Customer Reviews

Carl Schurz: A Biography (North's Civil War)

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Carl Schurz is a very important and very interesting personage from the 19th Century. It is unfortunate that he has become a rather obscure figure in this century. Hans Trefousse wants to make him a little less obscure. He has written an excellent biography which should satisfy anyone interested in learning more about Carl Schurz. The book provides a comprehensive picture of Schurz's entire life. In fact only a quarter of the book covers the Civil War years. The revolutionary upheaval in Germany in the 1840's is given extensive coverage and may be the most intriguing portion of the book. There is also a complete anyalysis of the postwar years when Schurz was a leading political figure in the United States. Trefousse's 386 page work is exhaustively researched. He waded through dozens of manuscript collections and newspapers. The bibliography alone takes up 22 pages! Nineteen illustratons augment the narrative. If you are interested in Schurz, this is the book to buy.

The biographer has obviously pored over all the relevant documents to produce a bio that is thorough as it is comprehensible. The author does not gloss over Schurz' flaws and does a good job of taking the reader step by step through the world of American politics during the latter half of the 19th century.

Schurz is an unsung member of our country's historical pantheon. I had no idea he contributed so much to our history. This biography is as honest as it is thorough.