Category: Book (non-fiction)  |  Rating :

eReview: Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites

by Clint Johnson Paperback / John F. Blair Pub. / Sept. 1999 / ISBN: 089587184X

Review by Molly Nash

As a devoted Civil War student, I made my "once in a lifetime trip" to Virginia long before this book was published. If I have a reprise visit in my future, this book will be at my side.

This masterful compilation of mini-trips is not your ordinary guidebook. Johnson has located lesser-known sites and collected anecdotes offered with a light or humorous touch.

The maps and driving directions are minutely detailed; sites are arranged in a logical order. If one lived in the vicinity and knew little about the Civil War, a series of one and two day excursions could produce an education hard to surpass through only books.

If one can't do the travel immediately, Johnson's research still makes enjoyable reading. Clint Johnson has also written Touring Civil War Site in the Carolinas. My recommendation -- before you get in your car pick up these books, leaving all the other guidebooks at home.