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Summary: If you own one book on the Civil War, let it be this one
Review: History of this quality is rare indeed. James McPherson has somehow managed to treat the entire Civil War (a feat in itself), as well as its most prominent causes, in one volume, albeit a large one. McPherson's treatment of the prewar nation and of the factors that led to eventual secession and war is very thorough, as is his portrayal of political, social, and military conditions throughout the war. The section on reconstruction is scant, but this is because reconstruction lies without the scope of the book, and is supposed to be treated in another volume of the series this book was meant to contribute to.
This book is phenomenal, a very objective look at the war between the states. McPherson has somewhat northern sympathies, but these do not detract from the work in any way, and indeed are almost always part of any study of the Civil War (Shelby Foote seems inclined toward the South, for example). The one thing I wish is that the battles were treated with more detail, but this can hardly be expected in just one volume. After all, the book covers "The Civil War Era," as is title implies, and not necessarily just the war itself. Because of this, there is a plethora of rich information of a political, economic, or social nature which contributed greatly to my understanding of the war and which are not likely to be found in many books focusing on just the war.
Literally thousands of books have been written about the Civil War Era, but this has definitely got to be one of the best. It is the best book on the subject I have read so far, and helped me immensely in my effort to understand the war between the states. For a thorough and excellent treatment of this massive and formidable subject, give "The Battle Cry of Freedom" a try. As far as a one-volume treatment of the war goes, you can't get much better than this.
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Summary: Excellent book on the Civil War!
Review: I have read several books on the Civil War but this one is by far the best. It takes you into battles and into the lives of all those fighting in the fields. McPherson takes you into the depths of this war. You feel the wounds of the soldiers. You hear the rifle sounds, the cries of the soldiers. You can smell the gunpowder as it blankets the battle fields. He takes you from beginning to end with remarkable writing. This book is definitely a must have for any Civil War history buff. A truly remarkable piece of work. Thank you Mr. McPherson.
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Summary: Comprehensive look at the Civil War
Review: James M. McPherson is one of the top Civil War scholars in the world, and in the Battle Cry of Freedom, he provides one of the best comprehensive histories of the entire period ever written. McPherson begins the book well before the Civil War and describes the societal and political situation that led to the war. This allows the reader to truly gain a feel of the time and grants an understanding of why the people fought the war. The military history McPherson provides is more from a grand strategy perspective, but he gives plenty of personal descriptions of the battles that allows the reader to appreciate the tactical situations the soldiers faced. If you are looking for a great one volume treatment of the Civil War, this is your book.
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Summary: A foreign view
Review: As a foreign reader (I'm a Spaniard) and a Spanish Civil War buff, I recently decided it was about time to getting to do some serious reading about another of the internecine conflicts that changed the course of History. I bought "Confederates in the Attic" a few years back when I visited the States for the first time. This interesting book, along with my visit to a friend in Charleston SC and a boat trip to Fort Sumter, triggered off an interest that had been hidden since my childhood and brought back memories of brave blue and grey soldiers from my school history books. After reading so many good reviews, my expectations about this book were high and it certainly hasn't disappointed me at all. It is so difficult to compile in a single volume as much information about a complex conflict as this work does. The historical background is present in full measure. Politics, the blockade, the different sectionalisms, immigration, economy and the cultural, economic and political differences between North and South are all here. The role of slavery as a pivotal issue around which the whole episode revolved is not understated. I didn't expect this to be a military-focused story of the war, but the description of the battles and the snippets of first hand accounts by the rank and file and officers alike give the reader a fair view of the hardships and the horror that civilians and soldiers had to go through. I definitely recommend "Battle Cry of Freedom" to those of you who are looking for an enlightening and comprehensive view of the American Civil War. Please forgive my English since I'm not a native speaker. Yet I hope this review can be helpful to someone, and I thank in advance everybody for their input and all of you guys who take the time to review the books and give the rest an opportunity to make a satisfactory purchase. Hasta pronto!
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Summary: I PREFER PROF. MCPHERSON'S LECTURING STYLE EN LIEU..
Review: TO THIS CIVIL WAR SAGA. ON CABLE TV CHANNEL PBSYOU, YOU WILL SEE PROFESSOR MCPHERSON EXPLAINING EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR FROM START TO FINISH IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY SERIES COURSE. MY QUESTION IS, WHY COULDN'T THIS BOOK BE MORE LIKE THE SERIES? I THINK I LEARNED MORE FROM PROF. MCPHERSON'S COMMENTARIES THAN PLOWING THROUGH THIS BOOK. PLEASE, PROFESSOR, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A TEXTBOOK OF THE SAME SORT ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION CONDENSED WITHIN 500 PAGES FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.
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Summary: VERY TEDIOUS READING...
Review: I GUESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE A CIVIL WAR BUFF TO READ THIS HUGE SAGA. I AM READING THIS FOR A COURSE, NOT FOR PERSONAL INTEREST AND I JUST CAN'T GET PAST PAGE 50. IN TERMS OF REVIEWING THIS BOOK AS A TEXTBOOK, THERE IS NO TIMELINE AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SKIM THROUGH THE UNNECESSARY DETAILS. FOR STUDENTS, ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS BOOK WOULD BE HELPFUL, ALONG WITH A TIMELINE. WE DON'T NEED UNNECESSARY DETAILS, AND THE CIVIL WAR IS NOT AS INTERESTING AS, SAY WESTERN CIV, AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE 1,100 PAGES I READ. I WAS RECOMMENDED BROOKS D. SIMPSONS BOOK, "AMERICA'S CIVIL WAR," WHICH I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING BECAUSE SUPPOSEDLY IT IS MUCH MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND HAS 200 PAGES.
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Summary: Bringing color to America's epic struggle
Review: After finishing James M. McPherson's recent book, "Antietam: Crossroads of Freedom", I decided to dive into his earlier tome, "Battle Cry of Freedom". Both books are worthy of the highest recommendation. McPherson is a marvelous storyteller, in the best possible sense of that word. While not easy to condense the Civil War into one volume, the author has succeeded by pacing his book well and delving into the many contributing factors to and about the war, other than simply the battles themselves. McPherson has a very good sense of drama. After finishing "Battle Cry of Freedom" I began to think about why this book was so good. One of the reasons, I concluded, is that he is able to give us the history of the war as if the reader were at either end of a tug-of-war, because that seems to be precisely how the war was regarded on both sides. The pendulum of victory swung back and forth so many times during the four-year period as it raised the prospects of victory in both north and south only to plunge them into the abyss of despair with the next battle outcome. If one thinks about actual photographic images of the Civil War, one can only see black and white. But the author provides the color....both in battle and in periphery. Beginning with the Mexican War, McPherson lays the groundwork carefully and slowly. He is particularly adept at recounting the political aspects of this period, especially the impotency of U.S. presidents of the 1850s. By the time Fort Sumter is fired upon (almost one-third of the way through the book), the reader by now has a comprehensive look at the unfolding situation. Although he is distantly related to one of the Union generals, McPherson's sympathies seem to lie in two places...with the South, but particularly with Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it would be easy to read this book in Abraham Lincoln's mind and shoes. McPherson writes with a broad brush approach and his style matches how we might think Lincoln preceived things.....like a radar box constantly surveying the horizon. While the author's descriptions of the battles are certainly moving, he succeeds more in giving us the picture of what it was like in the non-combat arena. I particularly enjoyed his referrals to newspaper headlines and editorials....they were the chief news conduits of the day and the sway that they held over their readers was powerful. McPherson's summation is concise. It outlines the four turning points of the war. With a little different foresight, planning, numbers of men, materiel, rations and luck, the outcome of the war might have turned out differently. The author shows us how close each side came to breaking through and staying on top. What is amazing is that it took so long for one side to achieve victory.
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Summary: One of the best comprehensive histories of the Civil War
Review: In the "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era" James M. McPherson brings history alive. He sets the context for the War Between the States. He strikes an excellent balance between simply recounting the war itself and providing the reader with information on the politics, social fabric, and economics of the day. While not a book for "serious" historians (let them read original sources), I found McPherson's effort perfectly tuned to the average reader interested in Civil War history. If this book doesn't make you want to learn more about this pivotal conflict, then nothing will. Kudos to McPherson for making the Civil War easily accessible to the reading public.
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Summary: A Brilliant Masterpiece...
Review: This book is a masterpiece. Anyone who says otherwise I think, is utter nonsense. If you want to know how the war started, the status of the economies of both North and South, the politicians, the Generals, this simply is the book. It is utterly free of bias. Perhaps some southerners might quibble with McPherson's view that slavery was one of the primary causes, but the way he writes his argument, it is hard to disagree with him. Perhaps another grievance those might have is that it's not just a military history, but rather, a political one as well. This, I think is absolutely essential. Each had an effect on the other. If, let's say, a General appointed by Lincoln suffers a defeat (like John Pope for instance) at the hands of R. E. Lee, it had definite political consequences on how Lincoln will carry out his policy and war aims. McPherson shows this clearly. Aside from superb analysis, McPherson is a outstanding writer. You never have to reread passages to understand his or his point. All political and military figures get their due here. The only thing one might have a problem with is the maps. Hugh Brogan said orginally in the New York Times Book Review, that the Confederate movements are a bit difficult to see, but that's about it. For the uninitiated, start with the Ken and Ric Burns/Geoffrey War Civil War book, then McPherson. If you want more, then move on to the master, Shelby Foote.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent, Complete, Objective Work
Review: The bottom line on this book is this. This is the most complete, most objective, and most well-researched Civil War book you could possibly hope for. While this book is clearly not for everyone, the Civil War enthusiast who wishes to get an objective view which considers many aspects of this conflict should start by reading this book. In a word, this book is brilliant. I have to disclaim the caveat where I said it was, "Clearly not for everyone." By that statement I mean the following. Some people might be looking for a recap of only the battles waged in the field. Some people may be looking for a Naval history. Some may be looking for a view of technological advancement. Some may want to focus on political views. Some may want to explore the sociological tides in the Union and Confederacy alike. For the reader who wants only 1 or 2 of those items, the book is not for them. The reason for this is because the book entails all of the above aspects; all of which are investigated objectively. Likewise, this book may not be exactly right for a beginner, as it delves deeply into a complex web of factors that shaped the war from start to finish. If a high interest level is not there, it could easily be overwhelming at first glance. In fact, it took me nearly a year to pick this book up. I don't think I can say enough good things about this book. Every approach McPherson takes seems to be dripping with objectivity. Even widely held beliefs he dissects, with an attempt to get to the core of truth. And when a strict answer does not present itself in his inquiries, he presents both sides and lets the reader decide. This book is long. In order to encapsulate this many aspects of the war (in addition to ones I assuredly have missed), a tremendous number of pages needs to be devoted to the subject. Over 800 pages from start to finish. The subject matter is approached at a medium-high level of intelligence such that the reader feels his efforts and conclusions were derived from a fair amount of contemplation. I have read the 4 reviews that have not given this book a 4 star rating or higher. I think that a few general themes emerge with those complaints. The first is that this book is not perfect. While I do think this book is tremendous, I agree that the book is not perfect. No 800 page book will be perfect. Another thing I note is that several of the people who rate the book poorly did not read it fully. They cite examples of McPherson's failings that are simply incorrect. I do find interesting the claims that this book is written through glasses colored by the tint of the Civil Rights movement of the late 1960's. While I can neither confirm nor deny this, the approach that McPherson takes in this book is a reasonable one and people are bound to disagree with things that they don't want to believe. Claims that this book has an anti-South slant to it are generally unfair, in my opinion. Neither North nor South come out of this looking morally superior. The only complaint that I can possibly lend credence to is that of McPherson's giving slavery too much of a role in the conflict. This is, perhaps, where claims of his Civil Rights involvement cloud his complete objectivity. However, the above does not detract from the excellence of the book enough to warrant anything but a 5 star rating. I find most, if not all, complaints about this book to be generally unfair, and unrepresentative of what is contained in this work. While the book is not perfect, it strives to make sense of a very complicated subject matter and does a very good job doing that. Very highly recommended.
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