An updated edition of this concise yet comprehensive history of the
Civil War, written by a distinguished historian of the conflict. Charles
Roland skillfully interweaves the story of battles and campaigns with
accounts of the major political, diplomatic, social, and cultural events
of the epoch and insightful sketches of the leading actors. Of prime
interest are the contrasts he draws between the opposing presidents and
generals. What traits, he asks, made Lincoln superior to Davis as a war
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