Bruce Catton (1899–1978)

A headlong plunge into this clash of ideals, this history of the fight for the American soul drives recent events into perspective. Just how far have we actually evolved in the hundred-and-fifty-plus years since the ending of the Civil War? Every glance at the news has to make us question our own collective enlightenment, our wokeness. Even if Catton were not such a good writer, this book would be well worth the reader's time because of its relevance. But Catton can write. Those — myself included — unfamiliar with the intricacies of Civil War tactics and maneuvering need not be put off. The true value here lies in the sweep of the narrative.

Read in a gulp, Catton's history was most valuable in providing an understanding of the countervailing forces which very nearly cleaved the country in two. There are no heroes here, and in this was the greatest surprise for me. While the evils of slavery and the necessity of destroying the institution are obvious, much less so is the character of the southerner. For what did he fight? The answer is not obvious and was not made so by the end of the book. This is at least part of the point. The reasons for the war are ultimately as varied as the people which participated. More than anything, it is the humanity of all involved which comes through on these pages.… (mer)

Very well written narrative version of history. Not quite Shelby Foote or even my good friend Hampton Newsome, but thoroughly entertaining. Also, unlike Foote (who's three volume narrative the Civil War is, to me, the definitive overall narrative history of the Civil War), Catton's first volume gave me a new appreciation for, and (to some extent) repulsion, to Gen. McClellan who I never fully understood as the reticent, self-doubting, not fully anti-slavery yet pro-Union, wrong-century general that he was.… (mer)