The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Second Edition [Paperback]

Frances H. Kennedy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1998

This new edition of the definitive guide to Civil War battlefields is really a completely new book. While the first edition covered 60 major battlefields, from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, the second covers all of the 384 designated as the "principal battlefields" in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report. As in the first edition, the essays are authoritative and concise, written by such leading historians as James M. McPherson, Stephen W. Sears, Edwin C. Bearss, James I. Robinson, Jr., and Gary W. Gallager. The second edition also features 83 new four-color maps covering the most important battles. The Civil War Battlefield Guide is an essential reference for anyone interested in the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praise for THE CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD GUIDE

"The Civil War Battlefield Guide remains the best single source of information on the 384 principal battles of the Civil War. The authors who contributed constitute a veritable who’s who of Civil War scholars. The battle maps offer stunning visuals for appreciating the battles in relation to contemporary roads and highways. If there is one published authority for understanding this country’s Civil War battlefields (and there is), this is it."
—Dwight T. Pitcaithley, National Park Service, Chief Historian (retired)

"Landscapes speak to us, but only when we are informed.  This is no ordinary reprinting of a Civil War battlefield guide; it marks the sesquicentennial by allowing informed tourists, as readers first, to be ushered through these sacred sites by some of our most important historians.  Their voices and their insights, not to mention their narrative skill, remind us of why these landscapes forever move us as they educate us about our most desperate and transformative national experience."
––David W. Blight, Yale University, and author of A Slave No More and Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory

"Everyone interested in the Civil War—and especially those committed to preserving its battlefields—will relish the insightful commentary and crisp prose in this useful guide. Read it, and then keep it in the car for handy reference!"
—Carol Reardon, George Winfree Professor of American History, Penn State University

An essential reference for anyone interested in the Civil War, The Civil War Battlefield Guide covers all of the 384 principal battles designated in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report. Leading historians, including James M. McPherson, Stephen W. Sears, Edwin C. Bearss, and Gary W. Gallagher, contributed essays. Frances H. Kennedy wrote summaries of more than three hundred battles. The Conservation Fund dedicates the proceeds of the book to battlefield preservation. 

The Conservation Fund combines a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect America’s favorite places outdoors. Since 1985, the Fund has worked with local leaders to  conserve nearly 7 million acres, from historic treasures to city parks to wilderness. www.conservationfund.org
Frances H. Kennedy is the director of the Fund’s Historic Lands Program.

About the Author

The Conservation Fund, a national non profit organization based in Arlington, Virginia, works in partnership with other programs and organizations to acquire land for conservation. Frances H. Kennedy is director of the Fund's Civil War Battlefield project, which is devoted to the preservation and restoration of Civil War historic sites. She currently resides in Washington, D. C. and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co; 2 edition (November 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395740126
• ISBN-13: 978-0395740125
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable Civil War battlefield guide, April 10, 2002

By 

Charles R. Bowery Jr. (Bad Windsheim, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Second Edition (Paperback)

If you must only purchase one Civil War battlefield guide, make it this one, a beautifully produced volume by The Conservation Fund, a national battlefield preservation group. Plus, proceeds from every purchase go back to help the preservation effort, so there you go.

The book lists campaigns and battles in chronological order, covering a total of 384 separate engagements. Each campaign/battle has a short but usefully detailed narrative overview, and the most important battles have accompanying maps. These maps are a thing of beauty and a joy to use. The editors wisely took current U.S. Geological Survey maps (complete with highway numbers and terrain features - very useful) of the battle areas and superimposed upon them Civil War- era landmarks and troop movements. This excellent technique makes the maps useful for navigating to and around the battlefields, and standing on the ground to visualize the fighting, especially for the less well-preserved sites where markers and interpretations may not exist. The only recommendation I would make for future editions is for the binding-- putting the book in a ring binding similar to a road atlas, with the larger maps as fold-outs, would make this already outstanding book even more useful.

A series of short essays on various topics, and appendices with statistical information, complete the package. While the battle summaries themselves may not stand alone for analysis, that is certainly not the book's purpose (neither, I might add, is the book designed to interest folks who have "no interest in the trenches"- get real! This is a Civil War battlefield guide!). It succeeds completely and admirably in its guidebook function. I am currently purchasing copies for use by West Point cadets in an intensive Civil War battlefield study and staff ride. Highly recommended.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Battlefield Synopsis, February 6, 2000

By 

Scott Anderson "Sharpsburg" (Shepherdstown, WV) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book lends itelf as a nice companion to any serious volume of research on the Civil War. It is not meant to be used as the sole study on specific battles but more so as a synopsis of what took place upon the battlefield.

When used in conjunction with other works it's a great read and by itself it will give insight into the struggle that took place all across our Nation.

The essays and maps are well done and to the point. However, don't rely upon these articles if you are planning on doing in depth tours or studies of the battles. Use this work as an overview of the action and then go out and enjoy the talks, lectures and battlefield literature. If there is no park then look online for books pertaining to your interests.

Overall, his book is well written and is recommened for those interested in brief essays of over 350 civil war battles.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent battlefield guide, October 2, 2002

By 

F. Stover "pheonix110" (Bolt, W.V. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Second Edition (Paperback)

This guide covers all of the 384 principle battles of the Civil War, with maps of certain battles and casualty statistics at the end of each essay. Information is also given on the current statis of the battlefields. A must reference guide for your Civil War library.