Gathered inside are 16 stories about the Civil War that tell why millions of Americans gave their lives during the conflict. Plenty of illustrations bring these stories to life. Understand why Americans fought and how their battles shaped the United States you know today.

Sit in the room as generals planned how to fight the largest war ever fought in North America. Stand with Abraham Lincoln, considered the greatest American President, as he argued against the enslavement of human beings in the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.

March with soldiers like Ambrose Bierce as they face heavy musket and cannon fire. Walk with civilians like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman as they struggled to survive four years of brutal combat, burying loved ones, caring for wounded soldiers, and rescuing the enslaved from the chains of slavery.

By peeling back the pages of this book, you'll discover:

- What caused so many southerners to abandon the United States?

- Why did the war lead to the creation of the hand grenade and submarine?

- How did African Americans help restore the fractured United States?

- How did a big snake called the anaconda influence the war?

- What do Civil War prisons have to do with "deadlines"?

And so much more!

Discover how the Civil War protected all Americans' rights and why the conflict still causes so much debate today. You may not realize it, but memory of the Civil War surrounds us, from statues to parks to street names.

Sit on your couch or under a tree with this book and be transported back in time to when the United States and Confederate States slugged it out through clouds of gunpowder to create a more perfect country.

It's time to join the greatest struggle in American history!