Customer Reviews

None Died in Vain: The Saga of the American Civil War

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This is an eminently readable single volume covering the causes, background, personages and battles of the American Civil War. While less dramatic than Shaara's novel "The Killer Angels" it is equally absorbing. Moreover, it covers the entire war and a broad spectrum of subjects for that period

The early pages deal in depth with the Spanish American War, but wisely so for that war was the prelude in many ways to the Civil War, both as to precipitating causes and for the generals involved on both sides.

The author has not provided any references for the many quotations, letters and anecdotes that make the book so rich and readable. This lack will not be acceptable to the history scholar even though it is obviously well researched. But for an intelligent reader seeking insight and entertainment relative to five exceptionally eventful years in U.S. History , this is a winner.

As an educator currently working on his master's in history, I am always pleasantly surprised when I read a history of a complex topic that is both thorough and easily understood. Mr. Leckie's book fills these requisites very well, indeed. Not only is it an effective history of the military aspects of the war, he also imparts significant perspectives on the people who began, shaped and fought the war, as well as those watching on the sidelines. Although his portrait of slavery as the proximal cause of the war betrays a personal bias, his recitation of the facts and figures appear to be both accurate and complete and his brief, but iluminating, character studies of the war's leading figures add dimension and depth to the topic. In addition, he accomplishes something few writers on the Civil War manage to accomplish: he makes it clear that, despite the fact that the bulk of the war's pain was born by all of America, the blame for the war lies primarily with the minority of extermists on both sides of the issue, not with the majority of the people. Some may find this analysis somewhat more complicated than they might like, but history is seldom simple and Leckie amply illustrates this fact. It is one of the best general histories on the Civil War I have ever read and perhaps one of the best ever written.

None Died in Vain is the tale of the American Civil War. However, this book doesn't begin by plunging into the war as usual history books do; on the other hand, it starts before that. The first settings are of slavery in the south. Then it gradually introduces all the major characters-the people that would become heroes and leaders of their time during the war. The war then comes alive. The battles begin, and so do political arguments. Finally, after an exciting war, it ends with Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
I enjoyed this book because of the way the author makes the war become real. History books often tell of the Civil War in a monotonous way that could make me fall asleep. Or, the book opens great, but it becomes much too long. This book, on the other hand, starts off a bit boring, but as it launches into the war, it is history come alive. I love the way he describes the people's childhoods and grown-up days. It gives a nice background for each war hero. No other author has ever done that-they usually just tell what they are supposed to and end at that. The only flaw is the hardness. Sometimes I didn't understand what the author was trying to say, even after reading the same phrase to myself a couple of times.
My favorite part was the telling of the childhood of Jefferson Davis. I have often read books about his opposer, Abraham Lincoln, for I am a northerner. All of the books I read about the Civil War times is told from the point of view that displays Jefferson Davis as a bad guy, and not someone I'd like to know about. However, after I read about his life, I decided that he wasn't so bad after all-he was just another person doing what he thought was right. An in a way, he is great about sticking to what he feels is needed to be done. And I found out that Jefferson Davis's life is just as interesting as Lincoln's.

I am a dedicated reader of Robert Leckie's works, and I was not disappointed with this Civil War history. The book weaves the political, military and social threads of the era into a fine literary fabric, though the real strength of this and of all Mr. Leckie's works is the author's ability to re-animate the characters. With few exceptions, he is even-handed and non-judgmental and allows the reader a wonderful intimacy with the famous, the infamous and the anonymous alike.

Robert Leckie doesn't mince words. He writes in a rush. His writing is compact, succinct, and to the point yet he provides good detail for those events that warrant it. He does not waste time, yours or his.

This is a writer on a mission. His reader has no doubt where he stands. You will not find much gray here; he is a historian who sees cause and effect, black and white. He is focused, circumspect, acerbic, hilarious and truthful.

The result is that None Died in Vain is one of the finest single volume histories on the American Civil War. This book is not short or superficial. When you are done with Leckie's 658 pages, you will know what happened and why. You will know all the principle characters, the good ones and the bad ones who struggled for their respective sides.

This book is fun. This book is well written. This book is all you need to gain a very solid understanding of what occurred.

Robert Leckie is truly the King of the retelling of all American conflicts. In this effort Leckie tackles the American Civil War and does his usual superb job. Leckie has an easy flowing style that is very enjoyable to read, he keeps everything in a nice timeline so you can get a good feel of what is happening in the western and eastern campaigns. It is difficult to describe battles in print to people who were not there but Leckie does as good as job as there is in bringing the reader the horrors of war. He also gives a short biography of some of the principal individuals in the conflict to provide a basis of how they came to hold places of distinction. This is a good read for everyone interested in the American Civil War.

I read Leckie's "Delivered From Evil," a few years ago and was blown away with the amount of WWII knowledge packed into one book. When I heard about "None Died in Vain," I was eager to dive into it and find the same results as "DFE," but unfortunately, I didn't quite get it.
Not that I didn't enjoy Leckie's take on the Civil War but when I finished, I found myself asking for more. "None Died in Vain", which is written in Leckie's very interesting and reader-friendly, borderline-novel style is a good general overview of the Civil War but it does not dive as deep into the conflict as I had hoped. A good example of this is that he wrote 47 pages on the Battle of Gettysburg, one of, if not THE, most important battle in the war. Yet for the Battle of Chickamauga, Leckie covers the military operations of that fight in just three pages even though it happened to be the bloodiest two-day battle in the entire war! He also glosses over the Battle of Brandy Station, one of the largest Cavalry conflicts in history and skips entirely over major Western battles like Brices Cross Roads and Tupelo. I got the feeling at the end of the book that he was ready to wrap things up too (he wrote 135 pages on events happening before Ft. Sumter, a great lead-in, but wrote just 29 pages about events after Appamattox with nothing on reconstruction).
Examples like this kept me frustrated while reading the book but Leckie's engaging style of writing still kept me entertained. Leckie does hit all the major points and like in his other books, gives brief biographies on all the major players.

I would suggest this book to anyone who is a huge Leckie fan and can't get enough of his writing or to someone who has always asked the question "What exactly was the Civil War all about?" and wants to read just one book about the subject but has more class than buying an "Idiot's Guide to the Civil War". For someone who wants more on the Civil War, look into works by Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton or James McPherson.

Leckie tells a very entertaining history of the Civil War with a good balance of biographies, battle accounts, Strategy, economics and politics. Lacking in direct references would not make it a good source for historical study, but its fluid and entertaining style makes it one of less dry historical books that i have read. Overall, it presents an excellent introduction to the Civil War, and to follow up reading of works such McPherson's, Battle Cry of Freedom.

Mr. Leckie is the John Keegan of America. His books about our wars are both informative and readable. Few author's have his ability with words to show you a person, a place and set them both into the full picture. I've purchased all of his books and have NEVER been sorry.

Robert Leckie does an excellent job in providing teachers and students of American history with valuable information useful for research. The book is very informative and interesting to read. Any person who loves reading about this nation's past will find Mr. Leckie's book very enjoyable to read, and hard to put down just for a few minutes. With short chapters, it's easy to read on the run if pressed for time.