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This Hallowed Ground
s/t: The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War
437 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
243 people are currently reading
2027 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Catton
374 books314 followersBruce Catton was a distinguished American historian and journalist, best known for his influential writings on the American Civil War. Renowned for his narrative style, Catton brought history to life through richly drawn characters, vivid battlefield descriptions, and a deep understanding of the political and emotional forces that shaped the era. His accessible yet meticulously researched books made him one of the most popular historians of the twentieth century.
Born in Petoskey, Michigan, and raised in the small town of Benzonia, Catton grew up surrounded by Civil War veterans whose personal stories sparked a lifelong fascination with the conflict. Though he briefly attended Oberlin College, Catton left during World War I and served in the U.S. Navy. He later began a career in journalism, working as a reporter, editor, and Washington correspondent. His experience in government service during World War II inspired his first book, The War Lords of Washington (1948).
Catton achieved national acclaim with his Army of the Potomac trilogy—Mr. Lincoln’s Army (1951), Glory Road (1952), and A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)—the last of which earned him the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Award. He went on to publish a second trilogy, The Centennial History of the Civil War, and contributed two volumes to a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, begun by Lloyd Lewis. His other notable works include This Hallowed Ground, The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, and Waiting for the Morning Train, a memoir of his Michigan boyhood.
In 1954, Catton became the founding editor of American Heritage magazine, further shaping the public’s understanding of U.S. history. In 1977, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Catton’s legacy endures through his vivid portrayals of America’s most defining conflict and his enduring influence on historical writing.
Born in Petoskey, Michigan, and raised in the small town of Benzonia, Catton grew up surrounded by Civil War veterans whose personal stories sparked a lifelong fascination with the conflict. Though he briefly attended Oberlin College, Catton left during World War I and served in the U.S. Navy. He later began a career in journalism, working as a reporter, editor, and Washington correspondent. His experience in government service during World War II inspired his first book, The War Lords of Washington (1948).
Catton achieved national acclaim with his Army of the Potomac trilogy—Mr. Lincoln’s Army (1951), Glory Road (1952), and A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)—the last of which earned him the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Award. He went on to publish a second trilogy, The Centennial History of the Civil War, and contributed two volumes to a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, begun by Lloyd Lewis. His other notable works include This Hallowed Ground, The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, and Waiting for the Morning Train, a memoir of his Michigan boyhood.
In 1954, Catton became the founding editor of American Heritage magazine, further shaping the public’s understanding of U.S. history. In 1977, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Catton’s legacy endures through his vivid portrayals of America’s most defining conflict and his enduring influence on historical writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
November 8, 2023
🥁 Bruce Catton was simply one of the most eloquent, profound and accessible historians of the American Civil War. Everyone should read at least one of his books. He speaks to far more than the various battles of the war. I find he is fair to both sides of the conflict and able to discuss the entire American spirit even when it is broken.
May 1, 2023
Bruce Catton spent the bulk of his career writing lively narrative accounts of the American Civil War. This Hallowed Ground is a fair digest of his work, providing a concise one-volume narrative of the conflict, focusing as the subtitle suggests on the Union Army. While Catton's writing style achieved full flower in his Army of the Potomac trilogy, Ground certainly isn't lacking for colorful prose or vivid portraiture. Catton ably recounts the major campaign of the war, the personalities of leading generals (Grant, Sherman, McClellan, etc.) and sneaking in anecdotes about foot soldiers who did the bulk of fighting and dying. The political background is lightly sketched, though Catton does a fair job capturing Abraham Lincoln's peregrinations on abolition and spells out that slavery was both the underlying and immediate cause of the war, something not universally common in popular histories at the time. It's similarly refreshing to see Catton devote equal time to the Western Theater of the war than the more famous battles of the East, with particular focus given to Grant's months-long Siege of Vicksburg. What the book lacks in the you-are-there vividness that marks Catton's more detailed histories, it certainly compensates for that in sweep, clarity and readability.
June 29, 2014
Bruce Catton's 1956 work provides everything that a newcomer to the history of the American Civil War could possibly want from a single volume. It covering the major campaigns of the war from a Union perspective, its portraits of the key generals - McClellan, Grant, Jackson and, particularly, Sherman and Lee - are well-drawn and insightful; but it also does an excellent job of showing the lives and hardships of the ordinary soldiers.
At the book's heart is a moving lyricism. The author always finds and describes the scene or detail which captures the spirit and drama of an event. The bird hopping on the cotton hill which sang Lincoln's proclamation to the slaves, the burning pine forest ringing to a chorus of 'John Brown's body' and the tramp of thousands of Union soldiers, the chaotic footrace to the ridge at the climax of the Battle of Chattanooga.
At a human level the personalities of the commanders of the armies are illuminated by the things they did or said, and these small details are probably more telling of character than a full psychological exposition based on guesswork and the author's prejudices would be - Catton appreciates that we can never really know these people except through their actions and that their motives were known only to themselves. This is a sensitive and well executed decision by the the author.
The author makes the point that slavery became untenable, even with a Confederate victory, once the war came to the southern states, because an escape to freedom - guaranteed by Union soldiers, who despite their prejudices, had come to see the evil of slavery - was now possible, and runaway slaves (known as contrabands because of a legal fiction used by the north to prevent them from having to be returned to their owners) poured into Federalist camps in their thousands. This is more or less the broadest piece of analysis in the book, which otherwise invites the reader to draw their own conclusions about the wider historical forces at work, the discussion of the causes and the legacy of the war is as much psychological as it is historical - particularly in the latter case. The focus is rather on providing a poetic and engaging narrative of the war. The personalities of the commanders, the terrain, the battles; all are analysed at length, as well as the lot of the ordinary soldier on both sides - although the focus of the book is always on the Federalist side.
It does have some faults though. Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis - overall supremos of the two sides - get much less attention than might be expected, and little effort is made to explore the impact of political events on the war. McClellan, the peace candidate, was favourite to win the presidential election of 1864 until a month before polling day, making that event very probably the closest the South ever came to achieving their war goals. For a book focused on the Union cause, not to cover the election of 1864 in more detail is quite surprising.
On the whole though this is a really excellent treatment of the war. The research is excellent, although sixty years since its publication the interpretation of events has very likely been revised and re-revised by historians, but in book which focuses on telling the story of the war rather than interpreting it, perhaps this is not so much of a problem as would be in other cases. The excellent prose is a great adjunct to the author's ability to find the drama in every battle, every march, and every blunder, and this allows the book to deal reasonably thoroughly with these events without ever being dry or tedious.
At the book's heart is a moving lyricism. The author always finds and describes the scene or detail which captures the spirit and drama of an event. The bird hopping on the cotton hill which sang Lincoln's proclamation to the slaves, the burning pine forest ringing to a chorus of 'John Brown's body' and the tramp of thousands of Union soldiers, the chaotic footrace to the ridge at the climax of the Battle of Chattanooga.
At a human level the personalities of the commanders of the armies are illuminated by the things they did or said, and these small details are probably more telling of character than a full psychological exposition based on guesswork and the author's prejudices would be - Catton appreciates that we can never really know these people except through their actions and that their motives were known only to themselves. This is a sensitive and well executed decision by the the author.
The author makes the point that slavery became untenable, even with a Confederate victory, once the war came to the southern states, because an escape to freedom - guaranteed by Union soldiers, who despite their prejudices, had come to see the evil of slavery - was now possible, and runaway slaves (known as contrabands because of a legal fiction used by the north to prevent them from having to be returned to their owners) poured into Federalist camps in their thousands. This is more or less the broadest piece of analysis in the book, which otherwise invites the reader to draw their own conclusions about the wider historical forces at work, the discussion of the causes and the legacy of the war is as much psychological as it is historical - particularly in the latter case. The focus is rather on providing a poetic and engaging narrative of the war. The personalities of the commanders, the terrain, the battles; all are analysed at length, as well as the lot of the ordinary soldier on both sides - although the focus of the book is always on the Federalist side.
It does have some faults though. Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis - overall supremos of the two sides - get much less attention than might be expected, and little effort is made to explore the impact of political events on the war. McClellan, the peace candidate, was favourite to win the presidential election of 1864 until a month before polling day, making that event very probably the closest the South ever came to achieving their war goals. For a book focused on the Union cause, not to cover the election of 1864 in more detail is quite surprising.
On the whole though this is a really excellent treatment of the war. The research is excellent, although sixty years since its publication the interpretation of events has very likely been revised and re-revised by historians, but in book which focuses on telling the story of the war rather than interpreting it, perhaps this is not so much of a problem as would be in other cases. The excellent prose is a great adjunct to the author's ability to find the drama in every battle, every march, and every blunder, and this allows the book to deal reasonably thoroughly with these events without ever being dry or tedious.
April 25, 2025
Catton not only possesses the gift of eloquence: also the gift of letting us have the battles & feel them to. Amidst the tableau of carnage, he deftly picks out the moment that wins or loses the day. With equal clarity he maps out which hill or field unlocks the next mountain pass, the next railroad, the next strech of Mississippi, the next state.
1955 was the year of Rosa Parks & there is definitely a Civil Rights Movement flavor whenever slavery is discussed. It's always an unspoken assumption coming to the fore as an archaic society is inevitably swept away by a more broadly defined Land of the Free.
1955 was the year of Rosa Parks & there is definitely a Civil Rights Movement flavor whenever slavery is discussed. It's always an unspoken assumption coming to the fore as an archaic society is inevitably swept away by a more broadly defined Land of the Free.
June 17, 2018
This Hallowed Ground is a remarkable book. Bruce Catton’s poetic account of the trials and tribulations of the United States’ single most compelling historic event, The Civil War, is captivating.
If one limits oneself to reading one book about the Civil War, this is the one to read. This Hallowed Ground was first published in 1956, yet it reads like it was written in 2017 to remind us of the sociopathic and economic encumbrances limiting our progress, and to provide a foundation for the resurgence of ignorance and racism which has reared up in the ominous outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election.
Catton doesn’t sugar coat, nor does he attempt to revise history. The States’ Rights bullshit pedaled by historic charlatans and Antebellum South sympathizers as the primary cause of the Civil War is never considered by Catton, and rightfully so. This is an unvarnished, factually accurate, account. Catton brings to life prominent figures and common foot soldiers.
The book's subtitle, The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War, implies there’s an alternative viewpoint or alternative lens from which we might view the Civil War. Indeed, many books of fiction and non-fiction present a soft-pedaled, romantic account of the Antebellum South, but I've no appetite for romanticizing this appalling period in our history. The Antebellum south was propped up by—and existed only because of — chattel slavery. The South’s concentrated wealth and aristocratic class could not have existed without African slaves picking cotton.
Catton's analysis is deeply moving. He wastes no ink feeling his way toward the true meaning of the conflict.
If one limits oneself to reading one book about the Civil War, this is the one to read. This Hallowed Ground was first published in 1956, yet it reads like it was written in 2017 to remind us of the sociopathic and economic encumbrances limiting our progress, and to provide a foundation for the resurgence of ignorance and racism which has reared up in the ominous outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election.
Catton doesn’t sugar coat, nor does he attempt to revise history. The States’ Rights bullshit pedaled by historic charlatans and Antebellum South sympathizers as the primary cause of the Civil War is never considered by Catton, and rightfully so. This is an unvarnished, factually accurate, account. Catton brings to life prominent figures and common foot soldiers.
The book's subtitle, The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War, implies there’s an alternative viewpoint or alternative lens from which we might view the Civil War. Indeed, many books of fiction and non-fiction present a soft-pedaled, romantic account of the Antebellum South, but I've no appetite for romanticizing this appalling period in our history. The Antebellum south was propped up by—and existed only because of — chattel slavery. The South’s concentrated wealth and aristocratic class could not have existed without African slaves picking cotton.
Catton's analysis is deeply moving. He wastes no ink feeling his way toward the true meaning of the conflict.
Progress is the sum of small victories won by individual human beings.
― Bruce Catton
June 11, 2023
So beautifully written.
March 12, 2023
If you're looking for a good, yet succint, review of the Civil War (from the northern army's perspective), you'd be hard-pressed to find one that does it better than this. I have read (or listened to the equivalent of) thousands and thousands of pages about the American Civil War, the contributors, players, circumstances, and events. Some are biographies. Others are focused on the political aspects. Some are intensely detailed about troop movements within battles. This one barely touches on the politics of the time. While it covers battles, and some intra-battle movements, I feel like it didn't get too detailed, and did a good job of discussing the significance of battles to the overall war. Any reader could benefit from having memorized maps of the south, and even some battlegrounds. But even without those, this will help remind or educate people of the events of that war, and sprinkle in a variety of tidbits which even I hadn't heard before.
November 6, 2008
This book is a historical account of the Civil War. With pages of notes, a bibliography and an index, it is a good read with lots more to explore. Written by Bruce Catton, who has published many books on the topic, it has the feeling of a substantial work. The account is heavy on battle strategy and documentation, with some insight into politics and even less into the societal impact of the War. Historical account being the privelage of the victors, it is told from a Union perspective, but includes glimpses of the South.
Overall, i liked the book. True, it dragged in the middle. I'm sure those who lived through it also thought it dragged in the middle, so the author was successful in giving the reader a feel of the times.
I would recommend this book for those interested in non-fiction accounts of war, particularly battle details. Those interested in politics or societal impacts of the war may find other books more helpful.
Overall, i liked the book. True, it dragged in the middle. I'm sure those who lived through it also thought it dragged in the middle, so the author was successful in giving the reader a feel of the times.
I would recommend this book for those interested in non-fiction accounts of war, particularly battle details. Those interested in politics or societal impacts of the war may find other books more helpful.
May 15, 2025
Eminent Civil War historian Allen Guelzo recommends this book as the "one that every person should read." It was upon his recommendation that I picked it up.
Indeed, it is excellent. Catton is a masterful writer; I loved his use of transition, introduction, and summation. I have purchased several more of his works and eagerly look forward to enjoying them.
I am 50 years old and I have just learned of this great writer. What other gems of history and literature await their mining?
Indeed, it is excellent. Catton is a masterful writer; I loved his use of transition, introduction, and summation. I have purchased several more of his works and eagerly look forward to enjoying them.
I am 50 years old and I have just learned of this great writer. What other gems of history and literature await their mining?
April 10, 2019
I really wish I would have read more of Catton's work earlier. Although I was familiar and fond of his illustrated history of the Civil War as a child, it has only been very recently when I have bothered to read more into his works, and have found a writer whose personal familiarity with Civil War soldiers and his own reflections on the larger causes and implications of questions of freedom and unity have richly informed his works written throughout a lengthy and productive career as a popular Civil War historian. This particular book is a shorter but also more pointed one volume history than similar efforts by contemporaries like Henry Steele Commager. It tells popular history, but popular history with an edge to it, an edge of the darker motivations and internal tensions that were present in black and white, North and South, and that would have prompted a sensitive reader to more thoughtful and nuanced conclusions about the Civil War than are typically drawn by most writers. Perhaps that nuance and that edge are not appreciated by everyone, but I certainly would have found them useful in my own studies as an encouragement of my own approach, as I do now.
This book is about 400 pages long and could have been a great deal longer (as most one volume histories of the Civil War are). The author begins with a chapter on some of the more noteworthy events that hastened the Civil War (1), including the westward travel of freeholders and slaveholders, the violence in Kansas, and Sumner's speech and the response of Butler to it. After that the author looks at the beginning of the Civil War, the call for troops, and the federal commitment to a fight to the finish and the early struggle in Missouri (2). This leads to a discussion of the rise of romantics like McClellan and Fremont who were not skilled at fighting (3) but who had plenty of opportunities to lead, before the author examines the terrible music of increasing conflict including early efforts to free blacks viewed as contraband, the struggle to lead volunteers, and the invasion of the deep south (4). Catton moves on to discuss those aspects of 1862's fighting that presaged a long war ahead, like Shiloh and the Peninsula campaign (5) as well as the turning point that followed the high water mark of Perryville and Antietam and the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (6). The continuing struggle and the battles at winter at Stones River and Fredericksburg follow (7), as well as the swing of the pendulum in Grant's struggle to take Vicksburg and Hooker's unsuccessful campaign that ended at Chancellorsville (8). At this point, the author talks about the fatal invasion of Pennsylvania that marked Lee's last advance and the successful close of the Vicksburg campaign after a siege (9). The Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaigns offer the last of the might-have-beens for Confederate victory (10) before the mood gets increasingly serious. The author then closes with three chapters on the decision to invade in both Georgia and Virginia (11), the battles that ensured the conquest of Atlanta and Hood's defeats in Tennessee (12), and the final conquests of the war (13), followed by various notes, acknowledgements, and a bibliography.
In terms of the chronology of the war, the author manages to hit most of the high points in both the Eastern and Western theater. The author is notably thin on material on the Trans-Mississippi front, but this accounts from his desire to save space and the recognition that these campaigns were definitely marginal to the main event. And in a single volume history of the Civil War, one doesn't have much time for marginalia, like blockade runners and obscure campaigns in Florida and New Mexico. The tale of campaigns and battles is woven with the discussion of the importance of leaders who had strategic vision, were able to master the logistical matters that separated victory from starvation and defeat, and who were able to grasp the political realities of the Civil War and how its fighting was fatal to slavery even if the vast majority of people North and South were deeply racist. As a one-volume history this book definitely deserves a read even now for those who want to know more about the Civil War and how and why it was fought. Catton manages to draw deep insights from largely familiar facts.
This book is about 400 pages long and could have been a great deal longer (as most one volume histories of the Civil War are). The author begins with a chapter on some of the more noteworthy events that hastened the Civil War (1), including the westward travel of freeholders and slaveholders, the violence in Kansas, and Sumner's speech and the response of Butler to it. After that the author looks at the beginning of the Civil War, the call for troops, and the federal commitment to a fight to the finish and the early struggle in Missouri (2). This leads to a discussion of the rise of romantics like McClellan and Fremont who were not skilled at fighting (3) but who had plenty of opportunities to lead, before the author examines the terrible music of increasing conflict including early efforts to free blacks viewed as contraband, the struggle to lead volunteers, and the invasion of the deep south (4). Catton moves on to discuss those aspects of 1862's fighting that presaged a long war ahead, like Shiloh and the Peninsula campaign (5) as well as the turning point that followed the high water mark of Perryville and Antietam and the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (6). The continuing struggle and the battles at winter at Stones River and Fredericksburg follow (7), as well as the swing of the pendulum in Grant's struggle to take Vicksburg and Hooker's unsuccessful campaign that ended at Chancellorsville (8). At this point, the author talks about the fatal invasion of Pennsylvania that marked Lee's last advance and the successful close of the Vicksburg campaign after a siege (9). The Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaigns offer the last of the might-have-beens for Confederate victory (10) before the mood gets increasingly serious. The author then closes with three chapters on the decision to invade in both Georgia and Virginia (11), the battles that ensured the conquest of Atlanta and Hood's defeats in Tennessee (12), and the final conquests of the war (13), followed by various notes, acknowledgements, and a bibliography.
In terms of the chronology of the war, the author manages to hit most of the high points in both the Eastern and Western theater. The author is notably thin on material on the Trans-Mississippi front, but this accounts from his desire to save space and the recognition that these campaigns were definitely marginal to the main event. And in a single volume history of the Civil War, one doesn't have much time for marginalia, like blockade runners and obscure campaigns in Florida and New Mexico. The tale of campaigns and battles is woven with the discussion of the importance of leaders who had strategic vision, were able to master the logistical matters that separated victory from starvation and defeat, and who were able to grasp the political realities of the Civil War and how its fighting was fatal to slavery even if the vast majority of people North and South were deeply racist. As a one-volume history this book definitely deserves a read even now for those who want to know more about the Civil War and how and why it was fought. Catton manages to draw deep insights from largely familiar facts.
January 5, 2021
An Interview with Historian Gary Gallagher, with Clayton Butler. "Thoughts on the state of current Civil War scholarship and the compelling nature of Civil War history." Gallagher thinks "Catton is best narrative writer who’s ever written about the Civil War. Better than Shelby Foote", and after reading Catton's This Hallowed Ground: A History of the Civil War, I would agree. At least Catton serves as an alternative to Foote's "Lost Cause" nostalgia. To that end, here is David Blight on the career and influence of Civil War historian Bruce Catton (video).
August 8, 2017
Brilliantly descriptive writing and a thorough one volume history of a fascinating period. Really paints the picture and also remains entirely relevant although written 60 years ago. More reading would possibly be needed for broader context for non-US readers. Catton just may have had a time machine.
June 12, 2012
A great single volume book on the Civil War. It obviously can't get too bogged down in detail given the restriction on size. Bruce Catton is able to describe the major battles without delving into the minutiae of military movements but still describe the general plan. My knowledge of the geography of the area was weak so having a good atlas helped understand the different movements of the armies. I loved the author's prose style. Very readable and elegant.
April 4, 2009
An excellent introduction to the Civil War. Bruce Catton's book focuses on the Union side, but he presents the War in even-handed terms. Exquisitely written. His character sketches are terrific, allowing the reader to get a sense of players in the war with a few paragraphs. This holds up pretty well, even though written over five decades ago.
March 9, 2017
"There is a rowdy strain in American life, living close to the surface but running very deep. Like an ape behind a mask, it can display itself suddenly with terrifying effect. It is slack-jawed, with leering eyes and loose wet lips, with heavy feet and ponderous cunning hands; now and then, when something tickles it, it guffaws, and when it is made angry it snarls; and it can be aroused much more easily than it can be quieted."
A succinct but dense history of the Union perspective of the Civil War, "This Hallowed Ground" is beautifully written narrative history by Bruce Catton, who won a Pulitzer for his book "A Stillness at Appomattox", which details the final year of the Civil War. This book, however, covers the entirety of the war, beginning with the caning of a Massachusetts senator on the Senate floor after a philippic speech damning a Senator of South Carolina over the issue of slavery, and ending with a candlelight celebration by the Army of the Potomac in Washington after the surrender of Robert E. Lee and Joe Johnston of the Confederacy, and after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the imprisonment of Jefferson Davis.
All of the well-known battles are represented (both Bull Runs, Antietam, Shiloh, Hampton Roads, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, The Wilderness, Chickamauga, Petersburg, and countless other battles and skirmishes), and not a single word is wasted; Gettysburg, famous for being the major turning point of the war, is only given about 5 pages. The main focus is not on the what and the when, but the why - why were these armies here, and what were they fighting for? The brevity of the book, however, is not due to a lack of detail. A lot of detail is focused on the politics of the armies, the successes and follies, and the lives of the soldiers themselves. Primary sources are used frequently, breathing a life into the narrative.
One of my favorite anecdotes is about the Army of the Cumberland at Missionary Ridge, who are ordered to attack the center of the Confederate line but not to ascend the ridge where the opposing army is encamped. After braving artillery and musket fire, the army reaches their destination, only to be openly mocked by the Confederates, who instruct their men to take potshots at the Union general on his horse. They miss, but the offended general tells his men that although they were given orders to stay put, he would not discipline any soldier who decided to climb up the ridge and attack the enemy. The whole army cheers and marches up the ridge while a confused and angry Ulysses S. Grant observes from afar and wonders why the hell they are disobeying his orders and marching towards oblivion. However, the Confederates are so surprised by this attack that they fall back in confusion and retreat! Then there is a soldier from Indiana who, after the Union army is finished storming up Missionary Ridge against great odds, sees a Confederate general waving his saber at him and calling for his men to attack. Seeing this, the Union soldier throws down his bayonet and charges the general with his bare hands, causing the Confederate to blink, then quickly run away. A Union general sees this, and asks the soldier why he attacked with bare hands. The Union soldier confesses he saw the man was a general, and was trying to take him alive as a prisoner.
There are many other colorful characters in the story of the Civil War, such as the Naval officer David Farragut ("Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!") who does handsprings every birthday to prove he isn't old. He was in his sixties.
In relation to current times, the book is most relevant regarding the attitudes of both sides towards slavery. Running low on soldiers, the Union army forms "colored regiments" made of freed men and led by white men and sends them into battle, and while originally paying them less than white soldiers, eventually concede to equal pay (!). One general in the Confederacy makes the same suggestion, offering that any slave who chooses to fight should be granted freedom and his master compensated for the loss, but this is immediately shot down. No one on either side was thinking of equality of the races when considering the abolition of slavery; in fact, one popular idea at the time was to ship all freed slaves back to Africa or to other colonies after the war, and one less popular idea was to exterminate all of them so there wouldn't even need to be a discussion. Lincoln knew this, and it was agreed by his staff that equality would be the problem of future generations. Indeed.
All in all, an extremely enlightening book on the Union perspective of the Civil War. Highly recommended.
A succinct but dense history of the Union perspective of the Civil War, "This Hallowed Ground" is beautifully written narrative history by Bruce Catton, who won a Pulitzer for his book "A Stillness at Appomattox", which details the final year of the Civil War. This book, however, covers the entirety of the war, beginning with the caning of a Massachusetts senator on the Senate floor after a philippic speech damning a Senator of South Carolina over the issue of slavery, and ending with a candlelight celebration by the Army of the Potomac in Washington after the surrender of Robert E. Lee and Joe Johnston of the Confederacy, and after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the imprisonment of Jefferson Davis.
All of the well-known battles are represented (both Bull Runs, Antietam, Shiloh, Hampton Roads, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, The Wilderness, Chickamauga, Petersburg, and countless other battles and skirmishes), and not a single word is wasted; Gettysburg, famous for being the major turning point of the war, is only given about 5 pages. The main focus is not on the what and the when, but the why - why were these armies here, and what were they fighting for? The brevity of the book, however, is not due to a lack of detail. A lot of detail is focused on the politics of the armies, the successes and follies, and the lives of the soldiers themselves. Primary sources are used frequently, breathing a life into the narrative.
One of my favorite anecdotes is about the Army of the Cumberland at Missionary Ridge, who are ordered to attack the center of the Confederate line but not to ascend the ridge where the opposing army is encamped. After braving artillery and musket fire, the army reaches their destination, only to be openly mocked by the Confederates, who instruct their men to take potshots at the Union general on his horse. They miss, but the offended general tells his men that although they were given orders to stay put, he would not discipline any soldier who decided to climb up the ridge and attack the enemy. The whole army cheers and marches up the ridge while a confused and angry Ulysses S. Grant observes from afar and wonders why the hell they are disobeying his orders and marching towards oblivion. However, the Confederates are so surprised by this attack that they fall back in confusion and retreat! Then there is a soldier from Indiana who, after the Union army is finished storming up Missionary Ridge against great odds, sees a Confederate general waving his saber at him and calling for his men to attack. Seeing this, the Union soldier throws down his bayonet and charges the general with his bare hands, causing the Confederate to blink, then quickly run away. A Union general sees this, and asks the soldier why he attacked with bare hands. The Union soldier confesses he saw the man was a general, and was trying to take him alive as a prisoner.
There are many other colorful characters in the story of the Civil War, such as the Naval officer David Farragut ("Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!") who does handsprings every birthday to prove he isn't old. He was in his sixties.
In relation to current times, the book is most relevant regarding the attitudes of both sides towards slavery. Running low on soldiers, the Union army forms "colored regiments" made of freed men and led by white men and sends them into battle, and while originally paying them less than white soldiers, eventually concede to equal pay (!). One general in the Confederacy makes the same suggestion, offering that any slave who chooses to fight should be granted freedom and his master compensated for the loss, but this is immediately shot down. No one on either side was thinking of equality of the races when considering the abolition of slavery; in fact, one popular idea at the time was to ship all freed slaves back to Africa or to other colonies after the war, and one less popular idea was to exterminate all of them so there wouldn't even need to be a discussion. Lincoln knew this, and it was agreed by his staff that equality would be the problem of future generations. Indeed.
All in all, an extremely enlightening book on the Union perspective of the Civil War. Highly recommended.
August 1, 2021
This is a type of Historical Nonfiction that people tell you to read because it is a "Classic" but boy is that style of writing very dated. If you've ever read a historical nonfiction book written in the last 40 years, you probably can picture the style of writing in your head. It is factual, it is written in the third person, it is told from as unbias a perspective as possible. In the long line of historiography (History of History) this is a more recent development. It came about in the 60s and 70s when historians decided that it was best to be as scientific as possible in their telling of our shared experience. Books were, and continue to be, written with as little human bias as possible. This is, of course, impossible. However, that is the intention. Audiences read history books for the history itself, not necessarily the writers opinion on it. Historians and casual History buffs can read multiple works by an author to try and parse his opinion on events and compare it to others. But the Historians opinion in his work is always meant to be obtuse and hidden behind the events he is retelling and analyzing, at least to a certain reasonable degree.
All that said, this book was written in the 1950s, before that style came into vogue. Bruce Catton doesn't really care about being objective or obtuse in his personal opinions. Instead his book reads like propaganda and the grandiose talk that a war veteran gives to his grandchildren asking what the war was about. For some, this might not be difficult to adapt to when reading, but I've read enough of the more modern histories that his style felt incredibly jarring and annoying at times to read.
As I kept reading his book though, I found myself getting more and more into the story he was telling, I thought "Hey, maybe I am really starting to warm to him!" But then I realized that it wasn't his style I was finding myself gravitating towards, it was the actual history of the Civil War itself. Catton really did nothing for me. Some might find this a little too mean, but honestly I thought it was as outdated a history as could be written. It really only shone a light on how far the field has come since the pontificating days of Catton and his contemporaries. I can really only see this as an interesting book to read if you are either A) Interested in the Historiography of the Civil War, or B) Want to read books that inspired more modern writers in their historical research.
I may read more of his work later to get a better picture of his style, but for now all I can say is that Bruce Catton feels like a relic whose work only stands to be studied as a period piece. I feel like it has no relevance in the modern discourse on the subject other than as a footnote for more modern works. If you are looking for an excellent work on the Northern side of the Civil War, then please pick up "Lincoln's Lieutenants" by Stephen Sears. It is much more thorough, much more factual, and much more in depth than Catton, who reads like an old man telling a grandiose bed-time story to interested kids.
All that said, this book was written in the 1950s, before that style came into vogue. Bruce Catton doesn't really care about being objective or obtuse in his personal opinions. Instead his book reads like propaganda and the grandiose talk that a war veteran gives to his grandchildren asking what the war was about. For some, this might not be difficult to adapt to when reading, but I've read enough of the more modern histories that his style felt incredibly jarring and annoying at times to read.
As I kept reading his book though, I found myself getting more and more into the story he was telling, I thought "Hey, maybe I am really starting to warm to him!" But then I realized that it wasn't his style I was finding myself gravitating towards, it was the actual history of the Civil War itself. Catton really did nothing for me. Some might find this a little too mean, but honestly I thought it was as outdated a history as could be written. It really only shone a light on how far the field has come since the pontificating days of Catton and his contemporaries. I can really only see this as an interesting book to read if you are either A) Interested in the Historiography of the Civil War, or B) Want to read books that inspired more modern writers in their historical research.
I may read more of his work later to get a better picture of his style, but for now all I can say is that Bruce Catton feels like a relic whose work only stands to be studied as a period piece. I feel like it has no relevance in the modern discourse on the subject other than as a footnote for more modern works. If you are looking for an excellent work on the Northern side of the Civil War, then please pick up "Lincoln's Lieutenants" by Stephen Sears. It is much more thorough, much more factual, and much more in depth than Catton, who reads like an old man telling a grandiose bed-time story to interested kids.
June 12, 2020
This is an incredible book. For readers pretty familiar with the Civil War, it covers little new ground. It marches briskly through the familiar. The coming of the war, Bull Run, on to Richmond, the West, Gettysburg, etc, etc, etc. If it was a military engagement in Ken Burns, it's here. There is some, though - specifically, a focus on the characters of the army, and the sentiments of the army. The Westerns were taller than their Eastern "paper collar soldier" counterparts; undisciplined, accustomed to marching, averse to drills and parade ground routine. But in their last grand review, they did General Sherman proud. He looked back - and there they were, marching in perfect parade ground drill. The proudest moment of his life, he called it. And in the end, the soldiers, much as they had resented war and army life, were sad to leave their comradeship. It had been something noble and grand, shared between them.
In this book, Catton's verbosity serves him ill. He grasps at conclusions, I found, and at poetry; his embroider was too thickly spread. I found myself rolling my eyes a little, which is unusual for this particular CW aficionado.
His descriptions are excellent. You feel you know these men - for they are men, of course. No women merit a mention. William T Sherman, US Grant, General Smith, Robert E Lee, Admiral Farragut, who liked to turn handsprings into his sixties. He tells battlefield emotion, too, none better than the battle for Missionary Peak.
It pays important attention to the West, perhaps giving it its due as the pivotal middleground of the war. It may have been Appomattox that made for the end of the war, but it took the splintering of the Western Confederacy to really change matters.
History is changing, or rather, or interpretation of it is. In this way, Catton is a little behind the times. He does less justice than he ought to Black Americans, and is particularly harsh towards the Radical Republicans, who I believe committed the crime of truly believing in Black advancement. He does not mention the ultimate crime of the CW: that the comradeship between Johnny Reb and Billy Yank in some ways condemned Black Americans to the horrors that followed the Civil War, past the end of Reconstruction and into the dark night before the Civil Rights era, into now, where we sit witnessing the murder of George Floyd. Perhaps this was not the purview of this book, which only studied the Union Side.
In all, an excellent book, perhaps a little outdated in some of its interpretations, and tending too much towards dramatic, unsubstantiated conclusions and colorful metaphor. But a great book all the same, a compact, emotionally profound story of the Union army.
In this book, Catton's verbosity serves him ill. He grasps at conclusions, I found, and at poetry; his embroider was too thickly spread. I found myself rolling my eyes a little, which is unusual for this particular CW aficionado.
His descriptions are excellent. You feel you know these men - for they are men, of course. No women merit a mention. William T Sherman, US Grant, General Smith, Robert E Lee, Admiral Farragut, who liked to turn handsprings into his sixties. He tells battlefield emotion, too, none better than the battle for Missionary Peak.
It pays important attention to the West, perhaps giving it its due as the pivotal middleground of the war. It may have been Appomattox that made for the end of the war, but it took the splintering of the Western Confederacy to really change matters.
History is changing, or rather, or interpretation of it is. In this way, Catton is a little behind the times. He does less justice than he ought to Black Americans, and is particularly harsh towards the Radical Republicans, who I believe committed the crime of truly believing in Black advancement. He does not mention the ultimate crime of the CW: that the comradeship between Johnny Reb and Billy Yank in some ways condemned Black Americans to the horrors that followed the Civil War, past the end of Reconstruction and into the dark night before the Civil Rights era, into now, where we sit witnessing the murder of George Floyd. Perhaps this was not the purview of this book, which only studied the Union Side.
In all, an excellent book, perhaps a little outdated in some of its interpretations, and tending too much towards dramatic, unsubstantiated conclusions and colorful metaphor. But a great book all the same, a compact, emotionally profound story of the Union army.
September 24, 2023
A condensed history of the American Civil War from one of its most famous chroniclers.
Having read Shelby Foote's exhaustively-detailed trilogy years ago, this was more concise at 400 pages (and, sadly, very few maps), so offered a much more digestible and "summarised" account.
And a different perspective. Catton was definitely a Tolstoyan "forces of history" historian, and argues from the start that the result of the war was a foregone conclusion - in an early chapter he writes memorably that the American people sacrificed half a million young lives "to go where they were bound to go anyway".
True as far as it goes, in that the USA could not long have continued with half the country a modern industrial nation and the other half a feudal agrarian plutocracy based on vast landed estates run on slave labour. But glossing over the fact that the war might have turned out differently at several points, and that a very different USA would have been produced each time had this happened, even if slavery was indeed a dead letter by the mid-19th century.
And some of his analysis is inconsistent: like many military historians, he deplores the missed opportunities for decisive victories (Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga among others) when beaten armies were forced to retreat but not pursued and annihilated. However this rather ignores the corollary of his accounts of the other battles (the majority in this war) which clearly demonstrate that the power given to the defensive by simple field fortifications and the range of mid-19th century firearms meant that (in this and all subsequent wars) battles of annihilation were practically unachievable.
But his writing is superb, almost poetic, especially in comparison with the turgid prose of most modern military historians. There is proper writing here, and analysis, and well-argued opinion, not just a list of facts and stitched-together regimental war diaries. He has a keen ear for the quirky and blackly-humorous, and there are fresh and surprising opinions amid the well-known material. He is more critical of Robert E Lee than most historians of the Civil War. His view that Hooker had practically won the Battle of Chancellorsville before losing it in his own mind (he was certainly better-placed than Grant after the first day of the Battle of the Wilderness a year later) was new to me - and persuasively-argued. And my view of George McClellan is much kinder than before I read Catton's book - his honourable decision not to stand on an anti-war ticket in the 1864 presidential election, despite what he must have felt about Lincoln after his sacking in 1862, says more about the man than his better-known military failings.
I would still class James McPherson's "Battle Cry Of Freedom" as the best one-volume digest of the Civil War, but this is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in that conflict.
Having read Shelby Foote's exhaustively-detailed trilogy years ago, this was more concise at 400 pages (and, sadly, very few maps), so offered a much more digestible and "summarised" account.
And a different perspective. Catton was definitely a Tolstoyan "forces of history" historian, and argues from the start that the result of the war was a foregone conclusion - in an early chapter he writes memorably that the American people sacrificed half a million young lives "to go where they were bound to go anyway".
True as far as it goes, in that the USA could not long have continued with half the country a modern industrial nation and the other half a feudal agrarian plutocracy based on vast landed estates run on slave labour. But glossing over the fact that the war might have turned out differently at several points, and that a very different USA would have been produced each time had this happened, even if slavery was indeed a dead letter by the mid-19th century.
And some of his analysis is inconsistent: like many military historians, he deplores the missed opportunities for decisive victories (Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga among others) when beaten armies were forced to retreat but not pursued and annihilated. However this rather ignores the corollary of his accounts of the other battles (the majority in this war) which clearly demonstrate that the power given to the defensive by simple field fortifications and the range of mid-19th century firearms meant that (in this and all subsequent wars) battles of annihilation were practically unachievable.
But his writing is superb, almost poetic, especially in comparison with the turgid prose of most modern military historians. There is proper writing here, and analysis, and well-argued opinion, not just a list of facts and stitched-together regimental war diaries. He has a keen ear for the quirky and blackly-humorous, and there are fresh and surprising opinions amid the well-known material. He is more critical of Robert E Lee than most historians of the Civil War. His view that Hooker had practically won the Battle of Chancellorsville before losing it in his own mind (he was certainly better-placed than Grant after the first day of the Battle of the Wilderness a year later) was new to me - and persuasively-argued. And my view of George McClellan is much kinder than before I read Catton's book - his honourable decision not to stand on an anti-war ticket in the 1864 presidential election, despite what he must have felt about Lincoln after his sacking in 1862, says more about the man than his better-known military failings.
I would still class James McPherson's "Battle Cry Of Freedom" as the best one-volume digest of the Civil War, but this is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in that conflict.
June 28, 2019
(Audiobook) This book is an older history of the Civil War (mid-1950s), but it still has relevance and value today. Much of the Civil War and the associated telling of the history of those events leading up to, during and after have entered into the polarized realm of our current society. This work is not an attempt to define the entire Civil War, but to tell the tale of the war from the Union perspective, with the main focus on the military actions, especially those of the commanders. Thus, the generals feature prominently in the work, with various accounts from the rank and file soldiers. The writing is of high quality and Catton strikes the balance of technical military details and personal stories.
While this is a book of the 1950s, Catton does offer insights and discussions about those issues which are very relevant in today’s debate about the war. For him, slavery is at the core of the cause of the war, but he does not paint the Union as “all-in” for emancipation or equality. He is honest on Lincoln’s views on slavery and future integration, as Lincoln did not completely embrace full emancipation and immediate equality between the races. Others in the Union had similar views, from the rank and file who fought in the battles to those on the home front who had divergent views on emancipation and equality. The Union Army was happy to leverage the slaves to weaken the Confederacy, but when it came to seeing and treating them as equals...that was something else.
The audiobook is good and the reader doesn’t add to detract from the narrative (probably could have done without the singing parts). I don’t know if this particular book would be published like this in 2019. It is still worthy to reside on any student’s shelf in the study of the Civil War, but would it stand up in today’s polarized political environment, especially since it is just on the military men for the Union, with only some contextual inputs on the Confederate actions? I guess the reader will have to make that call.
While this is a book of the 1950s, Catton does offer insights and discussions about those issues which are very relevant in today’s debate about the war. For him, slavery is at the core of the cause of the war, but he does not paint the Union as “all-in” for emancipation or equality. He is honest on Lincoln’s views on slavery and future integration, as Lincoln did not completely embrace full emancipation and immediate equality between the races. Others in the Union had similar views, from the rank and file who fought in the battles to those on the home front who had divergent views on emancipation and equality. The Union Army was happy to leverage the slaves to weaken the Confederacy, but when it came to seeing and treating them as equals...that was something else.
The audiobook is good and the reader doesn’t add to detract from the narrative (probably could have done without the singing parts). I don’t know if this particular book would be published like this in 2019. It is still worthy to reside on any student’s shelf in the study of the Civil War, but would it stand up in today’s polarized political environment, especially since it is just on the military men for the Union, with only some contextual inputs on the Confederate actions? I guess the reader will have to make that call.
February 10, 2021
If you're going to read one book on the Civil War, make it this one. I put it above James McPherson's "Battle Cry" and think it deserves a place alongside Shelby Foote's three volume treatment as must reads on the subject.
Catton brings you into the scenes, the people, the battles, the glory and the pain. It's all there: armies, generals, soldiers, slaves, planters and politicians. There's economies and societies. Of course, he can't tackle every detail in a single volume. But it's there - and weaved into a magical narrative. For a generation that grew up on Ken Burn's Civil War, it's worth noting that Catton did much the same thing more than 20 years before in this print approach.
To those who would criticize Catton for his focus on the Northern armies, I say so what. Catton is no more wrong for that orientation than were legions of historians who created the myth of the noble South with its virtuous armies and leaders. It's also unfair to criticize Catton for what he chooses not to engage in depth. One volume necessitates compromise in a subject as vast as this.
This is a master work. If you come to it with an open mind, you'll be impressed. The story of the American Civil War is one of the great, tragic stories of mankind. Catton tells it as few can.
HH
Catton brings you into the scenes, the people, the battles, the glory and the pain. It's all there: armies, generals, soldiers, slaves, planters and politicians. There's economies and societies. Of course, he can't tackle every detail in a single volume. But it's there - and weaved into a magical narrative. For a generation that grew up on Ken Burn's Civil War, it's worth noting that Catton did much the same thing more than 20 years before in this print approach.
To those who would criticize Catton for his focus on the Northern armies, I say so what. Catton is no more wrong for that orientation than were legions of historians who created the myth of the noble South with its virtuous armies and leaders. It's also unfair to criticize Catton for what he chooses not to engage in depth. One volume necessitates compromise in a subject as vast as this.
This is a master work. If you come to it with an open mind, you'll be impressed. The story of the American Civil War is one of the great, tragic stories of mankind. Catton tells it as few can.
HH
May 12, 2020
I am surprised how well this book kept my interest. It is well refenced, crammed with facts interspersed with opinion, and includes many quotes from diaries, letters, and other personal accounts. At first I had a little trouble keeping track of all the generals, at least the less famous ones. I occasionally looked up more information on some of the battles (mostly looking at battle maps). I used Wikipedia to learn more about the background of Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, George Thomas, Thomas Sherman, William Sherman, and a few other generals. I have visited several of the battlefields and have almost always been taken back by how close the battle lines were. The paperback I read did not include the subtitle “the story of the Union side of the Civil War” and there was compassion for both North and South in the accounts provided. This book helps bring understanding to an important era of our country. I am not even close to a history scholar and I found This Hallowed Ground fascinating.
January 23, 2024
I've read several books on the Civil War including others by Catton, and this is a very good overview of the war that has considerable detail at the same time. There were parts where I felt that he got too wordy and too philosophical, but I'm sure that others enjoyed reading his thoughts. In part, I did too.
This is the sort of book that should be used to teach history and not dull texts that focus on the memorization of the dates of battles and the names of kings. Catton includes important geography, leadership struggles (the North was darned fortunate to do as well as they did considering the often poor military leadership they had), parts of letters, pressures from and on politicians, and the small details of camp life.
Catton starts well before the Civil War and takes us through it, past Lincoln's assassination, and leaves us as the soldiers are being released to return to their day-to-day lives. If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the war and the times this book is a good choice.
This is the sort of book that should be used to teach history and not dull texts that focus on the memorization of the dates of battles and the names of kings. Catton includes important geography, leadership struggles (the North was darned fortunate to do as well as they did considering the often poor military leadership they had), parts of letters, pressures from and on politicians, and the small details of camp life.
Catton starts well before the Civil War and takes us through it, past Lincoln's assassination, and leaves us as the soldiers are being released to return to their day-to-day lives. If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the war and the times this book is a good choice.
September 23, 2025
They say that history is written by the winners. Catton Holds nothing back, describing failures as well as victories on both sides. After reading battle after battle, I couldn't figure out why North Carolina would name an army installation after such a bumbling leader as Braxton Bragg. On the Union side was Meade who tried not to fight if possible. It seems he was more concerned with saving the lives of his men than winning any battle. Catton reflects on human interactions, politics, race, and so much more that's involved in warfare. One thing he stresses is the reasoning behind the conflict. While the South fought for their right to own slaves - "states' rights" - the North strove to reunite the country. Some northern soldiers threatened to leave the army should slavery become an impetus for fighting. I'm disturbed by the similarities between then and now. I highly recommend everyone read this or some other book on the Civil war, and Catton has written quite a few. Not at all dry historical statistics, but well-written and easy to follow.
October 16, 2025
Put simply, this book made me want to visit every battlefield. The scenes come alive. I could practically see the leaders and their personalities through Catton's vivid descriptions. The story is told not only through the Great Men, but also from the mouths of the common soldiers on both sides of the war.
I wouldn't describe myself as a military history guy in the slightest (maybe in 30 years as my type are wont to do). I was mostly looking for a very brief, digestible overview of the Civil War to fill in some gaps in my knowledge. This is precisely such a book. Ryan Holiday raves about Catton, and many have described this book as the best single-volume history of the Civil War. I haven't read any others, but I could certainly see why This Hallowed Ground is a contender.
I will say that the book is primarily focused on the military side of the war, giving very little ink to the socio-political forces in play. If you accept significant depictions of the battles themselves, this is your choice. Highly recommended to all.
I wouldn't describe myself as a military history guy in the slightest (maybe in 30 years as my type are wont to do). I was mostly looking for a very brief, digestible overview of the Civil War to fill in some gaps in my knowledge. This is precisely such a book. Ryan Holiday raves about Catton, and many have described this book as the best single-volume history of the Civil War. I haven't read any others, but I could certainly see why This Hallowed Ground is a contender.
I will say that the book is primarily focused on the military side of the war, giving very little ink to the socio-political forces in play. If you accept significant depictions of the battles themselves, this is your choice. Highly recommended to all.
July 25, 2017
This is a single volume book on the Civil War covered from a Northern perspective. If you are looking for a detailed book on the battles with a heavy emphasis on them, then you will be better served reading Shelby Foote's books or James McPherson's BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM. What this book does better than others is put the Civil War in the perspective of the entire flow of American History and and presents how the war affects the future history of the country. The author does this with elegant prose that paints a picture similar to a great novel writer. It reads so beautifully and presents its ideas so clearly that I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to get a general idea of why the war, how the war, and what did the war mean. Bruce Catton is my favorite writer on the Civil War. His book A STILLNESS AT APPOMATTOX is the best book I have ever read on the war, but this is a close second.
October 24, 2016
Bruce Catton never disappoints. This book tells the entire story of the civil war from the North's perspective with just enough detail on the major battles to cover the basics and still be under 400 pages. It's the additional details he provides on the people and their circumstances that add to the story. For example from the last chapter of the book, just after Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Court House.
"Grant stayed in character. He heard a banging of guns; Union artillerists were firing salutes to celebrate the victory, and Grant sent word to have all that racket stopped - those men in gray were enemies no longer but simply fellow countrymen (which, as Grant saw it, was what the war had been all about), and nothing would be done to humiliate them."
Lee and Grant were men of character. Today's leaders do not come close to their standard.
"Grant stayed in character. He heard a banging of guns; Union artillerists were firing salutes to celebrate the victory, and Grant sent word to have all that racket stopped - those men in gray were enemies no longer but simply fellow countrymen (which, as Grant saw it, was what the war had been all about), and nothing would be done to humiliate them."
Lee and Grant were men of character. Today's leaders do not come close to their standard.
August 17, 2022
I am pretty sure I read this once before, many years ago, long before Goodreads was a thing. But even now, This Hallowed Ground is a superb and authoritative telling of the major events and personalities of the civil war, through the lens of the union side, with special attention paid to the historical and political causes and consequences of the war. Catton is unflinching and forceful in his condemnation of slavery and the promoters and supporters of slavery, and could see firsthand the terrible inheritance bestowed on generations of Americans by the kidnapping, enslavement, and oppression of African people. In spite of the terrible costs of the war, and the brutality of the battles, there are times in This Hallowed Ground where Catton’s writing reaches the levels of pure poetry. Easy five stars.
August 4, 2019
Might be the best single-volume story of the Civil War
The Civil War was a vastly complex conflict, and there are thousands of specialized texts to be had. This book captures the heart of the tale, and you come away with both the history and the powerful national and human drama. I read this book with a sense that I was there, watching the battles unfold, listening in as the decisions were made that sent men to their triumphs or to their deaths. It is highly readable, but I did not want to rush through it; I periodically put it aside to let my spirit settle.
If your knowledge of the Civil War is limited and you think maybe you ought to know more or you'd like to know more, but you don't want to crack open a dry textbook -- then this is the book for you!
The Civil War was a vastly complex conflict, and there are thousands of specialized texts to be had. This book captures the heart of the tale, and you come away with both the history and the powerful national and human drama. I read this book with a sense that I was there, watching the battles unfold, listening in as the decisions were made that sent men to their triumphs or to their deaths. It is highly readable, but I did not want to rush through it; I periodically put it aside to let my spirit settle.
If your knowledge of the Civil War is limited and you think maybe you ought to know more or you'd like to know more, but you don't want to crack open a dry textbook -- then this is the book for you!
April 13, 2021
A Single Volume Civil War Overview
An excellent overview from a man who was clearly a master of the subject matter. The writing style will be attractive to some as an alternative to the dry language of many military histories but, for this ready, it waxed too poetical at times. As an aside, there was, whether intentionally or consequent to an editing oversight I do not know, an over use of the adjective “little” to describe some number of military persons on both sides of the conflict. The use of the word was not meaningful but used so frequently to be marked. In short (had to say it) a very good book for anyone looking for a readily accessible and thoughtful overview of the Civil War.
An excellent overview from a man who was clearly a master of the subject matter. The writing style will be attractive to some as an alternative to the dry language of many military histories but, for this ready, it waxed too poetical at times. As an aside, there was, whether intentionally or consequent to an editing oversight I do not know, an over use of the adjective “little” to describe some number of military persons on both sides of the conflict. The use of the word was not meaningful but used so frequently to be marked. In short (had to say it) a very good book for anyone looking for a readily accessible and thoughtful overview of the Civil War.
January 23, 2021
I have read quite a few historical fiction books about the battles of the Civil War. This book is a non-fictional chronological account of the entire Civil War. It has been dubbed as the best single volume book on the Civil War ever written. Believe me it is. The book was fascinating. Period. The author not only explains the war and battles with beautiful prose but also the times and moods of the soldiers and population. The writing is never dry. It does not read like a textbook. If you don't want to read multiple volumes with infinite details of the Civil War this is the perfect alternative. You simply can not be disappointed.
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