This classic short story of a Southern plantation owner facing execution by Union soldiers is "a flawless example of American genius" (Kurt Vonnegut). Alabama planter Peyton Farquhar was loyal to the Confederate cause. Now, as the Union Army overtakes the South, he is brought to the edge of a railroad bridge-hands tied behind his back-sentenced to hang for attempting to burn down the bridge on which he stands. As he ponders the events both large...

The U.S. Civil War was a war that changed the face, body, and heart of the United States forever. Secrets of the U.S. Civil War reveals little-known stories of the people, weapons, and battles that have affected the maps on our walls and the allegiances in our hearts.

Alistair Durant was a young Confederate soldier, captured by the Yankees, and released when he took an oath never again to bear arms against the Union. He had a long walk back to his home in Clay County, Missouri. It is on this trek that he meets another youngster, Beans Kimbrough. The two become companions and then friends on the way to Clay County. It is there that Beans will introduce Alistair to a man calling himself Charley Hart. Hart has a fantastic...

The Barfield brothers are separated by a Comanche raid. Years later, they are destined to be reunited and discover how their separate lives have changed them.

On the eve of the Civil War, Kirby Jensen is the youngest of three children living on a hardscrabble ranch in Southwestern Missouri. But in 1861 shots were fired in Charleston harbor, and Kirby's father and brother went to war. Back at home, waves of violence crash over Kriby and his family, until the boy quickly becomes a man, riding with Brigg's Marauders, coming up against violent killers like Frank and Jesse James, and proving his own skill with...

In early March 1861, civil war loomed. By late April, Americans had begun to kill their fellow citizens. Cry Havoc! recounts in riveting detail the events that divided the states and reveals how quirks of timing, character, and place all conspired to transform the nation into a battlefield. Nelson Lankford, author of Richmond Burning, chronicles the eight critical weeks that began with Lincoln's inauguration through the explosion at Fort Sumter...

Referring to the war that was raging across parts of the American landscape, Abraham Lincoln told Congress in 1862, "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope on earth." Lincoln recognized what was at stake in the American Civil War: not only freedom for 3.5 million slaves but also survival of self-government in the last place on earth where it could have the opportunity of developing freely. Noted historian Steven E. Woodworth tells...

In addition to putting an end to the inhumane institution of slavery, the Civil War also spurred important inventions that improved people's lives, such as canned food, pocket watches, federal paper currency, and standard sizes for shoes. Although medical technology lagged behind the development of new weapons that could kill and maim more soldiers than ever, there were advances in amputation techniques and anesthesia delivery. Additionally, the railroad...

From uniforms and submarines to potato cannons and regimental flags, this interactive book explores the history and inventions of the Civil War by providing building projects and activities.

"In March 1865, the long and bitter War between the States is winding down. Till now, twenty-three-year-old Simon Boudlin has evaded military duty thanks to his slight stature, youthful appearance, and utter lack of compunction about bending the truth. But following a barroom brawl in Victoria, Texas, Simon finds himself conscripted, however belatedly, into the Confederate Army. Luckily his talent with a fiddle gets him a comparatively easy position...