A House Divided During the Civil War Era

In colorful, readable prose, this volume provides a full history of the Civil Waraeincluding John Brown's raid; the story of the Confederate States of America; the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg; Sherman's March to the Sea; the Emancipation Proclamation; the Thirteenth Amendment; Lincolnos assassination; Reconstruction; and Andrew Johnsonos impeachment.But more importantly, it offers a range of essays on how events could have turned out differentlyaemilitarily, politically, and culturally. It challenges students and general readers alike to remember that the course of history is not preordained. Instead, history is AEmade o in critical moments of decision by those who choose one course of action over another. Their choicesaeand the outcomes of those choicesaecould easily have been different."