The American Civil War [Hardcover]

'John Keegan brings his subject alive and is particularly good on how unreliably nasty war can be' --Daily Telegraph

'What I loved most, and what Keegan is always superb at, is analysis' --The Scotsman

'You would be hard pressed to find a better written one-volume history of this epic struggle'
--Guardian Review

`...Keegan's book is illuminating...' -- Sunday Herald

'illuminating' --Scottish Sunday Herald --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

This major and long-awaited work will be the definitive history of the American Civil War by our greatest military historian.

This magisterial history of the first modern war is on the scale of John Keegan's classics, A History of Warfare and The First World War. In his sweeping, unputdownable narrative he highlights the geography, leadership and strategic logic at the heart of the conflict.

John Keegan writes: ‘The geography of the battlefield is to me a living reality. I know the appearance of the battlefields, I know the distances between them, I know the cemeteries in which the dead were buried. What constantly puzzles me, however, is to relate the landmarks of the war to its events, chronology, strategy and logic. That war went on for so long – four years – over such an enormous space – the Confederacy covered an area as large as Europe west of Russia – and involved so many battles – 260 is the common reckoning – and so many people that its events conform to no pattern at all.

'How to make sense of the war is the question. In recent years, this became the primary concern of historians, after nearly a century of writing concerned either with arguing the rights or wrongs or simply re-telling the story chronologically.

'The story of America is, in one of its dimensions, that of man and wilderness. The story can be told as one in which man tames and dominates; it can equally be told as one in which nature is never really subdued, always bides its time, often asserts its power to remind men of their pygmy status. The Civil War is certainly a story of the struggle of man against man; it is equally a story of the struggle of man against geography, in which those who had a feel for the country eventually succeeded because they knew how to work with the landscape instead of ignoring or defying it.’

This magisterial history of the first modern war is on the scale of John Keegan's classics, A History of Warfare and The First World War. In his sweeping, unputdownable narrative he highlights geography, leadership and strategic logic at the heart of the conflict.

John Keegan writes: 'The geography of the battlefield is to me a living reality. I know the appearance of the battlefields, I know the distances between them, I know the cemeteries in which the dead were buried. What constantly puzzles me, however, is to relate the landmarks of the war to its events, chronology, strategy and logic. That war went on for so long - four years - over such an enormous space - the Confederacy covered an area as large as Europe west of Russia - and involved so many battles - 260 is the common reckoning - and so many people that its events conform to no pattern at all.

'How to make sense of the war is the question. In recent years, this became the primary concern of historians, after nearly a century of writing concerned either with arguing the rights or wrongs or simply re-telling the story chronologically.

'The story of America is, in one of its dimensions, that of man and wilderness. The story can be told as one in which man tames and dominates; it can equally be told as one in which nature is never really subdued, always bides its time, often asserts its power to remind men of their pygmy status. The Civil War is certainly a story of the struggle of man against man; it is equally a story of the struggle of man against geography, in which those who had a feel for the country eventually succeeded because they knew how to work with the landscape instead of ignoring or defying it.'

Praise for John Keegan:

'Keegan's historical command is dazzling' Independent

'As a military historian John Keegan has the qualities of the best commanders' Observer

'The best military historian of our day' New York Times

'Sir John Keegan has a deserved reputation as one of the world's leading military historians' Christopher Andrew, The Times

'Keegan is always a pleasure to read for his wit, insight and style.' Joseph E. Persico, New York Times

'Our greatest modern military historian.' Evan Thomas, Newsweek

John Keegan, who was knighted in the Millennium Honours List, is the Defence Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Britain's foremost military historian. The Reith Lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, The Second World War, A History of Warfare (awarded the Duff Cooper Prize), The First World War, Intelligence in War and The Iraq War.