The Army of the Potomac: Mr. Lincoln's Army; Glory Road; A Stillness at Appomattox
by Bruce Catton, bruce catton (Author)
The Army of the Potomac (Collections and Selections — 1-3)
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Infinitely readable and absorbing, Bruce Catton's The Civil War is one of the best-selling, most widely read general histories of the war available in a single volume. Newly introduced by the critically acclaimed Civil War historian James M. McPherson, The Civil War vividly traces one of the most moving chapters in American history, from the early division between the North and the South to the final surrender of Confederate troops. Catton's account of battles is carefully interwoven with show more details about the political activities of the Union and Confederate armies and diplomatic efforts overseas. This new edition of The Civil War is a must-have for anyone interested in the war that divided America. show lessTags
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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.
The best history out there on the Army of the Potomac. It is a literate and wide-ranging look at the history of that Army. It also pulls few punches. More than most Civil War history, it drifts into the social and political realms, vice the purely military.
The Army of the Potomac series chronicles the story of that army from its beginnings under George B. McClellan through its various commanders, to its use as the chief instrument in the defeat of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. Catton gives considerable attention to the suffering of the common soldier and his desire for a worthy leader. Though the quantity of Civil War histories and writers has exploded, for me, at least, Catton remains the gold standard for narrators of this great conflict.
I read these three books about 30 years ago and they set the hook as far as my interest in the Civil War goes...great stories told told surpassingly well...truly enjoyable...
Infinitely readable and absorbing, Bruce Catton's The Civil War is one of the best-selling, most widely read general histories of the war available in a single volume. Newly introduced by the critically acclaimed Civil War historian James M. McPherson, The Civil War vividly traces one of the most moving chapters in American history, from the early division between the North and the South to the final surrender of Confederate troops. Catton's account...
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Author Information
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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 position at the U.S. Department of Commerce in show more 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
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- Canonical title
- The Army of the Potomac: Mr. Lincoln's Army; Glory Road; A Stillness at Appomattox
- Alternate titles
- Bruce Catton's Civil War {one-volume}
- Important events
- American Civil War
- Disambiguation notice
- The single-volume edition of this LT Work, Bruce Catton's Civil War, includes three Bruce Catton titles: Mr. Lincoln's Army (1951), Glory Road (1952), and A Stillness at Appomattox (1953). Togethe... (show all)r, these constitute Catton's first Civil War trilogy, "The Army of the Potomac."
The single-volume edition should be distinguished from the 3-volume, boxed set of the same title, which reprints Catton's second Civil War trilogy, "Centennial History of the Civil War."
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Statistics
- Members
- 749
- Popularity
- 37,522
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.48)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 40
