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Opening Battles
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War is recognized as the outstanding history of the War between the States to come out of the 19th century. THis series was originally conceived in 1883 by the editors of Century Company, who set out to provide an accurate, unbiased account of the war. It was authored by the commanders and their subordinates from both the Confederate and Union forces who actually fought, planned or were eyewitnesses to the events they describe therein.
Volume 1 begins with a view of Washington on the eve of the war, gives an account of the fall of Fort Sumter, the preperations for war in the North and South, and the formation of the Confederacy.
Volume 1 begins with a view of Washington on the eve of the war, gives an account of the fall of Fort Sumter, the preperations for war in the North and South, and the formation of the Confederacy.
750 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 7, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have studied the Civil War for years but reading the accounts of those who fought on both sides is very eye opening. My only problem with this is the type size. The largest is small and 2 even smaller type sizes makes it very difficult almost needing a magnifying glass.
December 16, 2025
Battles and Leaders Vol 1
Not sure why I remain randomly fixated on the Civil War, it obsessed me as a boy growing up in the North where it was mostly ignored. But living much of later life in the South (the Old Dominion) has given me ample opportunity to explore the byways and sites of the convulsion. 'Battles and Leaders' is a full-on immersion, four volumes. I planned to read Volume 1 over the year and just managed--it is dense, almost 750 pages with text that ranges across 3 font sizes to cram in footnotes, letters and other information, along with numerous maps and drawings (often from photos) and other generally low-quality photos. There is a lot! It covers from Fort Sumter in April '61 to the historic ironclad battle in March '62. The entries are from Century Magazine which did a sort of 20-year retrospective from November 1884 to April 1888. Those must have been some thick magazines! One intent was to gather first-hand accounts from participants whose lives might be winding down by then. So the quality of writing varies considerably but people were pretty literate back then and most accounts are quite readable, some excellent.
There is an extensive coverage of Sumter, First Bull Run, the early (and often overlooked) western VA campaign, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and especially Shiloh which was the biggest battle in that first year and came as a shock with it's massive casualties. Also detailed coverage of the naval war on the Mississippi and in the Carolinas. It was all very one-sided of course as the South as basically had no Navy and their coastal batteries while appearing formidable rarely seemed to do much. Volume 1 ends with the momentous duel of the Monitor and the Merrimac (Virginia) in March, 1862 off Hampton Roads. It still strains credulity how the Monitor made it there from New York at almost the exact moment needed! And the account by a crew member of the sinking of the Monitor in a storm of Cape HAtteras on Dec. 29, 1862 was riveting! 4-stars as the quality and interest level vary somewhat.
Not sure why I remain randomly fixated on the Civil War, it obsessed me as a boy growing up in the North where it was mostly ignored. But living much of later life in the South (the Old Dominion) has given me ample opportunity to explore the byways and sites of the convulsion. 'Battles and Leaders' is a full-on immersion, four volumes. I planned to read Volume 1 over the year and just managed--it is dense, almost 750 pages with text that ranges across 3 font sizes to cram in footnotes, letters and other information, along with numerous maps and drawings (often from photos) and other generally low-quality photos. There is a lot! It covers from Fort Sumter in April '61 to the historic ironclad battle in March '62. The entries are from Century Magazine which did a sort of 20-year retrospective from November 1884 to April 1888. Those must have been some thick magazines! One intent was to gather first-hand accounts from participants whose lives might be winding down by then. So the quality of writing varies considerably but people were pretty literate back then and most accounts are quite readable, some excellent.
There is an extensive coverage of Sumter, First Bull Run, the early (and often overlooked) western VA campaign, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and especially Shiloh which was the biggest battle in that first year and came as a shock with it's massive casualties. Also detailed coverage of the naval war on the Mississippi and in the Carolinas. It was all very one-sided of course as the South as basically had no Navy and their coastal batteries while appearing formidable rarely seemed to do much. Volume 1 ends with the momentous duel of the Monitor and the Merrimac (Virginia) in March, 1862 off Hampton Roads. It still strains credulity how the Monitor made it there from New York at almost the exact moment needed! And the account by a crew member of the sinking of the Monitor in a storm of Cape HAtteras on Dec. 29, 1862 was riveting! 4-stars as the quality and interest level vary somewhat.
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