In this engaging account of the Civil War, the war that Abraham Lincoln called in his Second Inaugural Address, this terrible war, the authors take the readers beyond the flags and bugles to explore this event for what it was rather than for what many wish it had been. Ultimately set off by the Slavery Debate and the South's secession from the Union, the Civil War was a spiteful military campaign of countryman vs. countryman, and resulted in enormous casualties and dire consequences for the Northern and Southern Armies. The authors thoroughly explore the political, economic, and social chain of events that led up to the war; the chaos and destruction which resulted from political inexperience with waging a war of this magnitude; and the ultimate failure of Reconstruction effort to produce racial justice. With maps to guide the reader through the major battles, and period photographs which show both the military and the human side of the conflict, This Terrible War provides the reader with a unique view of a complex American tragedy in the context of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.