Book Reviews
The digital home of book reviews and author interviews—and your source of the most up-to-date information on all things Civil War literature
Published: 4/24/24
Never Such a Campaign (2024)
"Never Such a Campaign" is an ideal introduction to Second Manassas for any reader not yet familiar with this often-overlooked battle.
Published: 4/17/24
A Man of Bad Reputation (2023)
Drew A. Swanson's "A Man of Bad Reputation" attempts to unravel the contested history of Reconstruction North Carolina.
Published: 4/10/24
The Boy Generals (2023)
Adolfo Ovies's fine study will appeal widely to those interested in Merritt, Custer, and all things related to the Union cavalry.
Published: 4/3/24
The Aftermath of the Battle of Little Bighorn (2024)
This is the second installment of author Wendy Ann Wallace’s multivolume, “iconoclast” history of George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Published: 3/27/24
Combee (2024)
Edda L. Fields-Black’s "Combee" is so much more than a campaign study of the June 1-3, 1863, raid led by the Underground Railroad conductor, nurse, and spy Harriet Tubman.
Published: 3/20/24
Klan War (2023)
Fergus Bordewich's "Klan War" adds greatly to the growing literature on the Civil War's aftermath.
Published: 3/13/24
Unforgettables (2024)
In "Unforgettables," John C. Waugh draws short biographical sketches of the characters who have stood out to him personally during his many decades of study.
Published: 3/6/24
Calamity at Frederick (2023)
With "Calamity at Frederick," Alexander B. Rossino continues assembling a bold new picture of the Maryland Campaign.
Published: 2/28/24
When Slavery and Rebellion Are Destroyed (2023)
Jack Dempsey has ably edited the wartime letters of an ordinary Michigan family in "When Slavery and Rebellion Are Destroyed."
Published: 2/21/24
The Battle of Little Bighorn (2023)
In "The Battle of Little Bighorn," author Wendy Ann Wallace contends that George Armstrong Custer was sabotaged.
Published: 2/14/24
The Iron Dice of Battle (2023)
Timothy B. Smith's "The Iron Dice of Battle" offers a fresh interpretation of the often-overlooked Albert Sidney Johnston.
Published: 2/7/24
From the Wilderness to Appomattox (2023)
Edward Altemos' "From the Wilderness to Appomattox" is a solid regimental history for an outfit that deserves it.
Published: 1/31/24
Masters of Health (2022)
Christopher D.E. Willoughby's "Masters of Health" is essential reading for historians of medicine and slavery.
Published: 1/24/24
The Political Transformation of David Tod (2023)
Joseph Lambert, Jr.'s "The Political Transformation of David Tod" is a nicely written biography of Ohio's governor during two tumultuous years of war.
Published: 1/17/24
Conflict of Command (2023)
In "Conflict of Command," George C. Rable's dispassionate presentation of evidence allows historical contemporaries to tell their own story.
Published: 1/3/24
The Creation of a Crusader (2023)
Thomas Morris, a one-term U.S. senator from Ohio and Liberty Party vice presidential nominee, has often been a footnote in antislavery politics. No historian has attempted a book-length study, and...
Published: 12/29/23
A Man by Any Other Name (2023)
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, historians of a much earlier American conflict began to see similarities between the guerilla warfare that played out in the dense jungles of Southeast Asia and the irregular fighting that characterized the Civil War experience in places like Missouri and Kansas.
Published: 12/21/23
Twelve Days (2023)
Historical consensus has long held that the greatest threat to Washington, D.C., during the Civil War came during Confederate General Jubal A. Early’s invasion culminating at the Battle of Fort...