“(Johnson) is a master of narrative history.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

In these masterful essays drawn from his New York Times bestsellers A History of the American People and Heroes, one of the world’s most renowned and respected historians explores what is arguably the most important chapter in the annals of America: the Civil War. 

Enlivened with the author’s trademark scholarship, verve, and intelligence, this vivid, concise history revisits the conflict that tore a nation asunder and provides portraits of the people who played essential roles in the bloody drama. Johnson’s Civil War America examines the factors that led to the devastating rift in the years before the fighting—and recounts the troubled healing a wounded nation underwent in the years after the final shot was fired.

This collection of insightful historical essays reveals:

• A Master Historian’s Perspective: Experience the defining conflict of American history through the sharp analysis and vivid storytelling of one of the world’s most respected historians.
• The Path to War: Understand the complex factors that led a nation to turn on itself, exploring the deep-seated divisions that culminated in the devastating conflict.
• Portraits of Command: Go beyond the battlefields with incisive biographical sketches of the leaders, soldiers, and civilians whose decisions shaped the bloody drama.
• A Nation’s Troubled Healing: Follow the story past the final shot to recount the difficult process of reconciliation and the troubled aftermath that defined a generation.