The Civil War Era (Penguin history) by James M. McPherson (29-Mar-1990) Paperback

While dense with minutiae about politics and battles, this lengthy history of the pre-Civil War years through to Appomattox remains a vivid and engaging account of the inevitable deadly clash between an ambitious slaveholding South and a Union moving with the tides of world history toward freedom. To present a story to which we all know the ending as nevertheless an edge-of-your-seat tale of twists and turns requires a masterful historian and writer. That's exactly Mr. McPherson.

I re-read this recently after having initially read it 25 years ago. It is a fantastic, well-balanced treatment of the years leading up to the civil war and the war itself. Good overview of the battles without overwhelming you with details.

The civil war was a pivotal moment in american history and in the making of the country. McPherson's work esposes in a readable way the decisives facts of the ephoc and gives a fundamented account of its meaning. The author made an impressive research about the matter, telling the story with a slightly sympathy for the Union cause. A great book that leads to a great reading.

Writing a review on this magisterial book is like responding to the question 'did Churchill make good speeches?'. It's a beautifully written book by an expert on top of his game. Of course it's long. But if you want to appreciate the real roots of the war, the impact on modern America and the true greatness of Lincoln (and much more) it's well worth the time. And the true test - I was sad to finish it.

Everything that can be said about this book has already been said before. Needless to say, it is a masterpiece of history. Most impressive is how McPherson brings all of the complex political, cultural, social, economic, and military events of the war era into one coherent, concise narrative. His thesis - that the North and the South were both fighting for what they believed American freedom meant - is powerful, and should give pause to those who paint either side as the devil. McPherson, contrary to some historians who smear the South as un-American, recognizes that it was indeed the North which was, for good or evil, "revolutionizing" America and the South which was, also for good or evil, "countering" that revolution.

The only thing I found unfortunate about the book was that McPherson dignified the Republican fearmongering about a "Slave Power" (this was never a possibility and was nothing more than propaganda) and heavily sanitized/rationalized the brutality of Sherman's campaigns in Georgia and South Carolina (perhaps they were necessary to win the war, but they should still be presented fully).

If you just want to read a one-volume history of the Civil War, this is your book. I would recommend first reading through the preceding volumes in the Oxford History of the United States series, however, in order to get a greater sense of the sweep of history.

The best general history of the Civil War out there. McPherson is excellent. I have a Ph.D. in U.S. history (Chapel Hill), so I know what I am talking about. It is over 1000 pages long, and I hated to finish it. Those last pages, in which McPherson describes Lincoln touring through the ruins of Richmond so soon after the Confederates had abandoned it -- simply amazing. I cried with happiness and sorrow.

This volume of the Oxford History of the United States came out in 1988 and was the second volume to be published in the series. James McPherson, George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University, won a Pulitzer Prize for penning this outstanding contribution to American Civil War history. At the time of its release, Battle Cry was immediately acclaimed at the definitive one volume work on the Civil War. McPherson, a lifelong student of the Civil War, managed to compile an outstanding overview of the lead up to the conflict as well as what happened during the war in 900 pages. The downside was that it was only an overview, not a detailed in depth series of volumes on every aspect of the war. Of course, that project would be one in which several historians, specialists in researching various aspects of the Civil War, would rival any history of the war to this date.

There are two major problems with this work. One is that as an entry in the Oxford History series it focuses almost exclusively on the Civil War itself. It does not cover other aspects of American history from 1848 to 1865 except as they relate to the central conflict. Yes, the conflict was the central story of that time period, but there are other stories that need to be included in an American History volume covering that period. McPherson does mention class, race, and gender in this history, but he doesn't go into them except as pertains to the war. Granted, he would not have had a great amount of research available during the 80's to work with comparable to now, 2013. As a result, the book appears to be dated from a modern historiographical point of view.

In addition, the book is now twenty-five years old and is showing its age in spots where newer research has changed the interpretation of the facts. This is not McPherson's fault because it is the fate of all historical works. However, while I think the book could stand a good revision to keep it current, McPherson decided in 2003 that he would not write a revised version. Looking at McPherson's body of work, it is clear that he has written many works on the Civil War for more than forty years and added to his own legacy. I think he is going to leave the project to other historians. We also have to consider whether a one volume book should exceed 1000 pages which would almost certainly happen if Battle Cry were to be revised.

Even with these two criticisms, Battle Cry remains an excellent condensed Civil War history. What really made this book stand out from others was the amount of detail given to the cause of the war itself. When we recall the period of time McPherson was working on the book, we have to remember that the Lost Cause myth was still prevalent as the dominant explanation of the war. Battle Cry helped end that erroneous and racist interpretation which deliberately obscured the real history of the war and its cause. McPherson had done extensive research on the United States Colored Troops earlier in his career and he made good use of that knowledge in Battle Cry. The subject was not shoved under the rug, nor was the massacres and murders that took place when black troops surrendered. He also brought up the fact that Confederates hated the USCT with a passion which only serves to drive home the racism of the period.

Those looking for a detailed analysis of the battles will be disappointed as McPherson devotes most of the pages to why the battles took, and what the results and effects were after them. Since Battle Cry is an overview of the conflict, deeper analysis of the battles awaits the reader in over books. Instead, McPherson weaves the history of the conflict in the various theatres around the battles to show the overall tempo and pace of the war. This strategic analysis results in a book that is not bogged down in battles, but rather one where the flow of a campaign is laid out as it affected everything around it. Commanders get quite a bit of attention as well as politicians. The anti-war effort of the Copperheads and Peach Democrats are explored as is the last ditch attempt at national preservation in the South via allowing blacks to fight for the Confederacy which came too late for the few units to enter combat.

All in all, Battle Cry is still a worthy book to read and a good volume in the Oxford series. As already explained, a revision is necessary and without one over time another one volume history will eventually supplant this as the best overview of the war. It is far more likely that a double volume or trilogy will end up taking its place as it will incorporate additional subfields of American History as well as giving additional space to other historian's areas of interest. With that said, we must remember that McPherson's themes throughout the book are still just as relevant today as they were in 1988. Nothing has changed in that regard. Additional research over the last twenty-five years has only strengthened McPherson's assessment of the cause of the war as well as how the events played out. This makes Battle Cry a durable and still preeminent Civil War history.

This book was as advertised. A wonderful overview of the war and its main characters and themes. Not packed with minute detail, this book is not for the hardcore military historian, but is a great read for the average reader, even one with good knowledge of the conflict.

I haven't read anything that covers the depth and breadth of The Civil War as this book does. An in-depth discussion of slavery and abolition that precedes the war is given generous attention to detail. I would highly recommend this book to any student of American history interested in The Civil War genre.

An excellent and highly readable book that gives much insight into a turbulent era in American history. If I had any complaints about it, it's because I would have liked to follow the war in more depth than is presented. However, this is a book about "The Civil War Era" and thus does exactly as it states. With this book now read, I would like to find (or be recommended) a solid book centered on the various war theaters and less on the politics of the war. Any care to suggest such book(s)?

I actually just finished this book today. I've been sick with pneumonia these last couple of weeks and I'm just so grateful that I had this book to get lost in whilst I was housebound. (I'm trying to get hold of other Civil War volumes, like Shelby Foote's trilogy now that I've got the bug!) I just couldn't put this book down. It is a very clearly written narrative history, as well as being an amazingly compressed overview of the Civil War. There is so much going on all the time, but McPherson paces and explains things so cogently that it is reasonably easy to follow what is going on throughout. He deliniates the major protagonists clearly and reintroduces these characters throughout the narrative effortlessly. He is dealing with such complex material - like battle sequences and troop movements - but is nearly always easy to follow (with the aid of the accessible maps also).
I had not previously read a history of the Civil War and purchased this volume primarily because it was a volume in the Oxford History of the U.S.A. series. But now I'm deflecting myself from American history for a while as I take time out to pursue my new (McPherson induced!) Civil War obsesson.
I would highly recommend this book to anybody whether they've got a prior interest in the Civil War or not. I'd guess that they will soon have an interest in it - thanks to McPherson!

Very well researched, concise, encyclopedic history of the 19th mid century US. Gave me some new and real understandings of the politics and forces that led to the Civil War. Part of the Oxford series of books on US history. A historian's historian.

I consider myself a cross between a Civil War neophyte and a total Expert on the subject. I have read over half a dozen books on the subject, including Shelby Foote's masterpiece three volume "Civil War - A Narrative". I rank this one by James McPherson right up there. Excellently written with wonderful detail, my only regret is that I waited so long to buy this book. I really can't put it down! For those of you looking for a great one-volume account of the background, causes and conduct of the war, THIS IS IT!

The best & most definitive accounting of The civil War for real Civil War buffs to novices. The author present the info in an easy to read and very fascinating prose and if you are interested in the civil War or looking for a gift for a Civil War buff, this is the one "MUST OWN"book!

Be prepared for a deluge of supporting data. This is a bumpy read, but one well worth the concentration it demands. An extremely important contribution to a field fraught with peril and is sure to provoke rabid disagreement in some circles-- those who work on myth rather than reality.

"Battle Cry of Freedom," by noted American historian James M. McPherson, is chronologically the second volume in the "Oxford History of the United States" series, and the first to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for History. It is the best book about the American Civil War that I've ever read, and I believe it may be the finest one-volume account of the Civil War available today. Every page of this masterpiece is crammed with beautifully written prose that details almost every aspect of the War Between the States.

McPherson provides a detailed analysis of the war's causes and effects; the major characters involved in the conflict; and the major battles. McPherson takes a decidedly pro-Union position in the book, but remains objective in his historical interpretations. This is a "must read" for all who want to know more about America's bloodiest war. It's also my personal favorite in American history. Most highly recommended.

one of the most comprehensive, authoritative books that I've read vis. the civil war, it's genesis, the tragedy for both north and south not couched just in terms of slavery, but the social, moral, economic, and judicial impact e.g. the dread scott decision, on our collective society.

This is a remarkable history. I highly recommend it to any history buff who has any interest at all in the Civil War. I have numerous volumes, mostly bio of figures of the time,but this is the most comprehensive, well-written book on the subject I have come across. Certain chapters were more helpful in gathering to understand today's exreme partisanshp in Washington, D.C. and the country than any thing else I have found. Dr. McPherson won the Pulitzer for the book, so I am hardly the first to regard Battle Cry very highly.

required reading for students of history. Absolutely takes the reader back to the time of our forebears. The jubilation, sorrow, fear, and violence are tangible as related by the author. This text is sure to reignite your love of history as it has mine.

This 1989 Pulitzer Prize winning Civil War narrative has taken me almost a full year to read on my Kindle. It is 956 pages long and is a dense and a fascinating read. I learned more than I ever wanted to know from the book and will never think of the Civil War in the same way again.

Every little detail that the author could include in the book is there, from the years before the war and the laws that set the stage for it, to the descriptions of the riots and the lives of the soldiers, the decisions made by its leaders and maps of the terrain on which they fought. There were so many battles, so many lives lost. And when it was all over, the country was changed forever.

I will not remember all the details. Even the names of the generals and the battles blur in my memory. But I will never forget the intensity and the horror and the humungous political rift between the North and the South that has come and gone and will never be forgotten.

This is a fine book in every way but I stop just short of giving it my highest recommendation. That is because I am just not a scholar and found it a little dense for my taste. That said, I am glad this book exists and feel that it has educated me in a way that I never expected and that I will always cherish.

This book covered it all, from the first political issues to the end of the war and reconstruction, with everything in between. To make it even better, it read like a novel. I couldn't put it down. If you only have time to read one book on the Civil War, make it this one. By far the best out there.

Great history analysis using rigorous sources, and a very impartial point of view from the author. It's a fundamental essay fir understanding de south and north differences and explain the today US society

Connects the dots on how the Mexican-American War, the subsequent opening of the remaining western territories and the overwhelming question of whether they would become free or slave states seemed to make the Civil War inevitable. However while it then seems the war WAS about slavery more than states rights the author shows the deeper fear (paranoia) the South had about losing their agrarian way of life (which of course included slavery)to the rapidly expanding industrial revolution and it's "worker class".

Fantastic book by our most important current Civil War scholar, and the best single-volume history of the Civil War out there. This book book is exquisitely researched, drawing on primary sources to a great degree, including letters from soldies, speaches in Congress, well-written and accessible.

As a committed history buff I have struggled through Mr. Gibbon's history of the Roman Empire, high quality, difficult read. I have breezed through Mr. Bill O'Reilly's questionable history of Lincoln, very low quality, easy read.
The "Battle Cry of Freedom" is high quality plus easy reading. He writes of the culture, the politics, the battle strategy and tactics, the economics, and the personalities of the major characters. I can imagine this book capable of usage as a college level text book, and readable enough to make a best seller list.
This is a long book, allow yourself the time to read and enjoy.

It's amusing to read the various reviews that accuse McPherson of bias: they are based on the reviewers' own biases, and certainly not on any real understanding of history. Any one-volume history of this enormously difficult period will necessarily leave things out, but McPherson gets the overall flavor right, and is factually correct. The war was begun by the South, which had been fighting to extend slavery. Any other understanding is simply wrong, and is in fact a wilful misreading of history.
McPherson's writing is excellent, his research thorough, and his conclusions incontrovertable. His treatment of the political conflict leading up to the Civil War is clear, which is no mean feat in itself. This is the one indispensible book on the Civil War.

"Battle Cry of Freedom" is one of the most comprehensive histories of the Civil War period that addresses every aspect of the war. McPherson does an excellent job of setting the context. He describes the changing demographics, economics and politics of the U.S. in the 19th century; the institution of slavery - how it developed and how southerners sought its expansion; the impact of westward expansion and the war with Mexico; the series of compromises as new states became part of the union; the increasing divisions as those compromises failed to appease both sides; and finally the secession of the southern states after Lincoln was elected president. I especially appreciated the details of the months when secession spread, which includes the stated rationales of the seceding states and the maneuvers that led to the firing on Fort Sumter.

The discussion of the war covers virtually all of the major military campaigns and battles and is accompanied by maps showing Union and Confederate movements. We get to know all the important generals and follow them through their checkered or glorious careers. The author is good at using short anecdotes or quotes to convey the character of each general. The strengths and weaknesses of the Yank and Rebel armies at certain times or battles are clearly delineated. He also assesses the structures of leadership and the quality of leaders heading the federal government and the Confederate states. Lincoln had to contend with political rivals and war opponents, worry over whether foreign nations might recognize the Confederacy, defend his Emancipation Proclamation from critics, and agonize over whether he would ever find an effective general to break the southern army and restore the union. Jefferson Davis had the challenge of winning the cooperation of the wildly independent Confederate states to raise sufficient armies, produce enough food, clothes and armaments, and agree on strategy and tactics.

The best part of the book for me was the 10-page Epilogue in which McPherson hashes out the basic questions of why the North won and the South lost. He synthesizes the arguments very well and leaves the reader with a lot to think about (and maybe debate). "Battle Cry of Freedom" is a thoughtful and worthy read. It's a traditional, text-heavy book with few pictures/illustrations. The used hardcover I purchased was 900 pages, quite an epic. An edition called The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era seems to retain all the text but adds many colorful visuals. For a good short history of the war I recommend Bruce Catton's The Civil War (American Heritage Books).

Excellent book on the Civil War. A rather long read, but it was a very complicated period politically and socially. Recommended for those who want to learn more about the Civil War and highly recommended for those who know little to nothing about the war.

I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone interested in American history. The author has just done an amazing job and I'm glad I found this one to start a Civil War reading section in my library. I ended up with Kindle and hard copy versions and used both as the situation needed. There were a few typos on Kindle but wasn't a problem in any way to enjoy the book. However to use the footnotes the hard copy is needed and there are extensive useful footnotes.

The very best of the myriad accounts of this troubling time in our history. The War Between the States was the apex of the American story. It defines us to this day. How sad so few acknowledge it's import in how we live, think, and understand the drama of our modern world as it relates to the events resulting from that incredible waste of human life. McPherson captures the sheer magnitude of the folly without pointing fingers at, or labeling, the participants—hero or villain.

There is something for everyone in this tome not just civil war buffs. I bought it because it was Tony Kushner's reference but am amazed at the breadth of his coverage. He reveals the evolution of the child-centered family, the rise of women in the 1840s etc.

This book blew me away. Doris Kearns Goodwin (author of Team of Rivals...which I loved) has called James McPherson (author of Battle Cry) a narrative genius. I couldn't agree more. This book addresses nearly ALL conceivable aspects of the Civil War and I now feel like a Civil War expert (though obviously I'm not). Unless the effects of this book wear off (which I'm not sure I want to happen), I'm pretty sure I'm going to nerd out and look into attending one of those Civil War battle reenactments.

Very good read. Provides a lot insight into the various causes of the war and the different factions. Also shows why there is still so much confusion now on the reason for the war. It seems like both sides had multiple reasons for why they were fighting. Ultimately the war was about slavery, but many thought they were fighting for other reasons.

This book blew me away. Doris Kearns Goodwin (author of Team of Rivals...which I loved) has called James McPherson (author of Battle Cry) a narrative genius. I couldn't agree more. This book addresses nearly ALL conceivable aspects of the Civil War and I now feel like a Civil War expert (though obviously I'm not). Unless the effects of this book wear off (which I'm not sure I want to happen), I'm pretty sure I'm going to nerd out and look into attending one of those Civil War battle reenactments.

Very good read. Provides a lot insight into the various causes of the war and the different factions. Also shows why there is still so much confusion now on the reason for the war. It seems like both sides had multiple reasons for why they were fighting. Ultimately the war was about slavery, but many thought they were fighting for other reasons.

As was noted by multiple professional reviewers of Battle Cry of Freedom, just about the best one volume ever of the Civil War, including all the events leading up to the war. I had read MANY other books previously, including Grant's 2 vol memoires and Sherman's memoirs. This was an EXCELLENT follow up to those.

Extremely interesting book, full of facts about all aspects of the war and its effects on the people of both the North and the South. Much detail about the issues leading up to the war, and all of the necessities of the armies on both sides. I liked it so well that I have read it four times and will definitely read it again. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing about the Civil War and what lead up to it.

Best book I have read on the Civil War. Incredibly detailed and insightful, not only from a military perspective, nicely inter-relating the political, economic and social influences of the era. It took me awhile to read (it's big!), but I savored every page and was saddened when I was done!

This is a very iseful tool for the serious student of history specializing on the Civil War, or the history buff. It also serves as a good reference item for research and writing. It is recommendable for anyone intrested in the Civil War period. Excellent for the private library. Excellent book.