Civil War Experience

The American Civil War (1861-1865) tested the character of the people of the United States of America like no event before or since. "The Civil War Experience" provides a unique glimpse into the world of the 1860s - the military, political, and social events of the war are explored, and the heroes, from great leaders and generals to common soldiers and civilians, are identified. Written by Civil War author and award-winning documentary director and producer Jay Wertz, and including a wealth of readings of extraordinary first-hand accounts on an audio CD, "The Civil War Experience" contains 30 facsimile items of Civil War memorabilia integrated into the pages of the book. The reader can re-live this momentous period of history by holding and examining maps, diaries, letters, orders and broadsides, newspapers, and posters, which up till now have remained filed or exhibited in the United States' finest public archives and private collections.

Jay Wertz is the co-author of Smithsonian's Great Battles and Battlefields of the Civil War with prominent historian Edwin C. Bearss. He is also the producer-director-writer of the award-winning 13-part documentary series Smithsonian's Great Battles of the Civil War for The Learning Channel and Time-Life Video. A native of Hanover, Pennsylvania (a battle location in the Gettysburg campaign), Wertz is a life-long student of the Civil War and has one of the world's largest collections of filmed military re-enactments and historical commemorative events.