Hey! I'm new around here!

[keelin]

<font color="0077aa"><font face="arial,helvetica"></font>Hey everyone! I'm new around here as well as to Civil War research. Does anyone have any pointers as to research? Any favorite books, movies or sites (like this one)? I'm a newbie, but I'm very interested in learning about the Civil War. See you all later!!! ;-)
~Keelin</font>}

Hello Keelin,

Welcome, to our group. A good single volume book, that gives a good overview, of the war, is Battle Cry of Freedom, by James McPherson.

Gunsmoke

[ami]

Welcome! I hope you have a good time here, there are a lot of good people who are willing to help newbies. So jump in!

Ami

[tamaroa]

If you are a real newbie and need to dabble your toes so to speak, I'd suggest Bruce Catton's trilogy on the Army of the Potomac.(Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory road, Stillness at Appomattox). It gives a general overview of the war in the east and Catton writes with a fluid often humourous style that will keep you engrossed. After that you may want to tackle Alan Nevins series Ordeal of the Union and other voluminous works, but take it easy at first. there is so much information out there about the Civil War that it is easy to get overwhelmed. Other ideas might be Bell I. Wiley's the Life of Billy Yank and the life of Johnny Reb. Again an easy to understand and absorb series. After general works like these, if a particular commander or arm of the service interests you there are literally hundreds of biographies and autobiographies out there.

Somewhere on this board a while back we discussed reading about the Civil War and many good books were mentioned in it. BUT I caution you, don't get stuck in the minutiae at first, go for an overview than concentrate on something that pique's your interest.

Happy hunting and welcome aboard. There are a lot of fine folks here who will go out of their way to aim you in the right directions.

Bill

[judahbenjafan]

Welcome to the board... As for books there are too many to name that i like cw wise...