<P>Connecticut in the American Civil War offers readers a remarkable window into the state's involvement in a conflict that challenged and defined the unity of a nation. The arc of the war is traced through the many facets and stories of battlefield, home front, and factory. Matthew Warshauer masterfully reveals the varied attitudes toward slavery and race before, during, and after the war; Connecticut's reaction to the firing on Fort Sumter; the dissent in the state over whether or not the sword and musket should be raised against the South; the raising of troops; the sacrifice of those who served on the front and at home; and the need for closure after the war. This book is a concise, amazing account of a complex and troubling war. No one interested in this period of American history can afford to miss reading this important contribution to our national and local stories.</P><P>The paperback edition includes a reading guide, which is also available at http://www.wesleyan.edu/wespress/e-books/materials/warshauer_reading_guide.pdf</P>

MATTHEW WARSHAUER is a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University. He is the editor of the scholarly journal Connecticut History and the author of Andrew Jackson and the Politics of Martial Law: Nationalism, Civil Liberties, and Partisanship and Andrew Jackson in Context.

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionConnecticut Within the Nation, 1776–1860: Slavery, Race, and PoliticsAnd the War Came, 1860–61A Recognition of Death, 1862The Union Crucible, 1863Expensive Victory,1864–65Survival's Memory, 1865–1965EpilogueNotesFurther Reading and ResearchIndex