The American Civil War
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4.0 • 24 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The greatest military historian of our time gives a peerless account of America’s most bloody, wrenching, and eternally fascinating war.
In this magesterial history and national bestseller, John Keegan shares his original and perceptive insights into the psychology, ideology, demographics, and economics of the American Civil War. Illuminated by Keegan’s knowledge of military history he provides a fascinating look at how command and the slow evolution of its strategic logic influenced the course of the war. Above all, The American Civil War gives an intriguing account of how the scope of the conflict combined with American geography to present a uniquely complex and challenging battle space. Irresistibly written and incisive in its analysis, this is an indispensable account of America’s greatest conflict.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
American scholars tend to write the Civil War as a great national epic, but Keegan (The First World War), an Englishman with a matchless knowledge of comparative military history, approaches it as a choice specimen with fascinating oddities. His more thematic treatment has its shortcomings his campaign and battle narratives can be cursory and ill-paced but it pays off in far-ranging discussions of broader features: the North's strategic challenge in trying to subdue a vast Confederacy ringed by formidable natural obstacles and lacking in significant military targets; the importance of generalship; the unusual frequency of bloody yet indecisive battles; and the fierceness with which soldiers fought their countrymen for largely ideological motives. Keegan soars above the conflict to delineate its contours, occasionally swooping low to expand on a telling detail or a moment of valor or pathos. Some of his thoughts, as on the unique femininity of Southern women and how the Civil War stymied socialism in America, are less than cogent. Still, Keegan's elegant prose and breadth of learning make this a stimulating, if idiosyncratic, interpretation of the war. 16 pages of photos, 12 maps.
Customer Reviews
Not Keegan's best...
I am a very big John Keegan fan. I've been reading and enjoying his military histories for over 20 years. This one, however, feels like it was rushed together from notes and a half-written manuscript. It's disorganized, repetitive and unpolished; it truly pains me to say this. I was really looking forward to getting some typically Keeganesque insights into the Civil War and what I have found is very disappointing.
The Civil War
An excellent look at the “Why?” Why did it happen, why did the battles happen? Why in the places it did? How did it shape modern America? Not an easy read, but a worthwhile read. Interesting to have a British point of view on an American story. Grant and Sherman are elevated to the level they deserve, Lee is de-mythologized and shown to not be the greatest American general ever. Very interesting. Worth your time if you’re at all a student of American history.