Books on the American Civil War (1 Viewer)

[BHogan]

I just finished reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and I'm looking for American Civil War book suggestions. Any suggestions would be appreciated, but I'm looking for more of an overview since I don't know much about the war. {sm4} ^&grin
Cheers,
Brendan

 

[jazzeum]

The book I'd recommend -- and I've gotten similar questions from others -- is James Macpherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. If there is one book to get and no other, this is the one.

After that if you want to a slightly more in depth book, I'd recommend David Potter's The Impending Crisis 1848-1861. Indispensable but you really have to be interested in the time period to read it.

If you want another Lincoln biography, read David Herbert Donald's Lincoln or Robert White's Lincoln.

 

[BHogan]

The book I'd recommend -- and I've gotten similar questions from others -- is James Macpherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. If there is one book to get and no other, this is the one.

After that if you want to a slightly more in depth book, I'd recommend David Potter's The Impending Crisis 1848-1861. Indispensable but you really have to be interested in the time period to read it.

If you want another Lincoln biography, read David Herbert Donald's Lincoln or Robert White's Lincoln.

Thanks for the suggestions! I ordered Macpherson's book off Amazon, so I'll start there!
Cheers,
Brendan

 

[jazzeum]

You made a good choice. As you wait for the book you might find this post about the book on Civil War Memory interesting.

This Post is also very good, actually better than the one above.

 

[Terp152]

The book I'd recommend -- and I've gotten similar questions from others -- is James Macpherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. If there is one book to get and no other, this is the one.

After that if you want to a slightly more in depth book, I'd recommend David Potter's The Impending Crisis 1848-1861. Indispensable but you really have to be interested in the time period to read it.

If you want another Lincoln biography, read David Herbert Donald's Lincoln or Robert White's Lincoln.

A great book, Macpherson's, of course it won a Pulitzer Prize. I particularly liked the first section which described the great differences of development between the North and the South regarding production, rail miles, education etc. Large sections of the South wanted to secede in the 1850s, the extra time ensured a Northern victory as their advantages became more pronounced.
Shelby Foote's Civil War Narrative, 3 vols, covers the military campaigns in more depth.
Chris

 

[BHogan]

A great book, Macpherson's, of course it won a Pulitzer Prize. I particularly liked the first section which described the great differences of development between the North and the South regarding production, rail miles, education etc. Large sections of the South wanted to secede in the 1850s, the extra time ensured a Northern victory as their advantages became more pronounced.
Shelby Foote's Civil War Narrative, 3 vols, covers the military campaigns in more depth.
Chris

Thanks for the suggestion Chris. Once I have read Macpherson's book, I think I will order Foote's books and start hacking away at those.
Cheers,
Brendan

 

[jazzeum]

I'm not a huge fan of Shelby Foote, a little too folksy for me, plus, unless you're really interested -- and I mean really interested -- three volumes is a lot. Of course, I do know his works are popular.

Rather than suggesting more books, I'd like to see if Macpherson's book whets your appetite for more.

Brad

 

[Terp152]

I'm not a huge fan of Shelby Foote, a little too folksy for me, plus, unless you're really interested -- and I mean really interested -- three volumes is a lot. Of course, I do know his works are popular.

Rather than suggesting more books, I'd like to see if Macpherson's book whets your appetite for more.

Brad

Brad, we'll have to disagree on this one. I think Foote gives the best overall coverage of the Civil War, combining the military and political aspects. Three volumes is a lot but the pages flew by for me. Much like Rick Atkinson's WWII US army trilogy. It's hard to cover the entire war in a single vol. Macpherson's coverage of the battles is a little superficial. IMO only of course. Chris

 

[jazzeum]

Guess we will Chris.

However, for Brendan's immediate purpose, I think Macpherson should suffice. I also liked Guelzo's Fateful Lightning but like I said, let's not inundate him.

 

[ivanmoe]

For anyone who's looking for a deeper understanding of ACW battles, let me recommend a series of books. For brevity's sake, I'll refer to them as "The Maps" series. They are unique in that just about every other page in the book is a map which accompanies a narrative on the facing page. I've found them remarkably helpful in sorting out the details of complex engagements like Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and the Wilderness Campaign. Deciphering such actions, as viewed through page after page of text, had always left me confused and a bit frustrated. I forever found myself turning back (or forward) to the accompanying reference diagrams looking to flesh out my understanding of the associated events. Well, no more. If you want to get a good handle on a corner of one of these battles, the fighting around McPhereson's Ridge at Gettysburg, for instance, these books will tie up the loose-ends for you. Here's a pic of the Gettysburg volume:

View attachment 171617

Other Volumes include The Maps of Antietam, The Maps of Chickamauga, The Maps of the Wilderness Campaign and The Maps of First Bull Run. I'm really hoping to see additional volumes for less well-known engagements in the future.

-Moe

 

[McFuglas]

Thanks for the suggestions! I ordered Macpherson's book off Amazon, so I'll start there!
Cheers,
Brendan

I've ordered it as well.
Can't believe I hadn't come across it before (though I've never really read much about the American Civil War).
Useful thread, thanks to all involved.

Doug

 

[jazzeum]

There is a new book on Lincoln coming out called Six Encounters with Lincoln by Elizabeth Brown Pryor that has received a lot of advance praise.

A book that has received nothing but praise is Christopher Phillips' The Rivers Ran Backwards, about the Civil War in what was then called the West (Appalachia to Missouri).

For those interested in learning more about Lincoln and a particular topic, Southern Illinois University has put out a series of great books, each about 200 pages, by a noted author in the field. The series is called the Concise Lincoln Library. See https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/search...cat_2_11_stripbooks&sprefix=concise+lin&ajr=0

The latest is Lincoln in Indiana.

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

For anyone who's looking for a deeper understanding of ACW battles, let me recommend a series of books. For brevity's sake, I'll refer to them as "The Maps" series. They are unique in that just about every other page in the book is a map which accompanies a narrative on the facing page. I've found them remarkably helpful in sorting out the details of complex engagements like Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and the Wilderness Campaign. Deciphering such actions, as viewed through page after page of text, had always left me confused and a bit frustrated. I forever found myself turning back (or forward) to the accompanying reference diagrams looking to flesh out my understanding of the associated events. Well, no more. If you want to get a good handle on a corner of one of these battles, the fighting around McPhereson's Ridge at Gettysburg, for instance, these books will tie up the loose-ends for you. Here's a pic of the Gettysburg volume:

View attachment 171617

Other Volumes include The Maps of Antietam, The Maps of Chickamauga, The Maps of the Wilderness Campaign and The Maps of First Bull Run. I'm really hoping to see additional volumes for less well-known engagements in the future.

-Moe

Always have my copy when I'm walking the battlefield.