US Civil War (Bookshelf)
From Project Gutenberg, the first producer of free electronic books (ebooks).
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a separatist conflict between the United States Federal government (the "Union") and eleven Southern slave states that declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis. The Union, led by President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party, opposed the expansion of slavery and rejected any right of secession. Fighting commenced on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a Federal military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
—Excerpted from American Civil War on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
Fiction
Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander), 1862-1919
Wikipedia: Joseph Alexander Altsheler
Altsheler's series of "juvenile historical fiction" follows the experiences throughout the war of two cousins from Pendleton, Kentucky: Harry Kenton, who fights for the South, and Dick Mason, who fights for the North. See excerpt below.
- The Guns of Bull Run, A Story of the Civil War's Eve
Vol. 1 of 8
(English)
- The Guns of Shiloh, A Story of the Great Western Campaign
Vol. 2 of 8
(English)
- The Scouts of Stonewall, The Story of the Great Valley Campaign
Vol. 3 of 8
(English)
- The Sword of Antietam, A Story of the Nation's Crisis
Vol. 4 of 8
(English)
- The Star of Gettysburg, A Story of Southern High Tide
Vol. 5 of 8
(English)
- The Rock of Chickamauga, A Story of the Western Crisis
Vol. 6 of 8
(English)
- The Shades of the Wilderness, A Story of Lee's Great Stand
Vol. 7 of 8
(English)
- The Tree of Appomattox, A Story of the Civil War's Close
Vol. 8 of 8
(English)
- Before the Dawn, A Story of the Fall of Richmond
(English)
Before the Dawn, published 12 years before Altsheler published the first volume of his "Civil War Series", is an independent novel.
Bellamy, Edward, 1850-1898
- An Echo Of Antietam
(English)
Burnett, Alf,
Bierce, Ambrose, 1842-1914?
- The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce
Volume 2: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians
(English)
- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
(English)
This short story served as the basis for a popular episode of "The Twilight Zone" television program. - A Son of the Gods
A Horseman in the Sky
(English)
Bishop, Austin
- Tom of the Raiders
(English)
Brady, Cyrus Townsend, 1861-1920
Wikipedia: Cyrus Townsend Brady
Cable, George Washington, 1844-1925
- The Cavalier
(English)
- Kincaid's Battery
(English)
Castlemon, Harry, (pseud.) , 1842-1915
- Frank on a Gun-Boat
(English)
- Frank on the Lower Mississippi
(English)
Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William), 1865-1933
- Ailsa Paige
(English)
Churchill, Winston, 1871-1947
Wikipedia: Winston Churchill (novelist)
- The Crisis — Volume 1
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 2
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 3
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 4
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 5
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 6
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 7
(English)
- The Crisis — Volume 8
(English)
- The Crisis — Complete
(English)
Craddock, Charles Egbert
see: Murfree, Mary Noailles
Crane, Stephen, 1871-1900
- The Little Regiment
(English)
- Red Badge of Courage
(English)
- The Red Badge of Courage
(English)
Dawson, Sarah Morgan 1842-1909
- A Confederate Girl's Diary
(English)
De Forest, J. W., 1826-1906
Wikipedia: John William De Forest
- The Brigade Commander
(English)
Dixon, Thomas, 1864-1946
Dixon is best known for his book The Clansman, which served as the inspiration for D. W. Griffith's controversial movie The Birth of a Nation.
- A Man of the People, A Drama of Abraham Lincoln
(English)
- The Man in Gray, A Romance of North and South
(English)
- The Southerner, A Romance of the Real Lincoln
(English)
- The Victim, A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis
(English)
Fox, John, 1863-1919
- The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come
(English)
Harris, Joel Chandler, 1848-1908
Wikipedia: Joel Chandler Harris
- A Little Union Scout
(English)
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864
- Sketches and Studies
(English)
Includes Hawthorne's essay Chiefly about War Matters
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902
- Friends, though divided
A Tale of the Civil War
(English)
- With Lee in Virginia: a story of the American Civil War
(English)
- With Lee in Virginia
A Story of the American Civil War
(English)
Johnston, Mary, 1870-1936
Wikipedia: Mary Johnston (novelist)
- The Long Roll
(English)
Keenan, Henry Francis
- The Iron Game
A Tale of the War
(English)
King, Charles
- A War-Time Wooing
(English)
Lincoln, Natalie Sumner, 1885-1935
- The Lost Despatch
(English)
McElroy, John, 1829-1914
- The Red Acorn
(English)
Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir), 1846-1929
- Westways
(English)
Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922
(Pen name: Charles Egbert Craddock)
Wikipedia: Mary Noailles Murfree
- The Lost Guidon
(English)
- The Raid of the Guerilla
(English)
Norton, Andre Alice, 1912-2005
- Ride Proud, Rebel!
(English)
Optic, Oliver, 1822-1897
- The Blue and the Gray - Afloat
- Taken by the Enemy - Vol. 1 of 6
(English)
- Within the Enemy's Lines - Vol. 2 of 6
(English)
- On the Blockade - Vol. 3 of 6
(English)
- Stand by the Union - Vol. 4 of 6
(English)
- Fighting for the Right - Vol. 5 of 6
(English)
- A Victorious Union - Vol. 6 of 6
(English)
- Taken by the Enemy - Vol. 1 of 6
- The Blue and the Gray on Land
- A Lieutenant At Eighteen - Vol. 3 of 6
(English)
- An Undivided Union - Vol. 6 of 6
(English)
- A Lieutenant At Eighteen - Vol. 3 of 6
- The Soldier Boy, or, Tom Somers in the Army
A Story of the Great Rebellion
(English)
- The Young Lieutenant, or, The Adventures of an Army Officer
A Story of the Great Rebellion
(English)
Page, Thomas Nelson, 1835-1922
- The Burial of the Guns
(English)
A collection of short stories, several of which deal with the Civil War.
Parrish, Randall, 1858-1923
- Love Under Fire
(English)
- My Lady of the North
(English)
Peple, Edward Henry, 1869-1924
- The Littlest Rebel
(English)
Robins, Edward, 1862-1943
Piper, H. Beam, 1904-1964
Links for H. Beam Piper: Wikipedia
- Rebel Raider
(English)
Roe, Edward Payson, 1838-1888
- His Sombre Rivals
(English)
- Miss Lou
(English)
- An Original Belle
(English)
- Taken Alive
(English)
Non-Fiction
Abel, Annie Heloise
Adams, Ephraim Douglass
Wikipedia: Ephraim Douglass Adams
- Great Britain and the American Civil War
(English)
Adams, F. Colburn (Francis Colburn)
Addeman, Joshua M., 1840-1930
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888
- Hospital Sketches
(English)
Armstrong, William H.
- Red-Tape and Pigeon-Hole Generals
As Seen From the Ranks During a Campaign in the Army of the Potomac
(English)
Bancroft, George, 1800-1891
Batten, John M., 1837-1916
Beatty, John
- The Citizen-Soldier
or, Memoirs of a Volunteer
(English)
First-hand account of Beatty's service with the Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 06/22/1861 through 01/01/1864.
Beers, Fannie A.
Bissell, George P.
- The Twenty-fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion
History, Reminiscences, Description of Battle of Irish Bend, Carrying of Pay Roll, Roster
(English)
(co-authors: Samuel K. Ellis, Thomas McManus, Henry Hill Goodell)
Blackwell, Sarah Ellen, 1843-1913
Bowers, John Hugh, 1843-1913
Brockett, Linus Pierpont, 1820-1893
- Woman's Work in the Civil War
A Record of Heroism, Patriotism, and Patience
(English)
(co-author: Mary C. Vaughn)
Browne, A. K.
- The Story of the Kearsarge and Alabama
(English)
Browne, Francis Fisher, 1843-1913
Burnet, Alf
Cable, George Washington, 1844-1925
- Famous Adventures and Prison Escapes of the Civil War
(English) (as Editor)
Charnwood, Godfrey Rathbone Benson, Baron, 1864-1945
- Abraham Lincoln
(English)
Chittenden, Lucius Eugene, 1824-1900
Wikipedia: Lucius E. Chittenden
Cist, Henry Martyn, 1839-1902
- The Army of the Cumberland
(English)
Cist was a general in the Union Army. His book includes the battles of Perryville, Stone's River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.
Cooke, John Esten, 1830-1886
- A Life of General Robert E. Lee
(English)
- Mohun, or, the Last Days of Lee and his Paladins
(English)
Cox, Jacob Dolson, 1828-1900
- Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, Volume 1
April 1861-November 1863
(English)
- Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, Volume 2
November 1863-June 1865
(English)
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889
Dawson, Sarah Morgan, 1842-1909
- A Confederate Girl's Diary
(English)
DeLeon, T. C.
- Four Years in Rebel Capitals;
An Inside View of Life in the Southern Confederacy from Birth to Death
(English)
Dickert, D. Augustus
- History of Kershaw's Brigade
(English)
First-hand account of Dickert's service under the command of General Joseph Brevard Kershaw, McLaws' division, Longstreet's corps, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, 12/10/1860 through 04/28/1865.
Dodge, Theodore A., 1842-1909
Wikipedia: Theodore Ayrault Dodge
- The Campaign of Chancellorsville
(English)
Analysis by Colonel Dodge of Lee's victory over a Northern army twice his size. See excerpt below.
Doubleday, Abner 1819-1893
- Chancellorsville and Gettysburg
Campaigns of the Civil War - VI
(English)
- Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-'61
(English)
Duffy, Edward
Dunaway, Wayland Fuller, 1841-1916
- Reminiscences of a Rebel
(English)
Ellis, Samuel K.
- The Twenty-fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion
History, Reminiscences, Description of Battle of Irish Bend, Carrying of Pay Roll, Roster
(English)
(co-authors: George P. Bissell, Thomas McManus, Henry Hill Goodell)
Fleming, Walter Linwood, 1874-1932
Force, Manning Ferguson, 1824-1899
Fremantle, Arthur J. L.
- Three Months in the Southern States, April-June 1863
(English)
Fremantle was a British officer. As a foreign observer attached to Longstreet's army, he witnessed the Gettysburg campaign. He returned to England to write this book predicting a Confederate victory.
Gildersleeve, Basil L., 1831-1924
Wikipedia: Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve
- The Creed of the Old South 1865-1915
(English)
Goodell, Henry Hill
- The Twenty-fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion
History, Reminiscences, Description of Battle of Irish Bend, Carrying of Pay Roll, Roster
(English)
(co-authors: George P. Bissell, Samuel K. Ellis, Thomas McManus)
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
Grant's memoirs are available in six parts, or in two volumes, or complete in a single file.
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 1.
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 2.
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 3.
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 4.
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 5.
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant, Part 6.
(English)
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant — Volume 1
(English)
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant — Volume 2
(English)
Greene, S. D., 1839-1884
- The Monitor and the Merrimac
Both Sides of the Story
(English)
(co-authors: H. Ashton Ramsay, E. W. Watson, J. L. Worden)
Hascall, Milo S., 1829-1904
- Personal Recollections and Experiences Concerning the Battle of Stone River
(English)
A Paper Read by Request before the Illinois Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S., at Chicago, Ill., Feb. 14, 1889.
Hay, John, 1835-1905
- Abraham Lincoln: a History - Volume 01
(English)
(co-author: John George Nicolay) - Abraham Lincoln: a History - Volume 02
(English)
(co-author: John George Nicolay)
Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917
Henderson, G. F. R., 1854-1903
Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911
Wikipedia: Thomas Wentworth Higginson
- Army Life in a Black Regiment
(English)
Higginson's first-hand account of his service as commander of the First South Carolina Volunteers, the first slave regiment mustered into the service of the United States during the civil war.
Hill, Alfred J., 1833-1895
- History of Company E of the Sixth Minnesota Regiment of
Volunteer Infantry
(English)
(co-author: Charles J. Stees)
Hill, Frederick Trevor, 1866-1930
- On the Trail of Grant and Lee
(English)
Howe, W. W.
Huse, Caleb, 1831-1905
Irwin, Richard B., 1839-1892
- History of the Nineteenth Army Corps
(English)
Keifer, Joseph Warren, 1836-1932
Kinnear, John R.
- History of the Eighty-Sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, During Its Term of Service
(English)
Lawrence, George A., 1827-1876
- Border and Bastille
(English)
Lawrence, a British novelist, came to America intending to join the Confederate army. He was taken prisoner by Union forces, subsequently released based on his promise to return to England.
Leale, Charles A., 1842-1932
- Lincoln's Last Hours
(English)
Lee, Robert Edward, General, 1807-1870
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
- Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
(English)
- Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
(English)
- The Emancipation Proclamation
(English)
- Gettysburg Address
(English)
- Images from Writings of Abraham Lincoln
(English)
- Lincoln Letters
(English)
- Lincoln's Inaugural, Addresses and Letters (Selections)
(English)
- Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1832-1865
(English)
- State of the Union Address
(English)
- Widger's Quotations from the Project Gutenberg Editions of the Works of Abraham Lincoln
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 1: 1832-1843
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 2: 1843-1858
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 3
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 4
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 5
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 6: 1862-1863
(English)
- The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 7: 1863-1865
(English)
Little, George
- A History of Lumsden's Battery, C.S.A
(English)
(co-author: James Robert Maxwell)
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924
- Hero Tales from American History
(English)
(co-author: Theodore Roosevelt)
Logan, John Alexander, 1826-1886
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 1
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 2
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 3
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 4
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 5
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 6
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Volume 7
(English)
- The Great Conspiracy, Complete
(English)
Maxwell, James Robert
- A History of Lumsden's Battery, C.S.A
(English)
(co-author: George Little)
McCarthy, Carlton, 1847-
McElroy, John, 1846-1929
- Andersonville — Volume 1
(English)
- Andersonville — Volume 2
(English)
- Andersonville — Volume 3
(English)
- Andersonville — Volume 4
(English)
- Andersonville
(English)
McManus, Thomas
- The Twenty-fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion
History, Reminiscences, Description of Battle of Irish Bend, Carrying of Pay Roll, Roster
(English)
(co-authors: George P. Bissell, Samuel K. Ellis, Henry Hill Goodell)
Melville, Herman, 1819-1891
- Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
(English)
(a book of poetry) - John Marr and Other Poems
(English)
A book of Melville's collected poetry, including some, but not all, of the poems in Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.
Moore, Edward A.
Morse, John T. (John Torrey), 1840-1937
- Abraham Lincoln, Volume 1
(English)
- Abraham Lincoln, Volume 2
(English)
Nicolay, Helen, 1866-1954
- The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln
(English)
Nicolay, John George, 1832-1901
- Abraham Lincoln: a History - Volume 01
(English)
(co-author: John Hay) - Abraham Lincoln: a History - Volume 02
(English)
(co-author: John Hay)
Oakey, Daniel
- History of the Second Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry: Beverly Ford
(English)
Beverly Ford, on the Rappahannock River, is two miles northeast of Brandy Station, Virginia. Here Union troops under Brig. Gen. John Buford attacked Stuart's cavalry on June 9, 1863.
A paper read at the Officers' Reunion in Boston, May 12, 1884.
Olney, Warren, 1841-1921
Peck, George W. (George Wilbur), 1840-1916
- How Private George W. Peck Put Down The Rebellion
or, The Funny Experiences of a Raw Recruit - 1887
(English)
Maybe this is fiction. I perused the first few pages and it seemed to me a humorous but factual memoir.
Pickett, La Salle Corbell, 1848-1931
- Literary Hearthstones of Dixie
(English)
Profiles of eleven Southern authors and poets.
Pittenger, William, 1840-1904
- Daring and Suffering:
A History of the Great Railroad Adventure
(English)
First-hand account of the 1862 attempt by a small group of Union soldiers to infiltrate and destroy Southern rail lines, and their subsequent time as prisoners of war.
Potts, Mrs. Eugenia Dunlap
Preston, Margaret J.
- Beechenbrook
A Rhyme of the War
(English)
Rains, George Washington, 1817-1898
- History of the Confederate Powder Works
(English)
Ramsay, H. Ashton
- The Monitor and the Merrimac
Both Sides of the Story
(English)
(co-authors: S. D. Greene, E. W. Watson, J. L. Worden)
Richardson, James D. (James Daniel), 1843-1914
- A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents
Volume 6, part 1: Abraham Lincoln
(English)
Rochelle, James Henry, 1826-1889
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
- Hero Tales from American History
(English)
(co-author: Henry Cabot Lodge)
Schofield, John M., 1831-1906
- Forty-Six Years in the Army
(English)
Schofield was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, in August 1861. Later, he commanded the Army of the Ohio during Sherman's assault on Atlanta and during the battles of Franklin, Tennessee and Nashville. He later served as Secretary of War under President Andrew Johnson.
Semmes, Raphael, 1809-1877
- The Cruise of the Alabama and the Sumter
(English)
Shellenberger, John K., 1809-1877
Sheridan, Philip Henry, General, 1831-1888
Sheridan's memoirs are available in six parts, or in two volumes, or complete in a single file. See excerpt below.
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume I., Part 1
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume I., Part 2
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume I., Part 3
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume II., Part 4
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume II., Part 5
(English)
- The Memoirs of General Philip H. Sheridan, Volume II., Part 6
(English)
- Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army — Volume 1
(English)
- Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army — Volume 2
(English)
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891
Wikipedia: William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman's memoirs are available in four parts, or in two volumes, or complete in a single file.
- The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume I., Part 1
(English)
- The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume I., Part 2
(English)
- The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume II., Part 3
(English)
- The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman, Volume II., Part 4
(English)
- Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman — Volume 1
(English)
- Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman — Volume 2
(English)
Smith, Henry Bascom, -1916
Spicer, William A.
Sprague, Homer B.
Stees, Charles J.
- History of Company E of the Sixth Minnesota Regiment of
Volunteer Infantry
(English)
(co-author: Alfred J. Hill)
Stephenson, Nathaniel W. (Nathaniel Wright), 1867-1935
- Abraham Lincoln and the Union; a chronicle of the embattled North
(English)
- The Day of the Confederacy; a chronicle of the embattled South
(English)
- Lincoln; An Account of his Personal Life, Especially of its Springs of Action as Revealed and Deepened by the Ordeal of War
Stevens, George T.
Stevenson, William G.
Stillwell, Leander, 1843-1934
Taylor, Richard
Various
- War Poetry of the South
(English)
Edited by William Gilmore Simms