- Paperback: 341 pages
- Publisher: McGraw Hill Higher Education; Reissue edition (1 Jan 1971)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0070102651
- ISBN-13: 978-0070102651
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.2 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,713,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
Contemporary prints, photographs, and documents accompany this penetrating examination of the political, military, and social aspects of the War Between the States.
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First Sentence
The American people in 1860 believed that they were the happiest and luckiest people in all the world, and in a way they were right. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The American people in 1860 believed that they were the happiest and luckiest people in all the world, and in a way they were right. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Civil War, written by Ken Burns, Ric Burns and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, is the companion volume to the outstanding 1990 documentary series from the Public Broadcasting System. Lavishly illustrated with paintings, photographs and maps, this book tells the dramatic and tragic story of America's bloodiest conflict.
Like the television series from which this project was derived, its narrative is both informative and awe-inspiring. Its prose is lovingly crafted, and one can almost hear the voice of historian-writer David McCullough, who narrated the TV episodes, when reading from any of its five chapters.
"By the summer of 1861, Wilmer McLean had had enough," write the authors in the introduction, The Crossroads of Our Being. "Two great armies were converging on his farm, and what would be the first major battle of the Civil War -- Bull Run, or Manassas as the Confederates called it -- would soon rage across the aging Virginian's farm, a Union shell going so far as to tear through his summer kitchen. Now McLean moved his family away from Manassas, far south and west of Richmond -- out of harm's way, he prayed -- to a dusty crossroads town called Appomatox Court House. And it was there in his living room three and a half years later that Lee surrendered to Grant, and Wilmer McLean could rightfully say, 'The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor.' "
Although the hardcover edition is a coffee table sized volume, it is not a terribly long or exhaustive work. There are only five chapters, each one dedicated to a year of the war and followed by an essay by an eminent historian. My personal favorite is the essay "Men at War" by Shelby Foote, whose award winning three volume history of the Civil War is considered by many to be among the best on the subject. More interview than essay, "Men at War" attempts to explain why Civil War battles were so bloody; "It was brutal stuff," Foote explains, "and the reason for the high casualties is really quite simple: the weapons were way ahead of the tactics." Foote also discusses the primitive medical techniques of the time, and has this to say about Lee at Gettysburg: "Gettysburg was the price the South paid for having Lee." On the issue of who won the war, Foote says, "I can tell you who lost it -- the South lost the war. But I'm not sure anybody won that war. It's a tragedy."
Other essay writers include Barbara J. Fields, James M. McPherson, Don E. Fehrenbacher and C. Vann Woodward.
The Civil War follows the structure of Ken Burns' documentary, and most of the individuals portrayed in the PBS series (ranging from Presidents Lincoln and Davis to Union soldier Elisha Hunt Rhodes -- who rose from private to colonel during the war -- and Confederate soldier-turned-author Sam Watkins) are wonderfully described in the text.
While definitely not a substitute for the film on which it's based, The Civil War is a fine book and a good one-volume introduction to the worst internal crisis the American people ever faced.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This again is a very good book about the subject "American Civil War". The advantage of the book is that the author does not tell to much difficult details. This book contains the important facts of the War 1861-1865. From the reasons for the secession to the beginning of one of the most bloodiest and cruelest wars in the world history. If you are interessted in the civil war or generell in military history you have to buy this book. I'm happy to have read it and know now a lot more of this War.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The civil war seen through the eyes of the actors of the time before history took over, before the post-humous explanations, theories, and rationalizations.
Very well-written, a real discovery of war in general : what the soldier feels like when aiming at the enemy for the first time, taken over by a machinery he doesn't really understand.
Extraordinary photographic material. Really gripping.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Satisfied customer
This book was in excellent shape. It gives a comprehensive look at the Civil War. A very balanced perspective
Published 9 months ago by Thomas W. Keeley
Highly recommended
Not enough detail here for the serious student but a fabulous introduction to the conflict. It may well whet your appetite for more. Read more
Published 9 months ago by David Mawson
ACW Ciovil War Review
This gives a very good overview of the ACW. It contains some very interesting titbitys as well as a good birds eye view of the whole war.
Published 16 months ago by Mr. M. J. Beasley
AN OLD-FASHIONED ONE VOLUME HISTORY
This is categorically NOT a tie-in with Ken Burns' video documentary, as suggested by one of the reviews on this page. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2008 by J. C. Bailey
Great Civil War Book
This again is a great Book about the subject "American Civil War". The book contains all the important facts, the reasons of the secession to the beginning of one of the bloodiest... Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2006 by "general_lee1980"
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