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Bruce Catton (1899–1978)

Author of A Stillness at Appomattox

127+ Works 15,018 Members 94 Reviews 31 Favorited

About the Author

Bruce Catton, whose complete name was Charles Bruce Catton, was born in Petoskey, Michigan, on October 9, 1899. A United States journalist and writer, Catton was one of America's most popular Civil War historians. Catton worked as a newspaperman in Boston, Cleveland, and Washington, and also held a show more position at the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1948. Catton's best-selling book, A Stillness at Appomattox, a recount of the most spectacular conflicts between Generals Grant and Lee in the final year of the Civil War, earned him a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1954. In 1977, the year before his death, Catton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Gerald R. Ford, who noted that the author and historian "made us hear the sounds of battle and cherish peace." Before his death in 1978, Catton wrote a total of ten books detailing the Civil War, including his last, Grant Takes Command. Since 1984, the Bruce Catton Prize was awarded for lifetime achievement in the writing of history. In cooperation with American Heritage Publishing Company, the Society of American Historians in 1984 initiated the biennial prize that honors an entire body of work. It is named for Bruce Catton, prizewinning historian and first editor of American Heritage magazine. The prize consisted of a certificate and 2,500 dollars. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: nps.gov

Series

Works by Bruce Catton

A Stillness at Appomattox (1953) 1,815 copies
Mr. Lincoln's Army (1951) 1,161 copies
The Coming Fury (1961) 1,023 copies
Terrible Swift Sword (1963) 946 copies
Never Call Retreat (1965) 818 copies
Grant Takes Command (1968) 733 copies
Grant Moves South (1960) 561 copies
Reflections on the Civil War (1981) 292 copies
Gettysburg: The Final Fury (1974) 292 copies
Michigan: A History (1976) 87 copies
Banners at Shenandoah (1955) 47 copies
The War Lords of Washington (1948) 31 copies
American Heritage Magazine Vol 09 No 4 1958 June (1958) — Editor — 19 copies
American Heritage Magazine Vol 23 No 2 1972 February (1972) — Contributor; Senior Editor — 11 copies
THE CIVIL WAR (1965) 8 copies
Antietam (2016) 6 copies
Prefaces to history (1970) 5 copies
Great Historical Places (1957) 3 copies
Shiloh (2017) 1 copy

Associated Works

Report of the Warren Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (1964) — Afterword, some editions — 932 copies
Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War (1882) — Contributor, some editions — 832 copies
The American Heritage Book of The Revolution (1958) — Introduction, some editions — 639 copies
The Golden Book of the Civil War (1960) — Introduction — 314 copies
The Golden Book of the American Revolution (1958) — Introduction — 92 copies
American Heritage Magazine Vol 16 No 5 1965 August (1965) — Contributor — 25 copies

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Common Knowledge

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Discussions

Shelfby Foote v. Bruce Catton v. James McPherson in American Civil War (July 2017)

Reviews

A headlong plunge into this clash of ideals, this history of the fight for the American soul drives recent events into perspective. Just how far have we actually evolved in the hundred-and-fifty-plus years since the ending of the Civil War? Every glance at the news has to make us question our own collective enlightenment, our wokeness. Even if Catton were not such a good writer, this book would be well worth the reader's time because of its relevance. But Catton can write. Those — myself included — unfamiliar with the intricacies of Civil War tactics and maneuvering need not be put off. The true value here lies in the sweep of the narrative.

Read in a gulp, Catton's history was most valuable in providing an understanding of the countervailing forces which very nearly cleaved the country in two. There are no heroes here, and in this was the greatest surprise for me. While the evils of slavery and the necessity of destroying the institution are obvious, much less so is the character of the southerner. For what did he fight? The answer is not obvious and was not made so by the end of the book. This is at least part of the point. The reasons for the war are ultimately as varied as the people which participated. More than anything, it is the humanity of all involved which comes through on these pages.
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MichaelDavidMullins | 3 other reviews | Oct 17, 2023 |
This was a competent if (necessarily) surface level overview of the Civil War that I would have enjoyed much more had I not already read James M. McPhersons' stunning Battle Cry of Freedom. Read McPhersons' book if you only ever read one book on the Civil War, read this volume from Catton only if you're pressed for time and want an overview quickly.
 
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Autolycus21 | 3 other reviews | Oct 10, 2023 |
Very well written narrative version of history. Not quite Shelby Foote or even my good friend Hampton Newsome, but thoroughly entertaining. Also, unlike Foote (who's three volume narrative the Civil War is, to me, the definitive overall narrative history of the Civil War), Catton's first volume gave me a new appreciation for, and (to some extent) repulsion, to Gen. McClellan who I never fully understood as the reticent, self-doubting, not fully anti-slavery yet pro-Union, wrong-century general that he was.… (more)
 
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wahoo8895 | 3 other reviews | Nov 20, 2022 |

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Statistics

Works
127
Also by
18
Members
15,018
Popularity
#1,527
Rating
4.1
Reviews
94
ISBNs
270
Languages
3
Favorited
31
About
1
Touchstones
159

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