From the biggest events and battles to the lesser-known warriors and women, a captivating, concise, and convenient guide to America's defining conflict, its origins, key battles, people, events, and aftermath.

The nation's highest-casualty, bloodiest-war is still discussed, studied, acted out, and politically relevant. From the complex, turbulent and difficult events leading to the war, through the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, the military strategies, battles, and people, and from Lee's surrender at Appomattox to the Southern reconstruction and modern aftermath, The Handy Civil War Answer Book answers more than 900 questions, from the most widely asked to the more obscure, such as ...

How did the Mexican War influence Americans of the 1850s?

What was Robert E. Lee's connection to George Washington?

What did people mean when they said Lincoln had the style of a buffoon and the "brain of a giant"?

What is nullification? What is secession? How closely are they linked?

What was so important about the Homestead Act?

How did what happened at Harpers Ferry contribute to what would become the Civil War?

What all-black regiment famously led the charge at Battery Wagner?

Was there any precedent for the Siege of Vicksburg?

Would North and South have been reconciled if Lincoln had not been assassinated?

What became of Generals Grant and Lee after the war?

How do Americans continue to commemorate the Civil War?

Blending historical review with a little surprising trivia into an engaging question-and-answer format, The Handy Civil War Answer Book is perfect for browsing and is ideal for the serious military or history buff, students, teachers, and anyone interested in a better understanding of our nation's past-and present. Photos, battlefield maps, and a chronology of major events contribute to the understanding of the War between the States in this tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.