Reviewed under the rubric of "The Centennial History of the Civil War" of which this is volume two of three.

I think this is one of the best Bruce Catton books dealing with the Civil War. Compare this to the Bhagavad Gita and the question of why we fight our brothers??

Fulsome and fair.

I once read a comment that "God writes a very poor second act." That's not quite true of this second book in Bruce Catton's monumental Centennial History of the Civil War trilogy, but Terrible Swift Sword doesn't carry the "umph" of either the first or third volumes. However, Catton is a wonderful storyteller who writes of the most terrible time in United States history in a way that is clear and engaging.

It is a bridge, carrying the story of the Civil War from its genesis to its conclusion. More than anything, it is a book that sets the stage for the final 2 years. But without this book, a reader would not understand so much about how the early hopes of a quick war on both sides vanished into the realization that it would be a bloody conflict beyond all imagining.

The most fascinating part of this book is not so much the north-south fighting as the in-fighting within the Union between General George McClellan and his Army of the Potomac and Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet. As to McClellan, it is not clear whether history has a more inept military figure with a larger ego. Catton's narrative draws out, bit by bit, the incredible arrogance of the man while at the same time, his perpetual inaction that drove Lincoln to the point of asking that if McClellan wasn't going to use the Army, if he would mind if Lincoln "borrowed it for a while."

The book sheds light on points where both sides fumbled away actions that possibly could have ended the war much sooner, although he makes the point that those options were full of risks.

There is a riveting account of the world's first battle between iron class that effectively ended in a draw.

Finally, there is the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, the bloodiest single day in American history which drove back Lee's first attempt to move north.

For anyone interested in Civil War history, which should be everyone, this is a MUST READ trilogy.

Catton's work is a gripping account of the Civil War transforming itself from the cause of preserving the Union to one of redefining what that Union stood for. Lincoln subtly navigates the ship of state, an unwieldy ship if there ever was one, through the rocky shoals of civil war. Radical Republicans and abolitionists, the border state slave owners and moderate Democrats effectively controlling the premier army of the North, the active foil of the Confederacy with Britain always playing an uncertain role off in the distance...and of course chance ever determining the course of nations all weigh on the President as he both tries to win the war and define why that war must be fought and won in the first place.

It doesn't surprise me that a generation of Civil War buffs were raised after the likes of Shelby Foote and Bruce Catton started writing expansive and engaging accounts of the conflict. This is history as it is supposed to be. Highly recommended!

Bruce Catton's second installment of The Centennial History of the Civil War trilogy covers the middle portion of the war beginning with the aftermath of First Manassas to the Battle of Antietam and the Emancipation proclamation in September 1863. It is a decent overview of this time-frame told chronologically, focusing on both the military and political aspects of the conflict. Catton does not get mired in details of the various battles, but instead, stays at a higher level view, explaining the big picture of each engagement.

This was a fantastic look at the Civil War, from just after the First Battle of Bull Run to the Battle of Antietam. Catton is such an engaging writer, and his prose kept me engaged and interested. I'm getting to the point where broad histories of the Civil War are beginning to get repetitive, however Catton's works continue to impress and entertain me. He was truly the master at Civil War history and this Centennial History of the Civil War has been a great example of that so far.

Powerful

Always a well researched and intriguing writer, Mr Catton puts you into the Civil War and its web of personalities and battles with a feeling of reality that few can accomplish. He is the master of his craft.

This is the second volume of Catton's classic Civil War trilogy. It was published in 1963. It is hard to imagine a similar book being published today. This is a military history of the war. Catton explains what armies fought where and what happened. It is a story about strategies by Generals and the accidents and mistakes that cause them to go awry. He discusses the political scene primarily to show its effect on the military developments.

These days Civil War histories, even general works, tend to focus on broader issues. The soldier's daily experience, the role and experience of woman, the ordeal of the slaves, the ideological battles, the effect of the war on civilians, and the economic forces nationally and internationally, all get attention. Catton does not give extended attention to any of these issues. He is telling the story of armies battling in a war.

The Civil War cannot be summarized in one book, or three books. All of the different angles, takes and viewpoints can help our understanding of the war. It is possible to lose sight, however, of the fact that this was first, and most importantly, a war with armies in battles. All of the other events flow from the military events.

Catton provides the clearest explanation of the military campaigns that I have ever read. This book focuses on the events of 1862. There were some really confusing military shenanigans that year. For example, the battles at the top of the Confederacy, in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri have always completely confused me. Catton provides a clear explanation of the overall strategies of each side and of the desperate improvisations both sides had to make. He explains why a retreat in West Virginia could cause an army to abandon a position in Tennessee.

Catton also straightens out the stories of the great Battles. The Battle of Pea Ridge in Western Arkansas, the capture of Island #10 on the mid-Mississippi and the Second Bull Run campaign are three of the most confusing military events in the war. Armies seem to be going in the wrong directions, rivers run the wrong way, and positions spin around dizzyingly. Catton walks through them without getting bogged down in more detail than necessary. He left me feeling that I had a pretty good idea of what happened.

Even in describing battles, Catton stays at a fairly high level. There are very few you-where-there type descriptions of combat. We see the battle from the viewpoint of the General. What was he trying to do? How did he deal with the unexpected? What does the battle tell us about the General?

The footnotes evidence a huge amount of research behind his conclusions. He, like most observers, has no use for General McClellan. He argues that absent General Lee, the war would have likely ended in 1862. He shows that the North did not begin the war to end slavery but that by the fall of 1862 too much blood had been shed to accept anything less, which is why Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation after Antietam.

Catton is a graceful writer. He can get a bit flowery at times but once he gets back to his job of telling the story of the war, he writes a solid, strong prose.

To understand the Civil War, you have to understand what the armies did and what the result was. Catton is still the best guide to that big picture.

Catton continues his masterful work on the Civil War. Covering the fall of 1861 and most of 1862, he chronicles how the war changed into the limitless struggle that eventually embraced the abolition of slavery its goal. It was the era of McClellan, massive armies that could not find initiative, political soldiers and Lee coming with inches of total victory or total defeat.

With a volume this large already, some editorial decisions had to be made. I would have liked to hear something about the war in the far West (New Mexico) and the Copperheads. Perhaps these will be covered in the final volume.

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

Favorite lines Lincoln
We even hear hold the power and bear the responsibility in giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall no save or mainly lose the last best hope of the earth.

I wasn't expecting this trilogy to measure up to Catton's Army of the Potomac trilogy, because I liked those so much. To my happy surprise, however, it does, or at least this book definitely does; I haven't read the other two yet (Catton books are hard to find at the library sometimes).

Amazingly, this trilogy manages to cover the same time period as the other one, yet with so much new interesting facts, and so many different perspectives, that it doesn't feel like a repeat at all (which amazes me, since many authors can't make their books feel different from their other books even when the topic is entirely different).

I loved this book and it was not the slight letdown I had expected after already having read the Army of the Potomac trilogy. I can't wait to read the other two! This book was Catton at his best, and if you read Catton you will realize that is really saying something.