A Basic Survey of the Civil War
919228
After reading A GREAT CIVIL WAR I honestly wondered why Russell Weigley had written it. This is not Foote, nor Nevins, nor Catton. A passable 500 page history, this book could serve as a basic textbook for a survey course of the Civil War. Unfortunately it adds virtually nothing new to the seemingly endless scholarship on the subject.

While less dense than McPherson's BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM that book remains the best single volume history of the war (an opinion Weigley endorses in his endnotes).

Weigley does a very good job in setting forth the war's root issues of cause and effect. His selection of subjects and the unequal weight he gives to battles is overly subjective, however. His battle descriptions are far too wordy, and it is too easy for a reader to lose the thread in the midst of the action.

A good "introductory" book to the subject for those unfamiliar with it, Civil War aficionados will find this book less than interesting.
3974156
I am a student of the Civil War---this is a good addition to my library--takes you to the battlefield and the horror of war at that time--
2177710
The book is a pictural history, in chronological order, of the civil war.
Each photo taken during the civil war is next to a recent picture who shows what the battlefield now looks like.
With the book in hand, you can visit the exact right spot were those battles for Liberty took place.
The text is simple and right to the point, you don't have to be an expert to understand the how and why's.

A truly magnificent book for anyone who wish to visit those battlefields.
3186380
4.5 out of 5 stars.

McPherson is a good author, and one of the deans of Civil War history.  His take on Jefferson Davis is needed, because he is often consciously, and unconsciously, compared to Lincoln.  Any such comparison is to Davis's detriment.  Partially because Lincoln is so good and the Confederacy lost.  McPherson makes a conscious effort to NOT compare Davis with Lincoln, and the effect is a good overview of Confederate strategy and Confederate war aims.  It captures what Davis tried to do, what he did, what he was up against, and gives brief sketches of the people he dealt with and the battles of the Civil War.  It is, I think, a necessary title for any Civil War bookshelf.
2462990
Peter Schiffer's book provides information about the development, use and capabilities of all of the major carbines used during the U. S. Civil War.  The central theme of the book is an examination of the results of the author's test firing of Civil War period carbines.  His period weapons are fired with bullets and powder that conform, as close as possible, to the properties of the original.  He ranks the performance or effectiveness of the carbines in a logical way that allows the reader to better understand the merits of the various models.  It is a comprehensive study of the true ballistic properties and accuracy of the weapons fired at various distances.  His tests to duplicate how the original weapons were evaluated prior to being adopted into service.  If the book was only about accuracy and ballistics it would still be a worthwhile read, but he also includes brief histories of how each weapon was developed and adopted into the service.  Feedback from Civil War soldiers who used the guns is referenced and helps develop a backdrop for his modern test results.  The historical background lends context to the work and provides a texture to the prose that enhances what could have been just a report of a day at the range.
2850077
The $1.00 edition [UPDATE: It's now $2.00] provides the full text of Rhodes' distinguished 1917 overview of the American Civil War but lacks his footnotes and any illustrations the original may have had. Nevertheless, it is very informatve and generally comprehensive. It is also appealingly formatted -- except that the descriptive TOC is not active. (However, a little patience, a modicum of effort, and few minutes of searching and bookmarking will render it just as good as if it had one.)

Rhodes' account is quite enjoyable to read and it very often pleasantly surprises by details it includes. But occasionally it frustrates by what it does not cover. I was, for example, underwhelmed by its account of the 3-day battle of Gettysburg and by how much it could (or, in my opinion, "should") have said about it but didn't. While selectivity is to be expected of any single book attempting to cover such a huge, multi-faceted topic as the Civil War, it can still be disappointing when some areas the reader considers especially important are given short shrift. Nevertheless, this book satisfies far more often than it disappoints, and I do recommend it to those desiring an inexpensive, one-volume overview.

This review has somehow become attached to one or two ebook editions other than the one (costing only $1.00) for which it was originally written. If I were paying significantly more, however, I would look for 4 things which the low-priced edition lacks: (1) an active TOC, (2) original footnotes, (3) readable maps, and (4) photographs.

So, as an older, well-written, informative, enjoyable-to-read refresher or basic introduction to the Civil War, any edition of this work by Rhodes is certainly well-worth considering (even and, perhaps, particularly the footnote-less, text-only, bargain-priced, $1.00 edition). However, one might do well to read BOTH this book AND a newer one (like James M. McPherson's excellent "Battle Cry of Freedom," a very highly regarded 1988 overview having the benefit of 71 years worth of additional research and insight) to get a more complete picture and fuller understanding of a turbulent but fascinating period of American history.
4431567
John Keegan is a major military historian. His book, "The Face of War," is a fascinating examination of major battles from a very different perspective. But his one volume history of the Civil War disappoints.

On the one hand, this is a standard one volume history of the Civil War. It takes a largely chronological view of the war, with some concluding chapters on very specific aspects of the war, such as naval battle, black soldiers, the war at home, Walt Whitman's role in and view of the war, and so on. These latter elements add interesting sidebars to the main narrative. While Keegan does make some 30,000 foot analyses of the war, there is rather little general large scale analysis.

At the same time, there are strange repeats. At one point he might speak of a battle. Text intervenes. And then he returns to a statement similar to where he had started.

Factual errors are especially jarring. General Ord was NOT a key figure at Five Forks, when Sheridan wrecked the Confederate right flank. The Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac was not composed mostly of black troops at Petersburg, although these soldiers comprised a significant percentage of the Corps' manpower. On pager 276, the Battle of Franklin is muddled beyond easy understanding. Hood as a cleverer opponent of Sherman's than Johnston? And so on. One or two errors might be understandable. But for a major figure to make so many is surprising (and other reviewers have noted this, too).

There are interesting points made, including comparisons of the North and South in terms of resources and strategy.

Overall, though, the book ends up disappointing as much as satisfying.
4047670
For the kind of book this is, it is quite good. The author is fairly non-partisan, noting Yankee massacres and killings, as well as Confederate rage at facing black troops in battle. I don't think he quite develops fully his thesis that there was in effect a kind of policy of killing black Union soldiers. The usual cases--Ft. Pillow, the Crater, Poison Springs plus a few not well known (such as the Plymouth pogrom in NC). Several thousand black union soldiers were killed in these events.
3997008
A good survey of American presidents up to the Truman administration. He wastes few words and opinions which are worth consid.ering. He was a man for the people who he felt strongly should be served by government in Jeffersonian and Jackson and Lincoln fashion.
550839
A GREAT OVERVIEW OF THE CAUSES AND PARTICULARS OF THE CIVIL WAR.  POINTS OUT THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF BOTH SIDES.
4276053
Not a Civil War fan, but this is an easy read.
804902
At the very beginning of the Civil War, President Lincoln called for 75,000 state militiamen to augment the tiny 16,000-man standing U.S. Army in securing the national capital and various federal forts and installations.  The states not already in secession from the Union attempted to provide these troops.  Their story is the basis of the Osprey Men-at-Arms Series book "Lincoln's 90-Day Volunteers 1861".

Veteran writer Ron Fields provides a brief introduction and chronology before launching into a discussion of the volunteer units by state.  Seventeen states and the District of Columbia provided troops, either existing militia units with their unique uniforms, or newly raised formations which wore a grab-bag of civilian and mixed military apparel.  Fields provides a short synopsis of what most of the units did in their short term of duty; few saw any combat. There is a decent selection of period photographs of the volunteers.  Illustrator Adam Hook provides some nicely-done color plates detailing the various uniforms.

At under 50 pages, "Lincoln's 90-Day Volunteers 1861" is a fairly lightweight entry notable first for the incredible variety of uniforms worn by Union forces until the Army had a chance to standardize the issue, and second for the sheer confusion that attended the call-up of volunteers.  Recommended.
4742449
Over the past few years, a sub-category of history books has emerged with the goal of presenting a warts-and-all retelling of the historical record. This book, for instance, wants to unveil "what your teachers never told you about the War between the States." The resulting volume is a broad, interesting and informational introduction to some famous Civil War movers and shakers.

The personalities covered in O'Brien's 26 chapters are mostly "the usual suspects" such as 'Father Abraham' and his wife, Grant, McClellan, Burnside, Sherman, Jefferson and Varina Davis, Lee, Jackson, Stuart and others such as Harriet Tubman, William Quantrill, etc. The life of each is covered in 10-12 pages with O'Brien relating their triumphs, tragedies and pecadilloes in a lighthearted, evenhanded fashion.

Dedicated Civil War buffs will be familiar with much of the material appearing in the hefty (300+ pages) little volume. But it only retails for $16.95 so what the heck! Likewise if you're just getting interested in the Civil War, this is a very HUMAN introduction to some people who have since assumed legendary stature.

Recommended.

****
One suggestion: Drop the illustrations and go with period photographs.
2628346
This is a dense book written for Civil War buffs -- and I mean that as a compliment.  I know my history, but am not "as into" the Civil War as some of my peers.  I found that this book was interesting, but somewhat difficult to get through because I did not know the back story.  You do no NEED to know the back story -- the book is complete -- but I found that I wish I knew more before I read it.  A great gift for someone that enjoys Civil War reading.
1013122
I enjoyed the this book, but not as much as other books on the Civil War which I have read.  Maybe it wasn't as interesting a battle.
1338129
The book is exactly as one would expect. Nasir does a fantastic job of summarizing the Civil War without leaving important details out. It's a relatively easy read, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn about the Civil War.
4809760
I liked this book because it contains information which I haven't been able to find elsewhere. The style of writing is strange so it is a little difficult to read, in a sort of Dostoevsky meets Yoda kind of way,  Description of the physical characteristics if the land after the 3 days are worth the price of the book. The author spends very very little time on what is usually common knowledge for the average Civil War buff which I found nice.

The book doesn't draw you in to the scenes, if that what you are looking for, however there are a good selection of letters and diary entries which I found revealed some things about Gettysburg I had never considered. The collection of photographs is fairly unique in that they are not the same 7 photographs splashed around every other publication. Here you see whole forests stripped of bark, branches shattered by weaponry, photos of survivors returning months or years later contemplating recognizable sections of the battlefield.

I could go on. Worth having in any collection on the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression, if you will). The first hand accounts are priceless.