Description: The Civil War was not only a stunning event in military history; it defined the American people by forcing them to grapple with the founding principles of the nation. Rachel Seidman brings together an array of primary sources from the antebellum period, the war, and Reconstruction to provide a well-rounded account of this pivotal era. Political debates and military developments may occupy the historical foreground, but it is the letters, diary entries, memoirs, and testimony of blacks, Native Americans, women, children, farmers, and foot soldiers in the richly textured background that bring the Civil War to life.
Review Quotes: "Richly illustrated...an exceptional addition to any library."--School Library Journal
"The documents, under the guidance of Seidman's linking narrative, all make a powerful impression of immediacy about ordinary people's experience."--Booklist"This is history as it should be read: history by the people who lived it....[In this book] the past is totally in focus--relevant and overpowering....[This book] will cause you to pause, consider, and question this 'wrenching, triumphant, and tragically flawed event.'"--Civil War Book Review"Right on target....The number and variety of documents make this a valuable resource for students and teachers."--Horn Book Guide