The Civil War: A Narrative: Vol. 5: Fredericksbury to Steele Bayou

The Civil War: A Narrative, 40th Anniversary Edition #5

by Shelby Foote

SHOULD STATE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION

Genres: Civil War, History, Military History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Foote was relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career until his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, where he introduced a generation of Americans to a war that he believed was "central to all our lives."

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

These represent about half of the series. It is both excellent reading and very readable of around 270 pages . The well written narrative alternates between the Eastern and Western fronts providing lots of specifics.

[George Noland II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 5 of 40th Anniversary Edition 14 Book Set. Fredericksburg; Prairie Grove; Port Hudson; Walnut Hills, Murfreesboro, Bread Riots, Streight's Raid, and Vicksburg seven failures.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/14/2003 - 10/10

The Civil War is a very long (14 volumes, 4064 pages) but very detailed and rewarding look at the Civil War. There's not as much analysis of the social and political issues as there is in McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom . It is pretty noticably lacking on slavery and the causes of the war. Instead, Foote's style is a much more personal narrative (no footnotes) strewn with lots of interesting little tidbits and tons of detail! The narrative was very readable (although the prose got a little too long and fancy at times), but made it sometimes difficult to keep track of the chronology. The Time Life version had lots of historic photos and maps (could always use more though!) which add a lot to the experience. Foote's style reminded me a lot of Stephen Ambrose in trying to relate history on a personal level. The participants are vividly drawn, Lincoln especially. He was portrayed as an interesting, complex individual. Self-made, humorous (very reminiscent of Mark Twain), intelligent and tenacious; yet at the same time, underhanded, meddling and involved in lots of political shenanigans (bribery, suspension of habeus corpus, and locking up political opponents). These personal details just scratch the surface and have whetted my appetite. I look forward to reading more about many of these fascinating individuals - Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson, Sheridan, Forrest, Longstreet, and Cleburne.

For more info, check out:
Civil War site
Another Civil War site
Civil War Photographs

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure that I can write a different review for each volume in Shelby Foote's epic masterpiece "The Civil War: A Narrative," so I'll let these comments stand for the entire series. The title is quite apt, as what sets these volumes apart from other Civil War history that I've read (even other good Civil War history) is its flowing prose, which lends the story the feel of a novel. Given how detailed Foote can be in describing the details of an event, or even the feelings of a participant, I sometimes wonder if there is a certain amount of embellishment. But given the amount of Civil War documentation to draw from, as well as the revered status of these volumes and Foote himself, I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that his statements are all defensible. The amount of scholarship that must have gone into the writing of this series is astonishing. They are simply the best.

As a side note, reading the Time Life 40th Anniversary editions of these books makes a good thing even better. The pictures and maps are all gorgeous and very helpful, and the attention to detail in the printing of the book is magnificent. I can't go back to reading the regular versions.