Civil War
The American Civil War in History and Fiction
Compiled by Richard Seltzer B&R Samizdat Express -May 20, 2003
ISBN: 0-931968-34-8
Genre: U.S. History - Civil War
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - July 17, 2003
Please note: As of 8/16/2008, this CD now contains 232 books.
The American Civil War was the most horrific period in American History. It is estimated that over 620,000 soldiers died during the war - this is not counting the death toll related to the general population, nor does it include those that died after the war due to injuries sustained during the fighting. On one day alone, September 17, 1862, nearly 6,500 men died at the Battle of Antietam, which was also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Worse, this was a war that tore families apart and literally pitted brother against brother. When the bloodshed finally ended in 1865, it took years for the wounds opened during the war to mend - if they ever have. Even today emotions about this bloody war still run high.
In Richard Seltzer's new CD compilation, called Civil War: The American Civil War in History and Fiction, you can read about the tragic events, and the heroic incidents, surrounding this war. You will learn about its causes, how the war was waged, and the steps taken to reunited the Union once the smoke cleared from the battle fields.
Currently, there are 47 books in this one CD collection, and they included by historical as well as fictional accounts on the war. On the historical side, this collection includes such memorable works as:
Andersonville: a Story of Rebel Military Prisons, by John McElroy
The Campaign of Chancellorsville, by Theodore Dodge
Captains of the Civil War: a Chronicle of the Blue and the Gray, by William Wood
The Memoirs of General William T. Sherman
Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, by Jacob Cox
The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth, by George Alfred Townsend
The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee, by his son Captain Robert E. Lee
There are also a number of books concerning, and biographies on, Abraham Lincoln included in this collection. In addition, there is a seven volume collection of the Writings of Abraham Lincoln. If this collection of writings was the only item on this CD, the CD would have been a bargain at $19 - the rest of the books are just icing on the cake. This collection of writings enables the reader to view the war through Lincoln's eyes and to truly get a feel for how he felt about causes of the war, what he thought about his generals, and his real reasons for signing the Emancipation Proclamation. If you have not read deeply into the history of the Civil War, you may be very surprised about his reasoning for signing this proclamation (and why it took him so long to do so) as many myths and misconceptions have long surrounded the issue of slavery and the role that it played in the cause and prosecution of the war.
The above is just a glimpse at the numerous historical works included in this collection. In the realm of fiction, this collection includes such well known titles as The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War, by Stephen Crane and The Crisis, by Winston Churchill (1871-1947). This Churchill was not the British Prime Minister. Rather this Churchill was a well known American novelist who is best know for his historical novels. His best known works include Richard Carvel, The Crisis, and The Crossing. He was a cousin of the British Churchills.
This combination of historical and fictional accounts of the American Civil War help to expand our understanding and knowledge about this period in American history. This CD will be invaluable to students, and a indispensable research guide for anyone interested in the Civil War.
To read the books in this collection, you will need a PC with Windows, plus a web browser or a word processing program such as Word or WordPerfect. All the books in this collection are presented in plain text format, making them easy to read using screen readers or to enlarge the text for easy of reading by those with low vision. In addition, this collection includes a copy of the ReadPlease screen reading software program.
Related Reviews:
Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, by James M. McPherson.
Subtitled, The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War, this compelling history chronicles the battle that took place on September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland. This day remains the single most deadly days in American history, and the outcome of the battle was to change the course of the Civil War. (Large Print)
Gettysburg - Day Three, by Jeffry D. Wert.
In Gettysburg - Day Three, Wert, a respected Civil War historian, chronicles, in exacting detail, the entirety of the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, a battle which was to change the course of a war. (Audio)
