The American Civil War: A Hands-on History

by Christopher J. Olsen

Christopher J. Olsen’s The American Civil War is the ideal introduction to secession, war, and Reconstruction. Beginning in 1850 with the mounting political pressures to split the Union, through the four years of bloodshed and waning Confederate fortunes, to Lincoln’s assassination and the rise and fall of radical Reconstruction, The American Civil War covers the entire sectional conflict.
It is The American Civil War ’s ability to put the reader in the middle of unfolding events that distinguishes it. Whether it was the timing of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, the serendipitous discovery of General Lee’s plans (found wrapped around three cigars) before the battle of Antietam, or the conspiracy of assassins that murdered Lincoln, Olsen’s deft narrative reminds readers that chance and opportunities, missed and acted on, worked within larger political, economic, and social trends to dictate events. Select historical documents following each chapter further allow the reader to experience the war in “real time,” putting him in the middle of the unfolding drama.

Genres: History, Civil War History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2006

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a Civil War book to clock in under 300 pages (or even 3000), you know some serious detail is being sacrificed. It’s one way or the other: you can have the nuance and the length, or the broadness and the brevity. For what this book wants to do, I think it’s not bad.

[Cameron Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read and watched a lot of material on the Civil War throughout my school years, and some of my post college days. Most of it goes back to the same major plot points about the huge battles and the Emancipation Proclamation. This book gets more into the finer points that lead up to everything instead.

What I love about this book is that it shows how everyone had varying degrees of commitment towards abolitionism, government, or the war itself. There were no clear lines, and Lincoln and Davis were always trying to navigate the choppy waters that was the people throughout the entire war. No one, especially Lincoln, was clear cut as I had been taught throughout my school years.

The most interesting thing I learned was that it seemed that nobody knew what they were doing most of the time. A lot of battles were won by strategic leaders, but quite a few were won based on bad or incorrect information on the other side. Previous knowledge tells me that the invention of the telegram gave an edge to the Union, but this book makes it seem like there was no real difference.

My favorite part is the inclusion of documents, especially letters, at the end of every chapter. These people, soldiers and civilians alike, were all deeply affected by the intense hardships that came about later on in the war, and these documents are proof of such endurance. I am glad for the author, and the various people who maintained these documents, for making such knowledge available to the future.

[Moira L. Mefein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully researched and well told, this is the most comprehensive history of that war which I have read. It is dense, academic, and not an easy read. Yet anyone who has a genuine interest in U.S. history will find it extremely interesting.

[Jason]

Two caveats: I have absolutely no interest in the Civil War and had this not been assigned reading I am doubtful I would have ever purchased this book. Those two issues aside, this is an amazing book which tells the story of the Civil War from the perspective of those directly affected by it - soldiers, slaves, common citizens and politicians. The author provides a brief introduction in order to set the scene for the period in which he is writing then relies on primary documents to tell the rest of the story. Most books discussing the Civil War (in my experience) tend to be academic in nature and thus fail to accurately convey the struggle and epic loss of life and carnage that defined the war. I typically make every excuse to not read assigned books, but this book is a page turner.

[Louisa]

Another book for the Civil War Unit

[Daniel2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very instructive. great chapter ending of actual documentation.

[Bjornv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendously well-done overview of the Civil War.