Award-winning author Scott Thybony recounts the dramatic events of a war which re-shaped the nation. His essays trace the year-by-year unfolding of the conflict, followed by accounts of the legendary battles and the tragic struggles which changed forever the lives of those who fought them.

From John Brown's desperate raid on Harper's Ferry to the reuniting of a nation at Appomattox Court House, the essays and historic photographs cover the major battlefield parks and introduce the lesser-known Civil War sites, monuments, and forts.