Best U.S. Civil War books - FReeper opinions sought

Imagination ^ | 7 Oct 2001 | just me

[fnord]

Hi there. I am going to buy a few Civil War books to get me through the winter. Given the wealth of knowledge here on FR, I am sure some FReepers can give me their recommendations.

I already have Killer Angels and Stillness at Appomatox. Looking for general overall history books and also ones of more specific scope (campaigns, individuals, etc).

Any suggestion would be most appreciated :-)

[Aurelius]

Is it that difficult to simply say what they are?

[Roebucks]

If you like MacPherson, try his "Ordeal by Fire". It won him the Pulitzer. It starts in 1800 and goes through the reconstruction and the Grant presidency. Very good as it covers economic, social and political factors leading up to the war between the states.

[Aurelius]

The Wade book seems to be available from Amazon. I'll try it.

[Walkin Man]

This is a great book on the Civil war.

[Squire]

For studying the War Between the States, D.S. Freeman's Lee's Lieutenant's is essential. You might also consider Jefferson Davis's monumental Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.

For an interesting "what might have been" twist, a book came out several years ago called How Few Remain. I can't remember the name of the author. It's historical fiction -- the premise is that Lee's Special Order No. 9 did not fall into enemy hands just prior to the Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam), and the South won the war. Lee became the second Southern president, followed by Longstreet. Lincoln became a proto-Marxist. The two nations peacefully co-exist, with the South taking Cuba as a protectorate. Then, Emperor Maximilian in Mexico offers to sell two Pacific Coast provinces to the Confederary, and the north goes to war over it.

[billbears]

I get a real kick out of billbears and his black soldiers routine.

I'm not sure why you would get a kick out of it. It's called DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE from what I would consider a pretty reputable source(unless you want to start calling black professors names because they don't tow the Jesse reparations line). And all you come up with for your 'supposed nine points' is sending someone to read Congressional Records from 1872?

Face it, one of the greatest propaganda campaigns in the history of the United StateS government is finally coming to an end after 135 years, lincoln is being proved time and time again by his own words and actions what a tyrant he was, and you don't like it

[x]

I can recommend Gary Gallagher's Teaching Company course on "The American Civil War" and David Zarefsky's course "Abraham Lincoln: In His Own Words". These are lectures on audio or video tape or CD that may be available at a nearby public library. Gallagher is an acclaimed military historian who concentrates on the armies, strategy and battles. Zarefsky is a professor of rhetoric and public speaking who brings history and communications to bear in the study of the documents and speeches of the era.

I also recommend William C. Davis's "The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy." Davis is a widely admired three-time winner of the Jefferson Davis Award for writing on the Confederacy, but he takes a very dim view of some of the recent neo-Confederate apologetics.

[billbears]

If you check the paperwork of Jefferson Davis, you will find a number of letters written by him clearly stating that under no circumstances are blacks to be taken into service as soldiers.

If you check the acts and words of lincoln, he could have cared less if the slaves were freed or not. And if they were freed what happened to them. Well,

He tries to accomodate himself to the vulgar prejudice of colour by taking for granted that the negroes must all go away somewhere. He openly declares the he hopes the free blacks will go away with the slaves, and he holds this out as the great recommendation of the emancipation plan to the citizens of the north...The people are, by Congress, to give money to buy a territory somewhere, outside of their own country; and there the four millions of slaves are to transported with as many free blacks as can be induced or compelled to go with them. Such is Mr. Lincoln's pretended scheme...The four millions of negroes would be carried away from shelter and food, to be set down in a wilderness to starve..This looks like insanity---Once a Week February 1862

I bet lincoln hated that. This was from a British periodical and the poor slob couldn't shut them down as he had the 300+ northern newspapers in the early days of the War. But surely the Emancipation Proclamation laid out the true cause of the war?

I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United StateS of America, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy therof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of restoring the constitutional relation between the United StateS and the people thereof, in which StateS that relation is, or may be, suspended or disturbed; and that, with this object "on the 1st day of January 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State, or so designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United StateS shall be then, thenceforward, and for ever, free.

Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept 22,1862, giving the Confederacy a full three months to give up before slaves would be released.ONLY if they didn't give up would the slaves be free. But slavery was what the war was about? Right?

[Siegfried]

I haven't read the thread yet, so does anybody remember a small "coffee-table" sized book that was published maybe 15-20 years ago that had 3D representations of the Civil War battlefields? I didn't buy it then, never saw it again, and have been regretting it ever since . . . .

I think I might be able to help you there. The book I've got is called "The American Heritage Picture History of The Civil War" by Bruce Catton. ISBN 0-517-385562

It's got wonderful illustrations and pictures. It covers the war a little lightly, but whenever I hear a battlefield name mentioned now, I have a picture in my mind of the terrain illustrated in this book. I highly recommend it, especially for kids (even fifty year old kids like myself).

Another Civil War book I have that I can't recommend as highly, unless you're the scholarly type, is "The Blue and The Gray" by Henry Steele Commager. A lot of good information there, but it gets pretty dense at times. Still, there are a few memorable moments here and there.

[1rudeboy]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[PeaRidge]

I would also recommend x's new novel, 'John Brown and William Sherman, the First American Terrorist Heros'.

[x]

I believe the title should be "John Brown and William Quantrill: Two American Terrorists." Terrorism is a tactic or strategy that wasn't confined to one side in that war.

On Sherman, see Victor Davis Hanson's book "The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny," assuming you aren't too wedded to current propaganda to look at things in another way.

Civil War fanatics might appreciate the movie, "Ride with the Devil." Long, earnest and boring, but plenty of detail to discuss, and not overly biased in favor of one side or the other. It does have something epic in it. Turner's "Gettysburg" and "Andersonville" are also of interest.

[PeaRidge]

"Terrorism is a tactic or strategy that wasn't confined to one side in that war."

But the magnitude of the application was. Mr. Sherman's modern view of warfare on the populace far exceeded that of anyone before him, much less an unauthorized outlaw like Quantrill.

Perhaps you would care to compare and contrast Sherman with Lee or Mosby, unless you are too steeped in Union rationalization history.

Remember that Mr. Lincoln was receiving descriptions from Sherman and doing nothing to stop the madman, because to do so would require negotiations between the two governments, and Mr. Lincoln was going to have it his way.

And thanks for your recommended reading, but we have our own, dating back to 1861.

[raygun]

Memoirs of Ulysses S Grant. If you read it, you'll find out that its much more difficult to replace the mules lost in one battle than a whole sh*t load of generalsover the course of the enire war.

(Anyways the "S" is just that, "S")

[Aurelius]

BUMP

[Jael]

I stumbled upon this thread about one year too late!

But the book you mentioned is excellent!

[1rudeboy]

I found the book, and bought it used. It was the one I was look for . . . thanks. (Or thanks again, if I did already).