Today marks the 150th anniversary of the Confederacy's attack on Fort Sumter. Thus started the greatest conflict of Americans vs. Americans in US history. For those wanting to learn more about the history of the Civil war, I found two sources indispensable. The first is the trilogy by Shelby Foote. A southerner, his writing provides an excellent presentation of both sides of the story.
The other sources is Ken Burns' epic documentary "The Civil War" which first appeared on PBS in the late 1980's. Using unique techniques, he takes photos and narration to provide the feeling of movement so watching the documentary doesn't feel like looking at a photo album. Like Foote, he presents both sides in a balanced manner.
a