Who Fired the First Shot, Little Known Stories of the Civil WAR

by Ashley Halsey

Genres: Civil War

Paperback

First published December 1, 1963

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting work from an overtly "southern perspective". In that, it is a little defensive of the South's "Lost Cause" but does it from historical research and not empty rhetoric. So, it traces the history of secession in America and highlights the abolitionist secessionist movements of New England, etc. So, the "first shot" outlined here is not military but political and put on Jefferson, etc. for not settling the issue of slavery in the Constitution.

The collection was partly written for magazine articles and all of the chapters have a topical view that means the book can be read at any point that seems interesting: families separated by the War, dueling and dueling culture(very interesting), Native Americans on both sides, marriages across the sides (more interesting than brother-fighting-brother), snipers, technology which mostly focuses on rifle advances and the South's deficiencies in this area.