American Civil War Books.

Being a Southern Sympathiser, not by dint of condoning slavery I hasten to add!! Try these!

The Reel Civil War: Mythmaking in American Film - Bruce Chadwick

I found it an interesting take on how Hollywood has portrayed the War Between the States.

From Manassas to Appomattox: Memoirs of the Civil War in America

'Old Pete' Longstreet's Memoirs

Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation - Brian Reed

Dixie Victorious: An Alternate History of the Civil War - Pete Tsouras

I like this one!!

The Gettysburg Companion: A Complete Guide to the Decisive Battle of the American Civil War - Mark Adkin

America's Bloodiest Day - The Battle of Antietam 1862: The Battle of Antietam, 1862 - William Frassanito. Very good book on a terrible battle, always eclipsed by Gettysburg.

 

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Lee never did that ride.............? It would have tipped off the Bluebellys my boyz wus about to charge........

 

Actually, General Lee did ride out to receive the remnants of Pickett's and the supporting divisions streaming back from the charge. I believe that his words to General Pickett were along the lines of "General Pickett, tend to your division" (fearing a Yankee counter-attack), and General Pickett's response "General Lee, I have no division". If the Yankees would have counter-attacked and followed the survivors back to the point of departure, the Army of Northern Virginia would have been cut in two at that point. And remember, the Union Army of the Potomac was between them and the Potomac River, and the safety of home. The war would have pretty much been over at that point.

 

Anything by Bruce Catton is good.

 

But the 'Lee, Lee, Lee, ....' ride in the film, is before the attack. I heard an anecdote about after the war, Lomgstreet and Pickett were en route to visit Lee. Pickett grumbled about Lee making him look bad and Longstreet supposedly replied, 'He didn't make you bad, he made you immortal'. I wonder if that's true?

In addition, I watched a programme about Gettysburg a couple of years back. It claimed the fuses on the Reb shells were faulty and caused most to pass beyond the ridge before exploding beyond the dug in infantry. The Yankee commander ordered a number of his guns to cease their counter battery work to lure the Rebs into thinking the barrage was working, once Pickett's men moved forward, the Yanks ripped it into them. I walked the charge last year. A hot August day. It's a Long, Long walk to the angle with hardly any cover. I don't think there have ever been braver soldiers than Pickett's men that day. They just kept going, gutsy it was, gutsy!!

 

It's been years since I watched the movie in it's entirety, so I'll get it from Netflix and watch it again to see the sequence of events.

I have read that after the war, General Pickett and Colonel Mosby paid a visit to General Lee after Lee was made president of Washington (& Lee) University. After they left General Lee's residence, Pickett grumbled to Mosby "that man destroyed my division", to which Mosby replied, "but he made you immortal". Pickett's Charge was forever entertwined with "The Lost Cause" afterwards. Longstreet had a falling out with the former Confederates after the war. He was a good pre-war friend of U. S. Grant, and they maintained their relationship afterwards. Longstreet then committed the double no-no by joining the Republican Party and speaking out against General Lee (finger pointing and placing blame) AFTER General Lee died in 1870. He got scratche off of a lot of Christmas Card lists after that.

Yes, it's been many years since I made the trip to Gettysburg myself, and just to stand there on hallowed ground is very moving indeed. I'll go back and make the grand tour one day after I retire.

If you think that Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg was astounding, take a look at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, 30 Nov 1864:

The annals of war may long be searched for a parallel to the desperate valor of the charge of the Army of Tennessee at Franklin, a charge which has been called "the greatest drama in American history." Perhaps its only rival for macabre distinction would be Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. A comparison of the two may be of interest. Pickett's total loss at Gettysburg was 1,354; at Franklin the Army of Tennessee lost over 6,000 dead and wounded. Pickett's charge was made after a volcanic artillery preparation of two hours had battered the defending line. Hood's army charged without any preparation. Pickett's charge was across an open space of perhaps a mile. The advance at Franklin was for two miles in the open, in full view of the enemy's works, and exposed to their fire. The defenders at Gettysburg were protected only by a stone wall. Schofield's men at Franklin had carefully constructed works, with trench and parapet. Pickett's charge was totally repulsed. The charge of Brown and Cleburne penetrated deep into the breastworks, to part of which they clung until the enemy retired. Pickett, once repelled, retired from the field. The Army of Tennessee renewed their charge, time after time. Pickett survived his charge unscathed. Cleburne was killed, and eleven other general officers were killed, wounded or captured. "Pickett's charge at Gettysburg" has come to be a synonym for unflinching courage in the raw. The slaughter-pen at Franklin even more deserves the gory honor.

Stanley F. Horn, The Army of Tennessee

And the tactics did not change much in WW1. Neither did the casualty levels either.

 

The only repeating rifles used at Gettysburg were in the hands of the 5th & 7th Michigan Cavalry Regiments under George Custer, and they held of J.E.B. Stuart's attempt to get in the Union rear areas. The two regiments did not partake in the direct fighting of Pickett's Charge.

However, while not "books" per say, this series of podcasts by noted author & Civil war historian James L. Robertson, Jr. might be of interest.
Civil War Podcast by James Robertson - Free Podcast Download

and his presentation on how the US Civil War affects us today
YouTube - Distinguished Faculty Lecture: James I. Robertson, Jr.

 

I'm a bit confused. C. Evans was talking about "The American Heritage book of the US Civil War", Custer's Last Stand was in 1876 in Montana, 11 years after the end of the Civil War.

A-58,

When you make that trip you need to visit Lexington Virginia on the way. Make sure you go during the school year and attend the Friday Parade at VMI. VMI is the first and oldest state supported Military school in the U.S. Jackson taught there and is buried in a nearby cemetary and his house is in the town. Jackson's horse (the bones) are buried on the parade deck in front of a statue of Jackson and flanked by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the cadet guns of the Rockbridge artillery (the original tubes not reproductions).

The museum on campus has the coat Jackson was wearing when shot and the stuffed hide of "Little Sorrel". WWII tie in: The museum also contains articles from Marine hero "Chesty" Puller and George Patton, both attended VMI (Patton's grandfather served in the 22d Virginia, fought at New Market and was a VMI Alum, Patton attended for 1 year before securing an appointment to WestPoint). The George C. Marshall (VMI Alum) museum is also located on campus. END
One interesting bit of trivia is that the cadets have a red lining to their great coats and are allowed to fix bayonnets on parade. This is in recognition of the student body having fought in battle (New Market 1864), the only other school supposedly allowed to do this is the French École Polytechnique for it's defense of paris in 1814. Thomas Jefferson's nephew was one of the cadets killed in the battle.


Washington and Lee University is just next door. Robert E. Lee is buried there along with much of his family and his horse "Traveller" just outside the door. There is a museum there containing much on Lee but also much on George Washington from his wife Mary Custis Lee.


While you're there you can visit Sam Houston's birthplace located behing the W & L campus.
Further up the road you can visit the New Market Battlefield, where the 257 VMI Cadets were ordered into action by Confederate General and former U.S. Vice President John C. Breckinridge. The cadets had marched 81 miles in 4 days to reinforce the greatly outnumbered confederate forces. The boys ranged from 12 to 22 years of age with the vast majority being 15 and 16, at a critical point in the battle Breckinridge had to send in the Cadets:

" Breckenridge knew he must quickly fill the 350 foot gap in the center of his line or abandon the field. One of his staff suggested sending in the untried cadets. "I will not do it," Breckinridge replied. "General you have no choice," responded the desperate officer. "Send the cadets in," Breckinridge ordered, "and may God forgive me..."
The 257 VMI cadets stepped into the gap along the fence just as the 34th Massachusetts started its attack."





They stopped the Federal attack, charged and captured a battery of Federal guns. Their courage inspired the other Confederate troops, who pushed forward and routed the Federal force, resulting in one of the last Confederate victories of the war.

 

Thanks for the tour-guide info and vacation planner. Sounds like a plan. I planned on spending some time in Virginia touring the battlefields, then going to Washington DC to "camp out" in the Smithsonian for a couple of days too.

 

I am surprised no one has yet mentioned James M. McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era." It is probably the best single volume coverage of the US Civil War.

Allan Nevins wrote an 8 volume set entitled "Ordeal of the Union", that is very detailed. However, I'm missing three of the volumes.

Another excellent book on the US Civil War is ""Harper's Pictorial History of The Civil War", it was originally published in 1866, but has been reprinted several times over the years. My copy is by the Fairfax Press and is a "monster" hard cover edition from the 50's or 60's, but it has been recently reprinted by Gramercy.

I will second Shelby Foote's 3 volume set. I just love that series.

 

A-58,

You might want to invest some dollars in "Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields: Discovering America's Hallowed Ground." It is a good book if you are planning to visit any of the major battlefields.
Amazon.com: Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields: Discovering America's Hallowed Ground (9780345464880): Jeff Shaara: Books

 

Thanks for the tip, I think I'll invest.

 

Another one, though very dated, is "The Civil War: A Traveler's Guide" by Chuck Lawliss published in 1991. Although, not bad considering it is usually $1.99 on most used book websites, probably cheaper if you can find it at a used book sale. It doe covers many, if not all states, where the Union and Confederates fought.

 

Books:
You've recieved many good recommendations, some I'd like to second are:
*Bruce Catton's first trilogy: Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory Road, and A Stillness at Appomatox. recommended by LRusso216 and Applevalleyjoe.
*Bruce Catton's second trilogy: The Coming Glory, Terrible Swift Sword, and Never Call Retreat. Applevalleyjoe.
*Michael Shaara's Killer Angels. Applevalleyjoe & Hufflepuff.
*James M. McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom". Takao

--I'd add the series "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War". You can find them for a reasonable price, the four volumes cover the entire war, they are also available on CD ROM and are an excellent primary source.

"Battles and Leaders of the Civil War was a four volume set of books consisting of first person accounts of the various battles of the Civil War as written by prominent leaders in those actions. The books, published in 1887-1888, originally appeared as a series of essays published in Century magazine from November 1884 to November 1887."

They are also available online, here's a link to one site:
eHistory at OSU | Online Books | Battles and Leaders of the Civil War

-- Death of a Nation: The Story of Lee and His Men at Gettysburg by Clifford Dowdey.
--Lee's Last Campaign by Clifford Dowdey.
--Three of Peter Cozzens books:
No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River
This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga
Shipwreck of their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga

For more indepth study you really need to read:
--Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command and Robert E. Lee by Douglas Southall Freeman. These are multi volume works but most modern Civil War authors use Freeman as a source due to his extensive research. I recommend the one-volume abridged version of Lee's Lieutenants by Stephen Sears, unless you really get into CW history then spring for the three volume set.

 

I'm coming in late here, The American Civil War by John Keegan is good. As is Men of Fire by Jack Hurst and The Training Ground by Martin Dugard.

There is another one which I cannot recall which dealt with Grant in the west and his successes and trials in the Kentucky /Tennesee river offensives, along with the Washington "back-biting" and political "Generals". Dang, I wish I could recall that dang book's name and author. I read it years ago and don't own it.

Sorry 'bout that.

 

Sounds like Bruce Catton's "Grant moves South", but with the wealth of material out there on Grant, that may or may not be the book.