Between 1861 and 1865, a harsh civil war raged across America.  During this period of time thousands of engagements took place ranging from brief skirmishes and raids to battles and sieges involving whole armies or naval units.  Against this backdrop, the book, The Battlefields of the Civil War, tells the stories of thirteen of the most important battles of the war, from the first battle of Manassas in July, 1861 to the Battle of Nashville in 1864.  In covering these battles, the author describes not just the battles and outcomes of those great engagements, but also takes a look into the characters of the army and navy commanders involved revealing in many instances just how great an influence their personalities had on the outcomes of the battles themselves.  In order to provide better context to the war's broader scope, this book also features a comprehensive introduction on the siege of Fort Sumter along with an epilogue outlining the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.  The major sections of this book are as follows: 1) Introduction; 2) First Manassas; 3) Shiloh; 4) The Seven Days; 5) Antietam; 6) Fredericksburg; 7) Stones River; 8) Chancellorsville; 9) Vicksburg; 10) Gettysburg; 11) Chickamauga & Chattanooga; 12) The Wilderness; 13) Mobile Bay; 14) Nashville; 15) Epilogue; 16) Appendix; 17) Index and 18) Bibliography.  In addition to a very informative narrative, the book "The Battlefields of the Civil War" includes the following features: 1) Approximately 160 vintage black and white photographs; 2) About 50 color photographs; 3) Approximately 36 black and white illustrations; 4) About 27 color illustrations many of which are of Confederate and Union Army uniforms and 5) 17 color map illustrations.  Overall, this book is highly recommended to anyone interested in the American Civil War or United States military history.  This book is 256 pages and is in excellent condition.  The author is William C. Davis with Russ A. Pritchard (technical advisor).  Edition published in 1991.