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Summary: The best book on the Civil War.
Review: This is the single most, in-depth book on the Civil War era. It covers everything from the growing sectional conflitct to the final surrender. It is worth the time and the money.
Rating:
Summary: Excellently written account with superb breadth of vision
Review: As a British reader, McPherson's book was an introduction to Civil War history for the purposes of coursework, and I found it superb.The initial three hundred pages provide a sweeping overview of the social and political pressures that led to war. There is then a hundred or so pages that vividly paints the attitudes of a nation faced with war, and finally the military narrative kicks in. McPherson writes with exceptional poise, balancing the chronological and thematic threads of his work to near perfection. Events in the west, east and political spheres of the war are detailed with the intricate interconnections intact due to excellent arrangement. This narrative is well scattered with analysis and presentation of different viewpoints, as well as sections of broad thematic interest eg. POW camps. There are more than enough quotations, both from primary and secondary sources. As for bias, I happened to think the bravery of the Southern soldiers, and the pride of the Southern people, came across well. Some reviewer's comments lead me to believe they had read a different book to me! "nothern soldiers...had no love for slavery. They fought for the Union and against treason...whilst some Yanks treated contrabrands with a degree of equity...the more typical response was indifference, contempt or cruelty." The reader is constantly reminded of the vein of racism of Northern society, ranging from the poorest immigrant fearing for his job, to the Democrat politicians who persisted in playing the 'race' card until the very end. The leftward shift of Lincoln is also noted. As for Southern motives: "slavery and independence were each a means as well as an end in symbiotic relationship with each other, each essential for the survival of both" In no way does McPherson cite slavery as the lone cause, he (sensibly) notes that it was the clash (via all the issues eg. Kansas, California, Dred Scoott which he details in the early chapters) that was at the centre of the "perceived nothern threat" to "preserve (the South's) vision of the republic of the founding fathers - a government of limited powers that protected the rights of property." The most I would concede that he could perhaps hammer home the state rights point a tiny bit more, but I cannot credit that he paints a polarised picture as suggested by some other reviews. In fact, some of the counter-arguments look to me as though they have been lifted straight from 'Battle-Cry of Freedom's text! My only (minor) complaint was that the epilogue, an analytical overview, was so useful and interesting it should have been a lot longer! This is one of the best historical works I have ever read and was supremely useful to me.
Rating:
Summary: anti-southern or not
Review: I found this book by Mr. Mcpherson extremely informative. He does a very good one volume account of the Civil War. Many people see the book as anti-southern account of the Civil War. If you do, which I don't think you should, I recommend an excellent book by Dr. Emory Thomas who is a profeesor at University of Georgia entitled The Confederate Nation. A great account of just the southern cause for independence. Dr. Thomas is also the author of the definitive biography of Robert E. Lee which can be found on Amazon.com. I truly recommend this book to any Civil War buff.
Rating: 
Summary: McPherson takes the easy way out and sides with his own bias
Review: James McPherson did an admirable job compiling a wealth of information and presenting it in the early stages of "Battle Cry of Freedom," then dismissed with a wave of his pen to embark upon an anti-Southern crusade. He fell back upon the old trick of painting the Confederate Army as a sea of amorphous white faces, devoid of racial or ethnic diversity. He tiptoed around the thousands of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and the multiple immigrant groups who joined the Confederate Army and fought side-by-side. Where did he document the Emerald Guard, the Mobile German Fusiliers, the 1st Choctaw (or the other 28 tribes who fought in gray), or the Spanish Legion? This book is awash with personal antipathy and politically correct revisionist historical claptrap.
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Summary: Outstanding both as a history and a work of literature.
Review: McPherson's writing a history of the war and the events leading up to it, is a difficult undertaking, especially to cover it in one volume. He succeeds magnificently, covering the historical events of the era with great detail and analytical insight. His descriptions of the war's decisive battles and of its leading personalities are particularly impressive. He also takes great care of capturing the emotions behind these events, both on the battlefield and on the home front. In addition, this book is a marvelous work of literature in and of itself; McPherson's ability to dramatically and poetically present a work of history is nearly unsurpassed by the other historical works I have read.
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Summary: Provides an excellent perspective
Review: Battle Cry of Freedom provides an excellent perspective on the Civil War. McPherson especially does a great job of setting the stage for the Civil War and giving you a feel for the social, political and economics of the time.
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Summary: Best present I ever received!!
Review: As a recent graduate of law school, I have spent the last three years looking at the legal ramifications of the Civil War. This book provided me with the perfect frame into which to place my new found knowledge. In the first chapters McPherson displays his brillance by describing with spectacular narrative the economic and social realities of pre-Civil War America. Having studied this era from both a legal and economic point of view, I found this description exceptional in both completeness and readability. The descriptions of both the political and physical battles were detailed enough to be informative as well as entertaining. Not since Nature's Metropolis have I read a non-fiction book that entertained as well as informed. I only hope McPerson writes another book soon.
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Summary: Most deserving of its Pulitzer Prize
Review: While reading this book, I often thought about how unfortunate it is that books such as "Battle Cry of Freedom" are not used in high school history courses (at least, not to my knowledge). This book was as informative as any history text I ever read (if not more so), yet it was as enjoyable to read as any book I've had the pleasure of reading. James McPherson chronicles the events during, and preceding, the Civil War with an easy, narrative style that almost seems at odds with a book which holds such content. McPherson goes beyond the battlefield to discuss the social, political, racial, and economic issues that served as a background for, and helped shape, the bloodiest of American wars. Whether you're a Civil War buff or not, this book is a must-read.
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Summary: Personal Bias Taints Scholarly Work
Review: It is indeed a shame that James McPherson allowed his anti-southern bias from ruining what would otherwise have been a masterful book. He forgets that he was commissioned to write an unbiased account of the Civil War, not an indictment of the antebellum southern states. That McPherson is an undisputed scholar cannot be disputed. His book demonstrates an incredible command of the facts surrounding the people and events of the Civil War. Unfortunately, his personal views deny him the same depth of insight into the attitudes of those people. After devoting the first part of the book to the confluence of many social, economic, and political forces shaping the development of our country prior to the war, McPherson then ignores them all and lays the entire war at the doorstep of slavery! Anyone who has studied the Civil War and, more importantly, the attitudes of the combatants, knows that two million soldiers and an entire nation did not go to war to free the slaves. ! Very few southerners actually owned slaves and even fewer were inclined to fight for the institution. Similarly, the northern soldiers fought for the preservation of the union, not the freedom of the black man, about whom they knew little and cared less. Undoubtedly, slavery was an important issue (and I certainly do not condone it), but it was one of many factors which combined to bring the country to war. To mislead the uninformed reader into believing that the south went to war solely to preserve slavery is intellectually irresponsible and personally insulting. McPherson was entrusted to write an objective history of the war and its origins. He breeched his fiduciary duty by superimposing his personal bias upon historical fact. Hopefully, the discerning student will know the difference.
Rating:
Summary: Best Civil War Book in One Volume!
Review: Fascinating and smooth reading narrative of the civil war era. Treatment of the war beyond the battlefield sets this book apart from other civil war accounts. McPherson discusses causes, politics (both domestic and international), economics, personalities, geography and business issues as well as delving deep into the military aspects of the conflict. It really gives the reader a thorough understanding of the war's desperate causes. Excellent read -- makes you want to pick it up and read it again!
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