A Short History of the Civil War [Paperback]

James L. Stokesbury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 1997

Noted historian James L. Stokebury, author of the acclaimed "Short History" series of books, now provides the definite, one-volume history of the Civil War, the pivotal war of America's history and one that continues to exert a powerful grip on the American pysche.

A Short History of the Civil War discusses all the important military campaigns, the significant battles and command strategies, the historical highlights and the central events of America's most devastating war. Stokesbury analyzes weaponry and provides little-known and fascinating details that help bring to life Generals Grant, Lee, and McClellan, as well as unsung heroes of this great struggle between the Union and the Confederacy. Also included are eleven original maps of major battle sites.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this study, Stokesbury, professor of history at Acadia University, enhances his reputation as an interpreter of complex wars in brief texts (A Short History of World War I; A Short History of World War II). Blending perceptive analysis with concise narrative, he describes the Civil War as America's defining experience both for the causes involved and for the tremendous human and material costs. Stokesbury makes a solid case that participants thought the war was worth the effort and the sacrifice. Southerners convinced themselves they had intended less to preserve slavery than to leave an oppressive system. Northerners fought for "a new birth of freedom," a redefining of the meaning of "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Both sides were proud enough of themselves that they could ultimately be Americans again.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA?Stokesbury accomplishes what few American history teachers can boast-he covers the entire Civil War in a mere 350 pages. His concise treatment begins with the election of Lincoln in November 1860 and ends with the surrender at Appomattox, VA, in April 1865. Important highlights, including the political and economic issues as well as the military campaigns and leadership, are recounted in a factual, readable manner. Eleven maps of major battle sites further explain the 620,000 casualties of the war. The impact of period technology?iron clads and railroads?for troops and supply movement and in battle is addressed. The suggested list of approximately 100 titles for further reading is loosely organized by topic, e.g., technical and factual compendiums, multi- and single-volume histories, campaign and battle information, biography, etc., and held together by the author's running commentary. This list will be invaluable to students faced with the glut of resources. The comprehensive index is a guide to battles, events, people, and places. YAs can get a quick fix here, or use this book as an introduction to more extensive research.?Carol Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (March 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688151299
• ISBN-13: 978-0688151294
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,813,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good short work, April 26, 2002

By 

"flavoflav" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short History of the Civil War (Paperback)

This is a nice introduction to Civil War history. The author does not take sides which is refreshing since a bias is often evident in Civil war books. Between narratives of movements and battles are several short essays about the cause of the war, the economies of the respective nations, and analysis of military doctrine of the period.

The author does a bit of analysis of the key characters and its interesting to see a foreigner's take on the war (Stokesbury is Canadian). One criticism is that the battle descriptions are so short that it is easy to get confused about what took place in the action, and whole complex campaigns can be glossed over. To be fair, this is difficult to avoid in a "short" history of such a protracted war.

The writing is good and some of it stands out (the last paragraph of the book gave me goosebumps). This is a good primer on the Civil war and is recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great review of the civil war, January 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Short History of the Civil War (Paperback)

I bought this book for a nice summary, but not too detailed summary of the Civil War....and thats exactly what I got. Professor Stokesbury writes this wonderful, well researched book on one the most key points in our history. After reading this book I have a new outlook on how close we were to becoming two nations. Each key battle is cleary and methodically discussed, along with some of the stuff outside the battlelines. He is very objective, not favoring either side, and explains the causes of the start and the final collapse of the Confederacy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, easy-read summary of the Civil War, or to a history buff.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great starting point for learning about the Civil War, April 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Short History of the Civil War (Hardcover)

James L. Stokesbury was a professor of history at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada. He has written numerous short histories of some of the most important wars of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

In this book on the Civil War, Stokesbury takes a vast amount of information (over 50,000 books have been published on the subject) and condenses it into a slim book of just over 300 pages. He covers the broad horizon of this period in a meaningful and entertaining way. Of course, sacrifices must be made. Some of the battle narratives are confusing in their shortened form, but the ebb and flow of the campaigns are accurately portrayed.

Stokesbury's account is remarkably objective generally; however, every Civil War buff has his own opinions about the best and worst of the generals. Stokesbury makes no attempt to hide his feelings about his candidates for the worst.

Many of the trivial details a typical soldier's life are incorporated in the narrative. Also covered are some of the economic, social, and political events which shaped the course of the war.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about this pivotal point in our history but doesn't have the time to commit to some of the larger tomes.