Jefferson Davis once imported camels for soldiers stationed in the American southwest. Mary Todd Lincoln claimed to receive valuable military strategies from ghosts. And the skull of guerilla fighter William Quantrill ended up in the basement of a fraternity house. The people who fought the Civil War were certainly extreme, and here Cormac O'Brien offers factual yet entertaining profiles of the conflict's major figures, with each entry containing a succinct biography, famous quotes, and a slew of anecdotes. O'Brien also provides an accessible overview of the war's primary events, and illustrations appear throughout.