While the Yankees and the Confederates fought a ruthless civil war in the United States, Britain and the northern states waged a war in anticipation, as British North America waited and wondered whether the federal army of the United States would invade. Robin Winks' study provides an examination of the impact of the American Civil War on Canada, especially on the movement towards confederation. This second edition also includes an overview of Civil War studies since the book's original publication in 1960.