Wayne Wolf’s Top Ten Civil War Books

Originally published November 2020 · pp. 13–14

Wayne Wolf’s Top Ten Civil War Books While every historian may choose different volumes as their favorites depending on their specific interests, I feel the following ten classic selections are a must read and reference for all serious students of the Civil War. 1. The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote. This three volume classic Civil War trilogy reads like a Hemmingway novel as Shelby Foote drawls his way through a story that is hard to put down. His volume represents not only a military review but a social, cultural, and political look at the war and the changes brought about by it.

2. Lee’s Lieutenants: A Study in Command by Douglas S. Freeman. Arguably the best and most comprehensive analysis of Lee’s command staff and how their personalities, abilities, and foibles influenced the outcome of the Southern fight for independence. 3. Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers by Rufus Dawes. This regimental history is the single most important source of information on the Iron Brigade. It formed the basis for the future histories of this famous brigade by Lance Herdegen as well as other historians. A model for what a good regimental study should include. 4. Confederate Blockade Running Through Bermuda 1861–1865: Letters and Cargo Manifests edited by Frank E. Vandiver. This book provides a roadmap for the routing of English made goods to the Confederacy. For blockade running it provides the answers to how, how much, and when these essential materials reached the Southern populace. 5. King Cotton Diplomacy: Foreign Relations of the Confederate States of America by Frank L. Owsley. This is the definitive study of the Confederacy’s years’ long battle to achieve diplomatic recognition from Europe and the resulting

financial and military support for Southern independence. Primary source material on this effort from Confederate and European archives clearly indicates how cotton was used to spur European recognition, a plan that never succeeded. 6. Hardtack and Coffee: Or the Unwritten Story of Army Life by John O. Billings. A member of the 10th Massachusetts Artillery, Billings, with humor and personal reminiscences, writes of camp life in the Union Army. This is a wonderful source for the feelings, anguish, hardships, and emotions of the common soldier. 7. Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson. An essential overview of the Civil War that should thoroughly acquaint anyone reading it with all the basic military, social, and political aspects of the War. The novice to Civil War historiography would be well served by starting with this one volume history 8. Gettysburg: The Final Invasion by Allan Guelzo. One of the most important battles of the war is meticulously chronicled by Guelzo as he analyses the battle that changed the course of the war. New information and conclusions challenge traditional interpretations including Meade’s contemplated retreat and the role of Gen. Oliver O. Howard.

A superbly written and researched book. 9. Constitutional Problems Under Lincoln by J.G. Randall. One of the preeminent Lincoln scholars, Randall tackles the constitutional issues of emancipation, Habeas Corpus, conscription, confiscation, and the extent of a president’s war powers. Many of these constitutional questions remain unresolved today as presidents have used executive orders to legislate their wishes without Congressional approval. 10. Autobiographical Sketch and Narrative of The War Between the States by Jubal A. Early. Early’s autobiography is essential for understanding the Army of Northern Virginia, its campaigns, personalities and, critical decisions. Additionally, Early, the unreconstructed keeper of the “Lost Cause’ has penned the ultimate justification for Southern independence. His writing influenced decades of scholars who formed the Revisionist School of Southern historians