Take a walk through history with this guide for lifelong learners The American Civil War is one of the most fascinating and impactful periods in American history. Besides bringing about the end of slavery, the war had many important economic and social effects that continue to shape the history and present-day realities of the American people. In American Civil War For Dummies, you'll get an accessible, bird's-eye view of one of history's greatest conflicts. All the must-know details of the war are covered here, from the Battle of Gettysburg to the Emancipation Proclamation. You'll also find: Descriptions of the experiences of Black Americans, in both the North and the South, during the war Explorations of how slavery and civil rights fit into the social, political, and economic context of the time Profiles of some of the most famous generals in the war, including Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant Take a moment to get a hands-on education in this critical point in American history. Get American Civil War For Dummies now!

Take a walk through history with this guide for lifelong learnersThe American Civil War is one of the most fascinating and impactful periods in American history. Besides bringing about the end of slavery, the war had many important economic and social effects that continue to shape the history and present-day realities of the American people.In American Civil War For Dummies, you'll get an accessible, bird's-eye view of one of history's greatest conflicts. All the must-know details of the war are covered here, from the Battle of Gettysburg to the Emancipation Proclamation. You'll also find:* Descriptions of the experiences of Black Americans, in both the North and the South, during the war* Explorations of how slavery and civil rights fit into the social, political, and economic context of the time* Profiles of some of the most famous generals in the war, including Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. GrantTake a moment to get a hands-on education in this critical point in American history. Get American Civil War For Dummies now!

Introduction 1Part 1: The War and Its Causes 7Chapter 1: How Did the War Happen? 9Chapter 2: The Five Steps to War: 1850-1860 19Chapter 3: Secession and War: 1860-1861 39Part 2: Making War 53Chapter 4: Civil War Armies: Structure and Organization 55Chapter 5: Union and Confederate Strategy 73Chapter 6: Organizing and Training the Armies 81Chapter 7: Significant Weapons of the Civil War 85Part 3: Opening Moves, 1861-1862 91Chapter 8: Starting the War: Bull Run (First Manassas), July 1861 93Chapter 9: Trouble West of the Mississippi and the Road to Shiloh, August 1861-April 1862 105Chapter 10: Union Navy Victories and Union Army Defeats, March-July 1862 125Chapter 11: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign, March-June 1862 141Chapter 12: The Seven Days of Robert E Lee, June-July 1862 151Chapter 13: Second Bull Run (Manassas), August 1862 163Chapter 14: The Bloodiest Day: Antietam (Sharpsburg), September 1862 173Chapter 15: Lost Opportunities for the Confederacy in the West: September-October 1862 189Chapter 16: War So Terrible: Fredericksburg and Murfreesboro, December 1862 201Part 4: War to the Hilt, 1863-1865 217Chapter 17: The Battle of Chancellorsville, May 1863 219Chapter 18: The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, July 1863 229Chapter 19: The Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, August-November 1863 255Chapter 20: Lee and Grant: Operations in Virginia, May-October 1864 273Chapter 21: The Atlanta Campaign and a Guarantee of Union Victory, May-December 1864 295Chapter 22: The Destruction of Hood's Army in Tennessee, October 1864-January 1865 313Chapter 23: A Matter of Time: Petersburg to Appomattox, January-April 1865 319Part 5: Behind the Lines 341Chapter 24: The Confederacy: Creating a Nation at War 343Chapter 25: The Union at War: Creating a New Republican Future for America 365Chapter 26: Wartime in America: Its Effect on the People 375Part 6: The Civil War Tourist 391Chapter 27: Getting Ready to Travel 393Chapter 28: Visiting a Civil War Battlefield 399Part 7: The Part of Tens 405Chapter 29: The Ten Worst Generals of the Civil War 407Chapter 30: The Ten Biggest "Firsts" of the Civil War 417Chapter 31: The Ten Biggest "What Ifs" of the Civil War 425Chapter 32: The Ten+ Best Battlefields of the Civil War and How to Visit Them 431Index 437