The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in America's history, comprising 149 general engagements of importance and 2200 skirmishes. Trace the course of this seminal confrontation, including such factors as generalship, staff work, organization, intelligence, and logistics, to see how they affected the shape and decisions of the battlefield. Look closely at the strengths and weakness of the opposing sides--the North's industrial power and the South's material shortages, for example--and the effect of new weaponry on tactics. And, unlike histories that downplay the connection between the outcome in the United States and the conflicts in Europe, this one reveals their interconnection by also examining the Crimean War and Prussia's battles with Austria and France.