"The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide" by Michael Weeks

I really do love history, and always have. I think that the love of history that I have was instilled in me from a young age by my Dad, who also loves history, but also by where I grew up (mostly), in Fredericksburg, Virginia. You cannot escape history in Virginia unless you are totally isolated in yourself. It's everywhere. It did help that we lived in Historic Fredericksburg, down the street from Kenmore, the mansion that George Washington's sister lived in, and across the street from Mary Washington Monument, where George Washington's mother, Mary Ball (whom our street was named after) is buried, along with other family members in a tiny cemetery at the top of a hill. It also helps that I have several famous historical figures in my family tree such as Patrick Henry (fifth great grandfather -direct descendant), Gen JEB Stuart (a x-th great uncle) and families members who fought in the Civil War - including one who is Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg and another who was captured at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tennessee and was taken to Rock Island Prison Camp, IL and walked home (to Virginia) after the war.

So it was not unusual for me to be perusing the history section of Borders Books one day and pick up Michael Weeks "The Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide". I was browsing through it, but then I had to leave, so I decided to buy it because I wanted to read more. It was definitely worth it, in my opinion!

Michael Weeks wrote a road trip guide that takes you (if you so choose to travel all ten of his routes) to over 400 Civil War sites across the US. As a road trip guide, he covers different sections of the country and gives a brief overview of famous figures involved in the battle (usually generals), a brief overview of the battle itself and then he has site details about where you can visit the battlefields and other sites. He includes web address and sometimes tid-bits of information that the traveler might find helpful.

There are a few things that make this road trip guide really good. It is definitely a complete guide - he covers not only the major "Class A" battlefields, but also some of the smaller, lesser-known sites. He personally visited every site that he wrote about - and he has pictures. If you're going to visit somewhere, it helps that you're using a guide written by someone who has recently been there. And he covers the highlights of the history - just to give you an idea of what was going on. He also writes as if he is talking directly to you, which is really nice. It gives the guide a personal appeal.

That being said, I would not use this book as a "history" book - it does not cover enough information, although it does include quite a bit, to become a buff about the Civil War. The author admits to this though in the introduction, and he refers to other reading if you are interested in learning more about the Civil War in detail. I really liked that about him.The other thing I didn't particularly like was that the book doesn't cover the battles in chronological order, it jumps around quite a bit throughout the war. But again, it's not a history book, it a road trip book and battles happened at the same places sometimes numerous times during the war. So you can't have it both ways in this case. The books covers the war geographically, not chronologically, so be prepared for that if you're going to pick it up.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in visiting any number of Civil War sites. It is a lengthy book, 449 pages plus indexes, but it is very easy to read and I was able to read through it very quickly. I also learned a lot about the Civil War, especially about battles that took place outside of Virginia (and there were a lot!). For example, I didn't know that there was battle at Glorietta Pass in NM that has been designated a Class A battle site! I'm definitely going to be heading up there for a visit!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”