Campfire and battlefield : an illustrated history of the campaigns and conflicts of the great Civil War

Selden Connor

1839–1917

Best remembered as a Civil War officer and Maine governor, he also left behind first-hand wartime writings that give his work unusual immediacy. His books feel grounded in lived experience, public duty, and a close knowledge of 19th-century America.

John Brown Gordon

1832–1904

A leading figure in the Confederacy and later in Georgia politics, he moved from the battlefield to the Senate and governor’s office in one of the South’s most turbulent eras. His life helps trace the region’s shift from Civil War devastation to the hard politics of Reconstruction and its aftermath.

A Brooklyn writer and editor with a strong feel for local history, he is best remembered for helping preserve the story of a growing city and its newspaper culture in the late 1800s. His work has the flavor of civic memory—part chronicle, part celebration of Brooklyn's past.

O. O. (Oliver Otis) Howard

1830–1909

A Union general, reformer, and memoirist, he lived a life shaped by war, faith, and public service. Best remembered for leading the Freedmen’s Bureau after the Civil War, he also helped found the university that still bears his name.

John Tyler Morgan

1824–1907

A powerful and controversial figure in 19th-century American politics, this longtime Alabama senator helped shape debates over expansion, empire, and race. His career stretched from the Civil War era into the early 20th century, leaving a legacy that is influential and deeply troubling.

John Clark Ridpath

1840–1900

A prolific 19th-century historian and educator, he helped bring world history to a broad American readership through ambitious, accessible reference works. His books blended scholarship with a strong storyteller’s instinct, making big subjects feel vivid and readable.