relationships of civilians and soldiers during the war, kept hidden until now.
A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe

Lenawee County and the Civil War

9781467135528

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Lenawee County was a hotbed for antislavery activities in the 1830s that translated into strong Union support in April 1861. Adrian, Tecumseh and Hudson sent hundreds of soldiers to fight and die in the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation propelled nearly fifty of the county's African American residents to take up arms to preserve the nation and end slavery once and for all. Captain Samuel DeGolyer, creator of the Lenawee Guard, escaped Confederate prison in Richmond. On the homefront, residents like Laura and Charles Haviland sheltered fugitive slaves and even donated land to help families start anew. Join author Ray Lennard as he explores the events of the war that changed Lenawee County and the nation forever.
Lenawee County and the Civil War

Norwich and the Civil War

9781626199927

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
When Lincoln issued a call for troops in 1861, Norwich sprang into action. In a meeting lasting two days, the town elected to offer cash awards for volunteers, as well as financial support for their families. The city's women immediately began sewing uniforms for the volunteer soldiers, while mill owners and other wealthy locals donated funds to the war effort. Norwich's Dan Tyler was named head of the Connecticut regiment and led his troops into battle at Bull Run. The town's senator, Lafayette Foster, became acting vice president of the United States after Lincoln's assassination. Author Tricia Staley uncovers stories of valor and sacrifice on the homefront and the battlefield.
Norwich and the Civil War

The War for Missouri

9781467143141

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%
Missouri was filled with bitter sentiment over the Civil War. Governor Claiborne Jackson had a plan to seize the St. Louis Arsenal and arm a pro-secessionist force. Former governor and Mexican-American War hero Sterling Price commanded the Missouri State Guard charged to protect the state from Federal troops. The disagreements led to ten military actions, causing hundreds of casualties before First Bull Run in the East. The state guard garnered a series of victories before losing control to the Union in 1862. Guerrilla and bushwhacker bands roamed the state at will. Author Joseph W. McCoskrie Jr. details the fight for the Show Me State.
The War for Missouri

New Bern and the Civil War

9781625859921

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

New Bern was a valuable port city during the Civil War and the Confederates made many attempts to reclaim it.

On March 14, 1862, Federal forces under the command of General Ambrose Burnside overwhelmed Confederate forces in the Battle of New Bern, capturing the town and its important seaport. From that time on, Confederates planned to retake the city. D.H. Hill and James J. Pettigrew made the first attempt but failed miserably. General George Pickett tried in February 1864. He nearly succeeded but called the attack off on the edge of victory. The Confederates made another charge in May led by General Robert Hoke. They had the city surrounded with superior forces when Lee called Hoke back to Richmond and ended the expedition. Author Jim White details the chaotic history of New Bern in the Civil War.

New Bern and the Civil War

Lost Jefferson City

9781467150354

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Jefferson City incorporated in 1825, but so much of that history has changed or been forgotten. Today's Lincoln University practice field used to host early circus visitors. Although called St. Peter Cemetery #1, the old recently restored cemetery on West Main Street was the second Catholic cemetery, after the sight and smell at the northeast corner of Bolivar and McCarty Streets was too much for neighbors. The man who designed the Missouri State Seal and served as a longtime judge built a Steamboat-style home on a hill at the northwest corner of Adams and High Streets, where the Missouri River Regional Library is today. Author Michelle Brooks explores the world of the Mill Bottom and the Foot, as well as cemeteries, fairgrounds, ballparks and stately homes lost to time.
Lost Jefferson City

Hidden History of Natchez

9781467148207

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
Since prehistory, the bluffs of Natchez have called to the bold, the cruel and the quietly determined. The diverse opportunists who heeded that call have left behind more than three hundred years of colorful and tragic stories. The Natchez Indians, who inhabited the bluffs at the time of European contact, made a calculated but ultimately catastrophic decision to massacre the French who had settled nearby. William Johnson, a Black man who occupied a tenuous position between two worlds, found wealth and status in antebellum Natchez. In the wake of Union occupation, thousands of the formerly enslaved became the city's protective garrison. Join authors Ryan Starrett and Josh Foreman and rediscover the people who toiled and bled to make Natchez one of the most unique and interesting cities in America.
Hidden History of Natchez

Yorktown, Virginia

9781467139571

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%
Yorktown's history is often overshadowed by its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The site of the British surrender has held several victory commemorations over the past two hundred years. Yorktown also was a thriving colonial port and the site of one of the biggest Union blunders in the Civil War. During Reconstruction, former slaves created a vibrant community called Slabtown on the edge of the hamlet. In the 1930s, the National Park Service began preserving the battlefield; what was for decades a sleepy village is now dominated by tourism, and nearby modern military installations have helped to give it new life. Join author Wilford Kale as he reveals the many facets of Yorktown.

Yorktown, Virginia

A Quaker Officer in the Civil War: Henry Gawthrop of the 4th Delaware

9781609497514

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%
When the call went out in 1862 for volunteers for Delaware's 4th Infantry Regiment, a number of men from prominent Quaker families came forward to fight for the Union. Deeply patriotic and strongly opposed to slavery, they served with distinction in some of the later campaigns of the Civil War, from Cold Harbor through Appomattox. Among them was Henry Gawthrop. Commissioned a first lieutenant in Company F, he saw action during the Siege of Petersburg and at the Battle of Five Forks. Fifty years after the war, he drew on his diary and letters from the war years to create a unique memoir that is among the most comprehensive and detailed of any Delaware Civil War veteran. This is his story.
A Quaker Officer in the Civil War: Henry Gawthrop of the 4th Delaware