The Civil War: A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville (Vol. I) [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Shelby Foote (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1958

"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." —The Washington Post Book World

"Gettysburg...is described with such meticulous attention to action, terrain, time, and the characters of the various commanders that I understand, at last, what happened in that battle.... Mr. Foote has an acute sense of the relative importance of events and a novelist's skill in directing the reader's attention to the men and the episodes that will influence the course of the whole war, without omitting items which are of momentary interest. His organization of facts could hardly be better." —Atlantic

"Though the events of this middle year of the Civil War have been recounted hundreds of times, they have rarely been re-created with such vigor and such picturesque detail." —The New York Times Book Review

"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 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 unequaled." —Walter Mills


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 1954, Shelby Foote was a young novelist with a contract to write a short history of the Civil War. It soon became clear, however, that he had undertaken a long-term project. Twenty years later Foote finally completed his massive and essential trilogy on the War Between the States. His three books are prose masterpieces with lively characterizations and gripping action. Although Foote never sacrifices the truth of what happened to his penchant for artistry, his skills as a novelist serve him well. Reading all three of these books will take some time, but they are worth the investment--especially if you, like Foote, have a touch of sympathy for the South's lost cause. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 840 pages
• Publisher: Random House (November 12, 1958)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394419480
• ISBN-13: 978-0394419480
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.9 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enduring Classic, May 21, 2001

By 

George Avalos (Lincoln, Nebraska United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville (Vol. I) (Hardcover)

I originally read Volume 1 and its sequels about 9 years ago, my interest having being sparked by Mr. Foote's memorable appearance in the classic PBS series "The Civil War". My honest opinion back then was that the trilogy was a literary gem. Having just reread Volume 1, I hold this opinion even more strongly, jaded cynic though I am. The author combines a diligent and scholarly search for the truth--employing to this end, the methods of both the historian and novelist--with a majestic prose which elegantly and vividly brings back to life events and characters from "a world now gone to dust". The narrative paints a broad panorama of the American Civil War during 1861-1862, but I would like to comment on just one aspect of the work. Volume 1 introduces us to the two main protagonists, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, and their struggles to keep their respective nations intact. Now I have heard and read yappings that the narrative is slanted toward a pro-South point of view, and suspect that this ill-founded charge is due in part to Mr. Foote's temerity in putting Davis (throughout the trilogy, in fact) on equal footing with the now sainted Lincoln. Jefferson Davis will probably always remain the most controversial of American historical figures (along with Aaron Burr), owing to the ugly principles--namely, aristocracy and slavery--for which his Confederacy fought de facto. As Mr. Foote put it, Lincoln had "tarred" Davis by masterfully characterizing his idea of self-government as anathema to democracy and freedom. "The tar would never wear off", and to this day, Davis remains to many a villain of the first rank. However, Mr. Foote implicitly makes a compelling case that there is much to admire in Jefferson Davis, who, like Lincoln, personifies the great American dream of achievement through hard work and merit, rising, before the War, from backwater obscurity to the Mississippi planter class and high Federal office (although admittedly with his older brother's help). His simple, western background stands in stark contrast to that of the "cream" of Virginian society; as President of the Confederacy, he is painfully aware of the condescension of the Virginian elites, as they "had become accustomed to looking down their noses at what they called the middle-class atmosphere of official Richmond". Moreover, notwithstanding his renowned inflexibility in dealing with subordinates, Davis' public and private behavior was utterly beyond reproach. In short, if one reads this book while keeping a view of Lincoln and Davis as truly "the men of the hour" during the Civil War, albeit with their inevitable flaws, he or she will be rewarded with a memorable and enduring experience. A final note: the book is best suited for an energetic reader. Aside from the great length of the book, the prose, while representing the best the English language has to offer, does require some effort to master (at least it did for me). The rewards, however, are well-worth the reader's commitment.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, August 6, 2001

By 

R.J. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative--Fort Sumter to Perryville, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The PBS series "The Civil War" and Tony Horwitz's book "Confederates In the Attic" opened the door to my Civil War interest, and Shelby Foote's first volume of his narrative clinched it. I've heard many who've criticized his narrative style and some inaccuracies in the history, but I believe Foote does what brings history to life, he weaves a story and makes the characters live. I enjoyed all parts of this first volume, but especially two sections. The first was the battle of Pea Ridge, which I had never heard of, yet was analyzed brilliantly. The second was the Peninsula Campaign; I couldn't put the book down reading about that part. Stonewall Jackson sleeping under a tree when he was needed most, the "best men of the Confederacy" being sacrificed in frontal counter-attacks, McClellan's dilemmas (he was often painted here and by others as over-cautious and a brilliant retreater, yet Foote makes us sympathetic to his problems too), and the emergence of Robert E. Lee and the subsequent retreat of the federal troops. There is so much more to read in this book, Sharpsburg, Shiloh, and also the political situations in both capitals. I thank Shelby Foote for bringing this era to life for me, and I am halfway through volume 3 and I have not been disappointed with any of this massive undertaking.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive Work, November 26, 2000

By 

Christopher B. Jonnes "author of BIG ICE and... (Stillwater, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War: A Narrative: Fort Sumter to Perryville (Vol. I) (Hardcover)

How can one man possibly know so much about such a large and complex historical event? The research required, the understanding of the political issues, and the insight into the motivations of the many key players involved boggles the mind. Foote somehow manages to get his hands completely around the enigmatic thing we know as the Civil War and deliver it to us in clear, complete and compelling fashion. This is the Ring Trilogy of historical military literature. Other worthy efforts such as The Killer Angels or, more recently, The Last Full Measure may delve deeper into one particular battle or limited campaign, but no other work provides such a comprehensive and detailed picture of the entire conflict.

The scope is so impressive. Foote does not focus solely on the battles, but rather drills down to the core political and moral issues so that we see the whole chess match. And his rendering of the characters? Words fail me. We follow Stonewall Jackson, or Robert E. Lee, or McClellan, or U.S. Grant for a hundred pages, mesmerized, and then cry out as he swings the scene to another theatre. But two pages later we don't care; we're sucked in again.

Foote captures the emotion of the time. His love of the subject is apparent. It is amazing to read the details of such a divisive and horrific event, to taste Lincoln's frustration over McClellan's waffling, to cheer the audacious achievements of Lee and Jackson, to wonder at Lee's tragic march toward Appomattox, and to empathize with both sides along the way. Shelby Foote has done justice to a defining moment in the history of our great union, leaving readers north and south proud to be Americans. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.