Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

The Pulitzer Prize-winning single-volume history of the American Civil War and the turbulent decades that led to it. James McPherson weaves together military, political, and social history into one continuous narrative, from the Mexican War through the surrender at Appomattox. Widely regarded as the best one-book account of the war and the years that made it inevitable, it is the standard starting point for anyone new to the period and a lasting reference for those who know it well.