Recent Books on the Civil War Era

I define the Civil War Era as approximately 1850 to 1877, the end of Reconstruction. This is not meant to be a comprehensive listing.

A Fate Worse Than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War, by W. Fitzhugh Brundage (2026, W.W. Norton). A Fate Worse than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War: Brundage, W. Fitzhugh: 9780393541090: Amazon.com: Books

Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, The Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America, by Scott Ellison (Dutton, 2025) Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America: Ellsworth, Scott: 9780593475614: Amazon.com: Books

Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln, edited by Jonathan W. White and Lucas E. Morel (Reedy Press, 2025). Amazon.com : measuring the man the writings of frederick douglass

Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War, by Michael Vorenberg (Alfred A. Knopf, 2025). Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War: Vorenberg, Michael: 9781524733179: Amazon.com: Books

Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis, by Jonathan S. Jones (University of North Carolina Press, 2025). Opium Slavery

Unforgettable Sacrifice: How Black Communities Remembered the Civil War, by Hilary N. Green (Fordham University Press, 2025). Unforgettable Sacrifice – Hilary N. Green

Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War, by Jon Grinspan (Bloomsbury, 2024). Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force That Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War: Grinspan, Jon: 9781639730643: Amazon.com: Books

Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland, by Scott Shane (Celadon Books, 2023). Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland: Shane, Scott: 9781250843210: Amazon.com: Books

The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, by Julian Sher (Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023). The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln: Sher, Julian: 9781039000315: Amazon.com: Books

Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox, by Caroline E. Janney (University of North Carolina Press, 2021). Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox: Janney, Caroline E.: 9781469663371: Amazon.com: Books

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