Written while the lost cause hypothesis had not yet been debunked.

Favorite lines
The walls of Jericho were coming down falling before the sound of trumpets that would never recall retreat, and Grant and Sherman knew it; they acted accordingly.
Thinking to destroy the tyrant, both managed to destroy a man who was trying to create a broader freedom for all men; with him he destroyed also the chance for a transcendent piece made without malice and with charity for all. Over the years many people have paid a high price for this moment of violence.

There seemed to be less detail in this than the previous books in the trilogy. Each of them covered about 1 year; this covers the last 2 years of the war.

Essential understanding in the era of Trump

A decade ago the causes of our Civil War were of interest only to historians. Now they are vital to recognizing the current dangers to the Union emerging from both political extremes.

Triumphant finale of Catton’s Civil War centennial trilogy, condensing the huge mass of history that happened between Fredericksburg and Appomattox into one manageable volume.

As with the earlier parts, the author manages to weave together complex political arguments, vivid action scenes, acute personal insights and a few of his own reflections about a war still much misunderstood to this day. It is great editing as much as great writing, but the elegant, rhythmic prose does carry us along most effortlessly.

It was most instructive to learn that Sherman’s March to the Sea had originally been proposed by George Thomas, adding yet more lustre to the record of that modest and under-rated general. Also that the disastrous Red River campaign had been urged by Banks, as he denied furiously afterwards. (I had always assumed it was Halleck’s fault, knowing how smoothly he always managed to deflect blame, but now we find that Banks was a master of the same dubious military art).

It is well-known that Sherman was incommunicado for six weeks in Georgia because the telegraph wires had been cut, but we aren’t told whether they’d been cut by the enemy to isolate him, or by Sherman as part of his scorched-earth policy. Also the question of why McClernand’s private army on the Mississippi had to be kept secret from Grant, in whose area it was operating. It seemed to be something to do with personal politics between Grant, Lincoln and Halleck, also touched with the traditional mistrust between New Englanders and the Northwestern ascendancy (Ohio and Indiana), but it managed to miss me anyway.

Inevitably these later campaigns portray the slow, inexorable tilt against the Confederates, increasingly barefoot and starving (as southerners still like to boast defiantly), but also deserting en masse (as they don’t).

Like many other histories from sixty years ago, there is a tendency to talk hopefully to the effect that ‘mankind is learning its lesson’, which would earn a hollow laugh today. But otherwise this major history is up there alongside Shelby Foote’s brilliant 3-volume effort - touching the roof of the mind, yet accessible to all.

Great reading.

Great History telling. Bruce Catton is a great narrator.
I started with Mr. Lincoln Army. The three volumes. And then this Centennial trilogy.

Great end to the three book series. clearly and engagingly written. Catton has a definite thesis and he supports it well, but I don't think that detracts from a general understanding of the politics and battles of the war. I found it illuminating.

These books were a tremendous blend of insight and narrative.

This third volume of Catton’s Civil War centennial trilogy covers the last two and a half years of the war: from the Battle of Fredericksburg to the surrender of the Southern armies. Like the two previous books in this series, it’s first-rate historical narrative with appropriate coverage of the political situation North and South. (Shelby Foote’s fine military history of the war covers the same period with five times as many words but with less political commentary.)

Catton’s theme is how Northern war aims were altered by the war itself, noting for instance, that Lincoln, who pressed congressional passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, had just four years before accepted a proposed amendment that would have forbidden any constitutional interference with slavery. Important as well is Catton’s emphasis on Northern racism with its full-bore antagonism to black civil and social equality. Finally, Catton rightly praises the moderation of the military commanders who brought the war to an end with as little bitterness as possible. The author even praises the creation of The Lost Cause myth as “a saving grace.” Civil wars, writes Catton, “have had worse endings than this.” (454)

Great finish to the civil war trilogy. As other said, it did feel rushed towards the end of the war, but overall I still found it an enjoyable book. The whole trilogy is a must read for anyone interested in the civil war

Best history of Civil War ever written

GT Barnes & Noble, early September 2009.

The book is about history. But it is so touching. The narrates are very good. The author writes it with passion and clarity.