Blood: Stories of Life and Death from the Civil War

The Civil War — the bloodiest, most dramatic moment in this nation's history — also produced some of the country's greatest literature. Blood reflects the violent hatred, love, patriotism, and heroism this conflict generated through the vivid stories of the men and women who were there. This collection includes Ulysses S. Grant (via the rumored pen of Mark Twain) recounting the taking of Vicksburg; Theodore Lyman watching Grant come into his own on his first drive toward Richmond; George Templeton Strong describing the horror of the New York Draft Riots; and plantation owner Mary Chestnut's report on the final days before the fall of Atlanta. Also included are firsthand accounts ranging from Pickett's Charge to Sherman's March, from Lee's Virginia campaigns to the heroism of African American foot soldiers, as well as excerpts from some of the most notable fiction on the subject.