The American Civil War: 365 Days

by Margaret E. Wagner, Gary W. Gallagher (Introduction)

Presented in 12 thematic sections, this visual history of America's epochal conflict features more than 500 items drawn from the unparalleled collections of the Library of Congress, including Mathew Brady's iconic photographs; period drawings, lithographs, and woodcuts; important manuscripts like the Gettysburg Address; political and theatrical posters; and ephemera like the contents of Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated. A running timeline notes an important-or intriguing lesser-known-event for each calendar day, while excerpts from diaries, letters, speeches, postwar memoirs, and other first-person accounts lend immediacy to the informative text. A vivid mix of words and images, The American Civil 365 Days captures the drama, the horror, the epic sweep, and the human toll of this unparalleled American clash at arms like no other book before it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

744 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

A senior writer-editor in the Publishing Office of the Library of Congress, Margaret E. Wagner is the coauthor and coeditor of The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference and The Library of Congress World War II Desk Reference and author of The American Civil War: 365 Days, World War II: 365 Days, and Maxfield Parrish and the Illustrators of the Golden Age.

Reviews

[Jennifer Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tidbit of trivia that was on each page did not coresponding with the photo on the opposite page or the text above. It was distracting until I figured out simply stop reading that portion. I now feel like a Civil War expert. I think I have Asberger's syndrome. I get obsessed with one subject and read everything I can about it until my brain reaches some invisible full line then I move onto something else. Hmmm, cannibalism might be a fun topic to explore next! Does anyone have a nice Chiante?

[Temoca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm using many of the pieces and images for my social studies classes. They are working on analyzing primary sources and this has a ton of great ones. I may need to buy my own copy of this instead of borrow from the library.

[Brian P · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer of this either lived in the South for part of their life or had family in the South as there is definitely a southern slant to the things presented. This is not done in a bad or racist way just a different perspective on parts of the war.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice coffee-table book of a smaller size. Lack of chronological layout would make it very hard for a person not familiar with the Civil War to appreciate.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does this book have a daily historical tidbit relating to the American Civil War, but each fact is accompanied by a beautiful image. I have this in my classroom.

[Kelly Cuellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool idea for someone interested in history that doesn't read much. Read one page one day basically. Takes a year.