Five top Civil War historical fiction books

Rachel Brittain is a writer, Day Dreamer, and Amateur Aerialist. Her short fiction has appeared in Luna Station Quarterly, Andromeda Spaceways, and others. She is a contributing editor for Book Riot, where she screams into the void about her love of books. Brittain lives in Northwest Arkansas with a rambunctious rescue pup, a snake, and a houseful of plants (most of which aren’t carnivorous).

At Book Riot she tagged five "Civil War historical fiction books [that] provide some insight into what it was like for people at the time—to choose sides, to unlearn their own prejudices and misconceptions, and to question everything about what it means to be an American." One entry on the list:

The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs

The author of The Hamilton Affair sets her sights on American icon Harriet Tubman, whose exploits as part of the Underground Railroad and a Civil War spy left an enduring legacy on this country. In May of 1863, with the Union Army facing heavy losses, Tubman, codename Moses, plots a daring expedition behind enemy lines to enact the largest plantation raid of the Civil War. Her plan: to recruit the freed men and women to her cause. Facing racism and sexism at every turn, Tubman takes command of a small team of Black scouts to pull off one of the greatest feats of the Civil War.

Read about another title on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue