What was "the twenty-slave law" and why did it divide the Confederacy?
What circumstances nearly forced Robert E. Lee to resign in 1863?
What was Grant's "crusher" strategy?
What did Booth yell as he jumped onto the stage at Ford's Theatre?
How did the Confederate Army win the last battle of the war?
What are the lyrics for "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"--and did you know it was written by a woman?

The Civil War lasted four years and consumed the American continent, spreading from Maine to California, Florida to Wyoming, and even into Canada. It was the last war of the American Revolution and the first war of the Industrial Revolution. More than a million men--a quarter of all men of fighting age--were killed or wounded or died of disease. Every imaginable resource was expended in the war effort, and at its end, a new Union arose from the wreckage of the old.

No war is simple or uncomplicated, but the history of the Civil War is extraordinarily complex. In his new book, esteemed historian Frank E. Vandiver catalogs the significant characters, events, and cultural phenomena of the war in 1001 concise entries. Whether you read it straight from beginning to end or thumb through haphazardly, you are sure to find every page full of essential facts and fascinating trivia, from a short history of the most famous Confederate spy to the grisly details of battlefield surgery. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Civil War is an essential, exhaustive resource, covering the vote for secession, General Robert E. Lee's surrender, and everything in between.