Good overview of the English Civil War
927088
I well understand some of the reviewers' complaints about this book's cursory treatment of various subjects relating to the war, its causes and its primary characters. However, the author himself acknowledges that his book is a mere overview, meant for the reader who is unfamiliar with the war. He seems exhaustive though in at least listing all the various battles and sieges, and certainly emphasizes the constant depredations committed by both sides.
4028987
A very good book if you are interested in how the regular soldier lived and functioned during the Civil War.
2141898
As an amateur student of the battle, I like to visit the battlefield. Maps are important to consult as you walk the ground and this book fills the bill for the amateur like me. The text is not overwhelming and the maps are good. The text is a condensed version of the battle. Even though I have read several books about the battle, I found the text in conjunction with the maps really helped me understand better. My wife agrees that it helped her too. It is not a large book so it will be easy to stuff in a small backpack for a battlefield trek.
4283959
I wanted to read a very good and thorough chronicle of the Civil War without reading something as massive as Shelby Foote's 3-volume set.  What I wanted was something that also detailed the political and social issues that led to the war - not just a chronicle of the war itself.  In other words, I wanted to know WHY the the Civil War was really fought.  This book delivered and then some.

About 250 pages or so out of the 850+ discuss the events and issues from the 1840's up through 1860 and South Carolina's secession, so there is more than enough background on the "why" part of the war.

Once the war starts, McPherson doesn't just blandly discuss all of battles and military strategy of the war (there is plenty of military strategy discussion though, too). Instead, the book goes "between the lines" and includes alot of interesting detail regarding the rollercoaster ride of morale in both the north and south stemming from the outcome of certain battles, the political and/or military reasoning behind certain moves made in the war by both Abraham Lincoln and Jeff Davis, the ever-changing sentiment towards the war on both sides as the months and years wore on, and how that played into wartime strategy.

I've tried other Civil War books in the past and found myself glazing over after reading a chapter or two, but "Battle Cry" reeled me in right away and I was completely engrossed in the material from start to finish.

As to be expected, the author adds his opinion at times, but does so in such way as not to be too judgemental but does also add criticism of BOTH sides where warranted.  When reading, I felt like I was just being given the facts and allowed to think for myself.  That is one concern I have with history books - lack of objectivity from the author.  I didn't feel lectured to or preached to when reading "Battle Cry", so McPherson did a good job remaining pretty nuetral throughout.  This is not a "the South was evil" Civil War book.

I can see why this book won a Pulitzer Prize - it is very interesting, well written, informative and objective.  I'm glad I spent the time (almost 3 months) reading it.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.
1525333
Stuart Sanders continues to add to the study of Kentucky in the Civil War with this nice work on an early Union victory. Some people think Perryville is a major battle that is under-appreciated partly due to geography, but Mill Springs (aka Logans Crossroads) fits that bill as well. It was not as big as Perryville, but it was among the first Union victories and showed that the Union could indeed defeat the Confederscy on the battlefield.

This book is not overly long, but still does a good job of describing the fighting and how it happened. The author has a very readable and understandable style of writing that makes this book an easy read. It is a valuable addition to the discussion of the war in Kentucky and how this state affected the outcome of the war. It is well-researched, well-written, and well worth adding to any Civil War Library.
444478
Wert writes a better book here than he did with his biography of Gen. Longstreet.  A fine, well researched story of what has been relegated to the status of sideshow to the campaigns of General Grant in 1864.  Wert balances detail (unit citations down to regimental level) with discussions of strategies and the big picture pressures under which both commanders operated.  My greatest criticism is that the maps are simplistic and would have been more useful if they had been drawn to the same level of detail (regimental with better terrain markings) as the author uses in the text.  Overall, a good read for civil war buffs.
237549
Very good detail about each of the battles, including who was involved and movement and position of armies.  While an explanation about warfare and weapons was somewhat interesting , I think a shorter summary was all that was needed.  Four chapters did not encourage interest in the book and I almost stopped reading  until I finally got to some specifics about the Wars of the Roses.
428717
I have a few hundred books about the Civil War and this is the one I recommend the most frequently.  it is well written and personality driven so the most novice potential amature historian can enjoy it.  However it is also a first person account of events during the last year of war.  Therefore it is a primary reference to the avid student of the war.  Basically, it is a good book to hook the amature into wanting to more.
873136
A summary of the review on StrategyPage. COM:

'The seemingly endless flow of Civil War books has one serious flaw; they all pretty much presume familiarity with the subject, often a deep familiarity.  In Land Campaigns of the Civil War, originally published over a decade ago, Calore, who has also written&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Naval-Campaigns-of-the-Civil-War/dp/0786412178/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Naval Campaigns of the Civil War</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/CAUSES-OF-THE-CIVIL-WAR-The-Political-Cultural-Economic-and-Territorial-Disputes-Between-the-North-and-South/dp/0786433043/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR: The Political, Cultural, Economic and Territorial Disputes Between the North and South</a>, sought to write a book for those lacking such familiarity.  And he succeeds rather well.  Calore opens with an introduction that concisely summarizes the causes of the war.  Then, in the subsequent 20 chapters, he takes a look at a distinct theatre, campaign, or period of the war.  He interweaves these in such a way that all theatres are covered in a more or less chronological fashion, while touching on political developments.  This gives the reader a good summary overview of the war.  While seasoned Civil War scholars and buffs may readily pick nits, Land Campaigns of the Civil War does what it is intended to do, provide an introduction for the novice, and would be an ideal first book for a younger person.'

For the full review, see StrategyPage. COM
28463
Great narrative which really comes together at the end and sets the stage for 1863 in Volume 2.  My one critique, and a minor one at that is at times I had to search around for which side certain generals were fighting for as it wasn't always clear after you met them the first time.  Also, this was my first non-fiction work read on a kindle so accessing the maps in an easy manner was bothersome, but that's more a knock on the kindle than the work of Mr. Foote.  I'm looking forward to Volume 2 and would recommend this book to others looking for an enjoyable read and thorough account of the opening Act of the American Civil War.
4595881
A decent general work.  If you want to learn about the general outlines of the British Army in that period.
4351153
This is a phonenal book for war history people like myself. Looking from the Welsh revolt, finances and even the law requiring the people to use the longbow once a week to practice. Very little will be about the battle itself. Which isn't to bad. Because this book keeps you up to the start of the war process to the end of the war process. It is also an easy read. I would recommend it to any history lover.
400808
I purchased The Army of the Cumberland by Henry Martyn Cist, as a Kindle book for study of the the Civil War.  If you would like to personalize the participants of the Civil War then the study of this book reveals much of what is known of this group of soldiers who made of the Cumberland Regiments.  It is well worth the read and I like the Kindle format for reading and capturing this information.
2706729
This overview is a good primer for beginning a study of Gettysburg. Probably better for an early study as opposed to one well versed in the battle.
1886808
I consider this to be a well written, easy to read very brief overview of the major battles of WW1.  Not much in the way of political analysis or in-depth reviewing of the war, the countries, the personalities etc, just a very brief overview of the major battles.  Possibly a nice starting point for someone who is curious about WW1.
4062541
Very readable overview of the Lancaster/York phase of the wars. The Kindle edition suffers from the complex genealogies being less accessible.
4106223
This book does a decent job of covering English history up to the end of the Tudors. I've been on an English history reading binge lately and wanted to go back and get everything straight in my head before I read Ackroyd's "Rebellion," which picks up after the Tudors. There is nothing new here, but I do like how the "official history" (i.e., the kings as the linear line of history) is alternated with short summary chapters about English society at the time. For someone seeking an introductory history of England (up to the end of the Tudors), this is a good choice, just as it was a good choice for me to review the more in-depth histories I have been reading. History is painted in broad brushstrokes, which is fine, and perhaps certain eras will get your fancy and you'll do some more in-depth reading (Dan Jones' history of the Plantagenets was great, but it's prequel was only so-so).