American Civil War histories?

[ghost of miles]

I was obsessed with the Civil War when I was about seven years old--decades later, thinking about revisiting it through a good history.  Any recommendations besides/beyond Shelby Foote's landmark trilogy?  (Which is where I'm inclined to start, never having read it.)

[HutchFan]

My favorite single-volume history of the Civil War is James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

 

[A Lark Ascending]

My favorite single-volume history of the Civil War is James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

 

I read that a couple of years back. It was superb! Excellent on the causes and background (though given how disputed historical interpretation is I'm not sure how it fits with more recent scholarship) as well as the conflict itself.

The one thing I did need was a separate book with more maps in - my geography of the US only goes so far. This was good. It also acted as a recap when I'd gone hazy on sequences of events I read earlier in the book:

There are books that are specifically atlases that might be even more useful. 

 

 

[Head Man]

My favorite single-volume history of the Civil War is James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

 

Another  for this.... a superb read.