This two-volume collection of newspapers is one of the most important Civil War publications ever produced, and it brings the events of the war vividly in focus. A unique, of-the-moment perspective, it begins with the Nat Turner slave insurrection and covers every battle -- many by the local papers for a truly firsthand, up-close view. Lincoln's election, inauguration, and assassination are given full coverage. Caren's extensive collection includes many extremely rare Southern editions which would never be seen except in this remarkable publication. Loaded with engravings depicting battles, military leaders, and maps, this is an absolutely essential addition to any enthusiast's collection.

An award-winning biography of one of the Confederacy’s most colorful and controversial generals. Winner of the 2013 Nathan Bedford Forrest History Book Award for Southern History Nominated for the 2014 Virginia Book Award for Nonfiction Despite a life full of drama, politics, and adventure, little has been written about William “Extra Billy” Smith—aside from a rather biased account by his brother-in-law back in the nineteenth century. As the oldest and one of the most controversial Confederate generals on the field at Gettysburg, Smith was also one of the most charismatic characters of the Civil War and the antebellum Old South. Known nationally as “Extra Billy” because of his prewar penchant for finding loopholes in government postal contracts to gain extra money for his stagecoach lines, Smith served as Virginia’s governor during both the war with Mexico and the Civil War; served five terms in the US Congress; and was one of Virginia’s leading spokesmen for slavery and states’ rights. Extra Billy’s extra-long speeches and wry sense of humor were legendary among his peers. A lawyer during the heady Gold Rush days, he made a fortune in California—and, as with his income earned from stagecoaches, quickly lost it. Despite his advanced age, Smith took to the field and fought well at First Manassas, was wounded at Seven Pines and again at Sharpsburg, and marched with Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. There, on the first day at Gettysburg, Smith’s frantic messages about a possible Union flanking attack remain a matter of controversy to this day. Did his aging eyes see distant fence-lines that he interpreted as approaching enemy soldiers—mere phantoms of his imagination? Or did his prompt action stave off a looming Confederate disaster? This biography draws upon a wide array of newspapers, diaries, letters, and other firsthand accounts to paint a portrait of one of the South’s most interesting leaders, complete with original maps and photos.

This two-volume collection of newspapers is one of the most important Civil War publications ever produced, and it brings the events of the war vividly in focus. A unique, of-the-moment perspective, it begins with the Nat Turner slave insurrection and covers every battle -- many by the local papers for a truly firsthand, up-close view. Lincoln's election, inauguration, and assassination are given full coverage. Caren's extensive collection includes many extremely rare Southern editions which would never be seen except in this remarkable publication. Loaded with engravings depicting battles, military leaders, and maps, this is an absolutely essential addition to any enthusiast's collection.

Smithsonian Civil War is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book featuring 150 entries in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. From among tens of thousands of Civil War objects in the Smithsonian's collections, curators handpicked 550 items and wrote a unique narrative that begins before the war through the Reconstruction period. The perfect gift book for fathers and history lovers, Smithsonian Civil War combines one-of-a-kind, famous, and previously unseen relics from the war in a truly unique narrative. Smithsonian Civil War takes the reader inside the great collection of Americana housed at twelve national museums and archives and brings historical gems to light. From the National Portrait Gallery come rare early photographs of Stonewall Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant; from the National Museum of American History, secret messages that remained hidden inside Lincoln's gold watch for nearly 150 years; from the National Air and Space Museum, futuristic Civil War-era aircraft designs. Thousands of items were evaluated before those of greatest value and significance were selected for inclusion here. Artfully arranged in 150 entries, they offer a unique, panoramic view of the Civil War.

Ralph Peters' Darkness at Chancellorsville is a novel of one of the most dramatic battles in American history, from the New York Times bestselling, three-time Boyd Award-winning author of the Battle Hymn Cycle. Centered upon one of the most surprising and dramatic battles in American history, Darkness at Chancellorsville recreates what began as a brilliant, triumphant campaign for the Union—only to end in disaster for the North. Famed Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson bring off an against-all-odds surprise victory, humiliating a Yankee force three times the size of their own, while the Northern army is torn by rivalries, anti-immigrant prejudice and selfish ambition. This historically accurate epic captures the high drama, human complexity and existential threat that nearly tore the United States in two, featuring a broad range of fascinating—and real—characters, in blue and gray, who sum to an untold story about a battle that has attained mythic proportions. And, in the end, the Confederate triumph proved a Pyrrhic victory, since it lured Lee to embark on what would become the war's turning point—the Gettysburg Campaign (featured in Cain At Gettysburg). At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In the spring of 1864, after three bloody years of civil war and with victory seemingly within reach for the Northern armies, John Brough, Ohio's energetic wartime governor, offered his state's militia for 100 days of federal service. Ordered east for duty in forts, railways, and prisons, they freed veteran troops to make the last great push against Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. History soon overtook the Ohioans, however. They fought at Monocacy with Lew Wallace and under the watchful eye of Abraham Lincoln at Fort Stevens. They battled Mosby and other feared Southern guerrillas in Virginia and West Virginia. They fell to John Hunt Morgan's cavalry in Kentucky. They toiled and fought against thunderous Petersburg.