Synopsis
Preface
1860 Presidential Election
The Nature of Civil War
Overview: From Ft Sumter to Appomattox
The first modern war
The Armies
Emancipation of Slaves
Assassination of Lincoln
Northern victory challenged by Southern mythology
An incredibly short reading list
'Incredibly short' because there are thousands of books, articles, films, internet sites, and podcasts on the war.
General history: Battle Cry for Freedom by James McPherson
A very military overview is provided by John Keegan in The American Civil War
An example of detailed study of a single event is Stephen Sears' Gettysburg
A Personal Memoir by General Ulysses Grant
Two mini guides
The American Civil War (Pocket Essential Histories) by Phil Davies
The US Civil War by Louis Masur in the Oxford Short Introductory Series
A book I have used to help me to make a short one hour presentation is The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I think his 'short essay' within this book is a model of its kind.
Please also see my last booklist