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 | | Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States) by James M. McPherson ISBN-10: 9780195038637 ISBN-10: 0-19-503863-0 ISBN-13: 9780195038637 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-503863-7 Paperback 1988-02-25 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Amazon.com 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. | ||
Product Description Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard 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--the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry--and then moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself--the battles, the strategic maneuvering on both sides, 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. | ||
Reviews | ||
Excellent This book is full of infomation about the times of the Civil War. Very informative about why things happened. Excellent. | ||
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. | ||
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. | ||
A Great One-Volume History of the Civil War In my humble opinion, Battle Cry of Freedom is one of the best one-volume histories of the Civil War. All aspects are covered: military, political, social, economic, etc. The narrative flows smoothly, is easy and interesting to read without being overly dry or bogged down into too much detail, and is broad in the width of topics covered. The battle descriptions give enough detail of who won and the results. McPherson does a good job of the situations faced by and strategies employed by Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson, and a host of other military and political leaders. If you are looking for a book that covers the "high points" of the war, then this one's for you. However, if you are looking for a book for detailed battle descriptions or biographies, then you are better off looking elsewhere. It just depends on what you are looking for. Again, a highly recommended introductory study to the American Civil War. Expand the knowledge you learn in Battle Cry of Freedom by reading books on detailed battles or biographies. Read and enjoy! | ||
A SHRILL ARGUMENT - THEN BLOOD James McPherson has written a fine history of the Civil War. This dramatic period of American history can be treated as a numbing series of military and political events, but McPherson's narrative approach permits the reader to work smoothly through the material. The volume aims to be comprehensive and contains photos and maps of military campaigns and battles. McPherson opens the curtain on the nation in 1850. In this way he is able to identify the cause of the war: a shrill sectional argument about the extension of slavery across the American continent. The final phase of this generations-old debate began when President Polk started a war with Mexico in order to secure Texas. Henry Clay and other Whigs, including a one-term ex-congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, objected to the acquisition of additional territory unless slavery was prohibited. Polk's critics insisted that human slavery was incompatible with the westward expansion of the nation. Southern leaders insisted that the slave-holding South must survive even at the cost of separation from the other states. The extreme Southern position enabled the enemies of slavery to win over the electorate by arguing that slavery posed a deadly threat to free labor and secession an equally dangerous threat to the future of the nation. The cogency of this attack propelled Lincoln into the White House in 1860. Why did the North win the war? McPherson gives his reasons, including superior northern leadership, a strategy of total war employed by Grant and Sherman, and the industrial and numerical advantages enjoyed by the North. One of the greatest values of the book is its interpretative key: contingency. McPherson indicates how the course of events might have been changed at different points and leaves the reader to speculate. Suppose Robert E. Lee had developed a larger military vision than the Virginia countryside? Suppose England had not been so wary of French influence in America and had recognized the Confederacy right away? Suppose Lincoln had not issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, a gesture that transformed the struggle into a fight for human freedom? Suppose Lincoln had been motivated more by expediency than by principle and had not pressed the issue to ultimate military victory? What were the consequences of the war? Among the most important were that the principal of secession was killed along with slavery. After 1865, the central government began to dominate the life of the nation. McPherson points out that eleven of the first twelve Constitutional amendments limited the central government before the Civil War and that six of the next seven amendments expanded federal governmental authority. Federal court jurisdiction was expanded, a national currency and banking and tax systems were created. A truly national economy began to develop. McPherson also points to a shift in political power from South to North, which made the United States less like the rest of the world. War-stimulated industrial development laid the foundation for United States world leadership for the next one hundred years. McPherson suggests that many of these changes were symbolized as "the United States" became a singular noun. "Nation" replaced "union" in Lincoln's vocabulary and in common parlance. This book is part of the Oxford Press series of the history of the United States edited by the late C. Vann Woodward. What a pleasure to read an important and thoughtful book that combines valuable insights with clear, fluid writing. (In 1989, this book received the Pulitzer Prize in History.) This review has been published in a collection of reviews and articles, That's What I'm Talking About (Nativa 2008). THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT | ||