Big Books: 214 books

No study of the Civil War can be complete without this work. The life and letters of the hero of Gettysburg are here masterfully compiled and edited by Meade's own son (Colonel George Meade) and grandson. This first volume presents a narrative and letters from Meade's childhood, through the Mexican...

The last words of Major General John Sedgwick as he strode in front of his men in the open at Spotsylvania were, "What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? Why are you dodging like this? They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."...

Beloved by the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, insubordinate to his commander in chief, a master at preparing for war but cautious about engaging, General George Brinton McClellan is one of the most controversial figures of the American Civil War.  Criticized throughout the remainder of...

If there was any man qualified to write a history of the bloody state of Kansas in the 1860s, it was Sam Crawford. He lived an extraordinary life as a Kansas legislator, a general in the American Civil War, and 3rd governor of the State of Kansas. Anyone who includes a subheading of "Farming with...

What could possibly induce an educated, merchant Scotsman, with no citizenship in the U.S., no sympathy for slavery, and a clear opposition to secession, to join and fight for the Confederate Army? In this fascinating 1888 memoir by William Watson, you'll find out. As a foreigner, he had a unique...

Who was the force behind emancipation in the Lincoln administration? In this brief address, Gideon Welles, Lincoln's Navy Secretary, takes exception to remarks given by Charles Adams at the memorial for the late William Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State. From an insider's perspective, Welles provides...

Queen Victoria was an avid reader of her works and Charles Darwin said of her, "...one ought not to look at her as a woman." The novelist Margaret Oliphant said "as a born lecturer and politician she [Martineau] was less distinctively affected by her sex than perhaps any other, male or female, of...

"Woman, like man, should be freely permitted to do whatever she can do well." So said Frances E. Willard, who lived her life in the firm belief of this principle and who was instrumental in the passage of two amendments to the U.S. Constitution. A passionate advocate for women's rights, prohibition,...

Theodore Roosevelt once said that the only man he ever envied was John Hay, who had constant interaction with Abraham Lincoln during his presidency. One of Lincoln's other secretaries was William Stoddard, who later wrote extensively about Lincoln. In this volume, Stoddard focuses on Lincoln at work....

Two kinds of illness set Alonzo Delano on the path to California in 1849: a bodily sickness that his doctor said would improve in the West...and GOLD FEVER. In one of the most fascinating pioneer accounts of the "mistakes and sufferings of the emigrants" as well as interactions with Native Americans,...

It's likely that few of the thousands who visit beautiful Alki Beach in West Seattle on a sunny day realize that this is where the city of Seattle began. They're even less likely to know the name of David Maynard, although they may recognize his friendly moniker, "Doc Maynard." Dr. David Maynard...

General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing is the only person ever promoted in his own lifetime to General of the Armies of the United States, the highest authorized rank in the Army. He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I and later became controversial for his use of frontal assaults...

Nearly blind from an accident in childhood, deaf from complications of scarlet fever, and perpetually suffering from an ankle injury, Emily Parsons nevertheless enrolled in nursing school at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Already 37, she never married and made the care of others...

Like Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton was so much more than the "Angel of the Battlefield." It was not until the American Civil War that she found her calling. As a young woman, she struggled with the deep emotions that would be a lifelong trait. "1852: I have found it extremely hard to restrain...