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The Civil War #2
The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian
A narrative history of the American Civil War, which covers not only the battles and the troop movements but also the social background that brought on the war and led, in the end, to the South's defeat.
976 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
About the author
Shelby Foote
94 books648 followersShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Foote was relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career until his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, where he introduced a generation of Americans to a war that he believed was "central to all our lives."
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December 20, 2016
I took me three months to read the almost one thousand pages of The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, the second volume in Shelby Foote’s trilogy. It was a great read considering all the battles minutely analyzed, and the many actors depicted and portrayed. Foote's marvelous narrative made this reading a real enjoyment. As in the first book, here Foote once again presents a detailed analyses of the political climate both in the North and the South, discusses the difficulties and challenges of Lincoln and Davies and how both leaders were able to deal with their respective roles as Commander-in-Chief.
The first volume ended after the bloodbath of Antietam in the fall of 1862. This one takes up with events following the removal of the American commander, George McClellan, and his replacement by General Burnside in time to start off with the December 1862’s Fredricksburg and ending in the spring of 1864, with Grant taking command of the entire Union Army.
The beginning for me might have been slow, but from the moment Foote starts to discuss two of the most decisive Union victories, Gettysburg and Vicksburg, I could not stop reading. I went straight to the end practically without stopping and merely breathing. That’s should be enough to tell you how much it enthralled me. The other major battle discussed was Chickamauga, a Southern victory which ruined the careers of two generals, Rosecrans and Bragg, and ended with Grant victorious at Chattanooga.
Foote continues to use his great narrative style to full effect here. Early on when we read about Lincoln search for a commander for the Army of the Potomac:
It is a masterful book, with the concomitant analyses of developments occurring simultaneously in different theaters, both East and West. For the reader, it means not only a better organized telling, but also a more real understanding of what it was like for actual actors – military, politicians and civilians – to live through this nightmare.
Thus, the reader will be reading about Grant's trials and tribulations in finding a way to attack the formidable Confederate defenses position of Vicksburg, Mississippi; while reading concomitantly about the contemporary conflicts between the Federal Army of the Potomac and Rebel Army of Northern Virginia as they fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in May and July of the same year.
For the first time, the Union started to produce the victories that start to point out to a possible end of the war. The taking of Vicksburg was a great victory for Grant, while at Gettysburg, Lee was defeated by the newly appointed General Meade, after Lincoln had already gone through over a handful of generals. But the outcome of Gettysburg was basically the result of Lee’s mistake of attacking entrenched Union forces. Lee had gambled the chance of winning the day and the war in one sweep; the southern generals’ realization that the South could not hope to actually win the war unless he gained a major battle against the North seemed to have forced his hand.
With Lee defeated, however, Meade failed to follow Lee's army in retreat and destroy it. Once more, a commander of the Army of the Potomac showed an acute lack of aggressiveness that until then proved to be one of the Union’s major shortcomings.
Later we read about the fighting in the West, with the Federal capture of Chattanooga followed by the battles of Chickamauga Creek and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee and Northern Georgia. This is just a sample of how much Foote is able to handle at any given time. With the first loss by the Union, where Bragg defeated Rosecrans, Lincoln places Grant as the commander of the Union’s Western Army. Thus, the South’s momentum is broken. Grant once again showed the aggressiveness that was lacking in the East, by attacking Bragg’s position in the ridge and liberating the besieged Chattanooga.
Foote ends this installment with Lincoln's decision to bring Grant to the East to command all the Union forces as the General-In-Chief. Lincoln, after going through with seven generals that proved not aggressive enough, had finally found his killer, the man to win the war.
Highly recommended!
The first volume ended after the bloodbath of Antietam in the fall of 1862. This one takes up with events following the removal of the American commander, George McClellan, and his replacement by General Burnside in time to start off with the December 1862’s Fredricksburg and ending in the spring of 1864, with Grant taking command of the entire Union Army.
The beginning for me might have been slow, but from the moment Foote starts to discuss two of the most decisive Union victories, Gettysburg and Vicksburg, I could not stop reading. I went straight to the end practically without stopping and merely breathing. That’s should be enough to tell you how much it enthralled me. The other major battle discussed was Chickamauga, a Southern victory which ruined the careers of two generals, Rosecrans and Bragg, and ended with Grant victorious at Chattanooga.
Foote continues to use his great narrative style to full effect here. Early on when we read about Lincoln search for a commander for the Army of the Potomac:
Scott and McDowell, Pope and McClellan, and now Burnside: none of these was the killer he was seeking. Already he saw that this search was perhaps the major problem. All else – while, like Blondin, Lincoln threaded his way, burdened by untold treasures – was, in a sense, a biding of time until the unknown killer could be found. Somewhere he existed, and somewhere he would find him, this unidentified general who could face the grim arithmetic being scrawled in blood across these critical, tragic pages of the nation’s history.
It is a masterful book, with the concomitant analyses of developments occurring simultaneously in different theaters, both East and West. For the reader, it means not only a better organized telling, but also a more real understanding of what it was like for actual actors – military, politicians and civilians – to live through this nightmare.
Thus, the reader will be reading about Grant's trials and tribulations in finding a way to attack the formidable Confederate defenses position of Vicksburg, Mississippi; while reading concomitantly about the contemporary conflicts between the Federal Army of the Potomac and Rebel Army of Northern Virginia as they fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in May and July of the same year.
For the first time, the Union started to produce the victories that start to point out to a possible end of the war. The taking of Vicksburg was a great victory for Grant, while at Gettysburg, Lee was defeated by the newly appointed General Meade, after Lincoln had already gone through over a handful of generals. But the outcome of Gettysburg was basically the result of Lee’s mistake of attacking entrenched Union forces. Lee had gambled the chance of winning the day and the war in one sweep; the southern generals’ realization that the South could not hope to actually win the war unless he gained a major battle against the North seemed to have forced his hand.
The true total of Lee's losses in Pennsylvania could hardly have been less than 25,000 and quite possibly was far heavier; 28,063 was the figure computed by one meticulous student of such grisly matters, in which case the butcher's bill for Gettysburg, blue and gray together, exceeded 50,000 men. This was more than Shiloh and Sharpsburg combined, with Ball's Bluff and Belmont thrown in for good measure.
With Lee defeated, however, Meade failed to follow Lee's army in retreat and destroy it. Once more, a commander of the Army of the Potomac showed an acute lack of aggressiveness that until then proved to be one of the Union’s major shortcomings.
Later we read about the fighting in the West, with the Federal capture of Chattanooga followed by the battles of Chickamauga Creek and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee and Northern Georgia. This is just a sample of how much Foote is able to handle at any given time. With the first loss by the Union, where Bragg defeated Rosecrans, Lincoln places Grant as the commander of the Union’s Western Army. Thus, the South’s momentum is broken. Grant once again showed the aggressiveness that was lacking in the East, by attacking Bragg’s position in the ridge and liberating the besieged Chattanooga.
Foote ends this installment with Lincoln's decision to bring Grant to the East to command all the Union forces as the General-In-Chief. Lincoln, after going through with seven generals that proved not aggressive enough, had finally found his killer, the man to win the war.
Yonder began the campaign, Sherman was to say a quarter century later, standing before the hotel on the occasion of a visit to the Ohio city. "He was to go for Lee and I was to go for Joe Johnston. That was his plan."
Highly recommended!
September 7, 2016
This second in Foote’s trilogy of the war is a vast doorway into the stories of a myriad of people managing and perpetrating the American Civil War for most of the year 1863. Starting with Robert E. Lee’s Confederate successes in Virginia against Ambrose Burnside in Fredericksburg (Dec. 1862) and against Joe Hooker at Chancellorville in the Spring, the year proceeds toward a major turning of tables with Meade’s victory over Lee at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and U.S. Grant’s final taking of Vicksburg on the Mississippi after seven failed attempts, both in July. Then in the Fall, much fighting in and around Tennessee leads to a Confederate comeback at Chickamauga in northern Georgia, where Braxton Bragg defeated William Rosecrans. But Lincoln’s placement of Grant at the head of all western forces puts an end to their momentum, as the Union is finally able to drive Bragg’s forces from the ridge where they had long besieged Chattanooga on the Tennessee River.
As a master of narrative history he harnesses his novelist skills to paint the stories behind these and other campaigns like little stage-plays full of atmosphere and realistic detail, especially in the area of the personalities and motivations of the actors. These actors are mostly the generals and admirals, but also the commanders and ship captains, and, behind the scenes, the cabinets and presidents of North and South, Lincoln and Davis. Foote’s facility at fleshing out the action owes a lot to his ability to marshal an array of quotes and examples from journalism, memoirs, letters, and official records without disrupting his narrative flow. If you had a chance to hear his delivery by a warm and genteel Southern speech on Ken Burn’s “Civil War”, you will know what I mean.
The kind of “voice” present in his writing made my choice to experience the book on audio work well (though I had to resort to Wiki maps of certain battles). No lifting of the doorstopper hardback or swiping pages forever in an e-book version, but instead I experienced a couple weeks of submersive listening on my commuting trips along the shores of my rural Maine location. Each day another battle and geography (now Virginia, later Mississippi) or a succession of political or planning crises in the Union and Confederate governments. I didn’t want the narrative to end, and in a sense it won’t until I imbibe the third volume.
Why read such an involved book? Somehow the details matter to me. To delve into the details is to encounter brilliant feats of accomplishment and courage on the same stage with acts of brutality, incompetence, and human weakness. I do appreciate the attitude behind “I ain’t going to study war no more”. And it is shameful that America had to resort to such a horrible slaughter, including up 700 thousand plus direct deaths alone and a multiple of that for direct and indirect casualties from injury, infection, and disease. An understanding of why and how people fought the war makes me realize it wasn’t a senseless effort by the participants.
Compared to the North’s goal of preserving the Union, the Confederates had more motivation to fight, initially harking to the attitude of the Founding Fathers over their right to independence from the Brits. Later, once invaded, it was easy for them to see the war as part of the struggle for existence. State rights and property issues surrounding slavery were not the primary drive behind taking up arms, although the dirty truth that it all was about slavery is hard for me to relinquish. In that vein I was surprised to learn how many sectors in the North were in favor of either saying goodbye and good riddance to the Rebel states or negotiating a return of South to the fold with retention of slavery (favored by the “Copperhead” Democrats). On the other shoe, even Jefferson Davis believed that slavery was doomed in the long run, but when one general formulated a written proposal of emancipating the slaves and enlisting in Confederate army the goal of maintaining unity of purpose led him to suppress the idea so completely its existence wasn’t unearthed for 30 years.
I love the sense in this history of how military successes and failures depended on the personality and character of the commanders. For every brilliant top general like Grant and Lee there were duds like Rosecrans and Bragg. The cavalry stars are a particularly colorful lot, with Confederates like Stonewall Jackson, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Earl Van Dorn, and J.E.B. Stuart particularly fun to behold wreaking havoc on the supplies and railroads behind the Union lines or making a surprising strike in a battle where they were least expected. Because of the proximity to my Oklahoma origins and a role of one of my ancestors, I especially appreciated reading in this history about the marauding raid of General Jo Shelby from Arkansas through Missouri that involved leading 600 men over 1500 miles in 41 days destroying railroads and bridges, capturing horses, wagon trains, and men, all the while picking up 800 recruits along the way. He made his escape by punching through Union forces five times his number and ended up with 150 casualties compared to the 600 inflicted on the Federals. (I am not so enamored with how he later refused to surrender at the end of the war and ended up taking his Texans to Mexico where he established a Confederacy in exile and foolishly served as a mercenary with Napolean’s colonialist government against Juarez.)
I also have a particular fascination with the role of Ironclad ships in the conflicts along the rivers and assaults on ports like Charleston. War begets such creative innovation in terrible technologies. Despite the role of technology, so many battles turned on old fashioned human elements of deception, subterfuge, and surprise. I also appreciated how ordinary people, like the Maine college professor Joshua Chamberlain, transformed themselves to do the impossible, in his case shape a militia into an effective fighting force which could pull off an important bayonet charge up Little Round Top at Gettysburg. The section on Gettysburg was so good, Foote made it a separate book well worth reading on its own:Stars in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign, June-July 1863 .
Foote doesn’t spend a lot of time assessing the economics behind the war or delving closely into slavery as an institution. He has been accused of furthering the mythos known as the “Lost Cause”, a view of history used to ennoble and justify the Southern stance in the war by minimizing the impact of slavery and cast its heroes as saints. I don’t see it that way. He obviously sees Forrest, Jackson, and Lee as geniuses in strategy and respects their integrity, but it comes through how much he admires Grant and Lincoln. Foote’s apt way of rendering a picture of leading figures is worthy of some extended examples. Here he speaks of the limits of Lincoln’s resiliency following a section about how he could handle continual attacks in the press or Congress for being a “clod or tyrant, clown or monster”:
It sometimes seemed to him … that each recovery from gloom was made at the cost of future resiliency. “Nothing touches the tired spot” he had confessed the year before, and lately he had come back to this expression. Returning from a horseback ride that seemed to lift his spirits, he was urged by a companion to find more time for rest and relaxation. “Rest?” he said. He shook his head, as if the word was unfamiliar. “I don’t know …I suppose it is good for the body. But the tired part is inside, out of reach.”
It helps a lot the way he can invest a figure with descriptions that help you hold them in your mind, as here on William Tecumseh Sherman:
Sherman did not wait until morning. Impatient as always, he rode straight over, a tall red-haired man with a fidgety manner, concave temples, glittering hazel eyes, and a scraggly, close-cropped beard. “I never saw him but I thought of Lazarus,” one observer was to write. A chain smoker who, according to another witness, got through each cigar “as if it was a duty to be finished in the shortest possible time” …
On Grant, Foote tried hard to capture how his no-nonsense ways free of “superfluous flummery” inspired a kind of “familiar reverence” in his men despite his appearance of a “burly beef contractor” and impression if “a man who could be silent in several languages”:
..a slight man, rather stooped, five foot eight inches in height and weighing less than one hundred and forty pounds, who walked with a peculiar gait, shoulders hunched “a little forward of perpendicular”, as one observer remarked, so that each step seemed to arrest him momentarily in the act of pitching on his face. Forty years old, he looked considerably older, partly because of the crow’s-feet crinkling the outer corners of his eyes—the result of intense concentration, according to some, while others identified them as whiskey lines, plainly confirming rumors of overindulgence and refuting protestations of friends that he never touched the stuff…
One of his staff officers got the impression that he was “half a dozen men condensed into one,” while a journalist, finding him puzzling in the extreme because he seemed to amount to a good deal more than the sum of all his parts, came up with the word “unpronounceable” as the one that described him best.
This thumbnail sketch of General Phillip Sheridan at Murfeesboro tickled me:
As pugnacious here as he had been at Perryville, where he first attracted general attention, the bandy-legged, bullet-headed Ohioan was determined to yield no ground except under direct pressure, and only then when that pressure buckled his knees.
Foote’s portrayal of the poor performance of William Rosecrans, who commanded the Army of Cumberland in its disastrous defeat at Chickamauga, finds voice in Lincoln’s comment to his secretary that ever since then he had been acting “confused and stunned, like a duck hit on the head.” A report on the general from a journalist serving as the administration’s secret observer in the field had me laughing out loud:
I have never seen a public man possessing talent with less administrative power, less clearness and steadiness in difficulty, and greater practical incapacity than General Rosecrans. He has inventive fertility and knowledge, but he has no strength of will and no concentration of purpose. …His imbecility appears to be contagious.
By the time you finish this book, you will certainly have a better appreciation of one of America’s greatest failures as a nation, the sacrifices that were made to solidify its paradoxical strength as a union of independent states, and the lingering balance of pride and shame that still persists in the South, where you still see hear the war referred to as the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ and widespread display of the Confederate flag.
As a master of narrative history he harnesses his novelist skills to paint the stories behind these and other campaigns like little stage-plays full of atmosphere and realistic detail, especially in the area of the personalities and motivations of the actors. These actors are mostly the generals and admirals, but also the commanders and ship captains, and, behind the scenes, the cabinets and presidents of North and South, Lincoln and Davis. Foote’s facility at fleshing out the action owes a lot to his ability to marshal an array of quotes and examples from journalism, memoirs, letters, and official records without disrupting his narrative flow. If you had a chance to hear his delivery by a warm and genteel Southern speech on Ken Burn’s “Civil War”, you will know what I mean.
The kind of “voice” present in his writing made my choice to experience the book on audio work well (though I had to resort to Wiki maps of certain battles). No lifting of the doorstopper hardback or swiping pages forever in an e-book version, but instead I experienced a couple weeks of submersive listening on my commuting trips along the shores of my rural Maine location. Each day another battle and geography (now Virginia, later Mississippi) or a succession of political or planning crises in the Union and Confederate governments. I didn’t want the narrative to end, and in a sense it won’t until I imbibe the third volume.
Why read such an involved book? Somehow the details matter to me. To delve into the details is to encounter brilliant feats of accomplishment and courage on the same stage with acts of brutality, incompetence, and human weakness. I do appreciate the attitude behind “I ain’t going to study war no more”. And it is shameful that America had to resort to such a horrible slaughter, including up 700 thousand plus direct deaths alone and a multiple of that for direct and indirect casualties from injury, infection, and disease. An understanding of why and how people fought the war makes me realize it wasn’t a senseless effort by the participants.
Compared to the North’s goal of preserving the Union, the Confederates had more motivation to fight, initially harking to the attitude of the Founding Fathers over their right to independence from the Brits. Later, once invaded, it was easy for them to see the war as part of the struggle for existence. State rights and property issues surrounding slavery were not the primary drive behind taking up arms, although the dirty truth that it all was about slavery is hard for me to relinquish. In that vein I was surprised to learn how many sectors in the North were in favor of either saying goodbye and good riddance to the Rebel states or negotiating a return of South to the fold with retention of slavery (favored by the “Copperhead” Democrats). On the other shoe, even Jefferson Davis believed that slavery was doomed in the long run, but when one general formulated a written proposal of emancipating the slaves and enlisting in Confederate army the goal of maintaining unity of purpose led him to suppress the idea so completely its existence wasn’t unearthed for 30 years.
I love the sense in this history of how military successes and failures depended on the personality and character of the commanders. For every brilliant top general like Grant and Lee there were duds like Rosecrans and Bragg. The cavalry stars are a particularly colorful lot, with Confederates like Stonewall Jackson, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Earl Van Dorn, and J.E.B. Stuart particularly fun to behold wreaking havoc on the supplies and railroads behind the Union lines or making a surprising strike in a battle where they were least expected. Because of the proximity to my Oklahoma origins and a role of one of my ancestors, I especially appreciated reading in this history about the marauding raid of General Jo Shelby from Arkansas through Missouri that involved leading 600 men over 1500 miles in 41 days destroying railroads and bridges, capturing horses, wagon trains, and men, all the while picking up 800 recruits along the way. He made his escape by punching through Union forces five times his number and ended up with 150 casualties compared to the 600 inflicted on the Federals. (I am not so enamored with how he later refused to surrender at the end of the war and ended up taking his Texans to Mexico where he established a Confederacy in exile and foolishly served as a mercenary with Napolean’s colonialist government against Juarez.)
I also have a particular fascination with the role of Ironclad ships in the conflicts along the rivers and assaults on ports like Charleston. War begets such creative innovation in terrible technologies. Despite the role of technology, so many battles turned on old fashioned human elements of deception, subterfuge, and surprise. I also appreciated how ordinary people, like the Maine college professor Joshua Chamberlain, transformed themselves to do the impossible, in his case shape a militia into an effective fighting force which could pull off an important bayonet charge up Little Round Top at Gettysburg. The section on Gettysburg was so good, Foote made it a separate book well worth reading on its own:Stars in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign, June-July 1863 .
Foote doesn’t spend a lot of time assessing the economics behind the war or delving closely into slavery as an institution. He has been accused of furthering the mythos known as the “Lost Cause”, a view of history used to ennoble and justify the Southern stance in the war by minimizing the impact of slavery and cast its heroes as saints. I don’t see it that way. He obviously sees Forrest, Jackson, and Lee as geniuses in strategy and respects their integrity, but it comes through how much he admires Grant and Lincoln. Foote’s apt way of rendering a picture of leading figures is worthy of some extended examples. Here he speaks of the limits of Lincoln’s resiliency following a section about how he could handle continual attacks in the press or Congress for being a “clod or tyrant, clown or monster”:
It sometimes seemed to him … that each recovery from gloom was made at the cost of future resiliency. “Nothing touches the tired spot” he had confessed the year before, and lately he had come back to this expression. Returning from a horseback ride that seemed to lift his spirits, he was urged by a companion to find more time for rest and relaxation. “Rest?” he said. He shook his head, as if the word was unfamiliar. “I don’t know …I suppose it is good for the body. But the tired part is inside, out of reach.”
It helps a lot the way he can invest a figure with descriptions that help you hold them in your mind, as here on William Tecumseh Sherman:
Sherman did not wait until morning. Impatient as always, he rode straight over, a tall red-haired man with a fidgety manner, concave temples, glittering hazel eyes, and a scraggly, close-cropped beard. “I never saw him but I thought of Lazarus,” one observer was to write. A chain smoker who, according to another witness, got through each cigar “as if it was a duty to be finished in the shortest possible time” …
On Grant, Foote tried hard to capture how his no-nonsense ways free of “superfluous flummery” inspired a kind of “familiar reverence” in his men despite his appearance of a “burly beef contractor” and impression if “a man who could be silent in several languages”:
..a slight man, rather stooped, five foot eight inches in height and weighing less than one hundred and forty pounds, who walked with a peculiar gait, shoulders hunched “a little forward of perpendicular”, as one observer remarked, so that each step seemed to arrest him momentarily in the act of pitching on his face. Forty years old, he looked considerably older, partly because of the crow’s-feet crinkling the outer corners of his eyes—the result of intense concentration, according to some, while others identified them as whiskey lines, plainly confirming rumors of overindulgence and refuting protestations of friends that he never touched the stuff…
One of his staff officers got the impression that he was “half a dozen men condensed into one,” while a journalist, finding him puzzling in the extreme because he seemed to amount to a good deal more than the sum of all his parts, came up with the word “unpronounceable” as the one that described him best.
This thumbnail sketch of General Phillip Sheridan at Murfeesboro tickled me:
As pugnacious here as he had been at Perryville, where he first attracted general attention, the bandy-legged, bullet-headed Ohioan was determined to yield no ground except under direct pressure, and only then when that pressure buckled his knees.
Foote’s portrayal of the poor performance of William Rosecrans, who commanded the Army of Cumberland in its disastrous defeat at Chickamauga, finds voice in Lincoln’s comment to his secretary that ever since then he had been acting “confused and stunned, like a duck hit on the head.” A report on the general from a journalist serving as the administration’s secret observer in the field had me laughing out loud:
I have never seen a public man possessing talent with less administrative power, less clearness and steadiness in difficulty, and greater practical incapacity than General Rosecrans. He has inventive fertility and knowledge, but he has no strength of will and no concentration of purpose. …His imbecility appears to be contagious.
By the time you finish this book, you will certainly have a better appreciation of one of America’s greatest failures as a nation, the sacrifices that were made to solidify its paradoxical strength as a union of independent states, and the lingering balance of pride and shame that still persists in the South, where you still see hear the war referred to as the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ and widespread display of the Confederate flag.
January 15, 2019
Highest recommendation. One of the great reading experiences of my life.
I'm finding, at least for me, that taking a General Grant-like approach to this series of huge books -- setting a blistering pace and taking it head-on and fast -- suits me more than doing it with the "slows," a la McClellan, Burnside, Hooker and Bragg, that is, falling back into a slow, defensive-like posture. It's now or never, I say, so let's drive on to conquest.
This gargantuan book has been with me all day long, every day, consuming my days for the last week; just as with Volume 1 the week before --on my desktop to read when I can; and the rest of the time in my ear voiced with authority by the incomparable Grover Gardner on the library's Playaway Mp3 player when I'm out and about and doing my work and business. This is the secret to getting a massive book done in record time, and, if you're self employed, you can. If not, obviously, you can't.
The upshot is this: Volume 2 -- which at 1,000 pages is even longer than the first book -- improves greatly on the first: Foote's writing has hit its stride, the contextual issues of the war and the variety of incident -- political, social, and military -- have all been broadened and the sense of scope magnified. The book covers the titanic year of 1863 -- vintage of the great battles of the war: Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, etc. And then there are the ancillary adventurers, characters like Grierson, Morgan and Quantrill who pulled off daring and often brutal raids deep into enemy territory -- adventures so rich and eventful that they merit books all unto themselves. The sense of being there is so palpable that you feel like you're in the rooms with Grant and Sherman as they share cigars and strategy; with Lincoln as he pores over the words for the Gettysburg address or devises maneuvers he constantly had to to outwit recalcitrant generals or political rivals. The Emancipation Proclamation and the significance of its meaning come to bear, as does the growing importance of the economic imbalances on the combatants, the looming influences of foreign powers on the conflict, and so much more.
In short, this is Foote's masterpiece; one of the finest things I've ever read, and -- quite honestly -- I'd like to start all over, right now, and read it again. It's that good.
-kr/eg '19
I'm finding, at least for me, that taking a General Grant-like approach to this series of huge books -- setting a blistering pace and taking it head-on and fast -- suits me more than doing it with the "slows," a la McClellan, Burnside, Hooker and Bragg, that is, falling back into a slow, defensive-like posture. It's now or never, I say, so let's drive on to conquest.
This gargantuan book has been with me all day long, every day, consuming my days for the last week; just as with Volume 1 the week before --on my desktop to read when I can; and the rest of the time in my ear voiced with authority by the incomparable Grover Gardner on the library's Playaway Mp3 player when I'm out and about and doing my work and business. This is the secret to getting a massive book done in record time, and, if you're self employed, you can. If not, obviously, you can't.
The upshot is this: Volume 2 -- which at 1,000 pages is even longer than the first book -- improves greatly on the first: Foote's writing has hit its stride, the contextual issues of the war and the variety of incident -- political, social, and military -- have all been broadened and the sense of scope magnified. The book covers the titanic year of 1863 -- vintage of the great battles of the war: Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, etc. And then there are the ancillary adventurers, characters like Grierson, Morgan and Quantrill who pulled off daring and often brutal raids deep into enemy territory -- adventures so rich and eventful that they merit books all unto themselves. The sense of being there is so palpable that you feel like you're in the rooms with Grant and Sherman as they share cigars and strategy; with Lincoln as he pores over the words for the Gettysburg address or devises maneuvers he constantly had to to outwit recalcitrant generals or political rivals. The Emancipation Proclamation and the significance of its meaning come to bear, as does the growing importance of the economic imbalances on the combatants, the looming influences of foreign powers on the conflict, and so much more.
In short, this is Foote's masterpiece; one of the finest things I've ever read, and -- quite honestly -- I'd like to start all over, right now, and read it again. It's that good.
-kr/eg '19
January 3, 2024
Though I didn't understand all of this, the scope and amount of detail are so impressive that I can't help but give it five stars.
November 29, 2021
― All across the nearly two-mile width of Jackson's front, the woods and fields resounded with the rebel yell as the screaming attackers bore down on the startled Federals, who had just risen to whoop at the frightened deer and driven rabbits. Now it was their turn to be frightened — and driven, too. For the Union regiments facing west gave way in a rush before the onslaught, and as they fled the two guns they had abandoned were turned against them, hastening their departure and increasing the confusion among the troops facing south behind the now useless breastworks they had constructed with such care. These last took their cue from them and began to pull out too, in rapid succession from right to left down the long line of intrenchments, swelling the throng rushing eastward along the road. Within 20 minutes of the opening shows, Howard's flank division had gone out of military existence, converted that quickly from organization to mob. The adjoining division was sudden to follow the example set. Not even the sight of the corps commander himself, on horseback near Wilderness Church, breasting the surge of retreaters up the turnpike and clamping a stand of abandoned colors under the stump of his amputated arm while attempting to control the skittish horse with the other, served to end or even to slow the rout. Bareheaded and with tears in his eyes, Howard was pleading with them to halt and form, halt and form, but they paid him no mind, evidently convinced that his distress, whether for the fate of his country or his career or both, took no precedence over their own distress for their very lives.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, describing Stonewall Jackson's flank attack at Chancellorsville
The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian is the second volume of Shelby Foote's ambitious history of the Civil War. To call Foote’s trilogy ambitious is probably an understatement. His history of the Civil War runs three volumes, 2,968 pages, and 1.2 million-words that took twenty years to complete. This is not a light read; it takes commitment to read this remarkable history. Nevertheless, this is an undertaking that is well worth the effort.
The Civil War, Vol. 2 focuses on the pivotal year of 1863—a year that proves to be the turning point in the war. In this volume, the author traces some of the most important events in the Civil War, including the Battle of Gettysburg and Grant’s siege of Vicksburg. Volume 2 begins with the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and continues with the battles of Chancellorsville (where Stonewall Jackson turns Joseph Hooker’s flank), Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, in addition to the aforementioned battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Of course, the lesser-known battles during this period are covered as well. As the story progresses, the reader can sense the shift in fortune. A number of elements stand out during this period: the tremendous cost being paid by both sides and the emergence of Ulysses S. Grant as Lincoln’s man to lead the armies of the North.
― Three years ago, by a little reflection and patience, they could have had a hundred years of peace and prosperity, but they preferred war; very well. Last year they could have saved their slaves, but now it is too late... Next year their lands will be taken... and in another year they may beg in vain for their lives... To those who submit to the rightful law and authority, all gentleness and forbearance; but to the petulant and persistent secessionists, why, death in mercy... Satan and the rebellious saints of Heaven were allowed a continuous existence in hell merely to swell their just punishment. To such as would rebel against a Government so mild and just as ours was in peace, a punishment equal would not be unjust.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting William T. Sherman
If Foote’s history merely described the battles, it would not be recognized as one of the best works of history ever written. It is not a collection of facts; it has been called “a living, breathing account of the men who fought this war.” The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved, from soldiers to generals to political leaders. The feelings elicited by his writing go beyond the words on the page. We see things from their point of view. The reader learns of the many privations suffered by the troops, from lack of food to lack of shoes for many of the Confederate soldiers. We are eyewitnesses to the travails of President Lincoln as he tries to hold the factions of the country together.
― If there is a worse place than Hell, I am in it.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting Abraham Lincoln after the defeat at Chancellorsville
Having completed two volumes of this trilogy, it comes as no surprise that its author, Shelby Foote, was featured as an expert in Ken Burns’' acclaimed PBS documentary, The Civil War. Oddly enough, Foote considered himself a novelist first, and this series reveals the novelist’s skills in focusing the reader’s attention on the people and events that will shape the course of the conflict. His novelist’s skill is what makes this such an excellent narrative history. As with any good novelist, Foote’s powerful writing skills have the ability to tease emotions out of the reader. Don’t let the length of these volumes deter you from reading this outstanding work. It’s worth the commitment involved.
― It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting General Robert E Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg
As I read Volume 2, I was struck by the fact that Southerners were absolutely convinced of the just nature of their cause. It was nearly impossible not to consider the future of our nation today. Arguably, the United States has never been more divided than it was during the Civil War years. How did a great nation that started so well become so divided a brief century after it was founded? A quote from William T. Sherman toward the end of Volume 2 struck me. He blamed the war on “false political rhetoric.” That’s an interesting insight from a man who lived through the turmoil. If he is correct, then our nation is again in danger. Consider the fact that right-wing protestors stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an effort to overthrow the government. This violence was incited by a President seeking to overturn the results of a fair and democratic election in order to stay in power. It amazes me what people are capable of doing when they believe lies.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, describing Stonewall Jackson's flank attack at Chancellorsville
The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian is the second volume of Shelby Foote's ambitious history of the Civil War. To call Foote’s trilogy ambitious is probably an understatement. His history of the Civil War runs three volumes, 2,968 pages, and 1.2 million-words that took twenty years to complete. This is not a light read; it takes commitment to read this remarkable history. Nevertheless, this is an undertaking that is well worth the effort.
The Civil War, Vol. 2 focuses on the pivotal year of 1863—a year that proves to be the turning point in the war. In this volume, the author traces some of the most important events in the Civil War, including the Battle of Gettysburg and Grant’s siege of Vicksburg. Volume 2 begins with the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and continues with the battles of Chancellorsville (where Stonewall Jackson turns Joseph Hooker’s flank), Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, in addition to the aforementioned battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Of course, the lesser-known battles during this period are covered as well. As the story progresses, the reader can sense the shift in fortune. A number of elements stand out during this period: the tremendous cost being paid by both sides and the emergence of Ulysses S. Grant as Lincoln’s man to lead the armies of the North.
― Three years ago, by a little reflection and patience, they could have had a hundred years of peace and prosperity, but they preferred war; very well. Last year they could have saved their slaves, but now it is too late... Next year their lands will be taken... and in another year they may beg in vain for their lives... To those who submit to the rightful law and authority, all gentleness and forbearance; but to the petulant and persistent secessionists, why, death in mercy... Satan and the rebellious saints of Heaven were allowed a continuous existence in hell merely to swell their just punishment. To such as would rebel against a Government so mild and just as ours was in peace, a punishment equal would not be unjust.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting William T. Sherman
If Foote’s history merely described the battles, it would not be recognized as one of the best works of history ever written. It is not a collection of facts; it has been called “a living, breathing account of the men who fought this war.” The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved, from soldiers to generals to political leaders. The feelings elicited by his writing go beyond the words on the page. We see things from their point of view. The reader learns of the many privations suffered by the troops, from lack of food to lack of shoes for many of the Confederate soldiers. We are eyewitnesses to the travails of President Lincoln as he tries to hold the factions of the country together.
― If there is a worse place than Hell, I am in it.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting Abraham Lincoln after the defeat at Chancellorsville
Having completed two volumes of this trilogy, it comes as no surprise that its author, Shelby Foote, was featured as an expert in Ken Burns’' acclaimed PBS documentary, The Civil War. Oddly enough, Foote considered himself a novelist first, and this series reveals the novelist’s skills in focusing the reader’s attention on the people and events that will shape the course of the conflict. His novelist’s skill is what makes this such an excellent narrative history. As with any good novelist, Foote’s powerful writing skills have the ability to tease emotions out of the reader. Don’t let the length of these volumes deter you from reading this outstanding work. It’s worth the commitment involved.
― It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it.
― Shelby Foote, The Civil War, Vol. 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian, quoting General Robert E Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg
As I read Volume 2, I was struck by the fact that Southerners were absolutely convinced of the just nature of their cause. It was nearly impossible not to consider the future of our nation today. Arguably, the United States has never been more divided than it was during the Civil War years. How did a great nation that started so well become so divided a brief century after it was founded? A quote from William T. Sherman toward the end of Volume 2 struck me. He blamed the war on “false political rhetoric.” That’s an interesting insight from a man who lived through the turmoil. If he is correct, then our nation is again in danger. Consider the fact that right-wing protestors stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an effort to overthrow the government. This violence was incited by a President seeking to overturn the results of a fair and democratic election in order to stay in power. It amazes me what people are capable of doing when they believe lies.
July 22, 2023
This one about killed me. 966 pages, but when you consider the font size it's well over a 1000. I think I got to about the last 300 pages, and then took a long break. By that point I had covered the central battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg (which the Modern Library would also issue as smaller volumes from the larger whole ("The Beleaguered City" (Vicksburg) and "Stars in their Courses"(Gettysburg)). I have always been a Bruce Catton guy, but Foote is winning me over. As a stylest he can't be beat (though I believe Catton can match him). And what set out to do, give the reader the ENTIRE Civil War is such a reading treat. Foote clues in just by the titles of the first two volumes, with the battles of Perryville and Meridian featured. Those are battles that are usually given light treatment in other histories. But Foote, by supplying a fuller account, creates a greater, even more epic, context. And he never forgets the Human Factor by supplying the moving anecdote. One in particular stuck with me, where the Union General Thomas (Virginia born) was asked if the Federal dead from the Missionary Ridge should buried by state. Thomas' reply was to "mix them up," he was tired of states' rights stuff and that there was no need for the Union to extend the Confederate complaint to the Federal dead. Equally poignant (and also on Missionary Ridge) was the discovery of a dead 15 year Confederate soldier, with just a few beans to eat in his knapsack.
Another advantage in Foote's history is how he tells the tale of in between moments in the war. Up until now I didn't know what happened to Longstreet after Chickamauga, and just how eventually got back to Virginia. (I also didn't know that Davis had offered Longstreet command of (the awful) Bragg's army, and that Longstreet, seeing the End in sight, turned it down). And then there's Lee's mostly negative post-Gettysburg maneuvering, with the bloody battle of Bristoe Station (which was new to me), standing out as a harbinger of the Confederate slide to come. And what is coming are the destroying angels, Sherman and Grant. Volume 2 closes much like Volume 1 with perceptive reflections on the two presidents, Lincoln and Davis. One weary and pragmatic, and other, also weary, but still clinging to a cluster of romantic ideals that never really existed in the first place.
Another advantage in Foote's history is how he tells the tale of in between moments in the war. Up until now I didn't know what happened to Longstreet after Chickamauga, and just how eventually got back to Virginia. (I also didn't know that Davis had offered Longstreet command of (the awful) Bragg's army, and that Longstreet, seeing the End in sight, turned it down). And then there's Lee's mostly negative post-Gettysburg maneuvering, with the bloody battle of Bristoe Station (which was new to me), standing out as a harbinger of the Confederate slide to come. And what is coming are the destroying angels, Sherman and Grant. Volume 2 closes much like Volume 1 with perceptive reflections on the two presidents, Lincoln and Davis. One weary and pragmatic, and other, also weary, but still clinging to a cluster of romantic ideals that never really existed in the first place.
May 27, 2013
As we finished the second volume in this trilogy on the Civil War I wondered who/what I am most amazed by: the War in all its many complexities which tore our nation apart, the man who wrote this book over 50 years ago when he was still in his 40s, or the incredible people (north and south) who fought, struggled, suffered and died for so many different reasons. The author, Shelby Foote, who died in 2005, believed that this war was central to us as Americans. As my husband and I listened to this book we could see so many issues (states’ rights v. federal control; presidential power during national emergencies; honest v. corrupt media; suspension of habeas corpus to name just a few) which are as relevant today as they were then.
There are those who claim Mr. Foote—as a southerner—wrote his narrative with a southern bias. That might be, I’m not enough of a historian to comment on the accuracy of his book. However, if that was his objective, after having listened to the first two volumes twice now and the third once, he has not managed to convince me of ‘the southern cause’. Rather I still see the war from a perspective of an American who deeply loves all of her country: black, white, north, south, male, female, etc., which is how it seems (to me) the author has presented the story, from the perspective of whoever he was writing about at the time and/or the on-scene observer. His objectivity in telling this story is only compromised by his humanity and empathy. I can forgive him that.
There are so many things about this book which I like: it’s narrative flow, detailed descriptions of the times and people, humorous anecdotes, comparisons between north and south, Lincoln and Davis, Grant and Lee, etc. Foote is not afraid to point out character flaws (such as Generals Bragg and McClellan) or where commonly-held opinions (Grant being an alcoholic) are not substantiated by the available evidence.
Excellent! Can’t wait to start the third volume ... although I know it will be hard to get through because of all the tragedies.
There are those who claim Mr. Foote—as a southerner—wrote his narrative with a southern bias. That might be, I’m not enough of a historian to comment on the accuracy of his book. However, if that was his objective, after having listened to the first two volumes twice now and the third once, he has not managed to convince me of ‘the southern cause’. Rather I still see the war from a perspective of an American who deeply loves all of her country: black, white, north, south, male, female, etc., which is how it seems (to me) the author has presented the story, from the perspective of whoever he was writing about at the time and/or the on-scene observer. His objectivity in telling this story is only compromised by his humanity and empathy. I can forgive him that.
There are so many things about this book which I like: it’s narrative flow, detailed descriptions of the times and people, humorous anecdotes, comparisons between north and south, Lincoln and Davis, Grant and Lee, etc. Foote is not afraid to point out character flaws (such as Generals Bragg and McClellan) or where commonly-held opinions (Grant being an alcoholic) are not substantiated by the available evidence.
Excellent! Can’t wait to start the third volume ... although I know it will be hard to get through because of all the tragedies.
October 19, 2022
When I started Vol. 1, I said I wanted books that took up years of my life. The first one didn’t quite—it took less than three months—but now the second one has filled that bill.
April 27, 2019
Finally finished this - it is a great read but so thorough that it is quite an undertaking especially when at times you can't put it down and it is late at night and you have hundreds of pages to go.
The parts about the main protagonists (Lincoln, Lee, Jackson, Grant and Sherman especially plus the lesser known Nathan Bedford Forrest) and the major battles (Gettysburg, Vicksburg, etc) are fascinating. These three books are about every battle and everything that happened though so there are some minor battles and minor characters that are more of a slog to get through. That is why I am not giving this 5 stars although the majority of the book is 5 star standard.
I might take a short break and read something else before the final instalment as this has taken me almost a month to read which is unprecedented for me. But I'm definitely going to read it soon. This series has turned me from someone who knew almost nothing about the American Civil War to a real enthusiast and I feel pretty well informed now. Still think that Stonewall Jackson's death at Chancellorsville (ironically after being mistakenly shot by his own troops) was the turning point where it all started going wrong for the South - as I did when I read Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson which set me off on this journey to find out more about the Civil War.
A big commitment but well worth the effort and something that everyone should try and read sometime.
The parts about the main protagonists (Lincoln, Lee, Jackson, Grant and Sherman especially plus the lesser known Nathan Bedford Forrest) and the major battles (Gettysburg, Vicksburg, etc) are fascinating. These three books are about every battle and everything that happened though so there are some minor battles and minor characters that are more of a slog to get through. That is why I am not giving this 5 stars although the majority of the book is 5 star standard.
I might take a short break and read something else before the final instalment as this has taken me almost a month to read which is unprecedented for me. But I'm definitely going to read it soon. This series has turned me from someone who knew almost nothing about the American Civil War to a real enthusiast and I feel pretty well informed now. Still think that Stonewall Jackson's death at Chancellorsville (ironically after being mistakenly shot by his own troops) was the turning point where it all started going wrong for the South - as I did when I read Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson which set me off on this journey to find out more about the Civil War.
A big commitment but well worth the effort and something that everyone should try and read sometime.
August 10, 2013
Ever since I first came across the works of Bruce Catton in my teens, I have been an aficionado of the American Civil War. So much concentrated slaughter among peoples who resembled one another so much! Also, so many lessons to be learned about the arts of leadership, and what happens when they are lacking -- as in all but the last general in charge of the Army of the Potomac!
This is the second volume of three of historian Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative. Nestled away in the "Bibliographical Note" section at the end is this revealing quote:
The period covered by the volume is calendar year 1863, in which two of the most decisive Union victories took place: Gettysburg and Vicksburg -- right around the 4th of July. The other major battle discussed was Chickamauga, a Southern victory which ruined the careers of both generals, Rosecrans and Bragg, and which could have gone either way if a third of the Union line had not panicked and run. There is also a brief look-ahead to the spring of 1864, when U.S. Grant was named a Lieutenant General and appointed to the Army of the Potomac.
This 966-page book seems sorter than its weight would imply. That is due to Foote. In fact, this volume is so good that two extracts have been separately published as books: The Stars in Their Courses about Gettysburg and The Beleaguered City about Vicksburg, both of which are excellent reads in their own right.
This is the second volume of three of historian Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative. Nestled away in the "Bibliographical Note" section at the end is this revealing quote:
As for method, it may explain much for me to state that my favorite historian is Tacitus, who dealt mainly with high-placed scoundrels, but that the finest compliment I ever heard paid a historian was rendered by Thomas Hobbes in the forward to his translation of The Peloponnesian War, in which he referred to Thucydides as "one who, though he never digress to read a Lecture, Moral or Political, upon his own Text, nor enter into men's hearts, further than the Actions themselves evidently guide him...filleth his Narrations with that choice of matter, and ordereth them with that Judgement, and with such perspicuity and efficacy expresseth himself that (as Plutarch saith) he maketh his Auditor a Spectator. For he setteth his Reader in the Assemblies of the People, and in their Senates, at their debating; in the Streets, at their Seditions; and in the Field, at their Battels." There indeed is something worth aiming at, however far short of attainment we fall.I don't think Foote falls far short at all. In Periclean Athens, there was not much first-hand information upon which the historian could rely, whereas the Civil War is one of the most written-about episodes in all of world history. In addition to making his information vivid, Foote has to wade through terabytes of minutiae to find interesting episodes. One example: Nathan Bedford Forrest, encountering one of his men in headlong retreat, stopping him in his tracks, pulling down his trousers, and administering a savage spanking with a brush to motivate him to reconsider, which he did.
The period covered by the volume is calendar year 1863, in which two of the most decisive Union victories took place: Gettysburg and Vicksburg -- right around the 4th of July. The other major battle discussed was Chickamauga, a Southern victory which ruined the careers of both generals, Rosecrans and Bragg, and which could have gone either way if a third of the Union line had not panicked and run. There is also a brief look-ahead to the spring of 1864, when U.S. Grant was named a Lieutenant General and appointed to the Army of the Potomac.
This 966-page book seems sorter than its weight would imply. That is due to Foote. In fact, this volume is so good that two extracts have been separately published as books: The Stars in Their Courses about Gettysburg and The Beleaguered City about Vicksburg, both of which are excellent reads in their own right.
February 12, 2010
Shelby Foote continues to use his great narrative style to full effect in this, his second in the series of Civil War histories. This volume mostly covers the events of 1863, although the books in this series are not designed to start and stop according to precisely equivalent calendar time frames. Volume I ended after the bloodbath of Antietam (Sharpsburg) in the fall of 1862. Volume II takes up with events following the removal of the American commander, George McClellan, and replacement by General Burnside in time to start off with the December 1862 charnel house of Fredricksburg and continues with all of the major, and minor, conflicts of 1863, ending in the spring of 1864, when General Ulysses Grant had taken over command of all of the Union's Armies.
Foote does probably the best job any historian accomplishes in the way of describing the developments occurring simultaneously in different theaters. Thus, he will describe Grant's trials and tribulations in finding a way to attack the formidable Confederate defenses preventing the full navigation of the Mississippi River, at Vicksburg, Mississippi (while Grant was commander of the Federal Army of Tennessee) and segue into the contemporary conflicts between the Federal Army of the Potomac and Rebel Army of Northern Virginia as they fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in May and July of the same year. Both during and after these events, there were naval, army, and combined actions along the southern coastline, including the Federal attempts to capture Charleston; the Federal attempts to invade and occupy at least a section of Texas, in order to block any attempt by Mexico's (French) Maximillian from forming an alliance with the Confederacy; and the Federal capture of Chattanooga followed by the battles of Chickamauga Creek and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee and Northern Georgia. This is just a sample of what Foote is able to juggle at any given time. The service he does to the reader is to give an organized, highly digestible account of dozens of instances of what would have been, contemporaneously, continuing news, good and disastrous, to the civilians and government officials on both sides as they tried to live through this national nightmare.
There have been newer accounts of these events over the decades since the publication of this book, but I doubt anyone would have given a more enjoyable description than Foote, in his unique narrative style. It's not that any historical details have been missed, or controversies avoided. The Vicksburg and Gettysburg sections of the book, in particular, are described in major, incisive detail.
One point of contention which will perhaps always be debated is the effect of U.S. Grant's drinking on his behavior. Bruce Catton had earlier done a masterful job of exorcising the ghost of alcoholism on Grant's behavior during the Civil War, but Foote is not as charitable. One difference between the two derives from an eyewitness account from a newspaperman named Cadwallader who traveled with him on a two-day trip up the Yazoo and claimed to have seen the General repeating his pre-war drunken behavior. Trouble was, this account didn't get reported until Cadwallader wrote his memoirs thirty years later. Nevertheless, Foote places credence in this report.
A continuing source of enjoyment is Foote's usage of the nicknames of the opposing Generals instead of constantly using "General this" and "General that." Thus, we become familiar with "Old Rosy" (William Rosencrans); "Old Jack", or, as history now records, "Stonewall" (Thomas Johathan Jackson]; "Fighting Joe" Hooker; Earl "Buck" Van Dorn; "Old Brains" (Henry W. Halleck); "Little Powell" (A.P. Hill); William F. "Baldy" Smith, and so on.
Using a lighthearted technique like this is welcome in a story that was becoming increasingly grim, not just because of the mounting death count, important as that was, but because the mood of both countries, North and South, was worsening. Foote keeps us aware that there were two Presidents, living in two White Houses, who were growing increasingly despondent and anxious daily. Both were hands-on managers of their armed forces. Each had to face growing public discontent and severe criticism from their political enemies while personally bearing the heavy burden of constant military reverses many times caused by generals who used bad judgement or lost their competitive edge when confronted with the stress of battle. Thus Lincoln grew increasingly anxious while needing to relieve, in this volume alone, Burnside, Hooker and Meade from the main Union army, and Rosencrans from command of the Army of the Cumberland; while Jeff Davis, luckily holding his trump card in the brilliant Robert E. Lee, had to suffer through Lee's Pennsylvania invasion debacle while wincing at the subpar performance of such important generals as Pemberton, Johnston and Bragg.
Foote masterfully uses irony at times to describe the war's often hideous results. He relates the Federal attempt to storm Battery Wagner on Morris Island in Charlston Harbor. This is the battle when the Federal forces were led into the fight by the all-Black Massachusetts regiment portrayed in the wonderful film "Glory." The regiment, as Foote tells the story, was led by officers who were white "Boston bluebloods". In an hour, it was nearly wiped out, with the attackers taking over fifteen hundred casualties, including the Massachusetts regiment's commander, Robert Gould Shaw. Nothing was gained from this costly attack. As Foote reports, Shaw's mother had earlier cried for the good fortune that God had bestowed on her, as she pridefully witnessed her boy leading the regiment off to war at its grand farewell review in Boston. Within seven weeks, as Foote states, "it developed that God had not been so good to her after all, unless what she wanted in place of her son was a fine bronze statue on the Common." (p. 697).
The Northern forces were not the only ones to feel the sting of Foote's irony. He tells of the two quarreling Confederate calvary brigadiers who, believe it or not, engaged in a personal duel while fighting off the enemy in Arkansas in September. This was not a verbal duel; it was "pistols at ten paces to fire .." As Foote relates the death of General Walker to the gun of General Marmaduke, following this archaic code satisfied the conditions of honor "..which, presumably, was one of those things the South was fighting to preserve as part of its 'way of life' - presently, after a period of intense suffering by the loser, the Confederacy had one general less than it had had when the two men took position, ten paces apart ..." (pp. 706-707).
The reader is made aware, as the book unfolds, of a trend toward a hardening on both sides to the suffering of opposing soldiers and civilians. The swapping of each others' prisoners, and releases of captured forces on "parole" (the release of groups of prisoners with the promise that they would return home and not participate in war again until the passage of a specified time) were giving way to the placing of war prisoners into crowded prisoner-of-war camps; the well-publicised refusal of General Grant to accept surrender terms and to demand "unconditional surrender" at Fort Donelson in 1862, and at Vicksburg in 1863, put an end to the formerly chivalrous sword-surrendering niceties between opposing commanding officers at the end of battles; the initial burst of patriotic fervor for the war had long since dissolved, leaving both sides with the necessity of running a military draft to replenish the losses due to battle casualties and the expiration of enlistments, with riots occurring in certain Northern cities; rioting was especially ugly in New York City.
A practice developed by Grant and his chief lieutenant, General William T. Sherman, would significantly add to this gloomy picture. Grant had rediscovered the technique of Cortez and Winfield Scott in their prior conquests of Mexico. This consisted of living off the land of the enemies' citizenry instead of relying on endless delays caused by the need to build transportation networks to supply the invading force. He showed Sherman how effective this worked while they conducted their campaign in Mississippi in the spring of 1863. Later in the year, Sherman demonstrated his mastery of the methods designed to keep an invading army moving. He led an invasion force from Vicksburg, across Mississippi, with the intention of invading Selma, Alabama. Problems prevented him from reaching his final objective, causing him to turn back at Meridian, Mississippi. During the course of the campaign, however, his army destroyed Meridian (and also burned out Jackson, Mississippi, for the third time that year). His army returned to Vicksburg by a different route in order to keep the army from foraging where they already laid waste to the country. Sherman, quoting "vigorous war ... means universal destruction" (p. 937), destroyed railroads for miles in every direction, burning out and spoiling all farms and industrial infrastructure they passed. The civilian victims in this state were said to be left with the stunned look of disaster survivors, while Sherman boasted of having created a fifty-mile-wide belt of destruction across Mississippi. Grant and Sherman were at this time (February-March, 1864) planning on invading Georgia, using these techniques.
The stage was therefore set for the destruction which would be unleashed on the South in 1864-65. The Union army was ready to march. Politically, the leaders on both sides were committed to fighting to the end. Any possibility that existed previously for a truce or for foreign powers, namely Britain and France, to force an arbitrated peace, were long gone. Too many lives had been lost by this time to stop the war short of total victory. Those who Foote calls the Jacobins in the North would have Lincoln's head if he showed restraint now, and they were already agitating for imposition of harsh rule for the eleven rebellious states when the war ended. Their plan was for the Southern states to be placed under military governors answerable directly to the President. Lincoln, in order to dispel some of their influence while he used his dwindling energies to run the war, issued a tentative Reconstruction Proclamation as part of his year-end message to Congress. He proposed to offer amnesty to Southerners who would, after the war, take an oath of loyalty to the federal government and support the Emancipation Proclamation. Each rebellious state would be admitted back into the Union when one-tenth of the state's 1860 voters had taken the oath.
Not only did news of this Proclamation not soften hearts in the rebellious states, but it led to a firestorm of condemnation. Lincoln's Southern critics had reminded their citizenry that this President had earlier fired General Fremont, commander of the occupying Union forces in Missouri, for declaring that state's slaves emancipated without consultation with his superiors or with the White House, where Lincoln was holding off on issuing his Emancipation Proclamation at the time. Worse yet, Lincoln had described Fremont's methods of military proclamation to be tantamount to setting up a military dictatorship in the conquered state, exactly what he was accused of proposing in December, 1863 (actually, he was offering amnesty to the conquered peoples and proposing certain reconstruction guidelines designed to restore the Union). Lincoln's Southern newspaper detractors took instant, violent offense to the notion that they should ask forgiveness for anything. The Confederate forces would continue to be urged to fight to their last drop of blood.
Foote does probably the best job any historian accomplishes in the way of describing the developments occurring simultaneously in different theaters. Thus, he will describe Grant's trials and tribulations in finding a way to attack the formidable Confederate defenses preventing the full navigation of the Mississippi River, at Vicksburg, Mississippi (while Grant was commander of the Federal Army of Tennessee) and segue into the contemporary conflicts between the Federal Army of the Potomac and Rebel Army of Northern Virginia as they fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in May and July of the same year. Both during and after these events, there were naval, army, and combined actions along the southern coastline, including the Federal attempts to capture Charleston; the Federal attempts to invade and occupy at least a section of Texas, in order to block any attempt by Mexico's (French) Maximillian from forming an alliance with the Confederacy; and the Federal capture of Chattanooga followed by the battles of Chickamauga Creek and Missionary Ridge in Tennessee and Northern Georgia. This is just a sample of what Foote is able to juggle at any given time. The service he does to the reader is to give an organized, highly digestible account of dozens of instances of what would have been, contemporaneously, continuing news, good and disastrous, to the civilians and government officials on both sides as they tried to live through this national nightmare.
There have been newer accounts of these events over the decades since the publication of this book, but I doubt anyone would have given a more enjoyable description than Foote, in his unique narrative style. It's not that any historical details have been missed, or controversies avoided. The Vicksburg and Gettysburg sections of the book, in particular, are described in major, incisive detail.
One point of contention which will perhaps always be debated is the effect of U.S. Grant's drinking on his behavior. Bruce Catton had earlier done a masterful job of exorcising the ghost of alcoholism on Grant's behavior during the Civil War, but Foote is not as charitable. One difference between the two derives from an eyewitness account from a newspaperman named Cadwallader who traveled with him on a two-day trip up the Yazoo and claimed to have seen the General repeating his pre-war drunken behavior. Trouble was, this account didn't get reported until Cadwallader wrote his memoirs thirty years later. Nevertheless, Foote places credence in this report.
A continuing source of enjoyment is Foote's usage of the nicknames of the opposing Generals instead of constantly using "General this" and "General that." Thus, we become familiar with "Old Rosy" (William Rosencrans); "Old Jack", or, as history now records, "Stonewall" (Thomas Johathan Jackson]; "Fighting Joe" Hooker; Earl "Buck" Van Dorn; "Old Brains" (Henry W. Halleck); "Little Powell" (A.P. Hill); William F. "Baldy" Smith, and so on.
Using a lighthearted technique like this is welcome in a story that was becoming increasingly grim, not just because of the mounting death count, important as that was, but because the mood of both countries, North and South, was worsening. Foote keeps us aware that there were two Presidents, living in two White Houses, who were growing increasingly despondent and anxious daily. Both were hands-on managers of their armed forces. Each had to face growing public discontent and severe criticism from their political enemies while personally bearing the heavy burden of constant military reverses many times caused by generals who used bad judgement or lost their competitive edge when confronted with the stress of battle. Thus Lincoln grew increasingly anxious while needing to relieve, in this volume alone, Burnside, Hooker and Meade from the main Union army, and Rosencrans from command of the Army of the Cumberland; while Jeff Davis, luckily holding his trump card in the brilliant Robert E. Lee, had to suffer through Lee's Pennsylvania invasion debacle while wincing at the subpar performance of such important generals as Pemberton, Johnston and Bragg.
Foote masterfully uses irony at times to describe the war's often hideous results. He relates the Federal attempt to storm Battery Wagner on Morris Island in Charlston Harbor. This is the battle when the Federal forces were led into the fight by the all-Black Massachusetts regiment portrayed in the wonderful film "Glory." The regiment, as Foote tells the story, was led by officers who were white "Boston bluebloods". In an hour, it was nearly wiped out, with the attackers taking over fifteen hundred casualties, including the Massachusetts regiment's commander, Robert Gould Shaw. Nothing was gained from this costly attack. As Foote reports, Shaw's mother had earlier cried for the good fortune that God had bestowed on her, as she pridefully witnessed her boy leading the regiment off to war at its grand farewell review in Boston. Within seven weeks, as Foote states, "it developed that God had not been so good to her after all, unless what she wanted in place of her son was a fine bronze statue on the Common." (p. 697).
The Northern forces were not the only ones to feel the sting of Foote's irony. He tells of the two quarreling Confederate calvary brigadiers who, believe it or not, engaged in a personal duel while fighting off the enemy in Arkansas in September. This was not a verbal duel; it was "pistols at ten paces to fire .." As Foote relates the death of General Walker to the gun of General Marmaduke, following this archaic code satisfied the conditions of honor "..which, presumably, was one of those things the South was fighting to preserve as part of its 'way of life' - presently, after a period of intense suffering by the loser, the Confederacy had one general less than it had had when the two men took position, ten paces apart ..." (pp. 706-707).
The reader is made aware, as the book unfolds, of a trend toward a hardening on both sides to the suffering of opposing soldiers and civilians. The swapping of each others' prisoners, and releases of captured forces on "parole" (the release of groups of prisoners with the promise that they would return home and not participate in war again until the passage of a specified time) were giving way to the placing of war prisoners into crowded prisoner-of-war camps; the well-publicised refusal of General Grant to accept surrender terms and to demand "unconditional surrender" at Fort Donelson in 1862, and at Vicksburg in 1863, put an end to the formerly chivalrous sword-surrendering niceties between opposing commanding officers at the end of battles; the initial burst of patriotic fervor for the war had long since dissolved, leaving both sides with the necessity of running a military draft to replenish the losses due to battle casualties and the expiration of enlistments, with riots occurring in certain Northern cities; rioting was especially ugly in New York City.
A practice developed by Grant and his chief lieutenant, General William T. Sherman, would significantly add to this gloomy picture. Grant had rediscovered the technique of Cortez and Winfield Scott in their prior conquests of Mexico. This consisted of living off the land of the enemies' citizenry instead of relying on endless delays caused by the need to build transportation networks to supply the invading force. He showed Sherman how effective this worked while they conducted their campaign in Mississippi in the spring of 1863. Later in the year, Sherman demonstrated his mastery of the methods designed to keep an invading army moving. He led an invasion force from Vicksburg, across Mississippi, with the intention of invading Selma, Alabama. Problems prevented him from reaching his final objective, causing him to turn back at Meridian, Mississippi. During the course of the campaign, however, his army destroyed Meridian (and also burned out Jackson, Mississippi, for the third time that year). His army returned to Vicksburg by a different route in order to keep the army from foraging where they already laid waste to the country. Sherman, quoting "vigorous war ... means universal destruction" (p. 937), destroyed railroads for miles in every direction, burning out and spoiling all farms and industrial infrastructure they passed. The civilian victims in this state were said to be left with the stunned look of disaster survivors, while Sherman boasted of having created a fifty-mile-wide belt of destruction across Mississippi. Grant and Sherman were at this time (February-March, 1864) planning on invading Georgia, using these techniques.
The stage was therefore set for the destruction which would be unleashed on the South in 1864-65. The Union army was ready to march. Politically, the leaders on both sides were committed to fighting to the end. Any possibility that existed previously for a truce or for foreign powers, namely Britain and France, to force an arbitrated peace, were long gone. Too many lives had been lost by this time to stop the war short of total victory. Those who Foote calls the Jacobins in the North would have Lincoln's head if he showed restraint now, and they were already agitating for imposition of harsh rule for the eleven rebellious states when the war ended. Their plan was for the Southern states to be placed under military governors answerable directly to the President. Lincoln, in order to dispel some of their influence while he used his dwindling energies to run the war, issued a tentative Reconstruction Proclamation as part of his year-end message to Congress. He proposed to offer amnesty to Southerners who would, after the war, take an oath of loyalty to the federal government and support the Emancipation Proclamation. Each rebellious state would be admitted back into the Union when one-tenth of the state's 1860 voters had taken the oath.
Not only did news of this Proclamation not soften hearts in the rebellious states, but it led to a firestorm of condemnation. Lincoln's Southern critics had reminded their citizenry that this President had earlier fired General Fremont, commander of the occupying Union forces in Missouri, for declaring that state's slaves emancipated without consultation with his superiors or with the White House, where Lincoln was holding off on issuing his Emancipation Proclamation at the time. Worse yet, Lincoln had described Fremont's methods of military proclamation to be tantamount to setting up a military dictatorship in the conquered state, exactly what he was accused of proposing in December, 1863 (actually, he was offering amnesty to the conquered peoples and proposing certain reconstruction guidelines designed to restore the Union). Lincoln's Southern newspaper detractors took instant, violent offense to the notion that they should ask forgiveness for anything. The Confederate forces would continue to be urged to fight to their last drop of blood.
July 17, 2020
My summer time BIG read is conquered. Hoorah! Book 2 of this exhaustive Civil War trilogy did not disappoint. Shelby Foote goes into extensive detail of many battles during years 3-4 of the war, with particular emphasis on the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. I especially enjoyed reading of the battle of Gettysburg, as I live in the area and frequently visit the historical sites there with my children.
We travel along in our readings as Grant conquers his 17 victorious battles and we watch him rise to fame and prestige, causing Congress to reinstate the office of Lieutenant General of the Army held by only Washington before him.
One can only learn of the heroic fortitude and “antique courage” necessary during these terrible times in our country’s history through the actions and words of several of the key players in this great civil war. Some are my favorite quotes are....
“It is well that war is so terrible or we should grow too fond of it.” -Robert E. Lee
“I desire to so conduct the affairs of this administration that if, at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be deep down inside of me.” -Ulysses S. Grant
“We have not only an army to conquer. We have a state of mind to annihilate.” -Wendall Phillips.
“Nothing touches the tired spot.” -Abraham Lincoln
Highly recommend this series for anyone interested in our nations unadulterated and unfiltered war history. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Considering the heated politically correct time period we find ourselves living in, this narrative is timeless and essential. May we dig deep inside our hearts and find this well of courage and grit that our ancestors before us developed, to work towards creation of a more just and peaceful world.
We travel along in our readings as Grant conquers his 17 victorious battles and we watch him rise to fame and prestige, causing Congress to reinstate the office of Lieutenant General of the Army held by only Washington before him.
One can only learn of the heroic fortitude and “antique courage” necessary during these terrible times in our country’s history through the actions and words of several of the key players in this great civil war. Some are my favorite quotes are....
“It is well that war is so terrible or we should grow too fond of it.” -Robert E. Lee
“I desire to so conduct the affairs of this administration that if, at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be deep down inside of me.” -Ulysses S. Grant
“We have not only an army to conquer. We have a state of mind to annihilate.” -Wendall Phillips.
“Nothing touches the tired spot.” -Abraham Lincoln
Highly recommend this series for anyone interested in our nations unadulterated and unfiltered war history. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Considering the heated politically correct time period we find ourselves living in, this narrative is timeless and essential. May we dig deep inside our hearts and find this well of courage and grit that our ancestors before us developed, to work towards creation of a more just and peaceful world.
April 12, 2017
Volume 2 takes us up to the point where Grant is made lieutenant general in charge of the entire Army. By this time, the North's superior resources are beginning to take their toll on the South.As with volume 1, volume 2 is primarily concerned with troop movement and battles.
One criticism I have of both volumes 1 and 2 is the lack of dates. There are PLENTY of dates during the description of the multi day battle at Gettysburg, but dates again disappear thereafter. Interestingly enough, the section on Gettysburg mentions Joshua Chamberlain just once, as an aside.
One thing that becomes crystal clear after reading volumes 1 and 2 is that both sides had their problems with generals, so it wasn't just McClellan, as more cursory histories might lead one to believe. Volume 2 also deals with the stories of Grant's drinking. Although he briefly alludes to the point of view that Grant did not have such a problem, the author comes down on the side of those who believe he did, but only when he was bored and his wife was not there. In what may be thought of as prescience with respect to Grant's presidency, Sherman believed that his friend Grant, due to his naivete, would not be able to avoid being suckered by the cons of Washington DC.
One criticism I have of both volumes 1 and 2 is the lack of dates. There are PLENTY of dates during the description of the multi day battle at Gettysburg, but dates again disappear thereafter. Interestingly enough, the section on Gettysburg mentions Joshua Chamberlain just once, as an aside.
One thing that becomes crystal clear after reading volumes 1 and 2 is that both sides had their problems with generals, so it wasn't just McClellan, as more cursory histories might lead one to believe. Volume 2 also deals with the stories of Grant's drinking. Although he briefly alludes to the point of view that Grant did not have such a problem, the author comes down on the side of those who believe he did, but only when he was bored and his wife was not there. In what may be thought of as prescience with respect to Grant's presidency, Sherman believed that his friend Grant, due to his naivete, would not be able to avoid being suckered by the cons of Washington DC.
December 2, 2020
In this volume Foote overlooks the murder of black prisoners of war and wounded at the Battle of Olustee, and yet mentions the lynching of a slave by Union soldiers who thought that the slave had betrayed them and thwarted their mission. He also fails to mention the re-enslavement of free Pennsylvania blacks during Lee's progress towards Gettysburg, and the heinous murder of one who resisted. To be fair, he may not have known about the murder of those soldiers or freedmen, but it confirms a bias towards the South that Foote himself owned in saying he would have fought for the South.
Yet here, as in Volume 1, he seems perfectly fair in maligning the incompetent generals, North and South, whose blundering cost so many lives.
Whatever his viewpoint, this series is indispensable and marvelously informative. So much so that after finishing the audiobook, I plan on reading the print version.
Yet here, as in Volume 1, he seems perfectly fair in maligning the incompetent generals, North and South, whose blundering cost so many lives.
Whatever his viewpoint, this series is indispensable and marvelously informative. So much so that after finishing the audiobook, I plan on reading the print version.
March 16, 2021
Published: 1963
My background on the subject:
1) The Impending Crisis (David M. Potter, 1976)
2) Grant (Jean Edward Smith, 2002)
3) Lincoln (David Herbert Donald, 1996)
4) Battle Cry of Freedom (James McPherson, 1988)
5) The Civil War: Volume 1 (Foote, 1958)
“Peace does not appear so distant as it did. I hope it will come soon, and come to stay; and so come as to be worth the keeping in all future time— It will then have been proved that, among free men, there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and that they who take such appeal are sure to lose their case, and pay the cost. And then, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue, and clenched teeth, and steady eye, and well borne poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation; while I fear, there will be some white ones, unable to forget that, with malignant hearts, and deceitful speech, they have strove to hinder it.”
-Abraham Lincoln, 1863
I usually underestimate the second part of a trilogy. In this case, not only was my doubt grossly misplaced, but my lowered expectations actually enriched the pleasure of an already terrific book. Foote’s ability to organize dramatic historical events into a narrative that nearly follows a traditional story structure continues to amaze me. Equally impressive is his consistency in presenting characters and groups uniquely and sympathetically, but not uncritically. That said, the institutional subjugation of black Americans is still almost completely pushed aside to focus on military and political personalities and events. Nor does Foote present more than a superficial explanation of what is meant by The Cause. After two full volumes The Cause has been presented merely as a broad desire for independence, as if the motivations and objectives of the Confederates were identical to those of the Continental Congress and Continental Army in the 1770’s. I suppose it’s a fair argument; that in the mind of the Southerners, their war for independence was based the same principles as The War for Independence. Perhaps such an analysis is beyond the intended scope of the book. It didn’t ruin the book for me but there were occasions where its absence was glaring. For example, Foote gives a salutary account of John Pemberton’s dedication to the Confederacy which was so thorough that the native Pennsylvanian endured complete disownment from his family to adopt the South as his country and fight for it. However, Foote never explains what inspired or seduced Pemberton to The Cause.
I reiterate from my review of the first volume that if I had not already read a broad history of the Civil War, Foote’s persistent blind-eye would bother me much more than it does. Someone could no doubt level some legitimate criticism against me for having so little trouble dissociating slavery from a narrative on the Civil War. I have thought about it a fair amount, and I acknowledge that there is an inverse relationship between exposition about the racial prejudices of the characters (both North and South) and the sympathy I am able to develop for them as they battle for their respective causes. I attribute this to my relatively enlightened views on the universality of human character and an innate human desire to focus on the positive aspects of ones forbears (teenage years notwithstanding). Even so, I suspect that to present historical figures largely as they might have presented themselves does not inherently impair or distort the veracity of my understanding of history, but is perhaps an essential element of a multifaceted approach. Anyway, back to the book.
This installment of the trilogy would serve as a nearly perfect second act if the Confederacy were the protagonists (they are not) and if they ultimately won the war (no spoilers). The first third of the book recounts a number of battles in which the Confederates manage dramatic victories in spite of overwhelming odds against them. Here it is particularly crucial to neglect for a moment some of the sinister motivations underlying The Cause if you want to partake in the excitement of extraordinary triumphs of a vastly outnumbered and underequipped military force. After a handful of these successes, things really start to look up for the underdog Confederacy. Just like gravity, however, the Union’s overwhelming advantages eventually bring them back down to Earth at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
Foote’s recounting of battles is enthralling because of his skillful orchestration of entertaining and revealing anecdotes within intriguing subplots within an epic story. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in his account of the Battle of Gettysburg. The drama, the stakes, and the consequences of that massive confrontation are awe-inspiring to me. Using his talent as a novelist, Foote illustrates how the most seemingly insignificant action or inaction can determine the outcome of the whole contest. That doesn’t go for every battle, however. Some are a fait accompli. For example, the biggest challenge for Grant in taking Vicksburg was simply getting his troops there alive and equipped for a siege, though that challenge was one of the toughest he would face during the entire war.
After Lee’s army lost so many irreplaceable soldiers at Gettysburg and the Union took complete control of the Mississippi River with the conquests of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, the romantic visions/delusions of independence faded into a hard reality for all but the most faithful Confederate military leaders. General Longstreet explained it well at that time: “[Vicksburg], taken in connection with the Gettysburg defeat, was, of course, very discouraging to our superior officers, though I do not know that it was felt as keenly by the rank and file. For myself, I felt that our last hope was gone, and that it was now only a question of time with us.”
Many in the Confederacy had known from the beginning that they stood no chance at success against the Union’s vast superiority of manpower, materials, naval power, and industrial capacity. Both Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee indicated at the outset that the Confederacy’s struggle for independence would require the intervention of God for success. Beseeching God’s support is always a good practice, but I believe that Davis and Lee might have been speaking more literally than the average Southerner supposed. By the second half of 1863, although their faith in the righteousness of God was undisturbed, their faith in the righteousness of the Confederacy was holding on only by expression of their force of will.
My favorite part of the book is how it ends. I won’t spoil anything except to say that suddenly everything that has happened in both volumes, which was more often spent in the vantage point of the South, seems like a prelude to the ascension of something both indomitable and inevitable: Ulysses S. Grant.
August 6, 2022
Having seen Shelby Foote's several appearances on Ken Burn's Civil War documentary, reading this trilogy of the war was like having an hours-long conversation with him. As I read, I could hear his soft, slow, southern drawl. I pictured sitting with him on a porch somewhere in Mississippi sipping a fine bourbon while I took in what his research could add to my knowledge of the war that has been a life-long obsession for me. And then there's his slight resemblance to Robert E. Lee.
This is my review for the whole trilogy. All three volumes are among my favorite books ever read but the second is the best because of his descriptions of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. It's no wonder that those two chapters have each been released separately. There's no doubt that Foote, a southerner by birth, has some bias toward the South, but in my opinion, he's among the best authors of overviews at keeping that bias at bay and providing a balanced narrative.
I've read quite a bit of Catton's work but so far not his Centenial History of the Civil War trilogy. I'm thinking that sometime soon I should read it and Foote's trilogy side by side. Could make for a very interesting year-long project.
This is my review for the whole trilogy. All three volumes are among my favorite books ever read but the second is the best because of his descriptions of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. It's no wonder that those two chapters have each been released separately. There's no doubt that Foote, a southerner by birth, has some bias toward the South, but in my opinion, he's among the best authors of overviews at keeping that bias at bay and providing a balanced narrative.
I've read quite a bit of Catton's work but so far not his Centenial History of the Civil War trilogy. I'm thinking that sometime soon I should read it and Foote's trilogy side by side. Could make for a very interesting year-long project.
September 16, 2017
Foote's writing falls in an odd spot between history and entertainment; I guess that made him an obvious choice for his role in the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. Foote writes wonderfully, and though his status as a mid-century Southern white man shines through every word he does not indulge sectionalist perspectives the way many of the contemporaries did. As far as I know, Foote's telling of the major facts and events is still considered accurate and probably no one has done a better job of humanizing and illustrating the conflict from the perspective of soldiers, particularly white southern soldiers. It's clear that Foote loves all the men who fought in this war, and admires Lincoln and Grant while not being blind to the sins of the South or the faults of the Confederate government and military.
For such a very long "Narrative," however, Foote seems incredibly cramped compared to more recent scholarship. Though he doesn't indulge in any bullshit denying the centrality of slavery to the Civil War or other such self-gratifying Southern myths, he also doesn't do much to place the war in context. He talks about suffering on the home front, particularly in the deprived and decimated south, only as it pertains to the soldiers and politicians.
In short, Foote should be read by people who are interested in not just the history of the Civil War but also in the historiography: This is how 20th Century white historians wrote about the war.
Those looking for a more concise and yet more comprehensive view should look to James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom," and those who are interested in the way civilians coped with the war and the way it changed American society should look to various books ("This Republic of Suffering," "Mothers of Invention") by Drew Gilpan Faust.
For such a very long "Narrative," however, Foote seems incredibly cramped compared to more recent scholarship. Though he doesn't indulge in any bullshit denying the centrality of slavery to the Civil War or other such self-gratifying Southern myths, he also doesn't do much to place the war in context. He talks about suffering on the home front, particularly in the deprived and decimated south, only as it pertains to the soldiers and politicians.
In short, Foote should be read by people who are interested in not just the history of the Civil War but also in the historiography: This is how 20th Century white historians wrote about the war.
Those looking for a more concise and yet more comprehensive view should look to James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom," and those who are interested in the way civilians coped with the war and the way it changed American society should look to various books ("This Republic of Suffering," "Mothers of Invention") by Drew Gilpan Faust.
November 4, 2016
God I love Shelby Foote
The Civil War Trilogy is not a project or light read, it's a commitment. The second volume is 967 pages, about 100 more than volume one. The first two have been exhaustively researched and detailed, and Mr. Foote's ability to tell a story is wonderful. This is not just a compendium of facts and troop movements, it's a real, living breathing account of the men who fought this war. From the men on the line to the generals to the presidents, you are there, you feel what they feel. The personalities are drawn with a vivid brush, you know what it's like to try to hold the factions of a country together (both sides had riots), the politics and rivalries between the generals, and what the civilians experienced.
This book is so real, so accurate, that Gettysburg, a battle that took three days, takes three days to read. I've read books on that battle that weren't this good.
I did have to take break between tomes, but I think I'm ready for volume three. The thing is, when I'm reading these books, that's what I want to do. I mean, the dishes really pile up, y'know?
The Civil War Trilogy is not a project or light read, it's a commitment. The second volume is 967 pages, about 100 more than volume one. The first two have been exhaustively researched and detailed, and Mr. Foote's ability to tell a story is wonderful. This is not just a compendium of facts and troop movements, it's a real, living breathing account of the men who fought this war. From the men on the line to the generals to the presidents, you are there, you feel what they feel. The personalities are drawn with a vivid brush, you know what it's like to try to hold the factions of a country together (both sides had riots), the politics and rivalries between the generals, and what the civilians experienced.
This book is so real, so accurate, that Gettysburg, a battle that took three days, takes three days to read. I've read books on that battle that weren't this good.
I did have to take break between tomes, but I think I'm ready for volume three. The thing is, when I'm reading these books, that's what I want to do. I mean, the dishes really pile up, y'know?
October 30, 2019
I tried, I really tried to love this book. I have wanted to read Shelby Foote's trilogy for years as a civil war buff. I know that many other civil war fans have loved this series and i was sure I would too but unfortunately I just don't care for it.
The biggest positive is that the author clearly loves and knows his subject. This is certainly an exhaustive look at the war between the states which in my opinion is the problem. I feel that this book spends way too much time describing every single troop movement as they recover from and prepare for battles. It reads more like a report or list with occasional moments of insight into the key players.
I really enjoyed when Foote took time to tell stories about Lincoln, Davis and the generals but those stories were not enough to to make me recommend this series.
I realize I'm in the minority on these books but its how I feel.
The biggest positive is that the author clearly loves and knows his subject. This is certainly an exhaustive look at the war between the states which in my opinion is the problem. I feel that this book spends way too much time describing every single troop movement as they recover from and prepare for battles. It reads more like a report or list with occasional moments of insight into the key players.
I really enjoyed when Foote took time to tell stories about Lincoln, Davis and the generals but those stories were not enough to to make me recommend this series.
I realize I'm in the minority on these books but its how I feel.
November 28, 2007
I have never enjoyed reading anything more in my life. This is a Homeric telling of America's 2nd revolution. The author is biased towards the south, and he fails to adequately incorporate the political developments of the time into his account. He also worships the wrong hero: Jefferson Davis rather than Abe Lincoln. But the Civil War is the story of the south more than the north, and its being told by a southern partisan is thus fitting. No one has ever researched a topic more thoroughly. No one has ever brought ghosts to life like this. After reading this book, places like Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga are transformed into holy ground. It is so gargantuan, I fear I will never have to chance to read it again
January 13, 2015
This second volume is as good as the first, especially since it covers some of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War: Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and Chancellorsville. Shelby Foote's writing is as good as ever. My favorite passages from this book:
"What mainly distinguished the conflict from the outset was its fury. An Alabamian described the racket as 'one solid, unbroken wave of awe-inspiring sound...as if all the fires of earth and hell had been turned loose in one mighty effort to destroy each other."
My second favorite, an exchange of dialogue between General Braxton Bragg and a long-suffering private:
Do you know what a retreat looks like?"
Private: "I ought to, General. I've been with you during your whole campaign."
"What mainly distinguished the conflict from the outset was its fury. An Alabamian described the racket as 'one solid, unbroken wave of awe-inspiring sound...as if all the fires of earth and hell had been turned loose in one mighty effort to destroy each other."
My second favorite, an exchange of dialogue between General Braxton Bragg and a long-suffering private:
Do you know what a retreat looks like?"
Private: "I ought to, General. I've been with you during your whole campaign."
February 19, 2016
This gets three stars for two reasons (rather than 4 or 5).
1) It is exclusively a military history. I am interested in the social aspects of history quite a bit, so this loses a star from me for that.
2) Foote doesn't cite his sources - not even in footnotes or end notes. With something as exhaustively studied as the Civil War, he doesn't break new ground, nor was he controversial. But that still loses me a star (even though he called it a narrative).
Engaging writing, detailed and deep is a good description of this trilogy. I will read the third.
1) It is exclusively a military history. I am interested in the social aspects of history quite a bit, so this loses a star from me for that.
2) Foote doesn't cite his sources - not even in footnotes or end notes. With something as exhaustively studied as the Civil War, he doesn't break new ground, nor was he controversial. But that still loses me a star (even though he called it a narrative).
Engaging writing, detailed and deep is a good description of this trilogy. I will read the third.
March 6, 2019
Starts strong, but gets bogged down in battle details, ignoring the higher strategy and political troubles of Lincoln and Davis in favor of grey and blue D&D miniatures. Feels like it is doing too much "trying to set the record straight" and not enough solid storytelling.
September 16, 2008
Like the war, this three volume series drags in the middle.
February 12, 2020
I started this series in 1997. I revisited vol. 1 in 2009. I went about reading this volume for a book club challenge to read a BIG BOOK for February 2020. I started in November... and I just finished. I will admit that I read other books during breaks (usually after each chapter/section). Was I bored? No! It is such a BIG BOOK that is a slow read. No skimming here. This series is simply one of the best set of books I have ever read. Here are a few bullets to explain:
* This is a historical narrative. It reads like a novel in places.
* Foote is a master wordsmith. He brings the details forward to bring the reader into the story for the big picture as well as the individual level.
* The books primarily cover the military actions, but include so much more. Politics, historical setting on both the North and South, psychological struggles of individuals, and so much more are interweaved to tell the story.
* While the major figures of both the North and South are covered, Foote also tells stories of so many people that only play minor footnotes in the history of America. It was these "minor" characters that really drew me in at times. Just one or two pages about an individual soldier could grasp your mind and imagination, forcing you to stop and think about that one individual. This is one reason the book takes so long to read.
* I listened to the Blackstone Audiobook while reading. At times, I listened at 1.20 speed while reading the text. I have never done this consistently with another book (listen and read at the same time). With other books, it is simply too frustrating to slow down like that. With this audio book, the audio and reading bring the story even deeper. I know this isn't for everyone, but it worked for me.
Well, now I am challenged with the decision on how long to wait until vol. 3. Will it be 10-11 years? No. I hope to read vol. 3 this year... but I do have 52 books to go for 2020, so I better read some shorter books and get some room for a 3 month dive later in the year.
* This is a historical narrative. It reads like a novel in places.
* Foote is a master wordsmith. He brings the details forward to bring the reader into the story for the big picture as well as the individual level.
* The books primarily cover the military actions, but include so much more. Politics, historical setting on both the North and South, psychological struggles of individuals, and so much more are interweaved to tell the story.
* While the major figures of both the North and South are covered, Foote also tells stories of so many people that only play minor footnotes in the history of America. It was these "minor" characters that really drew me in at times. Just one or two pages about an individual soldier could grasp your mind and imagination, forcing you to stop and think about that one individual. This is one reason the book takes so long to read.
* I listened to the Blackstone Audiobook while reading. At times, I listened at 1.20 speed while reading the text. I have never done this consistently with another book (listen and read at the same time). With other books, it is simply too frustrating to slow down like that. With this audio book, the audio and reading bring the story even deeper. I know this isn't for everyone, but it worked for me.
Well, now I am challenged with the decision on how long to wait until vol. 3. Will it be 10-11 years? No. I hope to read vol. 3 this year... but I do have 52 books to go for 2020, so I better read some shorter books and get some room for a 3 month dive later in the year.
June 14, 2021
Foote provides a masterful narrative of the various campaigns between the Winter of 1962 up to the Spring of 1964 in this second book of his Civil War narrative. Amazing the swing of momentum as Lee routs the Union army with inferior numbers but great strategic position at Fredericksburg then does the same by splitting his Army with General Jackson outflanking the Union left at Chancellorsville. However the aftermath of that victory resulting in the friendly fire shooting of Jackson begins a season of detrimental setbacks and losses for the South. Vicksburg is besieged and taken followed shortly by Port Hudson, Lee fails in his offensive actions at Gettysburg resulting in retreat, and though a frustrating victory is had in the West at Chickamagua, Bragg is defeated in his seige of Chattanooga losing that vital Southern city and also his command. Foote provides insightful first hand accounts of correspondence of commanders and those of privates to show a real life picture of this war. It is a masterpiece and I highly recommend it.
July 24, 2023
Finished The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote, another long segment 988 pages but worth every one. 1863 is the focus of Volume 2. Foote was a novelist before he wrote his 3 volume Civil War masterpiece. Even though one knows the outcomes of the battles, he has a way of building suspense and putting you there. I was particularly taken with the way he described The Battle of Gettysburg and later Lincoln’s famous address. Grant emerges as a Union winner, with his victory at Vicksburg which splits the Confederacy and gives the North complete control over the Mississippi. Sherman’s view of total war arises, that not just the troops on the field would need beating but also the loyal Confederates who were supporting them. Foote describes the “pot shots” that Confederate supporters would take against Union shipping on the Mississippi. He would make them pay and he did.
April 4, 2018
Like the 1st volume, Shelby Foote's 2nd (of 3) volume of his massive The Civil War: A Narrative series is nearly 1000 pages countless details. These books are a truly amazing accomplishment. Foote has the gift of elegant writing, which makes it considerably easier to make it through such a vast series. If you want to dedicate a few months....or years....to learning about the Civil War, these books will do the job. If you only want to know this gist, I wouldn't go with any of these. However, the Gettysburg section would be a good read for anyone.
November 18, 2021
After the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, in this second book, I’m afraid that I skimmed quite a bit, because the account got snarled up in too many detailed politics for me. But Shelby Foote somehow manages to make this long account come alive with personalities and places so that the reader can really get a sense of Longstreet’s depressed realization at the foot of Cemetary Hill that they are going to lose this major battle at Gettysburg, or Grant’s dogged determination to conquer the almost impregnable city of Vicksburg on the banks of the Mississippi. And in fact, he makes about 30 attempts from different angles to do so. Phew. An entirely crazy war, with almost every general thinking that “Providence” is on their own particular side. One more book in the trilogy to read.
May 26, 2022
Just amazing. This one has all the "famous" civil war battles from Vicksburg, Gettysburg and Missonary Ridge. Also, details Grant's rise with his appoint only as the 3rd litutent general of the United States. Great read. Side note.. multiple future presidents are mentioned as well such as Garfield.
Book: 5 stars.. read smooths and very detailed.
Book: 5 stars.. read smooths and very detailed.
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