These books are both of a fiction & non-fiction nature.
1) "You'll Be Scared. Sure---you'll be scared." Fear, Stress, & Coping in the Civil War. Written by Phillip M. Cole. I advise you to read this book as it deals with the psychological warfare of fighting in the Civil War. From sleep deprivation to general fatigue, to shouting---morale---& "beyond the first shot," the book gives first hand accounts from soldiers & commanders. Add that to the more modern psychological approach to mindset & it's a compelling book to read for anyone who is interested with what it would have been like to be there.
2) Lincoln's Devotional---This follows the every day of the year pattern where President Lincoln has marked down a verse from the Holy Bible & then went on to write a few lines of poetry afterwards to summarize what the verse(s) mean to him. It is quite humbling to read & has help me through some tough periods. This book helps staple the idea of Lincoln's genius & his wide range of talents beyond that of a mere President. The man never ceases to amaze me---the more I find out, the more I want to know.
3) "When Johnny Came Marching Home" by William Heffernan: Published in 2012, this fictional novel is a mystery novel. It follows a couple of boys from Vermont, criss-crossing back & forth through time, allowing the plot to unfold in a creative way where there is a murder to be solved post war. It is a coming of age story that speaks volumes about the horrors of war & the wages one paid to fight in the American Civil War----rifts & conflict coming between three close childhood friends.
4) "The Girl in Blue" written by Ann Rinaldi. Sarah is the "Girl in Blue" who disguises herself as a boy at a young age to fight in the Civil War. Not only does she have to encounter the elephant, she runs into a detective & things go wayward. A fictional account that does credit to suspense & romance during the War, "The Girl in Blue" was a book I picked up when I left Greenville, NC to move back to Western North Carolina.
5.) "Battle Pieces" Civil War Poems of Herman Melville. It goes without saying that Melville is one of America's most prolific--well known writers, but perhaps overlooked is his poetry he wrote during the war & then collected--organized & formed into a book in 1866. There are over 60 poems & memorials within this collection. "Contrary to popular belief, Stanton Garner contends, Herman Melville was not intellectually and emotionally detached from the war. In actuality, Melville brooded over the war's enormous brutality and destructive power. At the same time, his passion for writing, which had suffered greatly in the wake of his grand failures of the 1850s, revived. With renewed purpose, Melville saw an opportunity to establish himself as the prophet—poet of a rededicated America. The vehicle for this ambitious, and ultimately unfulfilled, enterprise was to be Battle-Pieces, an epically conceived book of poems that chronicles the war from John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry through Lincoln's assassination." ----Kansas Press
6) "The Maps of Gettysburg" An Atlas of the Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863 created by Bradley M. Gottfried. I believe that this is a must have for all the Gettysburg Gurus out there. The break down of the regiments & the positions on the field are outstanding. For the majority of the book, opened with a left page & a right page, there is a valid, thorough description on the left page of the map on the right page. The narrative follows that of the timeline before the battle, during the battle, & during Lee's retreat & Meade's pursuit. It has been a while since I have studied it since I am researching the winters of 63, 64 & 65 for a series of short stories, so retrieving it from the bookshelf to share it with you all has perked the cartographer within me up a bit. Again, a must have for the Gettysburg Die-Hards out there.
7) "The Civil War in the Smokies" written by Noel Fisher: Noel taught U.S. History at Ohio State University at Marion & Ohio Wesleyan University. He wrote another book: "War at Every Door: Partisan Politics & Guerrilla Violence in East Tennessee, 1860-1869" My family are no strangers to the Mountains in Tennessee; we tend to go to the cabin there at least three times a year, save this year, we've only been once. In Tennessee, there are many plaques & memorials built to recognize those that fought for the South & also, perhaps more than one would think, those who stayed loyal to the Union & wore blue. The book covers the Antebellum period in the Smokies, then moves on to the role Secession played in the area. It sparks the debate on how the War was seen as being "Only One Innocent Battle" to the reality that a prolonged war developed a place void of innocence. It weighs out the price of war on the area & how, in the end, the desperation of the Confederates took its toil on the quiet, serene Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee. This non-fiction account provides a great number of pictures & maps, explaining numerous political & military motions. President Lincoln believed that East Tennessee was perfect for a base of loyalist movements to help encourage other loyalist operations in the South. My favorite 'motion' in this book recalls the time when Major General Burnside captured Knoxville & fortified it against Major General Longstreet. This led to Bragg being deprived of Longstreet's Corps after the Battle of Chickamauga. General Grant had a plan for Burnside to defend Knoxville until he could send reinforcements. After a stint of siege on Knoxville, some knowledge of General Sherman coming to aid Burnside in Knoxville reached Longstreet & he chose to attack Fort Sanders. He was repulsed. Burnside thereafter refused Sherman's help. Sherman was agitated. He wanted to drive the Confederates out of East Tennessee all together. All in due time I suppose. It gets interesting around this time because Western North Carolina woke up & Governor Vance of North Carolina made things quite intriguing. This book is well researched for sure & is easy to read. Check it out if you are interested.
-Sorry, didn't mean to preach (LOL)
Take good care & rest easy!
----Michael