American Civil War Books Free - Lincoln Administration Books

American Bastile. A History of the Illegal Arrests and Imprisonment of American Citizens during the late Civil War

Marshall, John A.

Philadelphia: Hartley 1876 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“This work contains an authentic account of the arrest, imprisonment, and terrible sufferings of American citizens incarcerated as Prisoners of State; together with the orders for arrest, suspending the writ of Habeas Corpus, prohibiting the employment of counsel, etc. etc. The horrors of prison-life in Forts Lafayette, Warren, McHenry, Delaware, Mifflin, Old Capitol Prison, penitentiaries, and military camps, and their condition, are truthfully delineated.” -Author’s Preface

The book tells the stories of dozens of individuals in the northern states who were arrested and imprisoned, mostly for speaking publicly against the war.

Children for the Union: The War Spirit on the Northern Home Front

Marten, James A.

Dee 2004 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“The Civil War influenced virtually every aspect of children’s lives, and in turn they eagerly incorporated the experience of war into their daily assumptions and activities… History of the US Civil War. On the home front, children became almost full-fledged members of their communities in their support of the war effort. They left school to replace absent men on farms and in factories, helped raise funds for hospitals and other soldiers’ causes, and volunteered to knit socks, pick lint, and perform other necessary duties… Northern children’s lives were militarized as never before, from the toys and games and stories that were overwhelmed by images of warfare and pro-Union ideals to actual military service by under-age soldiers and drummer boys… Children for the Union opens a new window on the impact of the war and shows that the youngest Americans were inevitable and enthusiastic participants in the nation’s worst crisis. Abundantly illustrated.” -Publisher.

The Political History of the United States of America, During the Great Rebellion

from November 6, 1860, to July 4, 1864; including a classified summary of the legislation of the second session of the Thirty-sixth Congress, the three sessions of the Thirty-seventh Congress, the first session of the Thirty-eighth Congress, with the votes thereon, and the important executive, judicial, and politico-military facts of that eventful period; together with the organization, legislation, and general proceedings of the rebel administration, and an appendix containing the principal political facts of the campaign of 1864, a chapter on the church and the rebellion, and the proceedings of the Second Session of the Thirty-Eighth Congress

McPherson, Edward

Washington: Philp & Solomons 1865 Dewey Dec. 973.7

This is mostly legislative history, with the contents mostly copied from the official records of proceedings. Some sections contain copied newspaper accounts of legislative debates, speeches etc.

Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution – American Civil War Books Free

McPherson, James M.

Oxford Univ. 1990 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson “offers a series of thoughtful and engaging essays on aspects of Lincoln and the war that have rarely been discussed in depth… The Civil War was the single most transforming and defining experience in American history, and Abraham Lincoln remains the most important figure in the pantheon of our mythology. These graceful essays, written by one of America’s leading historians, offer fresh and unusual perspectives on both.” -Publisher.

Articles Collection – the History of Medicine

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era – Lincoln Administration Books

McPherson, James M.

Oxford Univ. 1998 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. James McPherson’s fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War–the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry–and then moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself–the battles, the strategic maneuvering on both sides, the politics, and the personalities… This authoritative volume makes sense of that vast and confusing “second American Revolution” we call the Civil War.” -Publisher.

See our collected articles on military history

The Photographic History of the Civil War; in Ten Volumes

Thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities

– Volume 2 – Volume 3 – Volume 4 – Volume 5

– Volume 6 – Volume 7 – Volume 8 – Volume 9

– Volume 10

Miller, Francis Trevelyan

NY: Review of Reviews 1911 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Vol 1 – The Opening Battles; Vol 2 – Two Years of Grim War; Vol 3 – The Decisive Battles; Vol 4 – The Cavalry; Vol 5 – Forts and Artillery; Vol 6 – The Navies; Vol 7 – Prisons and Hospitals; Vol 8 – Soldier Life, Secret Service; Vol 9 – Poetry and Eloquence of Blue and Gray; Vol 10 – Armies and Leaders

The wide range of Civil War photos, with informative, detailed captions, make up most of these volumes, but there are also historical articles on the many subjects. Note: to view the sideways photos, right click on them, copy the image and paste into another app that allows images to be rotated. The caption will copy with the photo.

Diplomat In Carpet Slippers: Abraham Lincoln Deals With Foreign Affairs

Monaghan, Jay

Bobbs Merrill 1945 Dewey Dec. 973.7

James Jay Monaghan IV (1893-1980) wrote a dozen popular books on the American west and a two-volume ‘Lincoln Bibliography’ (1943). ‘Diplomat in Carpet Slippers’ was a popular yet scholarly study of Lincoln’s handling of foreign affairs. After a varied career that included cattle and sheep ranching, instructing WWI pilots in aerial photography, and supervising a team in the WPA Writers’ Project that indexed Illinois newspapers, he spent a number of years as Librarian of the Illinois State Historical Library and as Illinois State Historian. He went on to become a widely acknowledged expert on Lincoln.

Knapsack and Rifle, or, Life in the Grand Army: War as seen from the ranks,

Pen pictures and sketches of camp, bivouac, marches, battle-fields and battles, commanders, great military movements; personal reminiscences and narratives of army life, adventures, escapes, humorous incidents, pathetic incidents, heroic deeds etc., etc.. Also a complete chronology of the war and a digest of the pension laws of the United States – statement of casualties – monthly rates of pensions – latest acts of Congress governing pensions, etc. by one of the boys. Copiously and finely illustrated

Patrick, Robert W.

Portland: Gill 1889 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The Civil War (Home University Library of Modern Knowledge)

Paxson, Frederic L.

1911 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“A scholarly, compact, but not abstruse, treatment of the various aspects of the Civil war, economic and social as well as political and military.” Cleveland.

Contents: 1. The Law of the Land 2. Secession 3. Abraham Lincoln 4. Civil War 5. Afloat and Abroad 6. 1862: McClellan and Emancipation 7. 1862: The Mississippi Valley 8. Ulysses S. Grant 9. Gettysburg and Reconstruction 10. The Balance of Power 11. The Union Party 12. The Confederate Collapse Bibliographical Note.

Southern History of the War

Pollard, Edward Alfred

NY: Richardson 1866 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The author, editor of the Richmond Examiner, initially published this in separate volumes during the war.
Edward Alfred Pollard (1832-1872) was a Virginia journalist and lawyer, and an author who wrote several books on the Civil War from a Confederate point of view, while being critical of the administration of Jefferson Davis. During the war he was an editor at the Richmond ‘Examiner’ newspaper.

Hospital Life in the Army of the Potomac – Lincoln Administration Books

Reed, William Howell

Boston: Spencer 1866 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Memoir of a hospital volunteer.

Contents: Washington to Fredericksburg – Scenes in Fredericksburg – Rappahannock and Pamunky – The Sanitary Commission – A Woman’s Ministry – City Point field hospitals – The silent sorrows at home – The bull-ring – Characters in the hospital – Active operations – Sufferings at Burksville – Petersburg hospitals – Abraham Lincoln.

History of the Civil War 1861-1865

Rhodes, James Ford

1917 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“Not a condensation of the author’s three volumes on the Civil war in his ‘History of the United States’ but a fresh study which makes use of the large amount of material on that period which has come to light in recent years. Good maps and an index are included with the text.” Book Review Digest. History of the US Civil War.

“The student of war politics and of mid-century American diplomacy will find much to interest him in several of the chapters, for the volume is not, as its title might imply, a mere narrative of military operations. It is a discussion of national life in all its phases during a great and critical period of American history.” American Political Science Review.

The Secret Service, The Field, The Dungeon, and the Escape

Richardson, Albert D.

Hartford: American 1865 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Albert Deane Richardson (1833-1869) was a well-known journalist for Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune who did battlefield reporting during the Civil War. He was also a spy for the Union Army, and was arrested and imprisoned by the Confederate Army, going on to confinement in 7 prisons for 20 months. This is the story of that period, including the adventures of his escape from the last prison.

A Visit to the Cities and Camps of the Confederate States

Ross, Fitzgerald

Edinburgh: Blackwood and Sons 1865 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Captain Fitzerald Turton Ross (b. 1825) was an Englishman who was educated in Germany and became an officer in the Austrian Hussars. He took leave and traveled to America during the Civil War, traveling through the Confederacy from 1863 to 1864, usually as a guest of Confederate officers. This book is a record of that period as an unofficial foreign military observer.

The Imperiled Union: Essays on the Background of the Civil War

Stampp, Kenneth M.

Oxford University 1980 Dewey Dec. 973.7

A collection of essays by a master historian. Amongst the subjects that Stampp tackles are the inevitability of the Civil War and the truth about why the confederacy actually died. The other essays are a mix of historiography and analysis of issues including Lincoln’s role in reinforcing FortSumter, the impact of psychology in trading slaves, and the role of racism in the Republican Party.

History of the United States Sanitary Commission: Being the General Report of its Work during the War of the Rebellion – American Civil War Books Free

Stille, Charles J.

Philadelphia: Lippincott 1866 Dewey Dec. 973.7

This is the Commission’s official report of its operations during the Civil War. It has three parts:
1. General history of the Commission’s origin, purposes, and methods of operation.
2. Narrative of its Special Relief service.
3. Account of the organization and practical working of its supply system.

Contents: Nature and object of army relief – Development of the theory of a preventive service – Organization of the U.S. Sanitary Commission – Inspection of camps and hospitals – Re-organization of the medical bureau and appointment of a new Surgeon-General – Hospital transport service in the west and in the Peninsular campaign. Hospital cars. -Supplement hospital supplies – History of the US Civil War – Contributions from California and the Pacific coast – Distribution of supplies – general and battle-field relief – Special Relief service – Warfare against scurvy – Campaign of Vicksburg – Chattanooga – Fredericksburg – Gettysburg – The Wilderness – Morris Island – Olustee – Newberne – Department of the Gulf – Special inspection of hospitals – The Commission’s Bureau of Vital Statistics – Financial history of the commission – Internal organization – relations with the government.

Articles Collection – the History of Science & Technology

A Complete History of the Great American Rebellion – Lincoln Administration Books

embracing its causes, events and consequences: with biographical sketches and portraits of its principal actors, and scenes and incidents of the war. Illustrated with maps, plans of battles, portraits, &c.

– Volume 2

Storke, Elliot G. and Brockett, L. P.

Auburn, NY: Auburn 1865 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The Twelve Decisive Battles of the War

A history of the eastern and western campaigns, in relation to the actions that decided their issue

Swinton, William

NY: Diek & Fitzgerald 1871 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Contents: Bull Run – Donelson – Shiloh – Antietam – Murfreesboro – The Monitor and Merrimac – Vicksburg – Gettysburg – Wilderness – Atlanta – Nashville – Five Forks.

The Military and Naval History of the Rebellion in the United States

With biographical sketches of deceased officers. Illustrated with steel plate portraits

Tenney, William Jewett

NY: Appleton 1865 Dewey Dec. 973.7

This book “contains not only all the principal battles by land and sea, but every important skirmish. The plans and objects of the various campaigns are clearly stated, and the progress of the armies, step by step, in their execution, is described and illustrated with distinct topographical maps, chiefly obtained from official sources… The manner of raising, organizing, and equipping the armies and fleets are stated in detail; also the sanitary measures for their preservation, including hospitals and charitable organizations; the improvements in the weapons and forts and floating batteries of military and naval warfare; the treatment of prisoners… It concludes with biographical tributes to the principal military and naval officers who have fallen in the contest.” – Author’s Preface.

The Confederate Nation, 1861-1865

Thomas, Emory M.

Harper & Row 1979 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The Confederate Nation presents a high readable, highly personal portrait of the Southern experience during the Civil War. Thomas, renowned for his illuminating biographies of Robert E. Lee and other Southern generals, here delivers the definitive account of the political and military events that defined the nation during its period of greatest turmoil.

Ken Burns’s The Civil War: Historians Respond

Toplin, Robert B. et al.

Oxford Univ. 1996 Dewey Dec. 973.7

“Ken Burns’s documentary The Civil War made television history, breaking all viewing records for a PBS series. Indeed, forty million people saw it… For a generation of Americans, this documentary is the Civil War. Yet many professional historians criticized it sharply for ignoring the roles of minorities, pointing to a lack of women and of blacks throughout, a disregard for the aftermath of the war (particularly its legacy to race relations), a conventional emphasis on military history rather than social history, and uneven coverage of the military campaigns that gave short shrift to the bloody Western front. [This book] brings together detractors, supporters, and Ken Burns himself in a volume that will inspire readers to look again at this stunning documentary, at the way television shows history, and at the Civil War itself.” -Publisher.

Like Men of War: Black Troops in the Civil War, 1862-1865

Trudeau, Noah Andre

Back Bay 1999 Dewey Dec. 973.7

In 1862 – more than a year into the Civil War – most Americans believed that blacks did not have the courage, intelligence, or discipline to make combat soldiers. But by war’s end, more then 175,000 African Americans had served in the Union Army. From the first actions along the Mississippi River to the celebrated attack on Fort Wagner to the final skirmishes of the war, black troops more than proved their courage. Like Men of War recounts the complete, battle-by-battle history of these soldiers, beginning with the first unofficial ex-slave regiments and the push to organize all-black federal regiments. Drawing on newspapers, soldiers’ diaries, and letters, acclaimed Civil War historian Noah Andre Trudeau offers a richly textured and unforgettable account of African-American soldiers in battle. This thoroughly researched and engaging history brings these soldiers vividly to life in their own words as they relate their battle experiences and their thoughts on the war and race.

Narrative of Privations and Sufferings of United States Officers and Soldiers while Prisoners of War in the Hands of the Rebel Authorities … – American Civil War Books Free

Being the report of a commission of inquiry, appointed by the United States Sanitary Commission. With an appendix, containing the testimony

United States Sanitary Commission

Philadelphia: 1864 Dewey Dec. 973.7

This contains numerous accounts, in testimony or correspondence, by Union prisoners of war of suffering and mistreatment in Confederate prisons and camps.

The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies – Lincoln Administration Books

U.S. Secretary of War Office; Robert N. Scott, comp.

Washington, Government Printing Office 1880-1901 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Work on this official history of the Civil War was authorized by Congress in 1864 and was completed in 1901. As finally published, the records consist of 138,589 pages with 1,006 maps and diagrams assembled in 128 books, organized as 70 volumes grouped in four series, published between 1881 and 1901. All books/volumes appear to be available at this href=”http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/military/civil-war-armies-records.html”, although the list is scrambled. A separate “Index” volume is included.
See this National Archives page, War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies for a convenient list of descriptive titles of all volumes, and for more information about the series.

The four series are:
Series I – Military Operations: Formal reports, both Union and Confederate, of the first seizures of United States property in the southern States, and of all military operations in the field, with the correspondence, orders, and returns relating specially thereto.
Series II – Prisoners: Correspondence, orders, reports, and returns, Union and Confederate, relating to prisoners of war and (so far as the military authorities were concerned) to State or political prisoners.
Series III – Union Authorities: Correspondence, orders, reports, and returns of the Union authorities (including their correspondence with the Confederate officials) not relating specifically to the subjects of series I and II. It includes the annual and special reports of the Secretary of War, of the General-in-Chief, and of the chiefs of the several staff corps and departments; the calls for troops and the correspondence between the National and the several State authorities.
Series IV – Confederate Authorities: Correspondence, orders, reports, and returns of the Confederate authorities, similar to the Union material in series III, but excluding the correspondence between the Union and Confederate authorities given in that series.

The Comprehensive History of the Southern Rebellion and the War for the Union vol 1

Embodying also important state papers, congressional proceedings, official reports, remarkable speeches, etc., etc.

– Volume 2

Victor, Orville J.

NY: Torrey 1862 Dewey Dec. 973.7

These two volumes were written in the midst of the war, with volume 2 apparently completed in April 1863. They appear to cover both political and military events, and the author suggests that he relied heavily upon official records.

Daily life in Civil War America

Volo, Dorothy D. and Volo, James M.

Greenwood 1998 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The United States Civil War touched the lives of every American North and South at that time. This informative book makes extensive use of journals, newspapers, and diaries to bring together the experience of the soldier, civilian, and slave in one volume. The experiences of Billy Yank and Johnny Reb are contrasted with activities on the homefront to bring this turbulent era alive for students, teachers and Civil War buffs.
This engaging history also provides interesting details such as: what the slaves’ and the freed black men and women’s lives were like; how the soldiers obtained their food; how recipes were changed to accommodate food shortages; the popular books and magazines of the time; and how clothing and fashion were affected by the war. The ideas and ideals which brought about the crisis are discussed and period writings are included to provide great insight into the mindset of the time. This volume is enhanced by period photographs, lithographs and original art work, much of which has never before appeared in print.

Life in the Confederate Army

Being the Observations and Experiences of an Alien in the South during the American Civil War

Watson, William

London: Chapman & Hall 1887 Dewey Dec. 973.7

In 1861 William Watson, a native Scot who had established himself as a Louisiana businessman, enlisted in the Confederate forces although still a British subject. In 1887 he penned his memoirs “to give,” he said, “a simple narrative of my experience in a war campaign.” Far from simple, Watson’s work clearly and forcefully describes his experiences with the 3rd Louisiana Infantry in battles at Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge while depicting the mundane aspects of camp life and providing delightful and colorful character sketches of fellow soldiers and officers, including the legendary General Ben McCulloch.
But Watson offers much more than the story of a soldier’s life. He also provides an excellent depiction of southern society undergoing the crisis of secession and the tumultuous early years of the Civil War. Watson’s status as an alien made him keenly aware of the culture of his adopted home, and the first twelve chapters of his work stand alone as a superb primary account of antebellum southern society and politics.

The Life of Johnny Reb; The Common Soldier of the Confederacy

Wiley, Bell Irvin

Louisiana State Univ. 1993 Dewey Dec. 973.7

The Life of Johnny Reb is not about the battles and skirmishes fought by the Confederate foot soldier. Rather, it is an intimate history of the soldier’s daily life – the songs he sang, the foods he ate, the hopes and fears he experienced, the reasons he fought. Wiley has examined countless letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and official records in constructing this frequently poignant, sometimes humorous account of the life of Johnny Reb. Originally published in 1943.

Bitterly Divided: The South’s Inner Civil War

Williams, David

New Press 2008 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Bitterly Divided reveals that the South was in fact fighting two civil wars—the external one that we know so much about, and an internal one about which there is scant literature and virtually no public awareness. In this fascinating look at a hidden side of the South’s history, David Williams shows the powerful and little-understood impact of the thousands of draft resisters, Southern Unionists, fugitive slaves, and other Southerners who opposed the Confederate cause.
“This fast-paced book will be a revelation even to professional historians. . . . His astonishing story details the deep, often murderous divisions in Southern society. Southerners took up arms against each other, engaged in massacres, guerrilla warfare, vigilante justice and lynchings, and deserted in droves from the Confederate army . . . Some counties and regions even seceded from the secessionists . . . With this book, the history of the Civil War will never be the same again.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review.

Story of the War. Pictorial History of the Great Civil War; – Lincoln Administration Books

Embracing full and authentic accounts of its battles by land and sea, with graphic descriptions of heroic deeds achieved by armies and individuals, narratives of personal adventure, thrilling incidents, daring exploits, wonderful escapes, life in camp, field, and hospital, adventures at sea, blockade life, etc., etc. : containing carefully prepared biographies of the leading generals and naval commanders

Wilson, John Laird

NY: Jones 1881 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Seems to be a large popular history of the war. As a ‘pictorial history’ it’s a disappointment, with no photos and a small number of mediocre illustrations.

This Great Struggle: America’s Civil War – American Civil War Books Free

Woodworth, Steven E.

Rowman & Littlefield 2011 Dewey Dec. 973.7

Noted historian Steven E. Woodworth tells the story of what many regard as the defining event in United States history. While covering all theaters of war, he emphasizes the importance of action in the region between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River in determining its outcome. Woodworth argues that the Civil War had a distinct purpose that was understood by most of its participants: it was primarily a conflict over the issue of slavery. The soldiers who filled the ranks of the armies on both sides knew what they were fighting for. The outcome of the war—after its beginnings at Fort Sumter to the Confederate surrender four years later—was the result of the actions and decisions made by those soldiers and millions of other Americans.