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Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)
written by James M. McPherson
Studio : Oxford University Press, USA
by Oxford University Press, USA
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Released : 2003-12-11
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780195168952
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 180 reviews)
List Price : $19.95
Our Price : $9.68
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Product Description |
Now featuring a new Afterword by the author, this handy paperback edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom is without question the definitive one-volume history of the Civil War.
James McPherson's fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War including the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. From there it moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself--the battles, the strategic maneuvering by each side, the politics, and the personalities. Particularly notable are McPherson's new views on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s, the origins of the Republican Party, the causes of secession, internal dissent and anti-war opposition in the North and the South, and the reasons for the Union's victory.
The book's title refers to the sentiments that informed both the Northern and Southern views of the conflict. The South seceded in the name of that freedom of self-determination and self-government for which their fathers had fought in 1776, while the North stood fast in defense of the Union founded by those fathers as the bulwark of American liberty. Eventually, the North had to grapple with the underlying cause of the war, slavery, and adopt a policy of emancipation as a second war aim. This "new birth of freedom," as Lincoln called it, constitutes the proudest legacy of America's bloodiest conflict.
This authoritative volume makes sense of that vast and confusing "second American Revolution" we call the Civil War, a war that transformed a nation and expanded our heritage of liberty. |
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Americancivilwar.com Review |
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Published in 1988 to universal acclaim, this single-volume treatment of the Civil War quickly became recognized as the new standard in its field. James M. McPherson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for this book, impressively combines a brisk writing style with an admirable thoroughness. He covers the military aspects of the war in all of the necessary detail, and also provides a helpful framework describing the complex economic, political, and social forces behind the conflict. Perhaps more than any other book, this one belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War buff. |
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Dale |
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I own over 500 Civil War books and this is by the best. It's very detailed, but still very interesting. I would recommend this book to an individual wanting to know something about the Civil War or to an individual already very knowledgeable on the Civil War. |
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Kindle Edition has problems |
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This review is purely as to the flaws of the Kindle transfer -- the book itself is a masterpiece I've reread with pleasure on paper over the years. Unfortunately the transfer is a rough scanned-PDF type that is MUCH harder to read than other Kindle books. Caveat Emptor. |
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Excellent |
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This book is full of infomation about the times of the Civil War. Very informative about why things happened. Excellent. |
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Marred by political correctness |
Yes, this is an excellent political history. But it is marred by political correctness. The culture of American Indians was "vital," we learn, and all Indians are treated strictly as victims. Southerners are almost without exception villainous. Little is said of Lincoln's view of the alleged inferiority of blacks before 1860. And there is no mention of Nat Turner!
Perhaps the author had no choice, given the nature of academia today. I continue to prefer earlier versions of American history, without the PC. |
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If you read one book on the civil war |
If you wanted to read just one book to get an understanding of the Civil War and its effects on the United States, you could do little better than James PcPherson's book. It is an intimidating book at over 800 pages. This thickness comes from the fact that the book does not just cover the battles from 1861 through 1865, but examines the political war that took place long before the armed conflict continued the "politics through other means".
The book has a fascinating focus on the political dimension that may distract from those solely interested in a tactical account of the battles. There are ample books that look into greater detail of the personalities of the generals and the intricacies of the individual battles. The Battle Cry of Freedom covers these battles and their key points, but this is not the focus of this book.
Where this book is unique in other civil war books that I have read is its treatment of the political-military aspect of the war. It has an excellent examination of the political situations that gave rise to the Republican party and the debates between radicals and moderates even within this party. It goes to great lengths examining how the democratic party, whig party, no-nothings and numerous other parties influenced the political scene.
During the war this political examination gives great treatment to the political challenges that both leaders, Lincoln and Davis, faced within their governments and how they tackled issues that are eerily familiar today - the legality and constitutionality of war and the suspicion of civil liberties (to include habeas corpus) during war.
McPherson closes his book with a very well reasoned look at how the civil war altered the course of the nation and made us the nation we are today, versus the union that we were before. While there are fascinating studies of the leadership and battles of the armed conflict, this books places these studies within the larger context that is crucial to anyone who wants to have a full understanding of the Civil War and what it truly meant to American civilization and culture.
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