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This Hallowed Ground (Wordsworth Military Library)

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The Civil War was a vastly complex conflict, and there are thousands of specialized texts to be had. This book captures the heart of the tale, and you come away with both the history and the powerful national and human drama. I read this book with a sense that I was there, watching the battles unfold, listening in as the decisions were made that sent men to their triumphs or to their deaths. It is highly readable, but I did not want to rush through it; I periodically put it aside to let my spirit settle.

If your knowledge of the Civil War is limited and you think maybe you ought to know more or you'd like to know more, but you don't want to crack open a dry textbook -- then this is the book for you!

The Civil War remains the pivotal and most discussed event in our Nation's history. Every generation of writers and readers feels the need to tell the story of the War anew and to reflect upon its meaning. In the mid-20th Century, the leading interpreter of the Civil War was Bruce Catton (1899-1978). Catton wrote narratives for the nonspecialist reader. He had the ability to make the Civil War era, the battles, and the issues come alive to a broad public. There is still much to be learned from his writing style and from his discussion of the War.

Catton's "This Hallowed Ground: the Story of the Union Side of the Civil War" (1956) remains an essential one-volume study of the conflict. Only James McPherson's work, "Battle Cry of Freedom" comes close to matching its scope. While McPherson's work may show a greater degree of scholarship, Catton's work more than compensates in its eloquence and passion.

The book begins with the famous caning that Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina gave to Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts in 1856 following a Sumner speech against slavery before the Senate. It examines the causes of the War, the battles and politics of the conflict, and concludes with the end of the long conflict in April 1865. (It gives only a brief glance to Reconstruction.)

Catton tells the stories of the War's military engagements simply and understandably. I have read detailed accounts of many Civil War battles and tend to become confused. Catton's accounts of the battled are short and, of course, simplified; but they cut to the heart of the matter. I would recommend that anyone interested in studying a battle in depth read Catton's account first, both for an overview of the War and for a basic account of the battle and its place in the scheme of the War.

Catton unequivocally states that slavery was the prime cause of the War. I think most contemporary historians agree with him. But many recent writers try to persuade their readers that they are discovering the importance of slavery to the conflict for themselves -- almost for the first time since 1865. It is helpful for an understanding of the history of history to see Catton's recognition (in a popular work written more than a generation ago) of slavery as the driving factor of the War. Catton also writes eloquently about industrialization in North America and about the factors which worked ultimately to make the United States a unified nation. I learned a great deal about the issues leading to the War and about the changes it effected in American life from Catton's account. (In his short discussion of Reconstruction, Catton suggests that the victorious Union took an unduly punitive approach to the South. This is one area in which many contemporary historians, I think, would tend to disagree with him.)

Catton's work also places great emphasis on the Western theatre of the War beginning with the capture of Fort Donelson in 1862. He sees Antietam rather than Gettysburg as the Confederate "High Tide" in the conflict. In these matters too, Catton's discussion is in accord with much recent writing on the War.

Although Catton's book focuses on, and is deeply sympathetic to, the Northern war effort, he portrays the Confederacy as a valiant and determined foe making its own effort to preserve what it viewed as a traditional, agrarian way of life. Again, he never allows the reader to forget that this way of life was predicated upon slavery. He recognizes the South's persistence in the War, the determination of its people, the courage of its soldiers, and the brilliance of Robert E. Lee without falling into "Lost Cause" mythology.

I am pleased that Catton's "This Hallowed Ground" remains in print and available for new readers who wish to understand our country and its greatest conflict. This book is an excellent choice for readers who only wish to read a single work on the War. I enjoyed the comments of the other Amazon readers who have reviewed this book.

Bruce Catton is first and foremost a storyteller. Beyond the actual retelling of the events, which are truly awe-inspiring in their own right, Mr. Catton offers the reader true insight into the stakes of each major battle and the entire as only historical hindsight can offer. The reader will likely gain an appreciation for Lincoln's burden, who seemingly was singly aware amongst the Northern decision makers of the broader consequences of the actions taken to preserve the fledgling union. Mr. Catton does not overly dwell on tactics and casualty numbers, focusing rather on the Civil War amid the context of American culture and history.

A note on the tone of the book. This is not a balanced account of the great story, in that there is focus on the Northern side. However, Mr. Catton is delivering no more or less than promised, as the title of the book identifies this intent. That said, this does not mean that he in any way exaggerated the cause or characters in any apparent way. I am not an historian, but am a budding Civil War enthusiast, and have read a couple of the heavyweights: McPherson's "Battlecry of Freedom" and Foote's "The Civil War: a Narrative," and consider Catton's work superior to both. McPherson's work is a bit more factual, but not as poetic. Foote's 3000+ page work is difficult to read due to his unabashed favoritism to the Confederacy's cause, its heroes, and its battle prowess; even though he is every bit the storyteller and researcher that Catton is. All in all, I would recommend reading both Catton and Foote to achieve a well balanced tutorial of our greatest American story.

This is one of the two or three very best histories of the Civil War ever written. It is on a par with "Battle Cry of Freedom." It brings events to life. It has the ring of absolute truth. Its characterizations of events and individuals are poetic and deeply moving. It teaches us tremendously important lessons of character and history.

In addition, it's a real page-turner - not a hard read at all. I've quoted more sections of it to my wife, my children (ages 11 and 13) and my co-workers than any other book I can think of.

I recommend this book to my brothers and sisters who are descendants of Confederate veterans, as well as those of us who are descended from the Union side. It is of a character and stature commensurate with General Lee.

Tim Oksman, City Attorney
Portsmouth, Virginia

I read this book twice; once before and again after reading the Grant Trilogy--Capt. Sam Grant, Grant Moves South, and Grant Takes Command followed by The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. The author drew liberally from primary sources, and what he writes you can believe. He writes very well. My first reading was an introduction without knowledge; the second pulled all the other readings together. I recommend them all, of course, but this seems to me a must because it so accurate, complete, and insightful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The works of Bruce Catton were among the first that stimulated my interest in the American Civil War. It's a massive subject matter with what must be millions of words written in it's account. Thus reading about the war could be confusing at the least and over powering at the most. This is not the case with Bruce Catton who writes with a clarity that enables the reader to clearly understand the events he is relating.

'This Hallowed Ground' is no exception. It is concise, clear and informative, thus the reader whether this is their 1st Civil War read or their 100th will put the book down and want to know more!

For a factual book it often had the feel of a good Civil War novel, it is exciting and breath taking with a real power that I feel is hard to match elsewhere. Here is an author that not only both knows and respects his subject matter but is able to transfer this to the written page.

One word of warning, read it slowly. If you rush through this book (and there is a temptation to do so due to its strengths) you will regret it when the last page is completed.

Of all the heartbreaking, sacrificial, and exhausting wars that the United States has encountered, the Civil War is the most upsetting of all. Bruce Catton, part of the last wave of a generation of romantic historians, paints a vivid portrait of the Union side of the conflict. Like all war historians, he is impressed by the elements that are found in the crucible of a long fight: the pageantry, brilliant tactical moves, feats of individual courage, and the inexhaustible source of stories. But on the other, he has enough judgment to temper his own writing with accounts of casualty lists and useless battles.

Catton's main thesis is that although the war did not begin over slavery, it became so through the force of the war's tide, and that the tide only became inexorable after a series of poor decisions on the Union side. He is especially adept at tracing the threads of the various campaigns - the Army of the Potomac's stalemated situation in Virginia, for instance, is contrasted with Grant's quick thinking out west with the Army of the Tennessee. As the title would imply, the book focuses on the to and fro movements of the Union side. Lincoln, Lee, and the particularities of the situation prior to the war are not dealt with in any depth.

Nor is this is a book with a list of laundry items for the typical soldier and a slew of footnotes, although it is well-researched and thorough. Catton is more interested in quickly sketching an army as they march through the heat of the Mississippi and the lush countryside of Georgia. He unabashedly plays favorites with his "cast of characters" - Grant and Lincoln are praised, McClellan is not - but in most cases his biases are justified.

One could argue Catton's taste for drama and humorous anecdote overrides his ability to assess rationally the Civil War, but perhaps his romantic/realistic view of history is more in keeping with the age it is describing. The Civil War was fought by stubborn men who refused to cede a tenet long past its due date - and that in itself is the true tragedy.

I have been a reader of Bruce Catton's Civil War histories for years (I own 10 of them). I agree with the reviewers about Catton's vast talent as a storyteller and as a narrator of events. It was through reading his works that I first became aware of some of the lesser known colorful characters of the time, such as Gen. Phillip Kearney, Gen. D.H. Hill, and Robert Toombs. In fact, it was the writing of Bruce Catton that first turned me into a Civil War buff.

I have a rather strong objection to the subtitle of this work, which the late historian would never have approved were he alive today. This book is not "the Union side" of the Civil War; it gives BOTH sides. In fact, the author is more sympathetic to men like Gen. Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis than I would have been. For many years, some influential historians have sought to label any history that seems to hint that the right side won the Civil War as biased. (Over four score and seven years, actually.) This work is a balanced account, and one of the best one-volume histories of the war ever written, both on the battle front and at the home fronts. It deserves to be thought of as such.

There are more books about the American Civil War than on any other subject in US history. New books are written everyday. Some are very good, some are not. However, despite all the new enteries to the field of study in my opinion the best is some of the oldest. In my opinion no one writes better about the Civil War than Bruce Catton. In this work he looks at the Civil War from the Union point of view. But regardless, it is one of the best single volume histories of the war. And despite its age, Catton's works has stood the test of time. His history is good and accurate. And he can write. Catton discusses good history and tells it in beautiful writing. This could be a novel. There are a lot of books on the Civil War, however there are not a lot of writers as good as Catton.

Of the thousand of books written on the American Civil War, "This Hallowed Ground" ranks among the very best, standing side by side with James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom." Both books not only give a comprehensive history of the war but also place the war in historical context and thoroughly discuss its causes and consequences. In so doing, both books provide an insightful analysis of racism in the mid-nineteenth century and how it is a foundation for racism today. Both those who continue to worship the Confederacy and those who believe the lie that slavery was not the cause of the war will hate these books. Those with open and inquiring minds will love them.