In a message dated 6/28/01 11:57:32 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I just picked up the first of three volumes of Shelby Foote's Civil War
Narrative. I've read about half of the 75 page prologue (the first book is
>800 pages) and he writes well. Has anyone on the list read it? Do Foote's
Southern roots interfere with his objectivity? How would you rate the
series? >>
Foote's trilogy is generally considered the finest narrative history of the
war. He's a novelist by inclination, not a professional historian, so his
work is marked by a superior prose style and a brilliant humanity, rather
than any analytical depth. Foote is a southerner born and bred (originally
from New Orleans), and that definitely shows, but his sympathies are for the
southern troops, not their cause, and certainly not their political leaders,
and he gives the north its due. He is also a genuine admirer of Lincoln and
Grant.
If you're interested, other books you might consider are Geoffrey Ward's
companion book to Ken Burns's PBS series, James McPherson's Pulitzer
Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom (probably the best single-volume
history), and Allan Nevins's War For the Union (8 volumes, but extremely
comprehensive). Of course, the literature on the Civil War is unbelievably
immense, and you can spend several lifetimes reading it all. Each important
battle has monographs written about it (Gettysburg, for example, has books
devoted to each of the three days), and every general on both sides has
biographies. There's an entire industry devoted to Robert E. Lee. Add in the
memoirs, volumes of letters, etc., and you'll never want for reading material.
Tom Beck
