The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3 Red River to Appomattox [Paperback]

Shelby Foote (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vintage Civil War Library | Publication Date: November 12, 1986

"An unparalleled achievement, an American Iliad, a unique work uniting the scholarship of the historian and the high readability of the first-class novelist." —Walker Percy

"I have never read a better, more vivid, more understandable account of the savage battling between Grant's and Lee's armies.... Foote stays with the human strife and suffering, and unlike most Southern commentators, he does not take sides. In objectivity, in range, in mastery of detail in beauty of language and feeling for the people involved, this work surpasses anything else on the subject.... It stands alongside the work of the best of them." —New Republic

"Foote is a novelist who temporarily abandoned fiction to apply the novelist's shaping hand to history: his model is not Thucydides but The Iliad, and his story, innocent of notes and formal bibliography, has a literary design. Not by accident...but for cathartic effect is so much space given to the war's unwinding, it's final shudders and convulsions.... To read this chronicle is an awesome and moving experience. History and literature are rarely so thoroughly combined as here; one finishes this volume convinced that no one need undertake this particular enterprise again." —Newsweek

"The most written-about war in history has, with this completion of Shelby Foote's trilogy, been given the epic treatment it deserves." —Providence Journal

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters... a stirring and stupendous synthesis of history."

-- Van Allen Bradley, Chicago Daily News

"A grand, sweeping narrative... will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind."

-- Richard N. Current, N.Y. Herald Tribune

The Civil War:

A Narrative

Fredericksburg to Meridian

"This, then, is narrative history -- a kind of history that goes back to an older literary tradition... The writing is superb ... one of the historical and literary achievements of our time."

-- T. Harry Williams, Book World

"The lucidity of the battle narratives, the vigor of the prose, the strong feeling for the men from generals to privates who did the fighting, are all controlled by a constant sense of how it happened and what it was all about. Foote has the novelist's feeling for character and situation, without losing the historian's scrupulous regard for recorded fact. The Civil War is likely to stand unequalled."

-- Walter Millis --Review

"Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters... a stirring and stupendous synthesis of history."

-- Van Allen Bradley, Chicago Daily News

"A grand, sweeping narrative... will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind."

-- Richard N. Current, N.Y. Herald Tribune

The Civil War:

A Narrative

Fredericksburg to Meridian

"This, then, is narrative history -- a kind of history that goes back to an older literary tradition... The writing is superb ... one of the historical and literary achievements of our time."

-- T. Harry Williams, Book World

"The lucidity of the battle narratives, the vigor of the prose, the strong feeling for the men from generals to privates who did the fighting, are all controlled by a constant sense of how it happened and what it was all about. Foote has the novelist's feeling for character and situation, without losing the historian's scrupulous regard for recorded fact. The Civil War is likely to stand unequalled."

--Walter Millis --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From the Inside Flap

"I have never read a better, more vivid, more understandable account of the savage battling between Grant's and Lee's armies.... Foote stays with the human strife and suffering, and unlike most Southern commentators, he does not take sides. In objectivity, in range, in mastery of detail in beauty of language and feeling for the people involved, this work surpasses anything else on the subject.... It stands alongside the work of the best of them."--New Republic

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; As edition (November 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394746228
• ISBN-13: 978-0394746227
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars News from the Front, December 19, 2000

By 

Paul H. (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3 Red River to Appomattox (Paperback)

Shelby Foote takes the Civil War and dissects its every twist and turn in a writing style that feels as if your hearing news from the front in an ongoing war. That is a good thing since these three volumes are very hefty. This book is not for the mildly curious, you will get bored and overwhelmed by the dates, names and places. But to military history, history, or civil war buffs, it is as detailed and factual as you could want. This is truly a thesis of study on the war between the states.

The book handles personalities of both individuals and cultures and their effects on the war. The reading can be slow going at times as armies march toward each other and the order of battle becomes established with the commanders names and stations, but the battle details seem incredibly well researched and the accounts of individual soldiers/officers bring home the reality of this conflict.

This book is well worth the effort to read, it imparts a sense of what the United States has survived and clarifies many historical perceptions of the era and the people involved in this massive conflict. My only suggestion, keep a note pad at your elbow as you read this book, it is slow going and you'll need to take notes about commanders and places to keep it all straight in your head.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non american perspective of this Epic, September 10, 2005

By 

Mikael Kjellstrom (Sweden) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3 Red River to Appomattox (Paperback)

Well, Mr. Footes trip tyk has been applauded for many years and most of it is said. Being a non-american, I can only attest to the fact that Mr. Foote, in this, the final volume, stays clear of being a Civil War nerd, un-intelligable for non-americans. He as well, stays clear of being the sterile academic. His style is clear and displays a very good interest for the individuals. Great story telling without too much embellishing.

What he however does best, is to bring home the fact , that, of all conflicts, this was the true watershed of the U.S. The casualties were far higher than any other conflict , it was fought on native soil and the civilians were badly hit.

Forget the images of Bunker Hill, Iwo Jima or the landing in Normandie; the house of Mrs. Henry at first Bull Run is a better, and more personal, reminder of the price of war. And the effects are far more enduring than, let's say, Vietnam.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Was There!, September 29, 2010

By 

M. M. Mader "StarTraveler" (La Crosse, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3 Red River to Appomattox (Paperback)

Oh, Shelby Foote's three-volume Civil War is a momentous work, unequalled in my years of research. I was right there, in each battle. I could smell the gunpowder and feel the concussion of the ordnance as it exploded, cutting my friend in half. Mr. Foote had the unique ability to deliver a work of non-fiction while taking the reader with him. At first, looking at all three volumes, the thought of 3,000 pages seemed a bit daunting. But I found every page human, real, and part of a huge story. I've studied the Civil War for many years....read a book on Shiloh, then another on Antietam, scads of books about Gettysburg.

But Mr. Foote's work pulls everything together..the battles, the troop positions, the personalities of the men who fought their brothers over causes they believed in. The beginning, the end. He is so insightful, that for years I've believed he fought in that war in a previous life! My feelings about that are reinforced. This is a terrific literary work!