As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of its defining national drama, "1861" presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began. The text introduces a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes--among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer's wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become...