Joe Bilby’s Top Ten Civil War Books

Originally published November 2020 · pp. 11–12

Joe Bilby’s Top Ten Civil War Books The following is a list of my current favorite American Civil War books. There are some classics here, as well as more recent works I have enjoyed. I did refrain from posting my own books for self-promotion, as much as I like them 1. James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford University Press, is acclaimed, with full justification, as the best one volume history of the Civil War and should be the first read of anyone interested in the conflict. I had the privilege of being on a panel to advise the Princeton Historical Society for the organization’s Civil War exhibit with him, and he was not only brilliant, but a personable guy. 2. Shelby Foote’s The Civil War is a comprehensive three volume history of the conflict. Foote gained an international reputation as a “talking head” on Ken Burns’ documentary on the war. There are, as one modern reviewer stated,

“things wrong with this epic trilogy.” Foote, a Southerner and World War II veteran, was raised in the “Lost Cause” interpretation of the war, and it is reflected here and there in his manuscript. The good outweighs the bad in Foote’s work, however. He stresses the importance of the war in the West, and, as one reviewer noted: “For a Southerner, he is relatively immune to the cult of Bobby Lee.” A respected novelist, Foote displays the novelist’s eye for story and character; the Gettysburg section reads like a Greek tragedy, full of blood and hubris. It is fine literature enveloped in the story of war. 3. Bruce Catton’s work initiated my interest, as well as that of many others, in the Civil War. His Mister Lincoln’s Army, which came out in 1951, was the first book I ever purchased, at a bookstore on Halsey Street, in Newark, N.J., across the street from where the guy used to make “Italian hot dogs” and pull the dogs out of boiling oil with his fingers. The book was the first volume in Catton’s Army of the Potomac Trilogy that included Glory Road and

A Stillness at Appomattox. Catton was not a historian by vocation, but a journalist, and that was a vital skill in his wonderful work, which stands until this day as an account of the political and military maneuvering of the Army of the Potomac and its leadership, while at the same time telling the story through the eyes of the common soldier 4. Another iconic book long on my bookshelf is Stephen Sears’ Landscape Turned Red, a masterful account of a single battle dealing with the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, one of the bloodiest in American history, with nearly 23,000 casualties. Sears drew on diaries, memoirs, letters, and official reports to recreate the horror of Antietam on every level on both Union and Confederate sides The New York Times Book Review called it “the best account of the Battle of Antietam.” It is perhaps the best account of a day long Civil War Battle. 5. Eric Wittenberg’s “The Devil’s to Pay”: John Buford at Gettysburg A History and Walking Tour is another great battle study. Whenever I think of John Buford, I see Sam Elliott, who portrayed the cavalry commander in the movie Gettysburg in a photo standing next to my friend Duncan MacQueen, who played his bugler in the film. Having said that, Wittenberg’s award-winning book nails down the cavalry’s role in the run up to Gettysburg and the important first day’s fighting. No author details the critical delaying tactics engineered by Buford and his cavalry and horse artillery as well as Wittenberg, who uses using a variety of primary sources, many of which have never been used before. Not only do you get a definitive account of Buford’s role in the battle, but also a tour with GPS coordinates. 6. According to one reviewer, Allen Guelzo’s book, Gettysburg: The Last Invasion “enlarges the conventional battle narrative. …It’s his expansive, rolling storytelling that makes this book so engrossing and sets Guelzo’s Gettysburg apart from the many others.” I agree. I had the opportunity to read the manuscript prior to publication. The book covers the battle comprehensively.

It is a true pleasure to read, even though we all know the outcome already. 7. Kevin Levin’s Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth is the newest volume on my list and deals with claims that have arisen in the past 40 years or so that a number of African Americans served in Rebel ranks voluntarily despite the Confederate government’s prohibition against such service. Levin, using extensive primary sources, does a thorough job in debunking the myth, while noting that the valuable supply services of slave labor was a considerable asset to the Confederate logistical effort. 8. The war did not really end with Lee’s surrender or Juneteenth. The struggle continued at a reduced level after the armed conflict, a subject largely ignored or downplayed for many years. Eric Foner’s Reconstruction is considered by almost everyone to be the best book on the subject. Like David Blight’s Race and Reunion, it is the work to which all scholars of the subject must in some way respond, whether they agree or disagree with Foner’s

Divided by Conf lict. United by Compassion. 48 E. Patrick St., Frederick, MD. 301-695-1864 / civilwarmed.org conclusions. I have heard him speak and he is an excellent scholar. Today more and more people are looking to the Reconstruction era and the subsequent “Jim Crow” years and how they influenced American history. 9. Dean S. Thomas contributed significantly to the ultimate details of Civil War studies. His four-volume set, Round Ball to Rimfire: A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition stands out as the only modern, and most thorough, analysis of the subject. I use it frequently in my own work. His account of the development and use of ammunition used in muskets, rifle muskets, revolvers, and a bevy of carbines is, frankly, priceless to those of us interested in the weapons of the war in action, but also in development. 10. Bell Irvin Wiley was the first serious historian of the life of the common soldier on both sides. His work in two volumes, The Life of Johnny Reb and The Life of Billy Yank, are both thoroughly researched and professionally written studies of the common soldiers. His work is one of those must-read books on the conflict. Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966–1967. He is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author or editor of 21 books and over 400 articles on N.J. and military history and firearms. He is also publications editor for the N.J. Civil War 150 Committee and edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. His latest book, New Jersey: A Military History, was published by Westholme Publishing in 2017. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (N.J.) history and an Award of Merit from the N.J. Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history.