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The Civil War: A Narrative, 40th Anniversary Edition #1
The Civil War: A Narrative: Vol. 1: Seccession to Fort Henry
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304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2001
About the author
Shelby Foote
91 books629 followersShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Foote was relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career until his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, where he introduced a generation of Americans to a war that he believed was "central to all our lives."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 6, 2011
9/14/2003 - 10/10
The Civil War is a very long (14 volumes, 4064 pages) but very detailed and rewarding look at the Civil War. There's not as much analysis of the social and political issues as there is in McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom . It is pretty noticably lacking on slavery and the causes of the war. Instead, Foote's style is a much more personal narrative (no footnotes) strewn with lots of interesting little tidbits and tons of detail! The narrative was very readable (although the prose got a little too long and fancy at times), but made it sometimes difficult to keep track of the chronology. The Time Life version had lots of historic photos and maps (could always use more though!) which add a lot to the experience. Foote's style reminded me a lot of Stephen Ambrose in trying to relate history on a personal level. The participants are vividly drawn, Lincoln especially. He was portrayed as an interesting, complex individual. Self-made, humorous (very reminiscent of Mark Twain), intelligent and tenacious; yet at the same time, underhanded, meddling and involved in lots of political shenanigans (bribery, suspension of habeus corpus, and locking up political opponents). These personal details just scratch the surface and have whetted my appetite. I look forward to reading more about many of these fascinating individuals - Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson, Sheridan, Forrest, Longstreet, and Cleburne.
For more info, check out:
Civil War site
Another Civil War site
Civil War Photographs
The Civil War is a very long (14 volumes, 4064 pages) but very detailed and rewarding look at the Civil War. There's not as much analysis of the social and political issues as there is in McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom . It is pretty noticably lacking on slavery and the causes of the war. Instead, Foote's style is a much more personal narrative (no footnotes) strewn with lots of interesting little tidbits and tons of detail! The narrative was very readable (although the prose got a little too long and fancy at times), but made it sometimes difficult to keep track of the chronology. The Time Life version had lots of historic photos and maps (could always use more though!) which add a lot to the experience. Foote's style reminded me a lot of Stephen Ambrose in trying to relate history on a personal level. The participants are vividly drawn, Lincoln especially. He was portrayed as an interesting, complex individual. Self-made, humorous (very reminiscent of Mark Twain), intelligent and tenacious; yet at the same time, underhanded, meddling and involved in lots of political shenanigans (bribery, suspension of habeus corpus, and locking up political opponents). These personal details just scratch the surface and have whetted my appetite. I look forward to reading more about many of these fascinating individuals - Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson, Sheridan, Forrest, Longstreet, and Cleburne.
For more info, check out:
Civil War site
Another Civil War site
Civil War Photographs
April 23, 2024
I bought this set (a 14 volume Time-Life edition – superbly designed and resplendent with maps, photographs, and illustrations – of Foote’s much-lauded history, originally published in 3 fat volumes) in serial installments back in the 1990s. Since then, it has graced my living room shelf, and I have frequently skimmed sundry volumes covering key episodes of particular interest. But last fall I decided that it was time to commence a thorough read-through, a project which will no doubt take any number of years to complete, given my pace and cyclical reading habits. (The author spent two decades in writing it, so perhaps I can at least hope to beat that in my reading of it.)
Shelby Foote’s masterful prose is truly a delight to read, filled as it is with the same sort of wry wit which characterized so many men (and women) of the era which is his subject. To reference just a couple of representative, laugh-out-loud gems from this volume:
In describing the physical appearance of John Slidell, one of two Confederate emissaries captured by the Union on their way to England in October, 1861: “. . . and his pink scalp shining through lank white locks that clamped the upper half of his face like a pair of parentheses.”
Commenting on the unlikely working relationship forged between gunboat leader Commodore Andrew H. Foote (apparently of no relation to the author) and General U.S. Grant during the Fort Henry campaign: “At fifty-six he [Foote] had spent forty years as a career officer fighting the two things he hated most, slavery and whiskey. It was perhaps a quirk of fate to have placed him thus alongside Grant, who could scarcely be said to have shown an aversion for either.”
Evincing genuine, even-handed sensitivity and broad sympathy for his historical and literary subjects, Foote is careful to rarely, if ever, allow his own biases to show through (though, early twentieth century born Mississippian that he was, he certainly had them, as may be gleaned elsewhere). I found the opening parallel historical sketches of Davis and Lincoln to be particularly insightful and moving.
Providentially and serendipitously, as my reading was drawing toward the end of this volume, the latter part of which covers the Fort Henry campaign (and the succeeding volume, which I have already hastened on to as I write this review, picks right up with the subsequent Fort Donelson campaign), I had the opportunity to visit, for the first time as far as I can recall, the corner of my native state where these events occurred, as I was driving back to Nashville, TN via Land Between the Lakes on April 8, 2024, having witnessed the total solar eclipse earlier that day in Evansville, IN. I'll have to revisit sometime to enjoy a thorough tour of Fort Donelson (we arrived after closing time, so the area of the park encompassing the fort proper was already closed for public access), though it was satisfying to at least gain a first hand feel for the surrounding topography.
Shelby Foote’s masterful prose is truly a delight to read, filled as it is with the same sort of wry wit which characterized so many men (and women) of the era which is his subject. To reference just a couple of representative, laugh-out-loud gems from this volume:
In describing the physical appearance of John Slidell, one of two Confederate emissaries captured by the Union on their way to England in October, 1861: “. . . and his pink scalp shining through lank white locks that clamped the upper half of his face like a pair of parentheses.”
Commenting on the unlikely working relationship forged between gunboat leader Commodore Andrew H. Foote (apparently of no relation to the author) and General U.S. Grant during the Fort Henry campaign: “At fifty-six he [Foote] had spent forty years as a career officer fighting the two things he hated most, slavery and whiskey. It was perhaps a quirk of fate to have placed him thus alongside Grant, who could scarcely be said to have shown an aversion for either.”
Evincing genuine, even-handed sensitivity and broad sympathy for his historical and literary subjects, Foote is careful to rarely, if ever, allow his own biases to show through (though, early twentieth century born Mississippian that he was, he certainly had them, as may be gleaned elsewhere). I found the opening parallel historical sketches of Davis and Lincoln to be particularly insightful and moving.
Providentially and serendipitously, as my reading was drawing toward the end of this volume, the latter part of which covers the Fort Henry campaign (and the succeeding volume, which I have already hastened on to as I write this review, picks right up with the subsequent Fort Donelson campaign), I had the opportunity to visit, for the first time as far as I can recall, the corner of my native state where these events occurred, as I was driving back to Nashville, TN via Land Between the Lakes on April 8, 2024, having witnessed the total solar eclipse earlier that day in Evansville, IN. I'll have to revisit sometime to enjoy a thorough tour of Fort Donelson (we arrived after closing time, so the area of the park encompassing the fort proper was already closed for public access), though it was satisfying to at least gain a first hand feel for the surrounding topography.
October 17, 2022
Surely, this is one of the greatest things ever written in the English language. For all the heroes, villains, tragedies and triumphs, it might as well be fiction on par with the world-building of Tolkien. And despite the scope of the conflict, laid out in breathtaking details, it is the magnitude of the characters that shines through. Starting (and ending) as it does with intense focus on Lincoln and Davis, one can't help get to know the inner-thinking of these men, along with the other names of American legends like Lee, Jackson, McClellan, and Grant. But as we follow both armies, it is the lesser-known men who shine through with stories shocking, inspiring, and far stranger than any fiction. Known of Magruder's efforts on the peninsula, and the forgotten men fighting the civil war at sea and up rivers. Follow Reno's and Kearny's magnificent efforts to preserve the union- then mourn their loss. The author sure has a way with words too - and a classical mind to mine for apt allusions of the highest order. He being a Southerner by birth, I was ready to pounce on any hint of bias from Foote - and saw none, excerpt perhaps a willingness to find something admirable in the superhuman efforts of both sides. Indeed, I ultimately couldn't help but marvel at what Jackson accomplishes in the Shenandoah valley and in defense of Richmond. And to think these things happened nearby in places I can visit to this today never ceases to move me. 800+ pages deep and a happily only a third into this epic journey of my own country's forged identity and defense.
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October 8, 2021I doubt that I would have tried to tackle this in print form--too dense for my interest level in military history. However, the audible recording was well performed and produced. Listening to this while cooking, cleaning, and doing other tasks made it easier to complete. The book was originally published in 1958 (or around then) so the language is very dated and the text was romanticized. I appreciated a more critical interpretation of Stonewall Jackson, and learned more about the logistics of war.
January 6, 2024
Well written history with great photos, Shelby Foote may have gotten a ford foundation grant to write this history of the civil war (guaranteeing a certain interpretation would be presented to the public), but it is still a great story. And it's all true! History is better than any sci-fi or fantasy.
April 10, 2019
These represent about half of the series. It is both excellent reading and very readable of around 270 pages . The well written narrative alternates between the Eastern and Western fronts providing lots of specifics.
January 27, 2021
Volume 1 of 40th Anniversary Edition 14 Book Set. Excellent!
May 9, 2019
A victory for Shelby Foote !!!!
August 18, 2015
Fantastic book! Not a dry historical piece at all. As the title says, the book is a 'narrative,' so it has a much more personal touch, and is spiced up by Footes very unique writing style and vocabulary. Loved it, although it was hard to follow the HUNDREDS of names and generals you will meet. The civil war was infinitely more complex than our high school history understanding leads us to believe! It's almost unfathomable how much research Foote has done into the Civil War, it's possible that there will never be a better Civil War historian from this point on.
February 3, 2009
I can't think of an edition of a book that I have enjoyed reading more. The text is excellent enough on its own, but the pictures and maps in this edition make it a real joy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews