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WINNER OF THE NEW YORK CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE'S FLETCHER PRATT AWARD From the firing on Fort Sumter to the shot the killed Abraham Lincoln, this fascinating compendium of the civil War conveys the sights, sounds, and emotions of the conflict that shaped our history and out national consciousness. Here is the vivid and compelling commentary of generals, common soldiers, politicians, and ordinary civilians from both sides of the conflict. Presented in one comprehensive, utterly engrossing volume, this is the Civil War as it really was-the forces and events that caused it, the soldiers and civilians who fought it, and the ideas and values that are its legacy today. 'The last chapter about the Civil War is never likely to be written, but Harry Hansen produced a historical survey that has withstood the test of time. Here we have a fast-paced narrative that follows the civil War's military and political progression, rendered with a plainspoken prose that will appeal to general reader and educator alike.' -MORGAN N. KNULL, Editor, Civil War Book Review 'Among the best one-volume histories of the Civil War,' - JOHN JAKES With a New Introduction by John Jakes and a Foreword by Dr. Gary Gallagher