While there are many books written about the Civil War here are some I recommend any Civil War buff pick up if you want to learn a bit about the war from books that tell a different story not told in conventional Civil War reading material.

Turned Inside Out by Frank Wilkeson

This book was written by Fran Wilkeson who served in the 11th Battery of the New York Light Artillery. Frank fought as a combat soldier during the Battle Of The Wilderness. What makes this book unique is that many veterans both North and South after the war glorified their experiences in the Civil War with notions of patriotic duty and often failed to describe the brutal reality of what the war was really like. Frank however with his book describes in his book the general incompetence of the military leadership of the Army Of The Potomac and how random indiscriminate death often finds soldiers on the battlefield. Frank doesn't hold back anything of his account of military service and it allows the reader to gain insight into the mind of a private soldier who fought in America's bloodiest war.

A Strange And Blighted Land by Gregory A. Coco

Before I begin to describe what this book is a about be forewarned that if you have a weak stomach this book isn't for you. Gregory's book is about the aftermath of the Battle Of Gettysburg. The book spends a great deal of time describing what the battlefield looked like after the armies had left the area. Each area is vividly described with horrific details from the sight of piles of bloated twisted corpses of dead soldiers who's eyes and mouths are filled with maggots. Coco paints a brutal picture of the nature of war and how it affected the community of Gettysburg. There are entire chapters dedicated to how the dead were initially buried by their comrades then reburied as the national cemetery was created. It also details the strange fascination people had in finding souvenirs of the battle such as sabres and other military goods to show they had visited the battlefield of Gettysburg. This book is unique given it covers an uncomfortable subject but also a necessary one to understand the level of sacrifice that those who fought and died at Gettysburg demonstrated.

The Battered Stars by Howard Coffin

Written by Vermont Civil War author Howard Coffin. This book details the exploits of the various regiments from the state of Vermont as they fought in Grant's Overland Campaign of 1864. What makes this book interesting is that it tells the tragic story of the First Vermont Brigade which at the start of the campaign numbered some 2,850 but during the one month of hard fighting from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor the brigade was whittled down to just 1,200 men. This brigade suffered the highest loss of any unit in United States military history. The book is often skillfully told by Howard using first hand accounts of the battles the Vermont brigade fought in allowing the reader to imagine that they are there with the boys from the Green Mountain State as they went into action.

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A Strange And Blighted Land Sounds like a very good read, especially given my own recent tour of Gettysburg. Thanks for bringing it up, I'll have to try and acquire a copy.

I'll also have to put up my own book recommendations, too.

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If your going to pick up a copy I recommend Ebay. The book is currently out of print but you can find plenty of copies on Ebay for cheap.

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Ordered, thanks.