A Reader's Year of Jubilee (Simply the Best)

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	• The Civil War: A Narrative (3 Vol. Set) Shelby Foote Vintage, 1986 average customer review:based on 137 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Superlative Civil War Narrative

I can state nothing more than has already been stated of this wonderful narrative.

I did find, as others noted, that the author had a tendency to present the efforts of the Confederacy and its principal characters in an unbalanced fashion versus the efforts of the North. None the less, I highly recommend the narrative(s) to anyone considering a study of this period in American history.

An example of how to write history

I am current reading the late Shelby Foote's 2,934-page trilogy. I just completed volume one, The Civil War: A Narrative, Fort Sumter to Perryville". It was 810 pages in the version I have. I started reading the volume on June 6 and completed it on August 15. I expect to complete the other two volumes by year's end.

Here is my review of volume one. The book covers the beginning of the war through December 1862. The late Shelby Foote writes with a down home, comfortable style that is like he is sitting beside you telling a story. Make no mistake, he is a southern and tells the story from a southern point of view. The book is a work of creative non-fiction. It is a first class narrative. It is the example of how to write history.

Many students of the Civil War are limited in their knowledge of the war to the major battles of Fort Sumter, Bull Run, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, Antietam (Sharpsburg), etc. (battles in 1861 -1862) or the generals. Foote covers all the battles. And he covers what takes place in between the battles though with minor battles tend to be brushed over with the simple reference to their being fought.

I admit some parts of the book were a struggle for me to get through. The time between the campaigns and battles, the endless maneuvers and debates were challenging. Once he moved on to the next battle or fight, the action and pace of the book picked up. Foote shared enough strategy and tactics as well as some of the intellectual processes the key players used to help us understand what leadership on both sides will do under such situations. At times it was like reading the strategy behind a chess game. The back stories of the political considerations were actually enjoyable at times and problematic to boring at others.

I recommend this to any American or person with an interest in American history. Yes, the battles may seem to be repetitious. Yes, the politics and maneuvers do at times get somewhat dry. They must be included to tell the entire story. We need know the story well to know who we are as a people.

I wish the editor had placed better divisions in the book. Even knowing the history of the civil war well, I had trouble at times with where we were at what battle. Many of the battles are referred to by their southern name, usually the nearest town e.g. Sharpsburg instead of their northern name e.g., Antietam, usually the nearest body of water.

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Sad to be done

I have just finished the series for the second time. I first read Foote's trilogy about 15 years ago, in my early 20's. I was struck now by how much different the books seemed to me this time through. The first time I never noticed any bias one way or the other. This time, however, it was hard to ignore. The reader will note that the books begin and end with Jefferson Davis. The third book ends with what seems like a biography of Davis post-war. This is fine, but other key players where completely ignored or only mentioned in relation to their deaths.

The books do a fairly good job of describing the key battles of the war. There are so many generals who were involved in this struggle that it is hard for one to keep up with who is whom. Maps are often included to help the reader keep track of what is happening where, both on a battle scale, and on a national scale.

All in all, this is an excellent account of what happened during the Civil War. Both why it happened and how it happened. That it is told from the perspective of an author who is often rooting for southern victory, or howling at northern success is, I guess, inevitable in this case. Shelby Foote wrote a detailed and easy to read account of the Civil War years.

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Thorough, unbiased, entertaining.

I can scarcely imagine a more through, definitive work on the Civil War short of reading every letter, biography, newspaper, a journal from the era. Though full detail and information, it was never boring and always kept me hooked. If you want to read this, make sure you have plenty of time! It took me three months to get through the books, a time that I normally can get through ten. The books are large, but are so packed with information that I had to read them slowly to ensure I understood and remembered everything.

A Reader's Year of Jubilee (Simply the Best)

This is one of the best known and well loved histories of the American Civil War. The late Shelby Foote was a gifted novelist and when he turned his talents to writing history legions of readers benefitted.

If memory serves me correctly, it took the Mississippian close to two decades to write the entire three volume collection in longhand using a pen and legal pads. The history lesson is complete with numerous battles and skirmishes fought in the Transmississippi Department (Arkansas, Texas, the New Mexico Territory and present day Nevada and Oklahoma) recounted in full. Few, if any, other historians bothered to address the fighting in those regions.

It took me one full year to read all three volumes during my leisure hours. My nightly routine was to read before retiring. As I neared the end of the third volume, I felt a palpable sense of regret. Few books are that important and fewer still made such a positive impression upon me.

I cannot add anything else without repeating the deserved praise that has been previously accorded to Shelby Foote. I owe it to myself to seek out his lesser known novels.

My one disappointment? Foote reached an age when he declined to autograph his books! He had too many requests and he simply quit. I know, I tried.

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reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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