This Terrible War: The Civil War and Its Aftermath (3rd Edition) / Michael Fellman, Lesley J. Gordon, Daniel E. Sutherland

Absorbing and accessible, This Terrible War : The Civil War and Its Aftermath deals with the American Civil War in a realistic and unromantic light, discussing the hard experiences of ordinary people and the uncertain decisions of military and political leaders.  The title explores both the years leading up to the Civil War, and the war's aftermath in the North and the South.  The discussion extends to 1896, reframing the period of the Civil War.