Fields of Honor

Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga, Gettysburg - the legendary battles of the Civil War constitute our nation's greatest epic. In "Fields of Honor", Edwin C. Bearss delivers the stories of these battles as they have never before been told, rich with human interest and little-known detail, culled from a lifetime of study by America's premiere battlefield historian. In the twentieth century, no historian has captured the dramatic battles of the Civil War like Edwin Bearss, historian emeritus of the National Park Service and acclaimed "Homer of the Civil War." Bearss, an 80-year veteran of World War II, has earned a huge following by delivering booming, eloquent soliloquies about the heroes, scoundrels, and little-known moments of the war that continues to fascinate America nearly 150 years after the final shots were fired. While other historians have spent careers in universities writing books, Edwin Bearss has been in the field, seeking obscure creeks and long-forgotten lanes to re-create the battles of the Civil War for the historical tours that he leads nearly 300 days per year. After more than five decades of lecturing about history in the places where it happened, Bearss has honed his unique style and in the process won legions of fans who admire his sweeping knowledge and unpretentious delivery. Bearss' passion is history, and he seeks to spread it wherever he goes. To commemorate the 140th anniversary of the Civil War, Bearss has selected 15 of the war's most pivotal battles for this unprecedented volume. For the first time Bearss' popular battlefield tours have been recorded, transcribed and edited into an easily accessible, episodic narrative for the general interest reader and now is available in trade paper. From the first shots at Fort Sumter to the drama of Gettysburg to the dignified surrender at Appamattox, this engaging narrative takes readers through the Civil War in the unique voice that has made Edwin Bearss a living legend. Illustrated with detailed battlefield maps as well as historical images, this 448-page volume presents a unique telling of the most important battles of the Civil War, delivered by one of America's most beloved historians. This book will fill a niche for Bearss' legions of devoted fans and will also stand as an important reference and enduring legacy of a great historian for generations to come. This is a major work about the Civil War by one of its leading scholars.