American Civil War Correspondents

The American Civil War was one of the most significant conflicts of the nineteenth century. Many books have been written about it, but never before has such a comprehensive narrative account been told by those who witnessed events. The [London] Times reports were filed by the paper's correspondents---Antonio Gallenga, Francis Lawley, Charles Mackay and W. H. Russell---whose preconceptions and prejudices are clarified in Dr. Beckett's wide-ranging and scholarly introduction. The reports themselves are linked by a commentary that serves to place them in context, embracing not only the battles and campaigns but also the social and political background to the conflict. A further dimension is added by the inclusion of over sixty illustrations, many of them previously unpublished contemporary photographs, and maps showing the eastern and western theatres of war.