Status
Available
Collection
Publication
New York : Oxford University Press, 1992.
Description
After the Civil War, someone asked General Pickett why the Battle of Gettysburg had been lost: Was it Lee's error in taking the offensive, the tardiness of Ewell and Early, or Longstreet's hesitation in attacking? Pickett scratched his head and replied, ""I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it."" This simple fact, writes James McPherson, has escaped a generation of historians who have looked to faulty morale, population, economics, and dissent as the causes of Confederate failure. These were all factors, he writes, but the Civil War was still a war--won by the Union army t
User reviews
LibraryThing member shootingstarr7
This book is a collection of five essays by James McPherson, Archer Jones, Gary W. Gallagher, Reid Mitchell, and Joseph T. Glatthaar, detailing why the Confederate States of America lost the Civil War.
This book did a lot to make me re-evaluate my opinions on whether or not the South would have won
I would recommend this book to those who are interested in learning a little more about some of the specifics of the Civil War and its outcome.
This book did a lot to make me re-evaluate my opinions on whether or not the South would have won
Show More
if they'd had the same resources as the North. According to the essays, the Confederate states lost the war because the Union had key victories, dedicated troops, African Americans, military planning/political necessity, and better generals. And considering my inherent stubbornness, any book that makes me rethink my opinions on anything is worth note. All five writers present their point well, and they all back them up with solid facts. My one quibble has to do with the fact that the overall point of each essay seems to overlap with the others, and by the fifth essay, Glatthaar's "Black Glory," it was all redundant.I would recommend this book to those who are interested in learning a little more about some of the specifics of the Civil War and its outcome.
Show Less
LibraryThing member la2bkk
Thought provoking collection of essays setting forth the various writers' opinion as to the myriad causes of why the confederacy lost, or why the union won, the civil war. The essays are written in a manner that will appeal both to a casual reader and more serious civil war fan.