Fields of Fury: The American Civil War [Hardcover]

James M. McPherson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002 | Age Level: 9 and up

Pulitzer Prize award-winning historian James M. McPherson has written for young readers a stirring account of the greatest conflict to happen on our nation's soil, the Civil War, bringing to life the tragic struggle that divided not only a nation, but also friends and family. From the initial Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, to the devastating loss of life at Shiloh as Ulysses S. Grant led the Union to unexpected victory, to the brilliance of Stonewall Jackson's campaign at Shenandoah, to General Pickett's famous charge at Gettysburg, to the Union's triumph at Appo-mattox Court House, Fields of Fury details the war that helped shape us as a nation.

Also included are personal anecdotes from the soldiers at the battlefront and the civilians at home, as well as profiles of historical luminaries such as Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Ulysses S. Grant. McPherson also explores the varied roles that women played during the war, healthcare on the battlefield, and the demise of slavery.

McPherson's narrative is highlighted with black-and-white photographs taken by Civil War photographers Mathew Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan, period oil paintings, and key campaign and battlefield maps, that make Fields of Fury the consummate book on the American Civil War for kids.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Civil War historian James M. McPherson's Fields of Fury does for kids what the author's Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom did for adults.

The well-organized, well-executed, kid-friendly history of the Civil War was a brilliant idea if there ever was one. It's difficult to imagine anyone doing a better job than McPherson at breaking down this complex, interrelated series of events into such compelling and easily digestible chunks. Except for a handful of longer entries, each major battle and section receives a single, concise, two-page spread that includes McPherson's summary and analysis, eyewitness accounts from all sides of the conflict (many from kids!), a few "Quick Facts," as well as carefully chosen maps, photographs, and other illustrations (some of which, appropriately, border on the macabre, a fact kids will appreciate). Fields of Fury also includes a glossary, an index, a list of related Web sites, a bibliography, and a timeline in the endpapers.

McPherson succeeds not just by grabbing attention and keeping it, but by doing so with such economy--and never without context that relates each entry back to the whole. (In fact, grownups who lacked the time or interest to weather McPherson's 904-page Battle Cry shouldn't be surprised if they find themselves "borrowing" Fields of Fury after their kids hit the sack.) (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A distinguished historian has used his formidable talents to produce a concise, accessible, and appealing history in an attractive format. In 41 well-written one or two page chapters, McPherson summarizes the major facts of the war and relates anecdotes that bring to life the conflict's participants, from the commanders in chief to the soldiers on the front lines. Interspersed with accounts of the principal battles are discussions of other important issues, such as slavery, how the war was financed, the roles of African Americans and women, life on the home front, treatment of prisoners of war, and the effects of Reconstruction. Each chapter contains a sidebar of "quick facts," and the book as a whole is enhanced by a profusion of illustrations, many full page, including vintage black-and-white photographs and drawings, period oil paintings in full color, and color maps depicting the locations of campaigns and battlefields. A good pick for researchers and browsers alike.
Starr E. Smith, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689848331
• ISBN-13: 978-0689848339
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Military & Wars

More About the Author

James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He has published numerous volumes on the Civil War, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom, Crossroads of Freedom (which was a New York Times bestseller), Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, and For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, which won the Lincoln Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, January 27, 2003

By 

Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fields of Fury: The American Civil War (Hardcover)

Although this book is geared towards 9-12 year olds, it is easily educational for kids five times that age. The pictures are fantastic and present emotions and details that I have not seen in many other Civil War books. Although we bought this book for my son, I would easily have bought it for myself. It really does put you smack in the middle of that time period. Very impressive.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise juvenile history of the American Civil War, May 13, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Fields of Fury: The American Civil War (Hardcover)

James M. McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for "Battle Cry of Freedom," so he certainly brings impressive credentials to this history of the Civil War for younger readers. "Fields of Fury: The American Civil War" is done as a series of two-page spreads. The right side is a full-page photograph, map, painting, or other illustration; the left side contains 3-5 paragraphs of text, a sidebar of Quick Facts, and some smaller illustrations. After background section on the origins of the Civil War, the slavery issues, and Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, the rest of the book is structure around the major battles of the war from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. In between there are looks at both the military side of the war (e.g., the Anaconda Plan, Andersonville prison) and civilian life (e.g., Women at War). The book concludes with a look at Reconstruction, which is followed by a Glossary, decent Bibliography, Civil War Sites on the Web, and Index.

"Field of Fury" touches upon a lot of Civil War topics in a concise manner, using not only descriptions of the battles but personal anecdotes from the soldiers at the battlefront and the civilians at home. Major politicians and soldiers are profiled as well. The result is a solid introduction to the topic of the Civil War. McPherson's narrative is accompanied by black-and-white photographs by Civil War photographers Mathew Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan, period oil paintings, and key campaign and battlefield maps. The result is a nice little introduction to the Civil War with excellent production values, although this is a lot of information for young readers to absord. If a student was looking at a particular topic like the Emancipation Proclamation or a specific battle like Vicksburg, then "Fields of Fury" provides some basic information. You will not get a lot of depth, but you will get some sense of context. This book can also work as a supplemental text to a juvenile history of the Battle of Gettysburg or Sherman's March to the Sea n providing that sort of context as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book everybody should read, January 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fields of Fury: The American Civil War (Hardcover)

It's a great book that everybody should read. It has got lots of facts about the Civil War. It tells a lot about the people that were involved. I learned that there was a plan named Anaconda Plan where the Union surrounded the South and then they would cut off all their supplies and that John Wilkes Booth had a brother.