This book remains one of the best histories on the topic of American Civil War to this day. The author, James Ford Rhodes, was awarded with Pulitzer Prize for History for his work. For the purpose of writing this exceptional read, the author used the most authoritative documents and sources including Personal Traits of Lincoln, Life and Letters of General Meade, Diary of Gideon Welles, The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz and Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies.