Rating: 
Summary: Worth the time involved!
Review: After having just finished all three novels (a task not for the faint of heart) I feel compelled to comment on the OUTSTANDING job Mr. Foote has done in bringing to life what many consider the most perilous time in our nation's history. Like many other people, my education of the Civil War consisted ONLY of Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, the Emancipation Proclamation and Appomattox. So much more deserved to be told, and this series does it with impeccable detail and wonderful prose. The writing is wonderfully poetic with a touch of humor and irony. The main characters are masterfully brought out: Grant, the one-time brigade commander in the Mexican Wars who failed in business and, during a low point in the Civil War, actually thought of resigning until his friend, WT Sherman, talked him out of it to eventually become "the cold mathematician" that Lincoln so sorely sought out to command the Army of the Potomac; "Stonewall Jackson", the eccentric yet bold and cunning commander of the Valley brigade who would split his army and lash out at forces twice his size; Lee, the pious yet daring commander of the Southern forces who outwitted every single Northern commander until the bitter end when he simply had no men or materiel left; and finally, Lincoln, the master politician who managed to successfully win the political battles in Washington while searching and finally finding in the combination of Grant and Sherman the ruthless yet determined men necessary for ending the conflict. Yes, this is a long read (each volume over 900 pages). BUT IT'S WORTH IT!!
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Work on the American Civil War...
Review: Amalgamating narrative with an almost introspective analysis of thought and action for the soldiers involved, these three volumes are the author's magnum opus in literature, and the work is a masterpiece of historical research. Mr. Foote began this work in the mid-1950's, shortly after some success with his novel "Shiloh", and over the next twenty years continued working on this project of considerable proportion surely sometimes wondering, "is it all worth the effort?" But it is to our favor that he continued and finished. The work is readable and very entertaining, as he brings out the down-to-earth humanity of the soldiers through his singular mastery of anecdotal reflection. The genius of Shelby Foote was first realized by most through his participation and supporting narration of the PBS documentary "The Civil War" by Ken Burns, but upon reading the entire text of his chronological three-volume treatise on the Civil War made me realize that Mr. Foote must have been destined to write this work. The last thing to say is simply "Thank you, Shelby" because you have brought to life the world of the soldiers and politicians and honestly, all People, who had to endure the horrors of this catastrophe in American history. There is no doubt Shelby Foote's work will stand forever as the foundation of our understanding of the American Civil War.
Rating:
Summary: Classic old-style history
Review: Foote has written an impressive narrative history of the entire war. The most distinctive element is his novelist's eye for characters. Unlike most accounts of campaigns and battlefields, he gets inside the leaders' heads in the way a novelist would.
Though he includes some material from soldiers' diaries and the like, the account remains elite-centered. As other reviewers correctly note, this means that the role of African-Americans is underemphasized (but not absent). For this side of the war, I'd recommend James McPherson.
Much more so than most histories, Foote emphasizes events outside Virginia, including campaigns in the trans-Mississippi. This is valuable, since the war was won (and lost) in the West.
Foote clearly sides with the South, which has the potential to annoy this Northerner. Fortunately, his leanings appear more as symmpathy for the people involved than as strong bias or polemic.
Finally, this trilogy really is long, with each book near 1000 pages in smallist type. I found it congenial to take a break between books, each of which is self-contained.
Rating: 
Summary: Hardly a literary masterpiece
Review: If this is what our literature has come to, it's little wonder our young people don't read more.A sample of Foote's convoluted writing, from volume 3: "By assigning Gordon's division to Breckinridge, who coupled it with his own, he gave the former Vice President a post befitting his dignity and put thirty-five-year-old Robert Rodes - a native of Lynchburg, which he had just helped to save from Hunter's firebrands, and a graduate and one-time professor at V.M.I., whose scorched ruins he viewed sadly, and no doubt angrily as well, after marching his veterans past that other V.M.I. professor's grave - in charge of the remaining corps, composed of his own and Dodson Ramseur's divisions; Ramseur, a North Carolinian, promoted to major general the day after his twenty-seventh birthday early this month, was the youngest West Pointer to achieve that rank in Lee's army."
("Civil War," vol 3, pp 446-447) One is led to consider the possibility that Mr. Foote was paid by the word! I doubt not that Foote's knowledge of the war far exceeds mine, and can neither dispute nor disagree with his accounting of battle facts, even though his pro-Confederacy (or are they anti-Union?) sympathies are evident. All in all, Southall's "Lee's Lieutenants" is better structured and better composed, a much easier and more enjoyable read. At least, that's the way it seems to me.
Rating:
Summary: humbaby
Review: If you are looking for lots of footnotes and in-depth scholarly analysis of the Civil War, Shelby Foote's history of the Civil War is definately NOT for you. On the other hand, if you want the best narrative history of the war, this is it! Historians could learn much from Foote's wonderful storytelling. Some reviewers have noted that this is predominantly a battlefield history, which is true. If you have plans to visit a Civil War battlefield site, read through the account of the battle before you go or while you are there and your visit will be greatly enriched. The other area where these books excel is in painting portraits of the important figures in the war. Those who have seen the Ken Burns PBS documentary will quickly see how heavily it drew upon these books. Consisting of three large volumes, it may be a bit intimidating for some to tackle this series, however I found it was well worth it. From start to finish, these books are outstanding and a joy to read!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Civil War Narrative
Review: If you want to learn all about the Civil War, these three books are the perfect place to start. Depending on how interested you are in the war, this trilogy will be either the three books you will read to learn about the war or the starting point.
Foote does an outstanding job of bringing together the political, social and military stories of this era, and also does a better job than some others of keeping a balance between the battles in the west and those fought in the east.
Foote and Bruce Catton have written the best general histories of the war. Foote is from the South and Catton from the North, so some people will tell you that you should read one or the other, depending on the point of view you're more interested in. I think they both did a great job of presenting unbiased views of the war. You really can't go wrong with either of these guys. First, they got the facts right. Second, they both wrote about the war in a way that made it come alive. These are not dry, boring histories.
If you finish these books you may want to also check out some of Catton's, and if you still want to read more, James McPherson has written some excellent books on the war too. "Battle Cry of Freedom," is another outstanding narrative account of the war.
Rating: 
Summary: A great work, but not perfect...
Review: One of my favorite Englist Lit professors in college once said that there has not yet been been a great novel on the greatest American story, the Civil War. Obviously, Shelby Foote comes close.
If you've gotten to this review, you know how great Foote's trilogy is; but I feel compelled to add yet another comment just to list the flaws. I don't want to waste words on compliments that would just be repititious; so bear with me. I just finished Vol. III and was dissappointed only that it was over. But again, I feel a compulsion to nitpick.
1. Forrest was a bad man, and I think Foote gives him a free pass. The Fort Pillow massacre is documented history; over 60% of the 200+ black soldiers were killed after the fort's walls were breached, and there are eyewitness accounts of men shot when trying to surrender. And of course, Forrest founded the KKK, which was a terrorist organization from the beginning.
2. Wirz (don't know if I spelled that right) was the commander of a prison camp that was the scene of atrocities, starvation and unjust executions. He deserved to be executed. Foote disagrees, and I believe this is because of sloppiness and a loss of objectivity.
3. Foote simply doesn't give enough credit to the 54th Massachusetts (the "Glory" regiment) Lincoln himself, not a man prone to making wild Abolitionist statements, stated that black soldiers played a crucial part in the Union's victory. The 54th paved the way for these soldiers, and Foote's rather cold comment that all this regiment did was "prove that black men could be slaughtered as easily as white's" seemed to be frivolous and also to downplay the symbolic affluence of the 54th.
That said, I have to say that I loved Foote's treatment of Sherman, who is so often simply caricatured as the demonic red-bearded marauder who said "War is Hell" and who burned a bunch of plantations. Even as a kid, I always kind of like Sherman. He's one of the most memorable, and in his own way admirably characters in the War, and it was a relief to see him so portrayed.
Rating:
Summary: The most complete work ever on the War
Review: Shelby Foote's classic multi-volume history of the War Between the States will always stand as THE must-read. Foote gives a balanced and fair account of the heroics and failings of both sides and a vivid account of each battle that makes the reader feel part of the action. Sure to stand the test of time, Foote's works are as invaluable to history and students of the war as the Official Records and the many officer's memoirs.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone interested in the Civil War
Review: The author brings in so many details, but puts these details very effectively together to keep the story moving along. The author uses a language which seems natural to the age and writes of the personalities with genuine admiration and affection as if they had been to dinner with him on Sunday.
Shelby Foote's interesting writing style of an interesting yet tragic event in our history is a remarkable accomplishment. Every American should have these books as part of their home library.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: There is no doubt this narrative history of the Civil War can be wordy but the payoff for reading this work is more than worth it. The strength of this book is the way that Foote makes the characters of the War come alive. Foote's accounts of Lincoln as he prosecuted the war, administered a national government and coped with his wife's mental illness will cause anyone to realize that he was indeed a great man and President. Much of his descriptions of Lincoln come from newspaper reporters of the day or other persons who were present and Foote's ability to meld all that together makes for vivid pictures of the man. I felt like he dealt with each "side" in a balanced way and I didn't discern any editorializing. Just darn good reading and not only is it my favorite book on the Civil War but one of my favorite books in general.
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