Magazine Review--America's Civil War

America's Civil War July 2009 Weider History Group, Inc.

The July 2009 issue of America's Civil War has just been released. A standard issue with plenty of color and b/w photos. Photos are both vintage and modern. Overall a nice looking magazine with plenty to read that will appeal to most Civil War historians.

The cover article deals with the legend of Dan Sickles and his cigar at Gettysburg. Did he or did he not leave the battlefield with a cigar in his mouth. The evidence is somewhat sketchy but historians as famous and revered as Harry Pfanz, Noah Andre Trudeau, and Stephen Sears have included the story in their works.

A medium length excerpt from Winston Groom's new book Vicksburg 1863 is included. If you think you remember the name you do...the author of Forest Gump amongst others.

Other articles include the controversy surrounding Andrew Jackson Grigsby and Stonewall Jackson. Abraham Lincoln and the Sioux uprising of 1862 are discussed and the leniancy shown by Lincoln to many of the indians. There is a great article dealing with "witness trees". What would a Civil War magazine be right now without a discussion on the new visitor center at Gettysburg. Love it or hate it it is impressive. Also included are the regular letters to the editor, book reviews, and the occasional article "Smeltzer's Six-Pack" . Harry Smeltzer runs the popular Bullrunnings blog. Here Smeltzer quickly goes over six books from his shelves.