I just completed the audio version of this book while riding around doing my job. There were many tracks which I had to listen to multiple times because I would become distracted by other thoughts or driving conditions. This was especially true when it came to battle strategy. I think I listened to the battle of Chancellorville about 12 times, trying to picture Lee's left flank, right flank, the river, the pontoon bridge, etc... Just when I figured out my right from my left the terminology would change to frontal assault, rear assault, etc...as always, when it comes to books about battles, I NEED MAPS!!! I know this about myself, but I had forgotten. In fact at one point, I was so obsessed with trying to understand this battle that I stopped at the library to find another civil war book with maps, but there were no books with any kind of decent maps. I thought "ooh, maybe it's too difficult to obtain maps of these far away places...ON AMERICAN SOIL!!!"
I NEED MAPS!!...and not just any maps, maps with one army in blue and the other in red (or gray), contour markings, arrows like those football coaches draw to explain plays, important cities, villages, buildings, forests, corn fields, picket fences. I NEED MAPS!!! MAPS, MAPS, MAPS, MAPS, MAPS! ...i love maps :)

Also, strangely, by the 3rd of 8 CD's, I was so sick of McClellan that I wanted to build a time machine and go back and shoot him myself. If I had a time machine, however, I am certain I would find better things to do than shoot McClellan. Anyway, by the 4th CD, he had grown on me. Not that he seemed less whiny or in any way competent, but he seemed "nice."

Initially, there was something that really bothered me. When McPherson was describing Lincoln's feelings on the Union, The writ of Habeus Corpus, etc... I found Lincoln creepy, like a socialist. I always attributed the big government nastiness and social engineering stuff to FDR, but Lincoln appears to have had no problem with expanding federal government into all kinds-a-big-brother! As the book went on, either he grew on me, or he just seemed to be very conciliatory with lots of people from his inept generals, to deserters, to wounded soldiers, to political rivals. He really was very intelligent and had a way with stories and analogies that clearly explained the situation. I still can't understand exactly why keeping the Union together was so important to him, and so worth destroying southern cities and industry, and weakening states rights. During the reconstruction (he was dead, but had initiated many of the stipulations and hoops with which southerners needed to comply/jump through) southern people lost so many freedoms and even property unless they swore Lincoln's little oath. They couldn't say what they thought or elect who they wanted...if you're gonna treat half the country like a conquered land, why bother fighting for the "union" at all. Why destroy the economy of half the country just to weaken them so you can beat them. It's like those men who commit murder/suicide and say "if I can't have her, no one will..." It's just kinda weird. They didn't teach this in school, and nobody seems to be able to explain the logic.