Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

An Invaluable Resource for Students of American History

James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom is an epic tome that provides an in-depth view of the Civil War. He gives a detailed analysis of the battles, along with the significant political and social activities that surrounded this conflict. Because McPherson's research is scholarly (not to mention a Pulitzer Prize winning book, with an author who is the Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton) this volume is invaluable to the student of American history as a reputable research tool.

McPherson includes quotes, maps, tables and several pages of compelling Civil War photographs within the pages of his narrative. The structure McPherson uses is for the most part chronological, however, the scope of the conflict is such that chronology alone is not fully possible. There is significant overlap of time, especially as he gives full measure to the intricacies of the sectional conflict and the political scene for both sections of the country.

McPherson is easy to read and entertaining, even when tackling this comprehensive exploration of the subject of the Civil War. Not for the faint-hearted though, or for someone wanting a casual weekend read; this volume is a whopping 867 pages not including the bibliography or notes.

With an emphasis on Civil War battles, this book is an excellent resource for the student of American history, and an excellent companion to books that focus on the Social history of the same era.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Excellent one volumn treatment of the Civil War

I am a history book fan in general but have just started reading about the Civil War. I picked up Shelby Foote's 3 volumn set, but got a little bogged down and decided I needed something a little more brief. I am so glad that I picked up "Battle Cry of Freedom". It does a great job of condensing a huge amount of material into a single book. It also tells a good deal about the elements that lead up to the war itself. It does not have a tremendous amount of detail about the individual battles (it couldn't and still be in one book) but I think gives a great overall view of the war. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about this conflict.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding overview of the Civil War

This book was on my shelf for a while because I was a little intimidated by it's length, but it was well worth the time invested! This book would really be great for someone who didn't know much about the Civil War and wanted a comprehensive overview or for someone like me who has read a bunch of different stuff on the Civil War and can always use something like this to pull it all back together and put the pieces in context again.

What always amazes me when reading things like this is, given the almost mythological status that Lincoln has achieved in U.S. history, how unpopular he was with so many people at the time and how close he came to almost losing the election against McClellan in 1864. The other thing that always amazes me is how the Confederate leaders like Joe Johnston and Jefferson Davis refused to acknowledge that they were going to lose the war, even as late as December 1864-January 1865.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This outstanding book starts at the beginning, and I don't mean secession or Fort Sumter' but the REAL beginning ... and covers all of the multitude of socio-economic and political reasons for the Civil War before ever getting into what happened between 1861-1865. If you want a have a stronger understanding of how it came to pass that we slaightered each other by the many thousands for all of those four years, and you read nothing else on the subject, you should read 'Battle Cry of Freedom'! You still probably won't completely accept that it actually had to happen, but you will have a much better handle on how and why it did take place ...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wouldn't buy again..

Slanted to the north, very disappointed in it. Too thick for comfortable
reading. Review the author before you buy the book.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Book on the Civil War

Not only is this a great book on the Civil War but is probably the best history book I've ever read. It goes into many aspects of the war, i.e. the political, the social, the military, etc. Because of this you get a broad based understanding of the war and its causes. The author strenuously attempts to be objective and when controversial so called facts come up, he usually presents several of the viewpoints instead of just his own. If you want to read just one book on the Civil War, this is a great choice.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best single volume book on the civil war

Still the best singlevolume history of the civil war.

OUTSTANDING!

I've read a lot of books on the Civil War but this is the best! It's an academic study that goes beyond battles; it explains motivations and how they changed as the years went on. It may be a tough book for some.

Good Resource

I used this audio version of Battle Cry of Freedom in conjunction with the actual book for a Civil War course I was taking. I enjoyed being able to listen while driving. This is a great resource, but I do not recommend it in place of the book. There were definitely parts I wanted to go back and study in the book. The only drawback I found was that the audio clips did not correspond to the chapters in the book. If you are using the Overdrive Console it is no problem because it shows the chapters for you, but I was using it on my ipod and it was difficult to find a certain chapter or part. Besides that it was great!

glad i read it

loved this book. enjoyed the details and made me feel like i was there. go ahead and pick this book up if you like civil war and be happy.

Well Written and Detailed

McPherson does an excellent explaining not only the War in and of itself, but also the circumstances leading up to and surrounding it. For instance, he delves into detail about the economic abilities of the Union and Confederacy to finance the war but also spends time describing the causes which impelled Britain to withhold her recongnition of the Confederacy. On the other hand, some of this detail gets in the way of telling the Civil War story. Also, McPherson's accounts of certain battles during the war, such as Stonewall Jacksons campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, are hard to understand and follow. Nonetheless, the author's account of most battles, the progress of the war and consequences of each battle both politically and militarily are beyond reproach. Professor McPherson also does a great job keeping the book alive and interesting, as opposed to allowing it to fall into a regurgitation of statistics and men that so many Civil War books have become

One of, if not the best book on this historic era.

A valuable lesson on our nation's history. This book talks about facts that other books I've had failed to bring out. The great introduction for the cause of this war is indepth and keeps your attention. The description of the political and civil climate allows the reader to "be there in that era". I recently visited Gettysburg and this book was in all the stores. I now have a true understanding of why this terrible war happened. A must read for a history buff or anyone who loves a great read.

The best yet

This is the best civil war book I have ever read-out of perhaps a hundred. I particularly found fascinating the information about the events of the early 1800's that led up to the civil war. The narrative about the war itself is not just a rehash of "this general did this and the other did that". The author writes with clear and thorough insight into the politics on both sides, both before and during the war. If you ever wanted to understand the "big picture" about the civil war, this is it!

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