Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Random House (1974), Hardcover, 1106 pages
Description
Foote's comprehensive history of the Civil War includes three compelling volumes: Fort Sumter to Perryville, Fredericksburg to Meridian, and Red River to Appomattox. Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters. Anyone who wants to relive the Civil War will go through this volume with pleasure. Years from now, Foote's monumental narrative most likely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind.
User reviews
LibraryThing member cartledge777
Just too many details for my taste. I know he's a great writer, but I just always felt bogged down by so much information.
LibraryThing member JVioland
Superlatives cannot describe this work. I've never enjoyed such a historical work more than this one. It is arguably the best work of its kind. You are transported to the events and become an involved observer of the horrific war that changed America forever.
LibraryThing member Arkrayder
This is the last book in "The Civil War: A Narrative" trilogy. I love these books and believe them to have excellent writing and detail. Some may find it slow, boring, over detailed, but I adore all that kind of stuff. This is a long book, coming in at 1089 pages, so it's a commitment reading it.
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I've read the first two volumes and just cannot get over the sheer detail of it. I'm impressed with the writing style in the form of a tale. It's not all facts and figures, but paints a realistic picture of the time. Foote's research of the American Civil War has to have been intense. It shows. Just couldn't put these volumes down. Show Less
LibraryThing member knightlight777
It took me quite a while to finish this three volume series by Shelby Foote as in this third book I read usually two pages each day. More to savor the experience for as long as I could. I became acquainted with Mr. Foote during the epic Ken Burns series on PBS. He struck me as someone who knew his
Shelby could narrate like no other I have encountered on this great struggle in our nation's history. I was a bit surprised he did not delve much into the tragedy of the Union soldiers at Andersonville. Also the ending of this third and final volume focuses on Jefferson Davis's travails at the conclusion of the war. On balance though each and every twist and turn, victory and defeat is laid out in detail. I was left with the thought that the south given its military leadership only needed the resources to have prevailed. Thankfully they did not have this and we have our nation in its whole.
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stuff on this subject and he did not disappoint in print.Shelby could narrate like no other I have encountered on this great struggle in our nation's history. I was a bit surprised he did not delve much into the tragedy of the Union soldiers at Andersonville. Also the ending of this third and final volume focuses on Jefferson Davis's travails at the conclusion of the war. On balance though each and every twist and turn, victory and defeat is laid out in detail. I was left with the thought that the south given its military leadership only needed the resources to have prevailed. Thankfully they did not have this and we have our nation in its whole.
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LibraryThing member jguidry
A very well-researched narrative-style telling of the end of the Civil War. Foote tried to turn a series of mechanical battles into a story. Few details were left out; it is very thorough. However, the narrative seemed to try and excuse the actions of the South and its leaders during the war so it
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was not to my taste. Show Less
LibraryThing member cpg
There's not much to say about this volume that I didn't already say about the first two volumes. It's a classic work of narrative history written by a skilled novelist and a very thoughtful man. If you think you'd be interested, buy a copy now before Amazon forbids it.
What I thought I could do is
1) Trench warfare wasn't just a thing in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"; it was a major part of most Civil War battles. In fact, Blue versus Gray were facing each other in trenches east of Richmond and Petersburg for almost a year near the end of the war.
2) I say "Gray", but lots of Confederate soldiers were dressed in butternut (a light brown).
3) A large segment of the Confederate army fought barefoot.
4) Through most of the war, the two sides had a system called "parole" in which armies would not retain their prisoners but would release them after they agreed that "for them the war was over" (as the Germans would say).
5) Generals did not lead a cushy life back then. About 1 in 8 were killed in action during the war.
6) Somehow during the time I lived in Atlanta I got the idea that, in the siege of that city, Union cannons lobbed shells from Kennesaw Mountain into the downtown area, almost 20 miles away. In actuality, cannons then had a range of about a mile--no more than 2 miles for the best--and the mountain's 800 feet of height couldn't have made that much difference.
7) This was the first war in which railroads played a major factor.
8) Tearing up railroads was a major activity of the cavalry, but both sides became quite proficient at repairing them quickly.
9) Lee's surrender to Grant took place in a private home in a village called Appomattox Court House, *not* in a court house building.
What I thought I could do is
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list some miscellaneous things I've learned from the trilogy that I didn't previously know. Some of these will probably betray my singular ignorance, but there may be a few that would be news to a lot of people.1) Trench warfare wasn't just a thing in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"; it was a major part of most Civil War battles. In fact, Blue versus Gray were facing each other in trenches east of Richmond and Petersburg for almost a year near the end of the war.
2) I say "Gray", but lots of Confederate soldiers were dressed in butternut (a light brown).
3) A large segment of the Confederate army fought barefoot.
4) Through most of the war, the two sides had a system called "parole" in which armies would not retain their prisoners but would release them after they agreed that "for them the war was over" (as the Germans would say).
5) Generals did not lead a cushy life back then. About 1 in 8 were killed in action during the war.
6) Somehow during the time I lived in Atlanta I got the idea that, in the siege of that city, Union cannons lobbed shells from Kennesaw Mountain into the downtown area, almost 20 miles away. In actuality, cannons then had a range of about a mile--no more than 2 miles for the best--and the mountain's 800 feet of height couldn't have made that much difference.
7) This was the first war in which railroads played a major factor.
8) Tearing up railroads was a major activity of the cavalry, but both sides became quite proficient at repairing them quickly.
9) Lee's surrender to Grant took place in a private home in a village called Appomattox Court House, *not* in a court house building.
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LibraryThing member gmicksmith
Which American President created a system for slaves to be judged by a jury of all black jurors? Jefferson Davis
The U.S. Constitution provided for population counting to be 3/5ths of a person for slaves. How did the Confederate Constitution describe African-Americas, in contrast? Slaves.
The U.S. Constitution provided for population counting to be 3/5ths of a person for slaves. How did the Confederate Constitution describe African-Americas, in contrast? Slaves.
LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
My dad has always been a reader of military history, the Second World War and the War Between the States in particular, so, as a sort of rebellion, I never read much Civil War history. And then only when class beckoned. My first introduction to Shelby Foote, then, was in Ken Burns's great
This third volume in Foote's magnum opus, then, came after I recognized the great narrative value of the first and second. It is as stellarly good as people claim. Foote, a novelist (and he apologizes for that), writes his history so well it reads like a novel. He weaves his story so compellingly at times that even when I know the outcome of a battle, he makes me dramatically believe (suspend disbelief) that the other side might win. He paints his characters dramatically, gives back stories, and the like. I feel Longstreet's defensive nature, I know Sherman is fiery, I sense Jackson's quirky genius, I understand Lincoln's frustration with his generals. Though a novelist, this work is good history too. Historians might fault him for not using footnotes (though he explains why he does not), or deride him for not discussing such arcane things as social history. But this isn't his purpose. He accomplishes what he sets out to do well.
This particular volume takes the story from 1864 through to the end of the war. This book is longer than the previous volumes, but I didn't think it dragged like the second. The genius and tenacity of Grant and Sherman are expertly told; Lincoln's political genius comes out; and Lee's acumen comes out. (One wonders how the duel between Grant and Lee would have come out had the Confederacy had the war materiel that the Union did.) The stalemate around Petersburg and Richmond contrasts greatly with the total war pushes of Sherman. What a timid general Joe Johnston was. I find no redeeming qualities in his generalship. He was a sight better than Bragg. What a reckless fool Hood was as a general: the opposite of Johnston's timidity.
A good conclusion to the series.
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documentary. This third volume in Foote's magnum opus, then, came after I recognized the great narrative value of the first and second. It is as stellarly good as people claim. Foote, a novelist (and he apologizes for that), writes his history so well it reads like a novel. He weaves his story so compellingly at times that even when I know the outcome of a battle, he makes me dramatically believe (suspend disbelief) that the other side might win. He paints his characters dramatically, gives back stories, and the like. I feel Longstreet's defensive nature, I know Sherman is fiery, I sense Jackson's quirky genius, I understand Lincoln's frustration with his generals. Though a novelist, this work is good history too. Historians might fault him for not using footnotes (though he explains why he does not), or deride him for not discussing such arcane things as social history. But this isn't his purpose. He accomplishes what he sets out to do well.
This particular volume takes the story from 1864 through to the end of the war. This book is longer than the previous volumes, but I didn't think it dragged like the second. The genius and tenacity of Grant and Sherman are expertly told; Lincoln's political genius comes out; and Lee's acumen comes out. (One wonders how the duel between Grant and Lee would have come out had the Confederacy had the war materiel that the Union did.) The stalemate around Petersburg and Richmond contrasts greatly with the total war pushes of Sherman. What a timid general Joe Johnston was. I find no redeeming qualities in his generalship. He was a sight better than Bragg. What a reckless fool Hood was as a general: the opposite of Johnston's timidity.
A good conclusion to the series.
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Awards
Fletcher Pratt Award (1974)
Language
Original publication date
1974
Physical description
1106 p.; 6.8 inches
ISBN
0394465121 / 9780394465128
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General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier: A Biography by Jeffry D. Wert
Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command: Volume 1, Manassas to Malvern Hill by Douglas Southall Freeman