American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873 - Hardcoverby Alan Taylor (Author) In a fast paced narrative of soaring ideals and sordid politics, of civil war and foreign invasion, the award winning historian Alan Taylor presents a pivotal twenty year period in which North America's three largest countries the United States, Mexico, and Canada all transformed themselves into nations. The American Civil War stands at the center of the story, its military history and the drama of emancipation the highlights.