The best novel about the American Civil War was written by an Australian – Confederates by Thomas Kennealy

As the title implies, the viewpoint characters are all Confederate soldiers, mostly enlisted men and junior officers, and it follows them from the Seven Days battles to the decisive clash at Antietam. It's a beautifully-written portrait of young men at war, without the sentimentality that mars Michael Shaara's Civil War books.

Kennealy is a phenomenal and prolific historical novelist; try Blood Red Sister Rose (set in the 100 Years War) and Bring Larks And Heroes (about the early days of the Australian penal colony) for a taste of his range.