More than 60,000 books have been published on the Civil War. Most Americans, though, get their ideas about the war--why it was fought, what was won, what was lost--not from books but from movies, television, and other popular media. In an engaging and accessible survey, Gary W. Gallagher guides readers through the stories told in recent film and art, showing how these stories have both reflected and influenced the political, social, and racial currents...

A story of the young Americans who volunteered to be part of the French military prior to the United States involvement in WWI, also known as Lafayette Escadrille, and how they became the country's first fighter pilots.