The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War
by Thomas R. Flagel
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Book Summary Information
Author: Thomas R. FlagelEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-08-01
ISBN: 1581823711
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Cumberland House
Book Reviews of The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War
Book Review: Excellent starting place for the novice and refresher for the long-time student
Summary: 5 Stars
There have been more books written about the Civil War -- or the War Between the States, or the Rebellion, or the War for Southern Independence, whichever you prefer -- than about any event in U.S. history. It's both a key subject for academic historians and a point of fascination for amateur readers of history. That being the case, it's difficult to come up with an entirely new approach, but Flagel comes close. He's one of the academics but also obviously a "buff," and he takes the approach here of collecting more than thirty "Ten Best" and "Ten Worst" lists about all aspects of the War and its preliminaries and aftermath. The result is a large number of short, often anecdotal, well-written articles and sketches which the reader will have difficulty putting down. The "Top Ten Surgical Tools and Medicines," for instance, will take you into discussions of mercury poisoning, the fact that the Confederate Army ran its own distilleries, and the procedure of amputation. The "Ten Most Significant Battles" are selected in terms of their consequences, and while any list like this one will start arguments, Flagel does a good job of defending his choices. Nor does he restrict himself to the military side of the War; the "Top Ten Acts of Government" allows him to show the relevance of the Homestead Act, Lincoln's suspension of habeus corpus, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Thirteenth Amendment. Small factoids are scattered throughout and nearly every statement or assertion is sourced -- though mostly to other secondary sources. This is exactly the sort of book that is likely to have you jotting down subjects and books for further perusal.
Summary of The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War
Exploring the Civil War can be fascinating, but with so many battles, leaders, issues, and more than 50,000 books on the subject, the task can be overwhelming. Was Gettysburg the most important battle? Were Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis so different from each other? How accurate is re-enacting? Who were the worst commanding generals?Thomas R. Flagel uses annotated lists organized under more than thirty headings to see through the powder smoke and straighten Sherman's neckties, ranking and clarifying the best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal aspects of the conflict.
The History Buff's Guide? to the Civil War covers:
- Antebellum: Investigates the critical years before the war, in particular the growing crises, extremists, and slavery.
- Politics: Contrasts the respective presidents and constitutions of the Union and Confederacy, the most prominent politicians, and the most volatile issues of the times.
- Military Life: Offers insights into the world of the common soldiers, how they fought, what they ate, how they were organized, what they saw, how they lived, and how they died.
- The Home Front: Looks at the fast growing field in Civil War research, including immigration, societal changes, hardships and shortages, dissent, and violence far from the firing lines.
- In Retrospect: Ranks the heroes and heroines, greatest victories and failures, firsts and worsts.
- Pursuing the War: Summarizes Civil War study today, including films, battlefield sites, books, genealogy, re-enactments, restoration, preservation, and other ventures.
From the antebellum years to Appomattox and beyond, The History Buff's Guide? to the Civil War is a quick and compelling guide to one of the most complex and critical eras in American history.
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