Nowhere can intricacies of the ideological, regional, and economic tensions that erupted into the American Civil War be better seen than in the individual actors who fought both on and off the battlefields and for what they believed. While some vigorously struggled for emancipation, others vehemently resisted such a notion, while still others were motivated primarily by regional loyalties and the desire to preserve the only way of life they knew. This penetrating volume profiles many of the soldiers, generals, political leaders, and social activists who left indelible marks on the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Their influence altered the entire course of American history. Subject entries include Franklin Pierce, Dred Scott, Robert E. Lee, Jubal A. Early, Harriet Tubman, Mary Chesnut, and Sarah Edmonds. Stirring color illustrations, photographs, and artistic renderings support the compelling entries.