April is the month that the War for Southern Independence began in 1861 and ended in 1865. Those four years created what a recent book calls “a republic of suffering,” it redefined the United States, and constructed a Matterhorn of historical interest; wherever you turn to study our past, the war and its repercussions loom over the historical landscape. Name your 20th or 21st century topic—Constitutional interpretation, the civil rights movement, industrialism, church history, wars and weaponry; they all flow back to the war in some way. There has been much renewed interest in the tenth amendment, states’ rights, and secession in recent years, unrelated to the vagaries of melanin count. Memoirs, diaries, letters, and books continue to roll off the presses in commemoration of the deeds of ancestors. New ways of looking at the war’s impact on communities have opened new channels of interpretation.

The sacrifices of the men who fought in that long ago war quietly tower over towns large and small across America. In town and city squares, at court houses and battlefields across both north and south, monuments stand as mute but poignant testimony that someone cared that future generations remember. Near where I live, the city fathers of Cumming, Georgia issue an annual proclamation recognizing the men of Cumming and Forsythe County who fought and died for their cause under the stars and bars, and for those who have fought in almost every generation since, and died for the independence and liberty they hold dear under the Stars and Stripes. The white-bearded veterans of the 1860s are all in their graves. No reunions with their counterparts in blue or gray can be held again, but it’s nice to know that some folk today have not forgotten those boys of ’61 who, in their youthful enthusiasm, grabbed their muskets, kissed their wives or mothers, and sisters goodbye, and died for them far from home.

The Circa History Guild has a nice collection of books about the Civil War for sale this month. Here are a few you might want to consider. I will continue all month with brief descriptions of books we have in quantity as well as feature a few of our old or rare books on the war. We also sell historic flags of the Civil War.

Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen Sears
$17.00 plus shipping (pb)

Certain battles make an imprint on history that none other can equal. The battle of Sharpsburg (or Antietam, if you prefer), was the bloodiest single day in American history. For downright slaughter and unparalleled heroism, the 1862 battle in Maryland has no rivals. The results of this battle had huge implications for the Confederacy and the Union, for from it came Confederate retreat, The Emancipation Proclamation and more than 23,000 casualties; Although not really comparable since Americans were fighting Americans in Maryland, it is interesting to note that 27,000 U.S. troops fell at Iwo Jima in thirty seven days of fighting. Every American should read at least one Civil War battle book per year; this would be a good place to start. On Thursday night, April 23rd, Circa historian Bill Potter will present a program detailing one aspect of this battle; an almost unbelievable account of Georgia boys in what amounted to nine crowded hours that saved the Confederate Army.
 

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era by James McPherson
$19.95 plus shipping (pb)

There are not many one volume narrative histories of the Civil War that seem to stand the test of time but this is one of the best. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in history, this account of the entire war puts the many strategies and tactics of the war in an understandable and enjoyable to read prose. The cover art, ironically, is an old print of the Battle at the Rohrbach Bridge at Antietam, the subject of a Circa program on April 23rd. One does not have to be a specialist in Civil War history to enjoy this award-winning book.

Politically Incorrect Guide To the Constitution
$19.95 plus shipping. (pb)

Tired of the Founders being trashed and the courts redefining words to fit current politically correct agendas? Tired of the centralizing big government power elites ignoring the tenth amendment and disarming the second? If you answered yes to either or both questions, you might enjoy reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution by Kevin R. C. Gutzman, J.D., Ph.D. The text is uncluttered, he explains some of the common Latin legal terms, and you learn the history behind some of the more controversial rulings and interpretations. The entire Politically Incorrect Guide (P.I.G., for short) series offers a needed remedy on a popular level, to the myriad misconceptions intentionally taught to an unsuspecting American population. While I’m at it, take a look at the whole line of books published by Regnery Publishing.

Bill Potter