Novels
Rufus Recommends:
1. The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara....My all time favorite Civil War historical novel, one of my all time favorite novels, period. And the history is pretty good too. None of the historians tell the battle of Gettysburg this well. Shaara's son Jeff has produced a prequel; Gods and Generals, and a sequel; The Last Full Measure. Both are excellent.
2. Lincoln, by Gore Vidal....Vidal's Lincoln is a little out of the ordinary, but the book is so well written you won't mind a bit.
3. Play For a Kingdom, by Thomas Dyja.... This novel tells the story of Union and Confederate units taking time out in the 1864 Wilderness Campaign to play some baseball. The story is a tad far fetched, but it's well written and if you're into baseball as well as the Civil War, you'll love it.
4. Shiloh, by Shelby Foote....tells the story of that battle through several fictional participants. It's all you'd expect from Mr. Foote.
5. The Black Rose, by Howard Bahr. Not for those who like their military glorified. The story takes place around the battle of Franklin in 1864. The characters are soldiers in the Confederate Army of Tennessee and local civilains. It's graphic and grim and excellent.
Also:
Booth, by David Robertson....A good fictional account of the Lincoln assasination.
Traveller, by Richard Adams....Tells the story of Robert E. Lee's Civil War through the eyes of Lee's horse.
Stonewall's Gold, by Robert Mrazek....Is a very good, Treasure Island like story of Confederate buried gold in the Shenandoah Valley.
Rufus Rejects:
Ok, the big one.....Gone with the Wind (GASP!) In truth, I never read it and my problem isn't really with the book. It's the movie. It's a great movie, but WAY to many people have learned their history from it.