Provides historical documents related to the American Civil War, and analysis of each document, including journals, letters, speeches, government (volume 1/2). Edited in two volumes by James M. McPherson, a preeminent civil war scholar and historian, George Henry Davis 1886 Professor Emeritus of United States History, Princeton University and Pulitzer Prize winner in History for Battle Cry Freedom, Civil War (1860-1865) surveys key documents produced during the Civil War with special attention devoted to the war-time policies of President Abraham Lincoln and the 37th US Congress. A special feature of the volumes is the inclusion of letters and diaries by soldiers and civilians writing about their experiences. The two volumes are organized into several chapters that cover the progress of the war beginning with early debates on secession, through wartime events on the political and battle fronts and concludes with a look toward the issues of race and reconstruction.