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This will be a thread dedicated to selection of books that the group might want to consider reading related to the American Civil War.

This is a thread where you could list those books.

I am interested in adding a few books to this thread so I will be back with a few titles as soon as possible :)

That would be great; if we have folks all contribute...we can have a poll and take a vote. Let us see how it goes.

Here are some that might be worthwhile:

James M. McPherson

Edwin C. Bearss

Shelby Foote

All very good books, "Fields of Honor" I thought was a very good introduction to the Civil War.

by Edwin C. Bearss

Some others I'd like to suggest are:

[image error] by William L. Shea

by Marc Wortman

by Russell S. Bonds

[image error] by Rod Andrew Jr.

by Peter Cozzens

Some great recommendations Rick. Hope others add to the list.

A few more to consider covering a range of topics and campaigns:


by Charles A. Misulia

by Christopher J. Einolf

by Albert E. Castel

by Andrew Ward

by Rod Gragg

by Chris E., Jr. Fonvielle

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

All great recommendations folks.

For a quick, yet powerful read, try this memoir of a Confederate private:

Company Aytchby Sam R. Watkins

Another good recommendation.

Here are two new releases that may interest readers of the Civil War: "Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg - The Campaigns That Changed the Civil War" by Edwin C. Bearss and "Sacred Ties: From West Point Brothers to Battlefield Rivals: A True Story of the Civil War" by Tom Carhart.

[image error] by Edwin Cole Bearss
Publishers blurb:
It’s a poignant irony in American history that on Independence Day, 1863, not one but two pivotal battles ended in Union victory, marked the high tide of Confederate military fortune, and ultimately doomed the South’s effort at secession. But on July 4, 1863, after six months of siege, Ulysses Grant’s Union army finally took Vicksburg and the Confederate west.

On the very same day, Robert E. Lee was in Pennsylvania, parrying the threat to Vicksburg with a daring push north to Gettysburg. For two days the battle had raged; on the next, July 4, 1863, Pickett’s Charge was thrown back, a magnificently brave but fruitless assault, and the fate of the Confederacy was sealed, though nearly two more years of bitter fighting remained until the war came to an end.

In Receding Tide, Edwin Cole Bearss draws from his popular tours to chronicle these two widely separated but simultaneous clashes and their dramatic conclusion. As the recognized expert on both Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Bearss tells the fascinating story of this single momentous day in our country’s history, offering his readers narratives, maps, illustrations, characteristic wit, dramatic new insights and unerringly intimate knowledge of terrain, tactics, and the colorful personalities of America’s citizen soldiers, Northern and Southern alike.

by Tom Carhart
Publishers blurb:
With Civil War storm clouds darkening the horizon, they were strangers from different states thrown together as West Point cadets: George Armstrong Custer, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Henry Algernon DuPont, John Pelham, Thomas Lafayette Rosser, and Wesley Merritt. Educated and trained there to be not only officers and gentlemen but also courageous battlefield leaders, their shared experience at West Point forged bonds between them stronger than brotherhood.

Right after their graduations, war erupted in 1861. They stayed blue or went gray, and even faced each other in battle. Acclaimed military historian Tom Carhart brings to life the human side of valiant victories and crushing defeats, and, most vividly, of these young men of individual valor and personal honor.

Here are two rather obscure Civil War books that I would highly recommend/ I foumd Gettysburg Requiem: The Life and Lost Causes of Confederate Colonel William C. Oates at Chickamauga National Military Park's book store. I found to be a great read on one cival war unit from Georgia.

Thank you David for jumping in and adding the title link, bookcover, etc.

But always make sure to add the author's information.

So your additions should look like this to take care of the powerful goodreads software:

by Steven E. Woodworth

There was no author's photo available for the above; but the bookcover and the author's link were available.

And here is the other one:

by Glenn W. LaFantasie

This one was the same as above.

Hi David, good post with some great books. Steven Woodworth is one of my favourite Civil War authors and I have both of these books still sitting in my library to be read.

by Steven E. Woodworth

by Glenn W. LaFantasie

I think Co. Aytch is a terrific idea, and I've also thought about reading Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly. It's not about the fighting, but about the first lady during the Civil War.

by Sam R. Watkins
by Janis Cooke Newman

i have a question to see if anyone has read byMichael Shaara. Is it a well written book about Gettysburg or do you recommend a different one. Was mentioned at the end of a documentary i was watching. thanks!

Hi Beth, "The Killer Angels" is as good as a novel you will find on Gettysburg and I think you'll find most other readers enjoyed it a great deal. Good effort on posting the book and author in your post as well :)

by Michael Shaara

I have two favourite non-fiction books on Gettysburg, they may not be as detailed as many of the current books available but they really got me into reading more about the battle. The two books were:

by Glenn Tucker

by Richard Wheeler

thanks for the info and recommendations! i see how you added the info at the end which is easier to read. may try that next time. first time doing it.

Finished last year and recommend it as a good read for the civil war. by Gabor Boritt

Also I hope to read by Gore Vidal this year.

Am currently reading James Ford Rhodes

thanks for the suggestions!!

Folks, please make sure to distinguish between a non fiction book and an historical fiction book when making recommendations.

The Vidal book above recommended in message 20 is an historical fiction book. Gore Vidal

The add author link seems to be acting up. I will come back and add the author.

Bentley wrote: "Folks, please make sure to distinguish between a non fiction book and an historical fiction book when making recommendations.

The Vidal book above recommended in message 20 is an historical fict..."

Yes, the Vidal book is fiction. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

No problem we try to make that distinction to help folks

When would the read be? It may affect my suggestions.

I would second these:

by James M. McPherson

by Marc Wortman

by Peter Cozzens

I would also recommend thsse:

by Michael B. Ballard
- I am planning on reading this one this spring regardless.

by Stephen W. Sears


And this is not the civil war, but related, so I'd like to throw it out there anyways

by Martin Dugard

It depends upon what else we have slated and how many books.

Right now we have tons of reads going on at the same time which makes it tough.

I have had McPherson sitting on my shelf for a while, hoping for a group read, so I'll "third" that nomination:

James M. McPherson

I found this very interesting:
James M. McPherson
It quotes from letters written by soldiers on both sides of the War.

Just finished reading and found it absolutely fascinating.

Hi, Jeff. Good job on getting the book cover in your comment. Please also include the author photo (if goodreads has it) and always the author link:

by Michael W. Kauffman (goodreads doesn't have the author photo for Kauffman)

Here are a couple that I found fascinating.

Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil War Guerrillaby Albert E. Castel

and
The Devil Knows How To Rideby Edward E. Leslie

Here are a couple that I have been wanting to read for sometime now:

by James M. McPherson

by Doris Kearns
Goodwin

by Lyde Cullen Sizer

Thanks Doug; I will put up the poll for this read when I get back.

Angie wrote: "Here are a couple that I have been wanting to read for sometime now:

by James M. McPhersonDoris Kearns Goodwin

Last year or so and I am sure that Bently could open up the notes/comments for you if you wanted to read by yourself and follow along unless someone else wants to read with you.

Sorry Angie

It seems I read Team of Rivals alone - I do not see it in the read books of HBC

Doris Kearns Goodwin

I planned on starting James M. McPherson next week so no biggie!

I am hoping to read by Doris Kearns Goodwin this summer. Have a few too many started at the moment. But when June hits and school is out (high school math teacher here) I will have more time to read.

This looks like a great book Nick and in fact it did win the Pulitzer Prize but we have no marketing or promotion on our site.

by Margaret Leech

Synopsis of Book:

1860: The American capital is sprawling, fractured, squalid, colored by patriotism and treason, and deeply divided along the political lines that will soon embroil the nation in bloody conflict. Chaotic and corrupt, the young city is populated by bellicose Congressmen, Confederate conspirators, eager regiments, and enterprising prostitutes. Soldiers of a volunteer army swing from the dome of the Capitol, assassins stalk the avenues, and Abraham Lincoln struggles to justify his presidency as the Union heads to war.

Reveille in Washington: 1860-1865 focuses on the everyday politics, gossip, and preoccupations of Washington during the Civil War. Forgoing the battlefields, Leech looks at extravagant dinner parties, saloon backrooms, makeshift barracks, and White House halls to illustrate the social and political undercurrents of these pivotal years. From the stench of corpse-littered streets to the plunging lace on Mary Lincoln’s evening gowns, Washington and its familiar figures—among them Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, William Seward, Rose Greenhow and Walt Whitman—are illuminated in intimate and unforgiving detail.

Leech’s book remains widely recognized as both an impressive feat of scholarship and an uncommonly engrossing work of history.

===========

Nick, in the future, please just leave out any marketing or publicity words or any self promotion. Thanks for your understanding of our rules and guidelines. It is however a great and solid recommendation so I deleted the offending post but did not want to lose the solid recommendation for our group members.

Was there a final consensus on which title will be read for the group read?
Debye

Hi Debye,

There is to be a buddy read in September for the book; "The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta" by Marc Wortman.

by Marc Wortman

Here is the link:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...

Has a new book been selected for a future read? Like January or February? I wanted to suggest this recent book:


by Amanda Foreman Amanda Foreman

Cheers,
Debye
And this time I plan to participate fully since I've started my Civil War Studies graduate program.... :-)

I'm booked out (no pun intened) for January and February already but how does March sound for a buddy read?

March is good with me. I'll be done with my first classes. I think this might be good for a 2 month read as it clocks in at 958 pages...!

I will check with Bentley and see if he can set it up in the Buddy read section for March 2012 then :)

Thank you! I appreciate it!

Debeye, we have decided to have a formal book discussion on a Civil War selection beginning in February 2012. A poll will be up and running this week. All of the nominated and group recommended books on this thread are on the poll.

Excellent! Thank you for personally letting me know Bentley! I appreciate it.
I'm ready to read! :-D

The poll is up; scroll to the bottom of the main HBC page and you will see it.

Thanks!

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR POLL - OPEN FOR VOTING

Please select from a wide variety of Civil War books recommended and suggested by our group members.

This will be the first military selection and will be voted for by our group membership. The group members choose the book.

This will be the initiation of the Military Series. Our discussion moderator will be Assisting Moderator - Bryan Craig. The book selected will begin in February 2012 and go for three months.

The American Civil War was the highest vote getter so that is going to be our kick-off topic.

Get out and vote.

Thank you,

Bentley

Here is a link to the poll: (on the main page of the History Book Club - just scroll down to the very bottom and you will see the featured poll_

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/59...