The Civil War : A Narrative : Fredericksburg to Meridian (Part 1 - Sixteen 1 1/2 hour cassettes)

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Summary: worth every detail--compellingly readable--thanks, Shelby
Review: Perhaps the greatest accolade I heard of Shelby Foote's involvement with the PBS mini-series "The Civil War" was the admiring comment that he seemed to have been there. I feel very much the same way about this epic 3-volume set. McPhearson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" may be the standard one-volume history of the Civil War, and a fine work it is, but it offers nowhere near the feeling of proximity to people and events as does this massive labor of love. Foote is so good at so many of the writer/historian's crafts that combine to make this trilogy essential Civil War reading. His skill at bringing a novelist's eye to this material has already been frequently noted. But he also has a wonderful way of giving a reader the feeling for the terrain on which battles were fought, for the ebb and flow of those battles, for the character of the men involved (and what characters! the proud, obstinante Jeff Davis, the rugged, unwashed Grant, the patrician Lee, the moody, tragic Lincoln--who would dare invent them? Yet Foote brings them, and dozens more, to breathing life). He conveys equally well the movement of troops as he does ideas--not to mention the sights, sounds, smells of the era, be they on the battlefield, in the army camp, or the White House. These are books that I will turn to again and again (I just got done re-reading volume 3), because, like no one else, Shelby Foote not only makes me feel like he was there, but that *I* was too.

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Summary: Does not live up to its reputation
Review: It's too bad that Foote writes so well (even if he's a bit wordy at times) because that has ensured that these bad books have become one of the most important sources of popular opinion on the Civil War. All three volumes are filled with errors; not just interpretive but serious factual errors as well. Read McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" instead. Even Bruce Catton's older stuff has stood the test of time better and, in my humble opinion, is far more eloquent

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Summary: Shelby Foote should have narrated this book not G. Gardner
Review: Read by Shelby Foote, this would have been a priceless treasure worth every one of the $ but with Grover Gardner reading it we have an irritating, expensive, disastrous audio. Grover, who read "Huckleberry Finn" well, should stay with children's roles. Why couldn't Blackstone Audio hire someone with a pleasant, low, easy to listen to voice. Mickey Mouse would have been less annoying.

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Summary: Good Introduction but really quite elementary.
Review: I find Foote's work to be very devoid of modern scholarship. He sticks closely to the same generic theories and spends little time on original synthesis. Foote does not herald himself an historian and rightfully so. He merely communicates facts, not all completely accurate, and does not lead readers effectively into their own analysis. One introduction that is less in volume but more rich in academia is Hattaway's "Shades of Blue and Gray." Any aspiring student of the war or even any serious student would be better served to be introduced to not only facts but modern scholarship.

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Summary: A masterfully written history of our nation's defining event
Review: For anyone who wants to know the minute details of each battle I recommend other writers like Pfanz or Sears. For anybody looking for an overview, yet comprehensive, this is the book. The journey is not short, having taken me a couple of years to work through all three years. In fact, when I discuss this work with others, I usually joke that I got bogged down in Georgia (in the third book) just like Sherman. A few observations: this series was written over almost twenty years, if you look for it you'll notice Mr. Foote's maturity as a writer. Secondly, this could only be written by a novellist(that's a complement). I found that as major characters died off, for instance, Gens. Polk and McPherson, I'd get a lump in my throat, not because they were always great generals but because they were brave and decent men. That leads to my third point. One can hardly read something like this without grasping something of the sacrifice made by the common soldiers of both sides. Most Americans today need to learn the source of the freedoms that we take for granted these days. In closing I would say that I found the book well balanced. Inevitably, those who tend to side with one side or the other will find the bias that they want. But I admired men from both sides. Foote, in the "Civil War" series provided the most incisive quote, "Before the War, people said the United States are. Afterward, they said the United States is." Simple but profound. This series chronicles America's trip from "are" to "is".

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Summary: Impressive Work With Minor Flaws
Review: This work succeeds on many levels. It is at once beautifully written, historically accurate, comprehensive, clear and compelling. Foote gives equal weight to the war in the West (including the Far West). His narrative rightly gives equal time to the Lincoln and Davis administrations. Cognizant of his Southern roots, Foote generally keeps any personal bias in check. Then comes the epiolgue. Foote's account of Jeff Davis's post-war travails degnerates into hagiography. The reader is informed that Grant went on to lead the most corrupt administration ever and Sheridan became a genocidal Indian fighter. No mention that Forrest (probably Foote's favorite Confederate general) became the Grand Dragon of the KKK. Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner were motivated only by hatred of the South, Foote tell us. Yet, no mention of the legions of Southern officers who went on to become race-baiting, white supremacist leaders of the "redeemed" South. Foote argues that Reconstruction ruined the common bonds of affinity, respect and shared experience that developed among the opposing soldiers. Maybe so, but the soldiers fought to subdue or preserve the independent South not to engage in deadly male bonding. Although Foote writes movingly and beautifully about the war, he seems to begrudge the winning side's attempts to help the newly freed slaves. Foote's magnificent work is marred by this unbalanced and unnecessary conclusion. One last minor criticism. Throughout the work, Foote writes about Lincoln's wearniess--repeating several times Lincoln's statement that he could not "touch" his "tired spot." This seemed at first needlessly and uncharacteristically repetitious. In the end, the repetition serves as a set up for Foote's tasteless and sophomoric comment on Linclon's assassination--that Booth's bullet finally "touched [Lincoln's] tired spot." This vulgar comment is unworthy of Foote and such a contrast to the rest of his elegant prose.

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Summary: To understand this epic American event, read this trilogy.
Review: I am no scholar, possess no college degree. My interest in the Civil War came late in life. That interest has resulted in a large amount of reading (for me). There are many worthy volumes available on this subject written by eminently qualified scholars. Of more than two dozen that I have read none comes near to this trilogy for pure readability. With Shelby Foote one gains more than information. His gift to us is the pure joy of the written word--spoken not above our heads but directly; eye to eye.

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Summary: Historical writing at its best.
Review: By concentrating on the fight instead of the politics, root causes, etc., Foote delivers the most dispassionate and best-balanced account of the civil war I've ever read. The fact that he is often accused of a "southern bias" reveals more about most other civil war histories than it does about this one. There is no preaching here, only pure history -- and the best written history you'll ever read. This is the definitive work on the civil war.

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Summary: A must have in your Civil War library
Review: Of the several score books that I have read on the Civil War, perhaps none covers so much detail, and yet, maintains the reader's interest throughout. Foote's coverage of the Battle of Gettysburgh is itself a book within a book. Indeed, Stars in Their Courses is Foote's chapter on the battle. Foote tends to favor the Confederate side somewhat, but he has created a trilogy that captures the entire essence of the War. Only Catton's trilogy on the Army of the Potomac can top this work.

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Summary: History as it should be told
Review: I've heard Foote's trilogy criticized for being so focused on the military aspects of this time in history; however, considering the incredible complexity and energy with which he handles the subject, I think the man can be forgiven for not trying to write another three volumes about society! Foote's prose has the warmth and energy of good conversation, and yet manages to convey an enormous wealth of detail and fact. For years, I resisted learning anything about the Civil War -- as a Southerner raised in an area still thick with hackneyed pro-Confederate views, I felt that I knew (and disliked) the story. These books converted me into an enthusiast; Foote states that American history can't be understood without a thorough knowledge of the Civil War, and the trilogy proves his point.