Armies of Deliverance by Elizabeth R. Varon provides a sweeping, comprehensive, and eminently readable introduction to the U.S. Civil War. Recently published by Oxford University Press in 2021, Varon’s bold yet unassuming 531-page scholarly tome is no endless catalog of facts and opinions. On the contrary, it is a solid…
How does a wanna-be U.S. Civil War history buff play at learning? If you want to develop a more detailed understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War Cycling’s “Master Gettysburg July 3 with Interactive Tools” is a good place to start. After that, you are just one click away…
I am convinced more than ever that we need to put the play back into our study of American history. Mostly, I play on my bike. But in cold weather, I play with interactive history tools that I made for myself, because I couldn’t find anything on the web. I…
Do you love U.S. Civil War history but feel overwhelmed with all the names, places, and jargon? Been there, done that! Today’s Civil War Cycling blog post announces the availability of a set of anonymous (and free) interactive quizzes designed to help you memorize the principal commanders at the Battle…
Have you ever thought about the pre-war life of the Gettysburg soldier? Most were very young men, in their early twenties. Officers were not much older. These men had jobs as teachers, engineers, carriage makers, firemen, lawyers, politicians, professors, wood-carvers, doctors, and surveyors. They had families. If you would like…
If you can buy only one history book to prepare for your bicycle trip to Gettysburg, I recommend that you first consider your needs. Okay, that may sound obvious. But if you have never planned a historical bicycle tour, you may not know what you need. Consider these questions: Do you need…
I begin with a personal comment: My interest in American Civil War history accelerated after my kids grew up. I like to think it’s because I started to have more time to read and reflect. Truthfully, though, that wasn’t it. In this blog post, I offer three common reasons why…
Sometimes, the best books are written for kids but read by adults. My top pick for the simplest ever introduction to Gettysburg goes to MacKinlay Kantor. Originally written in 1952, this little classic for middle-school children survives as an accurate, high-level summary of the Battle of Gettysburg. As a former teacher and life-long…