"A People's Contest": The Union and Civil War 1861-1865

The New American Nation Series

by Phillip Shaw Paludan

A lively narrative showing us the Union as it discovers itself even as it learned how to cope with a dedicated foe...

Genres: History, Civil War, American History, Nonfiction

508 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

A leading authority on the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln, Phillip Shaw Paludan was a professor of Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the political, military, economic, and diplomatic issues that suffused the Civil War. While it may not go into great detail about any one issue, it provides a through account of how these issues combined to form the Union's response to secession and war. Paludan moves easily between elite stories (e.g. Lincoln, Seward, Grant, etc) and the experience of 'average' workers, soldiers, or farmers.

The book is dense but easy to read.