References
The Civil War, A Narrative – Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote. Copyright 1963, Vintage Books. The second volume of Foote's classic three-volume study of the Civil War. Although massive, it is an easy read. It does not go into any great detail on any one campaign, but it does make for a good introduction before diving into a deeper book.
Chancellorsville, by Stephen W. Sears. Copyright 1996, Mariner Books. This is simply the best book I've seen on the Chancellorsville campaign. It makes use of a number of primary sources uncovered relatively recently. The book does an excellent job of dispelling many mistakes that have, for years, been presented as fact in other "authoritative" accounts. It also has a thorough order of battle — it lists commanding officers for each regiment — and a break down of casualties by regiment, brigade, division, and corps. If you want just one book on the Chancellorsville campaign, this is it.
Chancellorsville, 2nd Edition by General Edward J. Stackpole with commentary by D. Scott Hartwig. Copyright 1988 (original copyright 1958), Stackpole Books. This book is a little out of date, though the commentary does clear up some of the discrepancies due to current research. It is well written and easy to read, and makes for a good primer on the Chancellorsville campaigns.
Chancellorsville 1863: Jackson's Lightning Strike by Carl Smith. Part of Osprey Military's Campaign Series. Copyright 1998. This series has excellent colour 3D maps and orders of battle. The drawbacks are the sometimes confusing commentary, minor editing errors, and far too many factual errors (a fault common in Carl Smith's Osprey books). Don't rely on the book's commentary, but the maps are an excellent resource.
Civil War Acoustic Shadows by Charles D. Ross. Copyright 2001, White Mane Books. This is an interesting book by a physicist and Civil War historian. It looks into the strange phenomenon of acoustic shadows, where battlefield sounds were sometimes unheard by soldiers close to the action (and occasionally those same sounds were heard by people far more distant). Seven battles are detailed, including Chancellorsville, in an easy, casual style. The physics portions are simplified and written for the layman. The only deficiency in the book is some sloppy editing, particularly where dates are concerned (Fredericksburg, for instance, is listed as being fought in December 1863, when it is obvious by the text that the author knew and meant that it was 1862).
The Civil War Battlefield Guide by The Conservation Fund (Frances H. Kennedy, editor). Copyright 1998. This is a guide to 384 principal battlefields and their campaigns. Short battle descriptions are given, many accompanied by maps showing troop placements with respect to modern day roads and terrain. A portion of the proceeds goes to the preservation of battlefields.
"In Defense of Fighting Joe" by Stephen W. Sears. Published in Controversies and Commanders by Stephen Sears, copyright 1999 and published by Mariner Books. This essay focuses on Hooker's reputation and what happened to him at Chancellorsville. It is a long needed reassessment of Joe Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
Rebels Resurgent: Fredericksburg to Chancellorsville by William K. Goolrick. Part of the Time-Life Books "The Civil War" series, copyright 1985.
"Stonewall Jackson's Last March" by Stephen W. Sears. Published in With My Face To The Enemy, edited by Robert Cowley, copyright 2001 and published by Putnam. This is an excellent essay on Stonewall Jackson's flank attack, and the events surrounding his death. It is an excerpt from his book Chancellorsville, mentioned above.
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Also known as the Army Official Records, or simply the Official Records (the latter is not exactly accurate, as it ignores the official records of the navies involved in the conflict, which were published separately). Originally published by the Government Printing Office in 1880. Available on The Civil War CD-Rom, produced by Guild Press of Indiana, copyright 1997, and also posted online. The CD-ROM from Guild Press has the advantages that you can cut and paste the text and you don't have to be connected to the Internet. Be aware that there are errors in the Guild Press edition where their Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software made a mistake translating scanned pages into text (the text doesn't appear to have been adequately proofread). The online archive scanned each page of the books and displays the pages as graphics. You can't cut and paste, but there are no OCR errors.
Who Was Who in the Union and Who Was Who in the Confederacy by Stewart Sifakis. Copyright 1988 by Facts On File. Quick histories of the major participants of the Civil War. Two volume set, making up Who Was Who in the Civil War.
