More than 60,000 books have been published on the Civil War. Most
Americans, though, get their ideas about the war--why it was
fought, what was won, what was lost--not from books but from
movies, television, and other popular media. In an engaging and
accessible survey, Gary W. Gallagher guides readers through the
stories told in recent film and art, showing how these stories have
both reflected and influenced the political, social, and racial
currents of their times.