Exploring the Civil War: Reading Maps: Kanawha County Public Library

West Virginia in the Civil War

by Boyd Stutler 975.4 S93w2

During the Civil War, Western Virginia and later West Virginia were, for the most part, an armed camp and a place of conflicting loyalties. It was also a place of battles, guerilla warfare and border conflicts. A readable book that tells that story of the first action in Western Virginia to the presence of West Virginia troops at Appomattox.

Civil War in Cabell County, West Virginia 1861-1865

by Joe Geiger, Jr. 975.442 qG311c

The history of the Civil War in Cabell County is not a story of large land battles, but one of Union and repressed Southern sympathizers. Geiger tells the story of Confederate raids at Barboursville and Guyandotte. It explores the legacy of divisiveness where friends chose sides - and ceased to be friends. The story is complemented by illustrations, primary source documents and lists of the Union and Confederate soldiers from the county.

The Civil War in Fayette County, West Virginia

by Tim McKinney 973.731 M15c

Fayette County was a county of 3,782 residents when the war began in April 12, 1861, most of whom were Confederate sympathizers. It was felt that the war would be quick, but the James River and Kanawha Turnpike became a site of significant military importance. This is the story of four years of occupation, sieges and battles in the county. Read the book, then go to Gauley Bridge and see the where the three rivers meet, the remains of important bridges, the ridge top where snipers wreaked havoc, and feel the ghosts of the war.

Images of the Civil War in West Virginia

by Terry Lowry 973.73 qL92i

This book combines contemporary photographs, images, and drawings from news magazines such as Harper's Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and the New York Illustrated News. The images of battle scenes, encampments, and the troops from both sides of the conflict allow the reader to see people and places as they were, and as they are now.

The Civil War in West Virginia: A Pictorial History

by Stan Cohen 973.73 qC67c

Photographs, historical documents and maps chronicle the major events in West Virginia. Of special interest are illustrations of the battles, camps, and contemporary photographs of the same places. Twenty four maps complement the many images.

Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites

by Clint Johnson

The seventeen tours visit large and small battlefields, cemeteries, monuments and statues, rivers, and mountains, while sharing the histories behind each location, some surprising and obscure. Take a walk through the battlefield, read the historical markers, and imagine the event.

A Pictorial Guide to West Virginia's Civil War Sites and Related Information

by Stan Cohen 973.73 qC67p

This is a guidebook to the most important Civil War sites in West Virginia, organized by county. Grab a West Virginia road map and find some of the little-known sites all over the state. There are twenty-six Civil War sites in Kanawha County, sixteen of them in Charleston. Check out the book and see where they are.

Last Sleep: The Battle of Droop Mountain, November 6, 1863

by Terry Lowry 973.735 L92L

This well-illustrated story of a six hour battle begins with the stories of soldiers and their units, the events leading up to the battle, the resulting effect on the remaining Union and Confederate troops. It concludes with the development of Droop Mountain State Park, West Virginia's oldest state park (established in 1928) and the stories of the ghosts that are supposed to inhabit it.

Clash of Loyalties: A Border County in the Civil War

by John W. Shaffer 973.78 S52c

To understand the development of West Virginia as a state and the division between Union and Confederate, take a look at Barbour County in Northwestern Virginia. It was a county that was evenly divided between the Union and Confederate causes. Instead of looking at the military history of the war in West Virginia, Clash of Loyalties is an examination of the socioeconomic basis of the division in a border county, reflecting the state as a whole and helping the reader understand the big picture.

From A "Whirlpool of Death...To Victory" : Civil War Remembrances of Jesse Tyler Sturm,14th West Virginia Infantry

by Jesse Tyler Sturm 973.73 S92f

Jesse Sturm was born in Marion County and joined the local militia when he was seventeen. His regiment guarded the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and saw action in the Shenandoah Valley. This publication tells his stories of the war from a soldier's perspective. As the editor notes, there are few published accounts of soldiers who served in the Union Army in West Virginia thus making this an important look at the conflict.

Shadows of Blue & Gray: The Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce

by Ambrose Bierce

In a collection of fiction, memoir, and history, the acclaimed American author captures the battlefields and campaigns of the Civil War. Of special interest is the story "Bivouac of the Dead," the classic plea for the recognition of unknown Confederate soldiers in a West Virginia hillside.

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The Slopes of War

by Norah A. Perez

Buck Summerhill, a young soldier from West Virginia, faces the horrors of the Battle of Gettysburg knowing that his two cousins, Curtis and Mason, may be fighting against him in the Army of Northern Virginia. This novel for young adults illustrates how divisive the Civil War was, especially for families in the newly-formed West Virginia.