Generals South, Generals North: The Commanders of the Civil War Reconsidered

by Alan Axelrod author of How America Won World War I

With April 12, 2011, set to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, the time is ripe for a new assessment of the conflict’s most influential and controversial military leaders. Generals South, Generals North highlights twenty-four such commanders—twelve each from the Confederacy and the Union. Best-selling author and military historian Alan Axelrod presents a biography of each, narrates the major engagements in which each fought (emphasizing tactical leadership and outcome produced), and explores each man’s ever-controversial reputation. His consequent rankings are based on both historical and modern-day sources.

Each profile is accompanied by callout quotations, photographs of the general, additional illustrations such as battle depictions, and a map depicting either a major engagement or the general’s movements throughout the war. The result is an ideal quick reference for Civil War buffs and a beautiful addition to the library of general readers that is sure to start as many arguments as it settles.

Genres: Civil War, American History, Military History, History, Biography, Military Fiction, American Civil War

613 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent series of essays on 24 generals (12 North and 12 South) who ranged from horrible and infamous to merely competent to outstanding generals key to winning. This book, though not without a few evaluations which I disagree with, would be of great use to both Civil War scholars and the armchair historian alike. I cannot wait to purchase a copy of it myself!

[Jeffrey Granat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The author does an excellent job of picking out some of the more popular generals from the North and the South, giving a background on them, and providing a general assessment of their work. It’s a great book to start discussions for civil war buffs and helps you understand their roles and their mindsets. You don’t have to be a civil war expert to read this book, but having a basic background helps and kind of intrigues you to learn more after reading this. Highly recommend. He has another one that I have read that focuses on the Armies of the South and the North, and really breaks it down for the reader.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only comment I have is that I noticed that in this book there is no mention of the negative traits usually associated with Little Mac. In every Civil War book I have read he is often listed as a negative person with negative attributes ( this book does list his indecisiveness in battle and other failures like all the others )… but doesn’t list his negative personality traits which I find is contradictory information. Maybe the author is a fan of Little Mac who knows. Enjoyed reading this book nonetheless.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prolific author Alan Axelrod (b. 1952) here presents 24 biographical sketches of Civil War generals, twelve each from South and North, organized by section and then in roughly the chronological sequence of their appearance in the Civil War. Axelrod writes well enough, and though the treatment is encyclopedic, there is much to be said for reading these mini-biographies together as a way to understand the military history of the War.

[Sammy Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, quick overview of 24 Civil War generals. Axelrod reuses many, I mean many, of the same quotes and phrases throughout the biographies but still an OK little book. If you just want the "Cliff Notes" bio, then this will do you well.

[Saklani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting effort to look at the major generals on both sides of the war and give them a rating based off their record, abilities, personality and a variety of other factors. Some interesting tidbits, especially about the lives pre and post the war.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for civil wars buffs.

[Guy Antinozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

...another great work by Alan Axelrod

Historical figures come alive throughout this book. It is impossible to not feel the aspects of leadership, from the glorious to the mundane.

[Jason Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat "low frills" volume, this book nevertheless provides a good primer on most of the major personalities on both sides of the conflict. Each profile (roughly 15 pages each) includes a War-era photo of the given general, perhaps a map of a major engagement, and often a photo from much later in life.

On the text side, the profiles follow each general from childhood to death, explaining how each landed in a military career. The profiles are concise and insightful. Axelrod also rates each judge using a star system (four is best). Although I'm no expert, his ratings seem appropriate.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of 24 of the principle Generals of the Civil War. None of the chapters go into great depth (each being about 12 pages each), but give a decent personal history of each, with emphasis on the Civil War years.
A great deal of repetition of stories, not always from different points of view, bring this book down a notch.
This book is satisfactory for what it is, a quick reference to some of the main players on both sides of the conflict.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise Summaries of the Great and not so Great Civil War Generals

This book is a lot like a baseball statistics book. It rates the generals along with short career vignettes. I found it a great update and I think a lot of civil war newbies will find it useful.

[Clifton Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly superficial.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thumbnail sketch of 12 generals each from the South and the North. It was very informative, and especially helpful as I was reading Volume I of Shelby Foote's "The Civil War."

[Jim Blessing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent read on the most significant military leaders during the Civil War

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book about the top commanders both North and South in the Civil AmericanWar.