Amazon.com description: Product Description: With hundreds of entries, as well as photographs, drawings, and a handy time line of events–The Civil War A to Z encompasses everything about that historic conflict . . . from Appomattox to Zouaves.

Who or what are “Zouaves,” you may ask? They were members of certain volunteer regiments from both the North and the South. That’s just one example of the scope and depth of The Civil War A to Z. This encyclopedic, illustrated reference of the war between the States features facts both familiar and engagingly new in an easy-to-follow alphabetical format, this handy reference belongs in every Civil War library.

Near an informative entry on “Robert E. Lee,” you’ll find startling revelations about “Lincoln’s In-laws”–four of whom actually fought for the Confederacy. Not far from the battle of “Shiloh” are “Sutlers,” profiteers who trailed along with armies, hawking all kinds of (sometimes shoddy) stuff. And right around “weapons” sits “General Stand Watie,” the only American Indian to achieve the rank of general with the Confederacy.

In short, this wonderful one-volume account ranges from the basic to the bizarre, from secession to spies to all kinds of swords, creating a complete picture of the war from the first shot to final surrender. No Civil War enthusiast or simple student of history will want to be without this indispensable and entertaining guide to one of America’s most pivotal, endlessly fascinating events.