More than 60,000 books have been published on the Civil War. Most
Americans, though, get their ideas about the war--why it was fought,
what was won, what was lost--not from books but from movies, television,
and other popular media. In an engaging and accessible survey, Gary W.
Gallagher guides readers through the stories told in recent film and
art, showing how these stories have both reflected and influenced the
political, social, and racial currents of their times.