The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference [Hardcover]

Margaret E. Wagner (Editor), Gary W. Gallagher (Editor), Paul Finkelman (Editor), James M. McPherson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2002

The bloody conflict that sundered the United States from 1861 to 1865 took 620,000 lives, laid waste to large sections of the American South, and decided the future course of the nation. Its reverberations are still felt in American life. Now from the home of "The Nation's Memory" comes "The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference." Drawn from the Library's unparalleled Civil War collections -- including previously unpublished letters and diaries, maps and photographs, as well as thousands of works by post-Civil War scholars and experts -- this is the ultimate one-volume reference on the Civil War.

A comprehensive yet accessible compendium, "The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference" is organized into chapters that address broad themes such as "Antebellum America," "Wartime Politics," "Armies," and "Reconstruction and Aftermath of the War." Each of these chapters includes more specific topics, such as "The Election of 1860," "Notable Civil War Officers," and "African Americans During Reconstruction." There are timelines that chronicle major events, brief profiles of significant people, and excerpts from key pieces of legislation and addresses that reflect the passions and politics of the times. Here readers can find, for example, detailed information on the arms used on both sides during the Civil War in the "Weaponry" chapter. And descriptions of significant battles, as well as information on casualties, military strategy and tactics, and logistical support, are to be found in the "Battles and the Battlefield" chapter. Topics ranging from economic conditions north and south of the Mason-Dixon line on the eve of the war to the history of slavery in the United Statesto the impact of the Civil War on literature and the fine arts give additional depth and context to the book's presentation of Civil War events.

"The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference" also looks beyond the major events and figures and examines the lives of the common soldiers (from their diet, training, and medical treatment to the struggles of the Union's black soldiers), the various roles women played in the war, and telling events on the home fronts. Along with the words of writers such as Walt Whitman and Herman Melville, readers will find excerpts from the journals and letters of nurses, soldiers, refugees and freedmen. A final chapter offers a guide to further study of the Civil War -- including information about major archival collections, important published resources, and national historic sites-for those who wish to learn more.

Prodigious in its scope, illustrated with more than 100 photographs and drawings and dozens of maps, "The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference" is sure to become the indispensable one-volume reference on the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a broader crash course in Civil War history, the Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference offers a lucid summary of political rifts that led up to the war, extensive chapters on battlefields and the home front, state-by-state details about the armies and much more. Edited by LOC writer/editor Margaret E. Wagner, University of Virginia history professor Gary W. Gallagher (Lee and His Army in Confederate History) and University of Tulsa College of Law professor Paul Finkelman (An Imperfect Union), the book also has a chapters on "Civil War in Literature and the Arts" and "Studying the War: Research and Preservation," as well as bibliographies, filmographies and lists of other resources and organizations. (Sept. 13)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This work's highly credentialed editors and contributors were able to draw on the vast and rich Civil War resources of the Library of Congress, which include unpublished letters from soldiers and nurses, Union and Confederate maps, speeches by Frederick Douglass, photographs by Matthew Brady, and well over 50,000 published books and pamphlets. The resulting work is not arranged alphabetically; instead, the 13 chapters cover broad topics or themes, including military intelligence, medicine, prisoners of war, wartime politics, the home front, war on the water, battles and battlefields, and weaponry. Additionally, topics appear here that are not usually detailed in overviews of the Civil War, such as antebellum America, the Civil War in literature and the arts, researching the war, preservation, and Reconstruction, giving the actual years of conflict a broader context. Selected sources end each chapter. Although the book can be read as a narrative, the identification and location of specific information can be easily found through the index, the detailed subheadings in the table of contents, or the extensive cross references within the articles. Time lines in the opening chapter and elsewhere guide readers through the era's defining events. The eminently browsable text is profusely illustrated with charts, photographs, maps, drawings, and portraits. As a bonus, leading historian James M. McPherson provides the foreword. This resource is certain to be the definitive one-volume Civil War encyclopedia. Highly recommended for public, high school, and academic libraries. Kathleen M. Conley, Illinois State Univ. Lib., Normal
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 949 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684863502
• ISBN-13: 978-0684863504
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,128,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best single volume on the war, November 27, 2005

By 

Thomas W. Robinson (Dayton, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference (Hardcover)

Even considering James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, I really think this book is the best single volume on the entire war. It has been exhaustively researched, but it is written very well and is a true page turner, even at nearly 1000 pages. If you wanted to get at least a closer look at topics regarding the war, this is the place to start. Chapters are devoted to antebellum America, wartime politics, battles, the armies, weaponry, the naval war, prisons and POWs, medicine, the home front, reconstruction, and even a chapter on preservation issues. And inside every chapter there are great looks at the personalities on both sides and major issues, whether military or political or personal. Because it is both entertaining reading and so thoroughly researched, this book is truly a must have for a Civil War buff or someone just starting out. As a history buff, I highly recommend it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, wonderful reference work!, April 1, 2005

By 

Steven J. Hoffman (Takoma Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference (Hardcover)

I had been looking for something like this for years. A brilliant compendium of information, attractively laid out. Parts of it are well-written enough to read as narratives; other parts are mostly useful as references (similar to encyclopedia entries). Not aimed solely at the hard-core Civil War buff, but useful in the library of anyone interested in American history who wants a solid and user-friendly overview of virtually every facet of the Civil War.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable and informative single volume, May 31, 2004

By 

Grandfather of four (NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference (Hardcover)

If one wishes to have a single volume of the civil war in all its various aspects, one would be hard pressed to find a better treatise than the nearly 1,000 page Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference.

It does not deal with the battles in depth as do so many other volumes on this epic struggle between North and South. Nevertheless, the battles on land and water are described and accompanied by many well executed maps. Descriptions of the armies and their weaponry are treated in detail, as is the treatment of prisoners of war. There are time lines on politics, slavery, naval encounters, and reconstruction.

The chapters that are most significant, from my point of view, are those that deal with nonmilitary aspects of the war: the economic differences of the north and south, the importance of religion in the lives of Americans, a brief account of slavery in the United states, a history of the beginning and development of the rift that led to the conflict. An excellent chapter of nearly one hundred pages deals with the politics the war. A rather grim, but enlightening, chapter discusses the treatment of the wounded (many amputations), the fight to control disease, and people important in establishing policy and organizing hospitals and field teams of doctors and nurses. A part of wartime history often relegated to the sidelines is the home front. A separate chapter on this subject corrects that neglected topic. A lengthy chapter considers the reconstruction following the end of hostilities. And where else but in this considerable tome would one find not only an account of the armies and battles but also one of the civil war in literature and the arts. After wading through this book, if your curiosity is stimulated to pursue a topic in greater depth then browse the final two chapters, where you will find lists and descriptions of civil war novels, poets and poetry, music, cinema, stage plays, and television movies and documentaries -- all dealing with the civil war. Also a list of organizations that promote the preservation of battlefields, others that document the civil war veterans and their descendants, reenactments of the war, a listing by state of major artifact and archival collections, and important publications on the civil war.

There is no single volume that is more wide ranging in its treatment of the civil war. The editors and the contributors are to be congratulated for putting into one highly readable volume almost anything one might want to learn about the civil war.