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heidi_mcj's review against another edition
4.0
A very readable and concise account of the Civil War. Very well written.
manish25's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
excellent and short one book summary of the civil war. pick this up if this is your first understanding of the civil war, before delving into individual volumes detailing individual battles in detail.
dakkster's review against another edition
4.0
As a Swede/European, I never had the opportunity in school to dive deep into the American Civil War, because there's only so much time in history class and there's a lot of history to wade through.
I asked around and got two recommendations. The first and almost unanimous recommendation was this one. The Civil War by Bruce Catton. The second one is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. We'll see when I'll get to that one.
This one, though, was fantastic. It was just the right length and spent just enough time with each event to keep me interested. There were a few things I might delve further into later on, but for now, this book thoroughly quenched my American Civil War thirst. Catton is a great narrator and he presents a very measured and balanced account of the war, not really favoring any side and pointing out what was sensible or not on both sides.
I asked around and got two recommendations. The first and almost unanimous recommendation was this one. The Civil War by Bruce Catton. The second one is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. We'll see when I'll get to that one.
This one, though, was fantastic. It was just the right length and spent just enough time with each event to keep me interested. There were a few things I might delve further into later on, but for now, this book thoroughly quenched my American Civil War thirst. Catton is a great narrator and he presents a very measured and balanced account of the war, not really favoring any side and pointing out what was sensible or not on both sides.
nerdofdoom's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook.
A solid and concise history of the Civil War that is well suited to someone not especially familiar with the subject, or who needs a quick overview. Catton's prose is strong, and he is good at describing the course of military campaigns in an easy to follow, unencumbered way.
He does a fair amount of moralizing that is, at times, easy to take issue with. His view of reconstruction as entirely too hard on the South is debatable, for example. In the end he forwards a notion that perhaps had Lincoln lived to be in charge of policy that Southerners would be treated nice enough to be conciliated. Similarly, his periodic discussions of westward expansion and federal land-grants is full of bothersome references to a "virgin continent" wide open to exploitation.
All this is to say that this book is very readable, and I will continue to recommend it, but it is a product of the time that it was written.
A solid and concise history of the Civil War that is well suited to someone not especially familiar with the subject, or who needs a quick overview. Catton's prose is strong, and he is good at describing the course of military campaigns in an easy to follow, unencumbered way.
He does a fair amount of moralizing that is, at times, easy to take issue with. His view of reconstruction as entirely too hard on the South is debatable, for example. In the end he forwards a notion that perhaps had Lincoln lived to be in charge of policy that Southerners would be treated nice enough to be conciliated. Similarly, his periodic discussions of westward expansion and federal land-grants is full of bothersome references to a "virgin continent" wide open to exploitation.
All this is to say that this book is very readable, and I will continue to recommend it, but it is a product of the time that it was written.
lewismillholland's review against another edition
3.0
It’s history, and I’m a glutton, and it unveils oversimplifications I’ve learned over the past two-and-a-half decades, so I’m putty in its hands. When I was in AP US History I learned that the Civil War was fought not over slavery, as was the common conception, but actually it was over states’ rights. But, later, I learned about the Fugitive Slave Act and the Confederacy’s strong central government in war, and I learned that the most paramount states’ right was the right to own slaves, and the Civil War was truly over slavery.
This book was a reckoning for me. Yes, if you had to boil the cause of the war down to one cause, slavery was the most critical issue. That’s the disagreement that led to armed fighting. But the beauty is that the nuance of that era in history doesn’t have to be boiled down to a single argument. There were the high tariffs favored by the North, and the Yankee push for a homestead act. States’ rights, even if they weren’t the crucial issue in the schism, were rhetorically and emotionally present.
One gripe with this book is that it focused heavily on the military movements and less than I would like on the politicking. But, every book can’t be The Power Broker — it gets a solid three and a half stars from me, and I’d eagerly read another work by Bruce Catton.
This book was a reckoning for me. Yes, if you had to boil the cause of the war down to one cause, slavery was the most critical issue. That’s the disagreement that led to armed fighting. But the beauty is that the nuance of that era in history doesn’t have to be boiled down to a single argument. There were the high tariffs favored by the North, and the Yankee push for a homestead act. States’ rights, even if they weren’t the crucial issue in the schism, were rhetorically and emotionally present.
One gripe with this book is that it focused heavily on the military movements and less than I would like on the politicking. But, every book can’t be The Power Broker — it gets a solid three and a half stars from me, and I’d eagerly read another work by Bruce Catton.
mdmullins's review against another edition
5.0
A headlong plunge into this clash of ideals, this history of the fight for the American soul drives recent events into perspective. Just how far have we actually evolved in the hundred-and-fifty-plus years since the ending of the Civil War? Every glance at the news has to make us question our own collective enlightenment, our wokeness. Even if Catton were not such a good writer, this book would be well worth the reader's time because of its relevance. But Catton can write. Those — myself included — unfamiliar with the intricacies of Civil War tactics and maneuvering need not be put off. The true value here lies in the sweep of the narrative.
Read in a gulp, Catton's history was most valuable in providing an understanding of the countervailing forces which very nearly cleaved the country in two. There are no heroes here, and in this was the greatest surprise for me. While the evils of slavery and the necessity of destroying the institution are obvious, much less so is the character of the southerner. For what did he fight? The answer is not obvious and was not made so by the end of the book. This is at least part of the point. The reasons for the war are ultimately as varied as the people which participated. More than anything, it is the humanity of all involved which comes through on these pages.
Read in a gulp, Catton's history was most valuable in providing an understanding of the countervailing forces which very nearly cleaved the country in two. There are no heroes here, and in this was the greatest surprise for me. While the evils of slavery and the necessity of destroying the institution are obvious, much less so is the character of the southerner. For what did he fight? The answer is not obvious and was not made so by the end of the book. This is at least part of the point. The reasons for the war are ultimately as varied as the people which participated. More than anything, it is the humanity of all involved which comes through on these pages.
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