<DIV>Beginning with the economic, political, and social forces behind the conflict, continuing to the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, the military strategies, battles, and people, and following Lee's surrender at Appomattox to the reconstruction and modern aftermath, <I>The Handy Civil War Answer Book</I> is a captivating, concise, and convenient history of American's defining conflict.<BR><BR>From the biggest events and battles to the lesser known warriors and women, <I>The Handy Civil War Answer Book</I> presents the war, its participants, and historical significance in an accessible, enjoyable, question-and-answer format. The strategies of Lee, Sherman, and Grant; the key battles, including Gettysburg, Chattanooga, and Chancellorsville; the weapons, the prices of everything from a bale of cotton to a box of ashes; and the fascinating stories of the women, children, and soldiers affected by the carnage are explained and explored. Photos, battlefield maps, and a chronology of major events contribute to the understanding of the War between the States.<br><BR><I>The Handy Civil War Answer Book</I> answers over 900 questions, from the mostly widely asked to the more obscure, such as:<BR><BR>How did the Mexican War influence Americans of the 1850s?<BR>How many people had their minds changed by Uncle Tom’s Cabin?<BR>Did Jefferson Davis really mean it--was he sincere--when he used words like "liberty" and "freedom”?<BR>What did people mean when they said Lincoln had the style of a buffoon and the ?brain of a giant”?<BR>What was Robert E. Lee’s connection to George Washington?<BR>How does Lincoln’s 1860 election stack up when compared to other major election races?<BR>What is nullification? What is secession? How closely are they linked?<BR>Was there any technical or technological area in which the South held an advantage?<BR>How could General Ambrose Burnside have made such a calamitous error at the Battle of Fredericksburg?<BR>Who were the first black soldiers in the Civil War?<BR>What was so important about the Homestead Act?<BR>Was there any precedent for the Siege of Vicksburg?<BR>Who was Junius Brutus Booth?<BR>Would North and South have been reconciled if Lincoln were not assassinated?<BR>What was, or is, the Solid South?<BR>What happened to the centennial celebrations of the Civil War?</DIV>