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Title: Drawn With the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War by James M. McPherson ISBN: 0-19-511796-4 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: December, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Historian's Reflections on the Civil War
Comment: Professor James McPherson's book is a collection of essays exploring the American Civil War. These essays have appeared in print elsewhere, and most of them are reviews of other Civil War -related literature, including recent scholarly studies, the novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and the movie "Glory", which focused upon the attack by Federal African-American troops upon Fort Wagner, South Carolina, in July, 1863. These essays are the product of a masterful historian who has been able to distill a great deal of factual information, reflect upon it, and present his analysis of the significance of the Civil War in an eloquent and persuasive way.
The book consists of fifteen essays arranged in five sections. The first section "Origins of the Civil War" consists of three essays focusing on the pre-Bellum South and on how its culture and commitment to its peculiar institution of slavery brought on the War.
The second section of the book, "The War and American Society" consists of four essays that discuss broadly the significance of the Civil War for future generations of Americans, the transformation of the War from a limited conflict to a "total war" that changed the fabric of American society, and on the effect of the War on the status of African-Americans, including the discussion of the movie "Glory" mentioned earlier.
The third section of the book, "Why the North Won" will be of interest to students of the military aspects of the War. (Professor McPherson does not denigrate this kind of study, as do some academic historians.) There are four essays, the first two analyze why the North won the War and why the South lost. The third essay in this section rehabilitates Robert E. Lee from some recent criticism of his leadership; while the final essay focuses on Ulysses Grant's "Personal Memoirs" written near the end of his life, which is a literary masterpiece as well as a book revealing Grant's character and generalship.
The fourth section of the book "The Enduring Lincoln" consists of three essays reexamining Lincoln's role in setting and persevering in the aims of the War, in freeing the slaves, and in keeping the hopes of a democratic society alive in a world which was hostile to government "by and for the people."
The final section of the book consists of a single essay titled "What's the Matter with History?" This essay discusses the three types of reader interested in reading about the Civil War" the professional historian, the amateur student of battles, sometimes called a Civil War "buff", and the mythical "general reader". McPherson laments the inability of professional historians to write books appealing to an audience of anyone other than their peers. It is a shortcoming that Professor McPherson's own writings manage brilliantly to avoid.
This is not a book of facts and figures, dates and statistics. It is a book of historical reflection that will help the reader think about the meaning and importance of our country's Civil War.
Rating: 5
Summary: Interesting Essays about the Civil War from one of the best
Comment: James McPherson is considered by many to be the greatest Civil War historian in the US these days. His one-volume classic about the War, Battle Cry for Freedom, is the one most recommended to those who want the best book about the war. Therefore, it was with great interest that I read Drawn with the Sword.
McPherson does not disappoint with this book which is really a series of essays about various topics from the war. The essays range from Why the South Lost to Who Actually Freed the Slaves. Based mostly on previous articles and lectures, all the essays are excellent, and McPherson pulls no punches during his detailed analysis. For example, McPherson disputes the claim by some recent social historians that argue that the slaves freed themselves, and that Lincoln played a reluctant part in the process. McPherson clearly lays out the argument that Lincoln went to great lengths to ending slavery, and that without him it probably would not have happened.
McPherson also gives his educated opinion about Lee's performance as a general, and whether or not the South actually could have won the war. Two topics which I find fascinating because they are so disputed, even among professional historians. Speaking of historians, I particularly liked McPherson's final essay about the challenge that professional historians face when trying to bring history to the masses. He offers a fresh glimpse into this problem, and spells out the potential danger that historians face by making themselves irrelevant to the general public. To find out more, read the essay.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a student of the American Civil War, like myself. The essays will add to your knowledge, and broaden your perspective of the war. If you are new to this part of history, I recommend that you start instead with McPherson's Pulitzer Winning book about the war, Battle Cry of Freedom.
Rating: 5
Summary: Insightful, interesting, and educational...
Comment: I've really enjoyed McPherson's Drawn With The Sword. I should start off by saying that this review pertains to the audible/cassette version of this book.
The book is a collection of essays on the Civil War. This makes it a little different than my previous Civil War readings in that the book is not "all about Gettysburg" or "all about Shiloh". The book covers topics such as the differences and similarities between the North and South, period books such as Harriot Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, total war, the characters of Grant and Lincoln, a critique of the movie Glory, analysis of the Gettysburg Address, etc...
The reading on the cassette struck me as a tad monotone. But this may be because I just finished a theatrical reading of a BBC production of Tolkein's Lord Of The RIng. But after a bit you become so absorbed in the content -- and the content is excellent -- that you don't listen how it is being said.
Very enjoyable. Recommended.
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Title: Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution by James M. McPherson ISBN: 0195076060 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: June, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Writing the Civil War : The Quest to Understand by James M. McPherson, William J. Cooper, Cooper William J. ISBN: 1570033897 Publisher: University of South Carolina Press Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (OXFORD HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES) by James M. McPherson ISBN: 019516895X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: What They Fought For 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson ISBN: 0385476345 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 01 March, 1995 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson ISBN: 0195124995 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: November, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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