Much of this material, when originally drafted, was selected by the National Civil War Centennial Commission for their informative and interesting _Facts About the Civil War_. This original material, revised and enlarged, has grown into _The Civil War Centennial Handbook_. The handbook is divided into five basic parts. The first is a presentation of little-known and unusual facts about participants, battles and losses, and the cost of war. The second is a graphic portrayal of both the men and machines that made the war of the 1860's. The special selection of photographs for this portion of the story were made available through the courtesy of the National Archives and the Library of Congress. Next are reproductions in color of Union and Confederate uniforms from the _Official Records Atlas_ and the famous paintings by H. A. Ogden. The fourth section is a reference table of battles and losses listed in chronological order, accompanied by a map showing the major engagements of the war. And primarily for the growing number of new Civil War buffs, there is a roster of Civil War Round Tables, as well as a recommended list of outstanding books on the Civil War. The material presented in The _Civil War Centennial Handbook_ has been selected from standard sources, the most outstanding of which are: the _Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies_, Moore's _Rebellion Record_, Cullum's _Biographical Register of West Point Graduates_, Phisterer's _Statistical Record_, Livermore's _Numbers and Losses in the Civil War_, Fox's _Regimental Losses_, the _Dictionary of American Biography_, Dyer's _Compendium of the War of the Rebellion_, the _Annual Reports of the Secretary of War_, and last but far from least, one of the richest sources of information available, my fellow members of the District of Columbia Civil War Round Table. [Illustration] THE FIRST MODERN WAR _In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery all the slaughter of plague, pestilence and famine. --_GEORGE BERNARD SHAW_ The arts of tactics and strategy were revolutionized by the many developments introduced during the 1860's. Thus the Civil War ushered in a new era in warfare with the ...