A Short History of the Civil War

by James L. Stokesbury

“Stokesbury’s rare combination of scholarship and readability merits the highest recommendation.”
— Booklist   In commemoration of the 150 th anniversary of America’s bloody War Between the States, Harper Paperbacks is republishing A Short History of the Civil War by noted historian James L. Stokesbury with a new photo insert. A concise and compelling full account of the brutal conflict that redefined the nation, Stokesbury covers the war’s causes and major battles (Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, etc.), the important players and generals (Grant, Lee, McClellan and others), as well as the weaponry, the unsung heroes, and a wealth of fascinating, little-known details in what is the definitive, one-volume history of the momentous struggle between the Confederacy and the Union.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, American History, Civil War

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1994

Reviews

[Mark Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anything, this is too short a short history, as I feel that a lot of topics were barely touched on. I would definitely have appreciated more maps, and a timeline would also have been useful. Nonetheless, as a refresher, I felt this book does a good job covering the civil war period and discussing some of the things that made this war different from earlier wars - the use of rifles instead of muskets, for example, made firearms far more deadly than they had been, necessitating new tactics and a reliance on trenches that had not characterized earlier conflicts. The use of trains on a large scale also was a new factor. Ships were protected with steel for the first time, radically changing naval warfare.

Our civil war has always fascinated me. It seems essentially to have been baked into the country's future when the constitution allowed for the practice of slavery. When it finally came it was far more horrific than any had anticipated, resulting in more deaths than suffered in both world wars, Korea and Vietnam combined. Though fought mostly in the south, it affected every corner of the country. And when it was over, segregation succeeded slavery, resulting in further decades of inequality and injustice.

Lincoln rightly referred to the war as a rebirth, and his Gettysburg address is as much a founding document as are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It's frightening that so many Americans romanticize the Confederacy and its leaders, men who broke sacred vows and led hundreds of thousands of their fellow countrymen to their deaths in defense of a system that treated African Americans as property.

[Judson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow manages to be brief in pages but not in details. Great Civil War read.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lost my mind and picked up the wrong book. But if you're going to read one book about the Civil War in your lifetime, this is pretty good.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pet peeve of mine when authors start inserting speculative (e.g. what they were thinking) material just to make the narrative more readable. On the other hand, factoid-based reading can be quite dry, the ideal is a middle ground where the emotions and ebbs and flows are wrapped up into the narrative, but all such material is grounded in primary source documentation. This book threads that needle as good as any other I've read.

[Richard Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, but a little hard to follow. Just keeping track of all the Generals and which side they were on was difficult. Perhaps the use of more battle maps would have been helpful. Each of the battles and campaigns of this war is worth a book.

It is refreshing to note that the author underscores the impact and influence of the Union Navy in the overall strategy of the North.

A bit hard to read at times, but otherwise very enlightening

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Short History of the Civil War lives up to its name.
I found it enjoyable and a good refresher. This would make a great read for someone who wants to learn about the Civil War without tackling Battle Cry of Freedom.

[Bethany Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really this is a 3.5 star book.

[Aaron Teegarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid civil war history buff, this book was a great introduction to the general overview of the war. Tens of thousands of books have been and will continue to be wrote talking about the war and the affects that it had on the nation. James Stokesbury does a wonderful job at collecting an array of history from both the battlefield and the white house to give the reader a bird's eye view and a closer look at what pieces were moving during the duration of the war. As someone who is from President Grant's hometown of Georgetown Ohio, this book was a riveting piece of non-fiction writing.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really what I was looking for. I was wanting a more high-level overview, while this goes down to a lot of detail on many battles. I'm also not fond of the remarks the author slides in from time to time, which is why I marked it 3 stars instead of 4. It does discuss some of the drivers and personalities of the war in addition to the troop movements. If you're looking for the Civil War in a single textbook, this is a good option.

[Kent Woodger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be a short history but it was long enough to appreciate the times and motivations of the long list of characters. After reading of the extreme ineptitude of the "generals" on both sides it's a wonder they didn't just quit and call it a draw. In the end the North won because they had more resources and just outlasted the south. Robert E. Lee was by far the best field commander and Jefferson Davis was clueless.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good history of the Civil War. It is very readable and includes just enough detail to get a good feel of this event. I agree with a previous reviewer that the maps could be better. Especially when places referred to in the text don't appear on the map. Also the military action is often described using the names of the commanding officers. It is easy to lose track of who is associated with each side.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Mr Stokesbury's book. His work is very readable and he brings both a knowledge of the details and a "big picture" perspective on the factors leading to the war as well as the battles, politics, economic issues, and diplomatic issues during the war. He manages to insert some good social commentary as well as show a dry sense of humor. I would highly recommend this book.

[Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Mr. Stokesbury's lucid & insightful, one-volume histories of various conflicts or battlefield weapons systems.

[Doruk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost strictly military history. Good job giving personality to the people involved but way too much strategic detail for me.

[Ryan Whitehurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and have read all or part of it several times since the first time I read it. It really helped me put the entire war together and was well written.

[Greg Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, written in 1995, lives up to its title. It is a brief history yet well written.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the style in which it was written. I will look out for more books by this author.