American Civil War

July 1, 2015
Tucker, a prolific author of military history with nearly 50 titles to his credit, has his newest work take a unique approach to a well-covered era of U.S. history. It is organized alphabetically by state/territory, with each of these sections containing entries on important cities and military locales (forts, foundries, encampments); notable figures from or representing the area (politicians, generals, or prominent civilians); and major battles, if any occurred there. Only the most influential battles are listed, and the geographic unfolding of the conflict means that certain states will have much more space devoted to them than others. Virginia, for instance, has 10 times as many pages as either Nebraska or Nevada Territory. Still, states where no battles at all took place may warrant attention for other reasonsbecause of major contributions of manpower or industry to the war effort, for example. In total, there are more than 600 entries. The second volume contains a traditional index as well as a categorical index, Cities/Towns, Events, Individuals. There is also a five-page select bibliography, which complements the list of further reading after each entry. Other features include five black-and-white maps depicting major battles and military operations. There is no overall introduction to the set, but each state and territory has a specialized one of its own. In sum, this would have to be considered a specialized resource, not one for the user seeking information on overall causes and effects of the conflict. It is clearly intended for anyone seeking material specific to a particular region, making this resource most useful in academic libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)