None Died in Vain: The Saga of the American Civil War

by Robert Leckie

A narrative of the American Civil War captures the drama and tragedy of this shattering conflict, and covers strategies, politics and economics

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, American History

682 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Leckie was born on December 18, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. He began his career as a writer in high school, as a sports writer for ''The Bergen Evening Record'' in Hackensack, New Jersey.

On January 18, 1942, Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.He served in combat in the Pacific theater, as a scout and a machine gunner in H Company, 2nd Battalion 1st Marines Regiment 1st Marine Division (United States). Leckie saw combat in the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and had been wounded by blast concussion in the Battle of Peleliu. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.

Following World War II, Leckie worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the ''Buffalo Courier-Express'', the ''New York Journal American'', the ''New York Daily News'' and ''The Star-Ledger''. He married Vera Keller, a childhood neighbor, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan According to Vera, in 1951 he was inspired to write a memoir after seeing ''South Pacific '' on Broadway and walking out halfway through. He said "I have to tell the story of how it really was. I have to let people know the war wasn't a musical His first and best-selling book, ''Helmet for My Pillow'', a war memoir, was published in 1957. Leckie subsequently wrote more than 40 books on American war history, spanning from the French and Indian War (1754–1763) to Operation Desert Storm (1991). Robert Leckie died on December 24, 2001, after fighting a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book I've read by Robert Leckie. I am reading them in a series as they cover American history as though they are a four volume set, from Columbus discovering America to the end of the Civil War. They are: "A Few Acres Of Snow: The Saga Of The French And Indian Wars," "George Washington's War: The Saga of the American Revolution," "From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican War; the Saga of America's Expansion" and now "None Died in Vain." The books were well written by an master story teller. "None Died in Vain" covers all aspects of the Civil War and each battle is well covered though with only a few pages each. I particularly enjoyed his short biography of each commander; I learned a lot I did not know about these men. He was fair throughout. That being said, I would disagree with Leckie's opinion of John Bell Hood. Leckie takes the common position that Hood was a thoughtless butcher who mindlessly ordered his men to make frontal assaults. I don't think this fair to Hood who made only one blind head-on assault and that at Franklin, Tennessee. He was not brilliant but he assumed command when it was too late to save Atlanta. He did the best with what he had. This is a good book in a good series.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book thinking I would just read the chapters on Gettysburg because of our upcoming trip there. Then, I started reading more of it and found the author to be a highly perceptive and elegant writer, covering the issues of the Civil War effectively and clearly. So, I read the entire book!

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good definitive overview of the Civil War. Long, of course, but written very well. The chapters I enjoyed the most were the short bios of the major players such as Longstreet, Lee, Lincoln etc.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding Leckie book, great narrative, detailed facts on all levels. Enjoyable yet educational and insightful.

[Rick Benitez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read about the Civil War.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Leckie handles the Civil War with outstanding skill as usual, great history writer

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, very traditional/ conservative history

[William Adam Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second Robert Leckie book that I have finished, I read this one shortly after From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican War, the Story of America's Expansion. I think I liked this one even more than the first one. Leckie writes in a very engaging manner. The American Civil War is a large canvass to cover over, which he manages to do successfully, balancing making sure he is covering all the important moments of the war, why it started, how it was fought, the key battles and the key leaders, the dilemmas that cropped up, and then how and why it ended. Leckie is able to weave the small individual stories in well with the big picture narrative. I was always interested to find out what happened next, even when I knew what was coming.

At 658 pages, this is a good general introduction to the war. It will not satisfy those specialists who want to just look at a specific battle or issue in the war, but for the general reader, it is an excellent place to get a very well written overview. Leckie has his opinions, but I didn't feel like his authorial voice overshadowed the story. He sprinkles many short biographies about the key players in the war, so you get a chance to learn about the personalities of the politicians and generals. It is not just all about the battles, which I appreciated. Leckie has several more books which are highly acclaimed that I'd like to get around to some day!!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

During COVID I thought it would be a good way to get out of the house by visiting civil war battlefields. However, I wanted to be sure to be prepared before going. I first "read" this book in High School when I took a Civil War class with Mr. Crane. I decided to dig it out from one of my boxes of books and I'm glad I did. This is arguably one of the best concise accounts of the Civil War, it was well written and informative. My only criticism was that too often there were multiple names for many different people. Sometimes I had to go back and reread sections in order to make sure I knew who I was reading about. Other than that, this was a good read filled with odd and fascinating stories that I had not come across before.

[Tom Renick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good but I’m not sure it’s great. I really love the way Leckie writes and his small biographies of many of the major players in the Civil War is really well done.

The problem the book has is it’s almost impossible to explain the Civil War in one book. He devotes so much time to Gettysburg and next to nothing on the rest of the war.

[Michele Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading. Interesting stories about the characters of the Civil War.

[Mark Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history of the war, informed by his own combat experience in WW2.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent survey of the Civil War.

[Thomas Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lincoln dies in the end.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

BW. Fantastic one-volume book. Robert Leckie is brilliant.