The American Civil War

“A solid history of the Civil War. . . . The author delivers a shrewd portrait of mid-19th-century America and the background to the war.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Olsen introduces essential issues involved in the outbreak, course, and aftermath of the Civil War in a comprehensible narrative. Effective interplay between context and contingency is Olsen’s authorial forte. . . . A trenchant survey history.” —Booklist

Succinct, with original documents following each chapter, Christopher J. Olsen's The American Civil War is the ideal introduction to the South’s secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Covering events from 1850 and the mounting political pressures to split the Union into opposing sections, through the four years of bloodshed and waning Confederate fortunes, to Lincoln’s assassination and the advent of the Reconstruction, The American Civil War depicts the entire sectional conflict. Olsen’s deft narrative, accompanied by carefully chosen historical documents, puts readers in the middle of the unfolding events—every hard-won battle, every fierce political debate, and every tearful exchange between family members—as the drama develops.

“A tightly written book ideal for anyone looking for a quick introduction to one of the most important periods in American history.” —Publishers Weekly