“All were quiet, serious, and thoughtful, as we [went] back to our quarters to tell our children and our wives that all our hopes of peace were blasted and that our once happy and prosperous country was plunged into the horrors of civil war.” –a Union army officer

At 4:30 AM on April 12, 1861, the first gun shots were fired on Fort Sumter starting the Civil War. In honor of the 150th anniversary we welcome you to Civil War Week on the Lerner Books Blog.

All week long, our editors will be sharing some of their favorite books and facts that highlight the history and the remarkable stories of the Civil War. As part of the sesquicentennial commemoration, we want to give you free books to use in your classroom or library! Simply leave a comment on any blog post this week or tweet “I’m honoring the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with @LernerBooks on the Lerner Books Blog http://bit.ly/erADbZ #civilwarweek” and you will be entered to win!

If you’re the winner you will receive this fabulous Civil War Week book bundle:

Thanks for reading and good luck!