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Title: Civil War history at its finest
Review: There are tons of Civil War titles out there, and I have read only a handful of them, but I can't imagine them getting much better than this. McPherson does a great job of putting it all into one volume (albeit it a long volume). There are a few chapters on the build-up to the Civil War covering numerous presidencies and conflicts. Once the war kicks off, McPherson will spend one or two chapters on military battles and then a chapter on other aspects of the war (e.g. the South trying to outrun the embargo or the North's recruiting problems, etc.). It took me a while to read it, but I was very satisfied. I feel like I know the basics of the Civil War and that this book is a great starting point for anyone's journey into the war that defined America.Also, if you're not up for a long book, see Ken Burns' "Civil War" series on video or DVD. It's amazing.
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