Historical fiction · ~1861–1865

Civil War historical fiction books

Civil War historical fiction (~1861–1865): American Civil War, secession, emancipation, home fronts. American Civil War historical fiction covers battlefields, home fronts, and emancipation. Browse curated titles set around 1861–1865, then open a full journey on HisFic to add region and themes.

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Curated on HisFic (7)

Hand-picked titles from HisFic's catalog tagged for this era.

The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead
An enslaved woman’s escape reimagines the Underground Railroad as a literal train—and faces America’s brutal history.
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Literary · Adventure & epic
Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett O’Hara fights to survive the Civil War and Reconstruction in the American South.
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Romance · Family saga
North and South
John Jakes
Two families—one Northern, one Southern—are torn by the approach of the Civil War.
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Family saga · Military & war
Conjure Women
Afia Atakora
A healer’s daughter navigates slavery’s end and dangerous secrets (SAH Prize 2021).
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Literary · Family saga
Days Without End
Sebastian Barry
An Irish immigrant and his partner fight in the Indian Wars and Civil War (Walter Scott Prize 2017).
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Literary
Paradise Alley
Kevin Baker
The New York Draft Riots through intertwined immigrant lives (SAH Prize 2003).
Civil War · Literary · Military & war
Cold Mountain
Charles Frazier
Wounded Confederate soldier Inman walks home across North Carolina toward Ada, who is learning to keep a mountain farm alive as the Civil War wrecks the Blue Ridge. Frazier’s National Book Award winner is Civil War historical fiction of desertion, survival, and a love story paced to the land.
Civil War · Literary · Romance