Customer Reviews

The Civil War Dictionary

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Useful to the serious or casual student of the Civil War. Clarifies troop movements and provides backgrounds on key organizations and personnel involved with the war effort. I always keep it handy when reading anything to do with the War and it always helps me understand even the most confusing aspects of troop movements, weaponry, etc. A standard in the field.

I found Boatners book (hardcover)at a garage sale about 10-12 years ago. I placed the book in storage and rediscovered it just before a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield. I highly recommend this book to the novice just getting started on the battlefields of the Civil War or the old pro who needs to refresh or jog their memory. Anyone that must have small details of any battlefield, troop placement and or commanders that lead them, locations of assults, you name it, this book is a must. Take it with you as you walk the lines of battle, its invaluable!

There are only a few reference books available on the Civil War worth talking about, and this is the long-standing champion. Relative to its competition (notably The HTI Encyclopedia of the Civil War) the Civil War Dictionary's only flaw is that it doesn't include portraits of the various people who are the subject of the various entries. That really isn't much of a shortcoming. On the positive side, it includes information on just about every important person, battle, campaign, event, weapon, piece of equipment, place, or anything else you can name that has anything to do with the American Civil War. When I'm reading books on the ACW, I refer to it regularly (just looked up someone in it this afternoon). Highly recommended

There are only a few reference books available on the Civil War worth talking about, and this is the long-standing champion. Relative to its competition (notably The HTI Encyclopedia of the Civil War) the Civil War Dictionary's only flaw is that it doesn't include portraits of the various people who are the subject of the various entries. That really isn't much of a shortcoming. On the positive side, it includes information on just about every important person, battle, campaign, event, weapon, piece of equipment, place, or anything else you can name that has anything to do with the American Civil War. When I'm reading books on the ACW, I refer to it regularly (just looked up someone in it this afternoon). Highly recommended

I wrote my book about the American Civil War which is The Marylanders: Without Shelter or a Crumb. Mr. Boatner's book is essential reading for persons interested in the Civil War but also for researchers of the war. I strongly recommend his book. My book examines the effect of northern political extremism on a Maryland family. Mr. Boatner's dictionary provided me with basic and essential information when I was researching my book. Follow the link to my book:
The Marylanders: Without Shelter or a Crumb

When compiling a work of this sort, the author must necessarily choose what balance between number of entires and substantiveness they want to have. The more entries there are, the less thorough each entry can be. This work seems to go too far in the number of entries it includes. It's useful if you need to know a sentence or two of information about an obscure boat or officer or something like that. However, such inclusiveness only leaves room for a few hundred words or less on major people and battles. Since the majority of people are more interested in the larger people and issues, this limits the usefulness of this work.