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Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War
The Howling Storm: Weather, Climate, and the American Civil War
Finalist for the Lincoln Prize!
Traditional histories of the Civil War describe the conflict as a war between North and South. Kenneth W. Noe suggests it should instead be understood as a war between the North, the South, and the weather. In The Howling Storm, Noe retells the history of the conflagration with a focus on the ways in which weather and climate shaped the outcomes of battles and campaigns. He further contends that events such as floods and droughts affecting the Confederate home front constricted soldiers’ food supply, lowered morale, and undercut the government’s efforts to boost nationalist sentiment. By contrast, the superior equipment and open supply lines enjoyed by Union soldiers enabled them to cope successfully with the South’s extreme conditions and, ultimately, secure victory in 1865.
Climate conditions during the war proved unusual, as irregular phenomena such as El Niño, La Niña, and similar oscillations in the Atlantic Ocean disrupted weather patterns across southern states. Taking into account these meteorological events, Noe rethinks conventional explanations of battlefield victories and losses, compelling historians to reconsider long-held conclusions about the war. Unlike past studies that fault inflation, taxation, and logistical problems for the Confederate defeat, his work considers how soldiers and civilians dealt with floods and droughts that beset areas of the South in 1862, 1863, and 1864. In doing so, he addresses the foundational causes that forced Richmond to make difficult and sometimes disastrous decisions when prioritizing the feeding of the home front or the front lines.
The Howling Storm stands as the first comprehensive examination of weather and climate during the Civil War. Its approach, coverage, and conclusions are certain to reshape the field of Civil War studies.
Traditional histories of the Civil War describe the conflict as a war between North and South. Kenneth W. Noe suggests it should instead be understood as a war between the North, the South, and the weather. In The Howling Storm, Noe retells the history of the conflagration with a focus on the ways in which weather and climate shaped the outcomes of battles and campaigns. He further contends that events such as floods and droughts affecting the Confederate home front constricted soldiers’ food supply, lowered morale, and undercut the government’s efforts to boost nationalist sentiment. By contrast, the superior equipment and open supply lines enjoyed by Union soldiers enabled them to cope successfully with the South’s extreme conditions and, ultimately, secure victory in 1865.
Climate conditions during the war proved unusual, as irregular phenomena such as El Niño, La Niña, and similar oscillations in the Atlantic Ocean disrupted weather patterns across southern states. Taking into account these meteorological events, Noe rethinks conventional explanations of battlefield victories and losses, compelling historians to reconsider long-held conclusions about the war. Unlike past studies that fault inflation, taxation, and logistical problems for the Confederate defeat, his work considers how soldiers and civilians dealt with floods and droughts that beset areas of the South in 1862, 1863, and 1864. In doing so, he addresses the foundational causes that forced Richmond to make difficult and sometimes disastrous decisions when prioritizing the feeding of the home front or the front lines.
The Howling Storm stands as the first comprehensive examination of weather and climate during the Civil War. Its approach, coverage, and conclusions are certain to reshape the field of Civil War studies.
688 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2023
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73 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 23, 2021
A meticulously detailed look at weather during the Civil War, this book was fascinating. The author argues that weather was as much a factor in the conflict as the opposing armies were. The result is a day by day reconstruction of weather trends based on local observations and first hand soldier recollections. The only complaint I have about this book is that there are many typos. A revised edition with a better proofreading is called for. Other than that, it was a great book.
July 23, 2021
The Howling Storm analyzes the role of weather during the Civil War. The book covers every theater of the war, not just the eastern theater. Kenneth Noe analyzes and argues that weather played a significant part in the war. For example, Irwin McDowell's army was slow to get to Manassas because of terrible weather. Noe writes, "Northern Virginia’s climate, however, most troubled McDowell. Intense heat and frequent violent thunderstorms characterize Julys in the state, with the hottest week of the entire year usually around the summer equinox. A La Niña event that summer would have meant even hotter than usual conditions." It also impacted the Confederates. "Confederates were on the move as well during those hot July days. Beauregard’s advance elements at Fairfax Court House initially fell back in the wake of McDowell’s approach. South Carolinian Dick Simpson, marching with that column, remembered July 17 as brutal. “The day was excessively hot and the road hilly and rocky,” he wrote. Worse, they were “double-quicked for two hours . . . having all their baggage to carry.” Some men “fainted in their tracks, while others fell from their horses. Some dropped on the road side with scarcely breath enough to keep them alive, but only one man died, he from the effects of sun stroke.”
There are two criticisms I have of this book. One it does get bogged down in details and I think keeping the book shorter would have been more beneficial. Second, the writer made multiple errors. For example, during the Second Bull Run Campaign, he called John Pope Polk.
Not a bad read because it was interesting and discussed campaigns that get little to no recognition.
There are two criticisms I have of this book. One it does get bogged down in details and I think keeping the book shorter would have been more beneficial. Second, the writer made multiple errors. For example, during the Second Bull Run Campaign, he called John Pope Polk.
Not a bad read because it was interesting and discussed campaigns that get little to no recognition.
December 18, 2021
Totally different perspective on the Civil War and one not really or often thought of. If you want a break from battle books or biographies, this is it!
January 31, 2021
Masterful treatment of the role of weather in the American Civil War. In short, it prolonged the war and made Emancipation possible.
October 21, 2023
This book looks at the war through the lens of weather and climate. It is a fresh look at the Civil War that clearly demonstrates how the elements influenced battles, campaigns and even the outcome of the war. I highly recommend it to any person interested in the Civil War.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews