Manassas...Shiloh...Gettysburg...Antietam...
These are just some of the battlefields which, soon after the end of the Civil War, were set aside as memorials to "the brave men, living and dead," who took part in the war between the
states.
Today, five score years and ten after the last shot was fired, the names still echo like a drumroll through the corridors of time, and millions of visitors every year stand transfixed, awed by
the landscape's terrible majesty, where once the soldiers of the North and South gave their "last full measure of devotion."
Many of the most important sites, from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, are now National Parks, with markers and monuments pinpointing the location of specific events. This book, the essential guide
to visiting the battlefields, has been edited by Civil War scholar Frank E. Vandiver, with features including:
-Official National Parks Service maps.
-Informative and authoritative historical text explaining the background to war and with analysis of the battles and events at each site.
-Eye-witness excerpts from generals' diaries to soldiers' letters from the front.
-Sketches and artwork by on-the-spot observers
-Stunning new photography of battle sites and landmarks.
-Statistics, facts, and figures.
-Points of interest the visitor can identify in the parks today.
-Park visitor information.
-Regional touring guides.
