Don't Know Much About the Civil War

By Kenneth C. Davis

From the cutesy title I thought this would be a more tongue in cheek or a more entertaining look at the Civil War. But it's not. It is pretty much just a history of the Civil War. So that was disappointing but even so it is a very clear and easy to understand explanation of the US Civil War. The book ranges from the causes of the Civil War, follows the course of the war and briefly examines the aftermath of the war. Need to know more about the Civil War? You can't go wrong with this book.

New Word

Catafalque: a decorated bier on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral. 'I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. There I met with a sickening surprise. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. "Who is dead in the White House?" I demanded of one of the soldiers. "The President," was the answer, "he was killed by an assassin!"' (From Lincoln's account of a dream he had.)