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Upon the Altar of the Nation: A Moral History of the Civil War Paperback – Bargain Price, March 27, 2007

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Harry S. Stout (Author)
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4.1 out of 5 stars 31 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books (March 27, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0143038761
  • ASIN: B005MWL7HG
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsCornerstone Civil War History
By Reynolds Potter on July 28, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Since the history of the Civil War fills libraries, it's difficult to know where to begin to study the vast subject. Stout's superb work is an excellent place to start. The book's subtitle, "A Moral History of the Civil War", is an accurate description of what the book is about. Rather than just a history of battles, Stout supplies the context that stands behind the combat and the politics. The reader gets an appreciation for civilian life as the war continues from year to year. You come away with a sense of how and why the opposing sides justified their actions. Unlike many historians and other authors, Stout does not feel compelled to make every judgment for the reader. He lets his meticulous sources and endnotes speak for themselves, while he covers the war's biggest themes. This is a book to take your time on and linger over - it's not a history to skim, but the effort is worth it. Helpful maps and illustrations. Highest recommendation. If you always wanted to do some Civil War reading, I suggest pairing it with E. L. Doctorow's "The March" (which is excellent in audiobook format).
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5.0 out of 5 starsThought Provoking
By Stephan Appanotski on February 23, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Stout has answered many of the questions I previously held about the Civil War. I always wondered what the people during that period were thinking and what response (if any) they had to the enormous loss of life. It also raised many new questions and I hope Stout's book is the spark that will ignite more research into this area.

I noticed one of the other reviewers wrote that it was confusing; he says there is nothing edifying and the fundamental problem is the absence of a definition of what a 'moral' history is. To this I say, herein lies the most edifying aspect of the book, the fact that Stout does define what a moral history is, and in so doing, he turns a period of our history that might otherwise be nothing more than a blight, into something that might teach us valuable lessons and insights on what we might avoid.

The validity of Stout's historical methodology lies in the fact that he is a pioneer, and it is understandable that his is misunderstood. Some readers might try to put this book into categories they are familiar with, and when they find it does not fit neatly into their preconceived notions of what a history of the Civil War should look like, they might get frustrated. However, if you approach the book understanding that it is a new methodology and try seeing it through the lense of 'morality' and 'justice,' it has enormous implications.

My prediction is that Stout is a strong candidate for the Pulitzer with this ground-breaking book. I also predict that 'Upon the Altar of the Nation' will cause historians to ask a great deal of questions heretofor neglected. A whole new branch of history is on the horizon.
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5.0 out of 5 starsConfronting Popular Views Of The Civil War
By Chimonsho on October 3, 2008
Format: Paperback
This is painful but essential reading for Americans, especially Civil War buffs, because of a basic but mistaken view of that conflict. If it was about heroic ordinary Rebs and Yanks or the greatness of Lee, Grant and Lincoln, then romance and sentiment prevail, adding to America's myth of exceptionalism. But the CW also can, and should, be about violence and the horrors of war; it certainly saw plenty of both. Stout fully covers many moral problems of wartime conduct, which greatly exercised veterans and survivors: massacres of defeated troops; targeting civilians and domestic economies; starvation and mistreatment of POWs; re-enslavement of freedpeople; and the constant invocation of God's will in support of each side. He also addresses a cruel if unintended factor. Strategy and tactics had not evolved along with technological advances, dooming many soldiers to brutal maiming or death. Enough narrative context keeps this from being a narrow specialized work, and Stout stresses the core economic motives of both sides. His emphasis on just-war theory could include more modern concepts of human rights, thus making the CW more comparable to World War II, which is usually viewed less sentimentally. Some small factual and interpretive errors occur: the account of Forts Henry and Donelson is muddled and partly unreliable; Champion's Hill was a key battle in the Vicksburg campaign, not Champion Hills; etc. Minor in themselves, together they aid those who will resist Stout's interpretation. This is a pity, because "Upon the Altar" greatly advances understanding of the war.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA De-Romanticization of the American Civil War
By Pastor C. R. Biggs on August 12, 2006
Format: Hardcover
This book is clearly written, informative, and brutally honest in that it asks questions about the morality of the Civil War that were not asked during this great conflict, and have many times not been addressed in subsequent histories of the war. This book does a great service to all humans made in God's image who struggle to understand what precisely this war was about, how this war still affects us all intellectually and emotionally today, and how we will tell this important story to our children. There were many sacrifices made in God's name and for the good of these United States in the Civil War, but there were many gross sins, intentional and unintentional, that blurred the vision of many church leaders, politicians, soldiers, and citizens in this watershed war that defines us all today! I agree with another reviewer that Professor Stout's honest and superbly written moral history of the American Civil War is the best place to start when considering this important war that has been told from many different perspectives. I highly recommend this book to all interested in history, ethics, and those seeking to better understand exactly it means to be an American. As a Christian, who also is an American citizen, this book truly helped me to look beyond my regional identity to identify myself with Christ's Kingdom made up of every tribe, tongue, nation and people. As the Bible teaches so clearly in every historical "hero" there is also a villain lurking in our flesh, and in every historical "villain" there is oftentimes an unexpected hero to be found within. As Professor Stout writes candidly in the introduction: "'Upon the Altar of the Nation' tells difficult stories of unjust conduct on both sides of the struggle.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsI realized how much I didn't know about the Civil War

Wow! I have been focused on books related to WWII and have become fairly knowledgeable about that topic. Read more

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4.0 out of 5 starsTerrific insights on the shifting moral stances of churches

Terrific insights on the shifting moral stances of churches, soldiers and politicians before and during the Civil War. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Genevieve Timpane
5.0 out of 5 starsI devoured this book and have happily recommended it often

I devoured this book and have happily recommended it often.

To me, this is history as it should be done: winsomely, honestly, and engagingly. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Steven R. Robertson
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book, good insights as both a retired soldier ...

Great book, good insights as both a retired soldier and a minister, it helps me to think a bit differently

Published 21 months ago by Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 starsA moral history dues not necessarily mean accurate information

I am currently reading Harry S. Stouts "Upon the Altar of the Nation: A Moral History of the Civil War". Read more

Published on February 26, 2014 by Adam Harmon
2.0 out of 5 starsDid the Author not Avoid the most important moral issue of the war?

A moral history is, as this author so carefully points out, an attempt to put brackets around the "ought" and the "actuality. Read more

Published on July 11, 2013 by Herbert L Calhoun
5.0 out of 5 starsIndispensible for a true understanding of the American Civil War

The writer has tried to produce a truly unbiased account of how our nation's bloodiest and most significant war was fought. Read more

Published on May 19, 2013 by steamduck43

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