Best Books on the Union War Effort

1.
War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865
War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865 4.06 avg rating — 662 ratings
2.
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant
by: E.B. Long
4.13 avg rating — 9,498 ratings
3.
Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign That Broke the Confederacy
Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign That Broke the Confederacy 4.42 avg rating — 977 ratings
4.
Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman
Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman 4.04 avg rating — 2,035 ratings
5.
Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea
Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea 4.06 avg rating — 1,244 ratings
5.
Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman
Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman 4.17 avg rating — 2,204 ratings
7.
Sherman's March
Sherman's March 4.18 avg rating — 1,226 ratings
8.
The Passing of Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac
The Passing of Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac 4.13 avg rating — 1,012 ratings
9.
The Negro's Civil War
The Negro's Civil War 4.22 avg rating — 176 ratings
10.
The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union
The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union 4.20 avg rating — 545 ratings
11.
Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor
Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor 3.98 avg rating — 687 ratings
12.
The Worst Passions of Human Nature: White Supremacy in the Civil War North
The Worst Passions of Human Nature: White Supremacy in the Civil War North 4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
12.
This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga
This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga 4.22 avg rating — 503 ratings
12.
Recollections of a Private Soldier in the Army of the Potomac
Recollections of a Private Soldier in the Army of the Potomac 4.11 avg rating — 398 ratings
15.
The Union War
The Union War 3.75 avg rating — 263 ratings
15.
Why the North Won the Civil War
Why the North Won the Civil War 3.84 avg rating — 288 ratings
15.
The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga
The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga 4.36 avg rating — 226 ratings
15.
Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: Four Years with the Iron Brigade
Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers: Four Years with the Iron Brigade 4.48 avg rating — 237 ratings
19.
The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter
The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter 4.57 avg rating — 51 ratings
19.
After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace
After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace 3.55 avg rating — 299 ratings
19.
Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West
Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West 4.29 avg rating — 191 ratings
19.
To My Best Girl: Courage, Honor, and Love in the Civil War: The Inspiring Life Stories of Rufus Dawes and Mary Gates
To My Best Girl: Courage, Honor, and Love in the Civil War: The Inspiring Life Stories of Rufus Dawes and Mary Gates 4.53 avg rating — 30 ratings
23.
Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War
Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War 4.05 avg rating — 293 ratings
23.
Way Up North in Dixie: A Black Family's Claim to the Confederate Anthem
Way Up North in Dixie: A Black Family's Claim to the Confederate Anthem 3.83 avg rating — 18 ratings
23.
One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863
One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863 4.08 avg rating — 107 ratings
26.
Doctors in Blue: The Medical History of the Union Army in the Civil War
Doctors in Blue: The Medical History of the Union Army in the Civil War 4.02 avg rating — 48 ratings
26.
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West 4.03 avg rating — 1,002 ratings
26.
No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River
No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River 4.13 avg rating — 408 ratings
29.
The Gentlemen and the Roughs: Violence, Honor, and Manhood in the Union Army
The Gentlemen and the Roughs: Violence, Honor, and Manhood in the Union Army 4.08 avg rating — 49 ratings
29.
The Quartermaster: Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army
The Quartermaster: Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army 4.11 avg rating — 280 ratings
29.
The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth
The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth 4.34 avg rating — 151 ratings
32.
The Sable Arm: Black Troops in the Union Army, 1861-1865
The Sable Arm: Black Troops in the Union Army, 1861-1865 4.18 avg rating — 38 ratings
32.
The Yankee Plague: Escaped Union Prisoners and the Collapse of the Confederacy
The Yankee Plague: Escaped Union Prisoners and the Collapse of the Confederacy 4.16 avg rating — 67 ratings
32.
Grant Moves South, 1861-1863
Grant Moves South, 1861-1863 4.48 avg rating — 1,209 ratings
35.
A Grand Army of Black Men: Letters from African-American Soldiers in the Union Army 1861–1865 (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture, Series Number 63)
A Grand Army of Black Men: Letters from African-American Soldiers in the Union Army 1861–1865 (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture, Series Number 63) 4.15 avg rating — 20 ratings
35.
Sherman's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign
Sherman's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign 4.22 avg rating — 23 ratings
35.
General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War
General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War 4.15 avg rating — 48 ratings
38.
Civil War Memoirs of Louisa May Alcott
Civil War Memoirs of Louisa May Alcott 3.52 avg rating — 23 ratings
38.
The Battle of Olustee, 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida
The Battle of Olustee, 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida 3.40 avg rating — 5 ratings
38.
Mr. Lincoln's Army
Mr. Lincoln's Army 4.33 avg rating — 2,947 ratings
41.
The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865
The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865 really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 22 ratings
41.
Secret Yankees: The Union Circle in Confederate Atlanta
Secret Yankees: The Union Circle in Confederate Atlanta 3.57 avg rating — 23 ratings
41.
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3: The Civil War, 1860-1865
The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Vol. 3: The Civil War, 1860-1865 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings
44.
Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln
Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln 4.44 avg rating — 18 ratings
44.
The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat
The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat 3.86 avg rating — 73 ratings
44.
Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great Railroad Adventure
Daring and Suffering: A History of the Great Railroad Adventure 3.82 avg rating — 83 ratings
47.
Civil War Notebook of Daniel Chisholm: A Chronicle of Daily Life in the Union Army, 1864-1865
Civil War Notebook of Daniel Chisholm: A Chronicle of Daily Life in the Union Army, 1864-1865 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings
47.
Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy
Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings
47.
Letters from a surgeon of the Civil War; (1906)
Letters from a surgeon of the Civil War; (1906) 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
50.
Race and Radicalism in the Union Army
Race and Radicalism in the Union Army 3.77 avg rating — 13 ratings
50.
The Smoked Yank (1888)
The Smoked Yank (1888) 4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings
52.
A Thousand May Fall: Life, Death, and Survival in the Union Army
A Thousand May Fall: Life, Death, and Survival in the Union Army 3.77 avg rating — 121 ratings
52.
The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace
The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace 4.13 avg rating — 6,135 ratings
52.
Lights and Shadows in Confederate Prisons A Personal Experience, 1864-5
Lights and Shadows in Confederate Prisons A Personal Experience, 1864-5 4.04 avg rating — 25 ratings
55.
Too Young to Die: Boy Soldiers of the Union Army 1861-1865
Too Young to Die: Boy Soldiers of the Union Army 1861-1865 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings
55.
Nine Months in the Quartermaster's Department or the Chances for Making a Million
Nine Months in the Quartermaster's Department or the Chances for Making a Million really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
57.
A Seneca Indian in the Union Army: The Civil War Letters of Sergeant Isaac Newton Parker, 1861-1865 (Civil War Heritage Series)
A Seneca Indian in the Union Army: The Civil War Letters of Sergeant Isaac Newton Parker, 1861-1865 (Civil War Heritage Series) 3.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
57.
McClellan, Sherman, and Grant
McClellan, Sherman, and Grant 3.94 avg rating — 34 ratings
57.
Three Years in the Sixth Corps
Three Years in the Sixth Corps 3.97 avg rating — 31 ratings
60.
The Union Army, 1861-1865: Organization and Operations Volume I: The Eastern Theater
The Union Army, 1861-1865: Organization and Operations Volume I: The Eastern Theater really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings
60.
Grant
Grant 4.50 avg rating — 42,007 ratings
60.
The Flag Replaced on Sumter: A Personal Narrative
The Flag Replaced on Sumter: A Personal Narrative 3.53 avg rating — 17 ratings
63.
The Union Army, 1861-1865, Organization and Operations Volume 2: The Western Theater
The Union Army, 1861-1865, Organization and Operations Volume 2: The Western Theater 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings
63.
American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant
American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant 4.22 avg rating — 5,939 ratings
63.
Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War
Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War 3.69 avg rating — 108 ratings
66.
Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs & Selected Letters
Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs & Selected Letters 4.09 avg rating — 3,256 ratings
66.
Soldiering: Diary Rice C. Bull: The Civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull
Soldiering: Diary Rice C. Bull: The Civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull 4.12 avg rating — 40 ratings
68.
Grant: A Biography
Grant: A Biography 4.05 avg rating — 1,804 ratings
68.
Civil War Experiences With the New York Cavalry Under Bayard, Gregg, Kilpatrick, Custer, Raulston & Newberry 1862-1864
Civil War Experiences With the New York Cavalry Under Bayard, Gregg, Kilpatrick, Custer, Raulston & Newberry 1862-1864 3.88 avg rating — 25 ratings
70.
The Second Rhode Island Volunteers at the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia
The Second Rhode Island Volunteers at the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating
71.
Rising in Flames: Sherman's March and the Fight for a New Nation
Rising in Flames: Sherman's March and the Fight for a New Nation 3.79 avg rating — 210 ratings
71.
War from the Inside The Story of the 132nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the War for the Suppression of the Rebellion, 1862-1863
War from the Inside The Story of the 132nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the War for the Suppression of the Rebellion, 1862-1863 4.31 avg rating — 29 ratings
73.
Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman's March and American Memory
Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman's March and American Memory 3.93 avg rating — 60 ratings
73.
Army Memoirs of Lucius W. Barber: Company D, 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, May 24, 1861, to Sept. 30, 1865
Army Memoirs of Lucius W. Barber: Company D, 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, May 24, 1861, to Sept. 30, 1865 3.75 avg rating — 8 ratings
75.
Sherman's 1864 Trail of Battle to Atlanta
Sherman's 1864 Trail of Battle to Atlanta liked it 3.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
75.
Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors
Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 25 ratings
77.
The Empty Sleeve, Or, The Life And Hardships Of Henry H. Meacham, In The Union Army
The Empty Sleeve, Or, The Life And Hardships Of Henry H. Meacham, In The Union Army 3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
78.
The Battle of Allatoona Pass: The Forgotten Battle of Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign
The Battle of Allatoona Pass: The Forgotten Battle of Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating
78.
The Citizen-Soldier: The Memoirs of a Civil War Volunteer
The Citizen-Soldier: The Memoirs of a Civil War Volunteer 4.14 avg rating — 70 ratings
80.
What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman's Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta
What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman's Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta 3.64 avg rating — 11 ratings
80.
History of the Second Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry: A prisoner's diary A paper read at the officers' reunion in Boston, May 11, 1877
History of the Second Massachusetts Regiment of Infantry: A prisoner's diary A paper read at the officers' reunion in Boston, May 11, 1877 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
82.
Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign
Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign 3.96 avg rating — 132 ratings
82.
The Last Campaign of the Twenty-Second Regiment, N.G., S.N.Y. June and July, 1863
The Last Campaign of the Twenty-Second Regiment, N.G., S.N.Y. June and July, 1863 liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
84.
The Drummer Boy from Maine: With Company H, 8th Maine Volunteers in the American Civil War
The Drummer Boy from Maine: With Company H, 8th Maine Volunteers in the American Civil War 3.67 avg rating — 9 ratings
85.
The Diary of a Line Officer
The Diary of a Line Officer liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating
86.
Muskets and Medicine: Or Army Life in the Sixties
Muskets and Medicine: Or Army Life in the Sixties liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating
87.
Tell It With Pride: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Shaw Memorial
Tell It With Pride: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment and Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ Shaw Memorial 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
87.
Recollections of the Rebel Invasion and One Woman's Experience During the Battle of Gettysburg
Recollections of the Rebel Invasion and One Woman's Experience During the Battle of Gettysburg 4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings
89.
Protectors of the Ohio Valley: The Fifth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry: A Short History of the Fifth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry and the Town They Called Home
Protectors of the Ohio Valley: The Fifth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry: A Short History of the Fifth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry and the Town They Called Home 4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings
89.
Shiloh As Seen By A Private Soldier: A Paper Read Before California Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, 1889
Shiloh As Seen By A Private Soldier: A Paper Read Before California Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, 1889 3.64 avg rating — 11 ratings
91.
The Untried Life: The Twenty-Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War
The Untried Life: The Twenty-Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War 4.88 avg rating — 8 ratings
91.
The Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry in the Closing Scenes of the War for the Maintenance of the Union: From Richmond to Appomattox
The Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry in the Closing Scenes of the War for the Maintenance of the Union: From Richmond to Appomattox really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings
93.
War Experiences and the Story of the Vicksburg campaign from "Milliken's Bend" to July 4, 1863 being an accurate and graphic account of campaign events ... of Co. B 113th Illinois volunteer infantry
War Experiences and the Story of the Vicksburg campaign from "Milliken's Bend" to July 4, 1863 being an accurate and graphic account of campaign events ... of Co. B 113th Illinois volunteer infantry 3.92 avg rating — 24 ratings
94.
Yankee Stepfather: General O.O. Howard and the Freedmen
Yankee Stepfather: General O.O. Howard and the Freedmen 3.62 avg rating — 8 ratings
94.
Appomattox: The Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia
Appomattox: The Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia 4.23 avg rating — 390 ratings
96.
Army Life in a Black Regiment: and Other Writings
Army Life in a Black Regiment: and Other Writings 3.88 avg rating — 113 ratings
97.
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington 4.43 avg rating — 2,019 ratings
98.
Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man
Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man 4.11 avg rating — 1,134 ratings
99.
Men Is Cheap: Exposing the Frauds of Free Labor in Civil War America
Men Is Cheap: Exposing the Frauds of Free Labor in Civil War America 3.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
100.
Thunder at the Gates: The Black Civil War Regiments That Redeemed America
Thunder at the Gates: The Black Civil War Regiments That Redeemed America 4.21 avg rating — 145 ratings
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