The Civil War and Reconstruction
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Description
The Civil War was the most devastating event in U.S. history, in which over half a million Americans paid for their beliefs with their lives. The heroic battles, harrowing marches, and military genius of generals on both sides still inspire books, movies, and the imaginations of Civil War buffs. Less obvious are the economic, political, social, and cultural repercussions of the war, which continue to influence American life. Reconstruction and the end of slavery brought deep-seated problems to the reunited nation.This single-volume encyclopedia includes 245 entries on all facets of the conflicted era. It features articles on:
* Battles and campaigns (Gettysburg, Shiloh, Sherman's March to the Sea)
* Culture (music, photography, religion)
* Economic affairs (cost of the war, gold, Richmond Bread Riot)
* Foreign affairs (France, Great Britain, Laird rams)
* Health and welfare (disease, medicine, prisons)
* Ideologies (federalism, free-labor ideology)
* Legislative landmarks (14th Amendment, Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Wade-Davis bill)
* Military terms, strategy, and weaponry (cavalry, rifles, tactics)
* Minorities (black suffrage, emancipation, Native Americans)
* Political events and organizations (Constitutional Union party, election of 1860, fire-eaters)
* Prominent individuals (Clara Barton, Frederick Douglass, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman)
* Social reform (abolitionism, women's rights movement)
* Women (nurses, women in the war, individual women)
More than 200 black-and-white illustrations, including over a dozen maps, complement the entries. A list of selected Civil War museums and historic sites, suggestions for further reading, recommended websites, and a chronology of the war round out this essential resource.
Reviews
"The best one-volume encyclopedia of this period currently available. Remarkably comprehensive and clearly written....Profusely illustrated with photos, drawings, illustrations from contemporary sources, and paintings. Recommended."--Choice
"Excellent cross-references...informative captions....Recommended for high school and public libraries....The variety of topics that are covered surpasses many other single volumes on similar subjects."--Booklist
"Well-written, concise entries that are supplemented by useful period photographs, charts, maps, and chronology. Coverage is broad....Each entry includes suggestions for further reading and plentiful 'see' and 'see also' references....A useful handbook that offers students an objective perspective in an accessible, appealing format."--School Library Journal
"An especially readable reference work that examines this period in an approachable way....Barney conveys the richness and vitality of the newer research on the war....An excellent companion...provides much better access to topics of interest owing to its encyclopedic format and compelling entry titles."--VOYA
"A needed volume in any school library. It is accurate, readable, and replete....Amply illustrated...a valuable resource....Recommended."--Book Report
"This reviewer would definitely recommend this book as an addition to a classroom or school library, as well as public libraries, and for a parent who has a child obsessed by the Civil War and who can't read enough about it." -- Civil War News
Product Details
368 pages; 194 halftones & line illus; 8-1/2 x 11; ISBN13: 978-0-19-511559-8ISBN10: 0-19-511559-7About the Author(s)
William L. Barney has taught U.S. history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1975. He is the author of The Road to Secession, The Passage of the Republic, Battleground for the Union and the co-author of The American Journey: A History of the United States.
