Russell F. Weigley (1930-2004) was Professor of History at Temple University and author of numerous books, including The American Way of War and Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany, 1944–1945 (both published by IUP). He lived in Philadelphia.

• List of MapsNote on StyleIntroduction1. From Secession to War2. The Battle Lines Form3. Groping for Strategy and Purpose4. Bloodshed and Indecision5. The Confederacy Takes the Initiative6. Of Liberty and War7. Armies and Societies8. Three Seasons of Battle9. On the Horizon: The Postwar World10. Traditional Politics and Modern War11. Suspense and Resolution12. The Relentless War13. The Fires DieNotesNotes on MapsBibliographyIndex

"The scale and the sophistication of A Great Civil War put it on a level with James McPherson's epic Battle Cry of Freedom"—Denis Showalter, President, Society for Military History"Weigley's A Great Civil War is the finest, most complete and insightful, and historiographically up-to-date, large-scale one-volume military and political history of the U.S. war for the Union now in print."—Herman M. Hattaway