Among all the killing fields of the Civil War, certain battlegrounds have earned the right to be called legendary: Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. With a level of destruction and a rate of casualties unprecedented in American military history, each of these clashes would play a pivotal role in shaping the course and the ultimate outcome of the war between the states. Now, CIVIL WAR COMBAT presents an extraordinary overview of that epic conflict's most decisive battles in comprehensive detail. With in-depth perspectives by leading Civil War historians, each battle is reconstructed against the backdrop of the military situation in the field, the tactical challenges facing the combatants, and the political consequences of every skirmish won... or lost. Highlighted by battlefield re-enactments and eye-witness accounts, CIVIL WAR COMBAT offers a dramatic look at the most significant and brutal battles of America's bloodiest era.