American Civil War

This essential reference work helps promote a thorough understanding of the conflict that divided the nation and proved more costly in terms of human suffering than any in American history.Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, American Civil War: The Essential Reference Guide offers an accessible, single-volume source on the conflict that helped define the American nation. Enhanced by historical illustrations and documents, this guide promotes a nuanced understanding of the events, personalities, and issues related to the war and its aftermath.In addition to an A-Z encyclopedia of major leaders, events, and issues, this work includes a comprehensive overview essay on the war, plus separate essays by a prominent Civil War historian on its causes and consequences. Perspective essays tackle such widely debated issues as the primary cause of the Confederate defeat and will inspire readers to exercise critical thinking skills. Biographies of military and political leaders provide insights about those individuals who played major roles in the conflict, while entries on key battles showcase the strategies of both sides as they struggled to emerge victorious.

A comprehensive bibliography of print resources

Overview of the American Civil WarCauses of the American Civil WarConsequences of the American Civil WarREFERENCE ENTRIESAbolitionismAfrican Americans, Confederate ArmyAfrican Americans, Union ArmyAntebellum Decade, 1850-1860Antietam, Battle of (September 17, 1862)Appomattox Court House and SurrenderArtilleryAtlanta CampaignBeauregard, Pierre Gustave Toutant (1818-1893)Blockade of the ConfederacyBorder StatesBragg, Braxton (1817-1876)Buell, Don Carlos (1818-1898)Bull Run (Manassas), First Battle of (July 21, 1861)Bull Run (Manassas), Second Battle of (August 29-30, 1862)Burnside, Ambrose Everett (1824-1881)Cavalry Organization and TacticsChampion Hill, Battle ofChancellorsville, Battle ofChattanooga, Battle ofChickamauga, Battle ofCivil Liberties, ConfederateCivil Liberties, UnionCongress, ConfederateCongress, UnionConscription, ConfederateConscription, UnionDavis, Jefferson (1808-1889)DesertionEarly, Jubal (1816-1894)EspionageFarragut, David Glasgow (1801-1870)Foreign InvolvementForrest, Nathan Bedford (1821-1877)Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Battles ofFort Sumter, Battle ofGettysburg Campaign (June-July 1863)Grant, Ulysses S. (1822-1885)Guerrilla WarfareHalleck, Henry Wager (1815-1872)Hardee, William J. (1815-1873)Hood, John Bell (1831-1879)Hooker, Joseph (1814-1879)IndustryInfantry Combat in the Civil WarInfantry Organization and EquipmentJackson, Thomas J. (1824-1863)Johnston, Albert Sidney (1803-1862)Johnston, Joseph E. (1803-1891)Kentucky CampaignLee, Robert E. (1807-1870)Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865)Longstreet, James (1821-1904)McClellan, George Brinton (1826-1885)Meade, George (1815-1872)MedicineMonitor versus VirginiaNative AmericansNavy, ConfederateNavy, UnionNews of the WarOfficer CorpsOverland CampaignPemberton, John Clifford (1814-1881)Peninsula CampaignPetersburg, Siege ofPolk, Leonidas (1806-1864)Pope, John (1822-1892)Porter, David Dixon (1813-1891)Prisoners of WarRailroadsReconstructionRosecrans, William Starke (1819-1898)Scott, Winfield (1786-1866)SecessionShenandoah Valley (1862 and 1864)Sheridan, Philip Henry (1831-1888)Sherman, William Tecumseh (1820-1891)Shiloh, Battle ofSlaverySmith, Edmund Kirby (1824-1893)Stones River, Battle ofStrategy, ConfederateStrategy, UnionStuart, James Ewell Brown (1833-1864)TelegraphTheaters of WarThomas, George Henry (1816-1870)Trans-Mississippi TheaterVicksburg, Siege ofPRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTSFugitive Slave Acts (1793, 1850)Missouri Compromise (March 3, 1820)Frederick Douglass: "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (July 5, 1852)South Carolina Ordinance of Secession (December 20, 1860)Jefferson Davis: Inaugural Address (February 18, 1861)Robert E. Lee: Resignation from the U.S. Army (April 20, 1861) and correspondence regarding his command of Virginia forcesUlysses S. Grant: Excerpt from autobiography, events of 1861Abraham Lincoln: Address to Congress (July 4, 1861)"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1862)Conscription Acts (April 16, 1862, and March 3, 1863)Emancipation Proclamation (September 22, 1862)Sam R. Watkins: Book excerpt, Confederate reaction to conscriptionClement Vallandigham: Speech before Congress (February 23, 1863) and letter from prison (May 5, 1863)Mary Loughborough: Book excerpt, siege of VicksburgAbraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)Robert McAllister: Letter, Union account of battle of May 12, 1864Theodore Lyman: Letter of Union soldier (May 18, 1864)William T. Sherman: Orders concerning the march through Georgia (November 8-9, 1864)Robert E. Lee: Surrender at Appomattox and farewell to troops (April 1865)Reconstruction Acts (1867)APPENDIX: HISTORICAL DILEMMAS IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WARLeadership in the Civil WarCongress and the WarPresidential PoliticsInternational RelationsCollapse of the ConfederacyAmerican Civil War TimelineBibliographyList of Editors and ContributorsAbout the EditorsIndex