Drawn to the Civil War

by J. Stephen Lang

Book Overview

Brief biographies of major Civil War figures can be dull as dishwater, but the important generals, politicians, and other key players were definitely not boring_they were often quirky and fascinating.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0895871866
• ISBN13: 9780895871862
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: John F. Blair, Publisher
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A book you read again and again

A good friend of mine gave this to me as a present. I found myself reading those fine, short essays again and again. I'm a European with little knowledge of the Civil War of the USA. This opened new perspectives to this American tragedy. Even my son of 15 years have found it very interesting.

Great Pics, Great Text

I admit I bought this book because I really liked the clever caricatures of Civil War figures like Lee, Grant, Jackson, etc. But the mini-biographies of each person are really fascinating too, especially chapters dealing with some of the lesser known figures like spy Rose Greenhow and Robert Anderson, the Union guy who surrendered Fort Sumter. The author dug up some little "nuggets" about each person that you don't usually find in the history books, and it is this kind of offbeat data that makes history come alive. By the way, the bios are one half Rebel, one half Union--equal time, I guess. I think the author has a slight pro-Confederate bias, but I didn't mind that at all.

Have Fun While Learning History

In my view the personalities that make history are often more interesting than the events that make them famous. "Drawn To The Civil War" demonstrates that this is true, even for an event as significant as the the war that tore our nation apart. This book is a series of short biographies covering the major warriors, politicians, spies, and others who achieved fame on both sides of the war, focusing on the characteristics that made each individual unique. The book is layed out in a fashion that guides the reader through all the major events leading up to and during the war, giving the reader a good perspective on the sequence events and how one led to the next, without being strictly chronological and without dwelling on dates and places. The caricatures by Mike Caplanis are wonderful. They are humorous, but when viewed in the context of the biographical information they clearly capture the essence of each unique personality as well. I picked up the book from a coffee table at a bed and breakfast last weekend, and couldn't put it down. I'm not a "Civil War Nut", but I found the book captivating nonetheless.