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In preperation for the release of AACW, I have started to read this trilogy, Shelby Foote's Civil War, a narrative. I think I have read parts of this work in the past, but never the whole thing. I have an extensive Civil War library, but somehow never sat and read this whole thing.

For anyone who might not have much knowledge of the Civil War, but would like a comprehensive account, I couldn't recommend anything better. It is excellent. Foote's style practically drips with what I can only describe as 'Americana'. It's a work of, by, and for Americans. Foote is to American history what Livy was to the Roman Republic. If one volume on our civil war were to survive 2000 years from now for the sake of posterity and history, I would hope it would be Foote's trilogy.

I have heard so much about Shelby Foote's Civil War that I belive it is time for me to buy it. . I am only affraid that I will be left without free time when I get it

Arff , i dream to read this book .Only pb , i 've never found it translate in french and i don't think i could read three volume in english

Foote was fantastic in Ken Burns' "The Civil War" series. I loved the anecdotes he told in the series which included the following:

Some Union soldiers came upon a lone Confederate soldier who looked like he was way too poor to own slaves. They asked him why he was fighting them, he replied "Because you're down here". Foote said that seemed like a good enough answer to the Union soldiers.

Or:

When Foote got to hold N.B. Forrest's actual sword while visiting one of Forrest's descendants for researching his book series. Foote said that he swung the sword above his head and that it was a dream come true for a southerner like himself to do that. He then asked the descendant what she thought of Lincoln. She replied "Well Mr. Foote, our family never did think too kindly of Mr. Lincoln".

Great little stories like that from Foote in Burns' series.

My local Barnes and Noble had all three volumes in hardcover in the bargain section for $14.98 a piece. Normally the the hardbacks sell for $55. I just had to buy them.

I like Foote's books so far, but I recommend reading a much condensed (say, a few paragraphs) summary of a given battle before reading Foote's account. He's good, but he's also verbose.

Foote makes for excellent reading, and his style is entertaining for history buffs and non-history buffs alike. However, i do have some reservations about him, not to detract from his books or his legacy. For one he was a fiction writer, not a historian, and when he writes, it shows. On the plus side, it makes his books extremely easy and entertaining to read, but, keep in mind that some of his facts are a little off, or common myths about the war (a good example being that the Confederates entered Gettysburg looking for shoes). Also, he doubtless put thousands of hours of research into his trilogy, so I wish he would have included notes of some sort (the sources he used must have been a gold mine of information). Having said this, i love his work, and i can tell you that 3,000+ pages will never go by so quickly. When the series ends you'll likely find yourself ready to read it all over again. enjoy!


PS - I would also recommend McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom if you haven't already read it. Very good background on the causes of the war. The Longest Night is also worth checking out for a concise, readable military history.


Just my 2 cents

IronBrigadeYankee wrote:Foote makes for excellent reading, and his style is entertaining for history buffs and non-history buffs alike. However, i do have some reservations about him, not to detract from his books or his legacy. For one he was a fiction writer, not a historian, and when he writes, it shows. On the plus side, it makes his books extremely easy and entertaining to read, but, keep in mind that some of his facts are a little off, or common myths about the war (a good example being that the Confederates entered Gettysburg looking for shoes). Also, he doubtless put thousands of hours of research into his trilogy, so I wish he would have included notes of some sort (the sources he used must have been a gold mine of information). Having said this, i love his work, and i can tell you that 3,000+ pages will never go by so quickly. When the series ends you'll likely find yourself ready to read it all over again. enjoy!


PS - I would also recommend McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom if you haven't already read it. Very good background on the causes of the war. The Longest Night is also worth checking out for a concise, readable military history.


Just my 2 cents

Both Heth's and Lee's official reports of the battle state that Pettigrew was sent to Gettysburg to collect military supplies including shoes. Why do you consider it a myth?

Perhaps myth is too strong of a word, but it is a somewhat controversial subject. You are certainly correct that Heth does mention heading towards the town in search of shoes, and Heth may have been convinced that there were shoes there. However, there is some very interesting evidence from a variety of sources (the historians Thomas Desjardin and Harry Pfanz chief among them) that the story of a supply of shoes may be fabrication. At the time of the battle there were only a handful of cobblers in the town and that any shoes that were there would have been taken by Gordon's brigade when Early moved through the area 5 days earlier. Also, sending Heath and Pender's Divisions - nearly 25,000 men - to look for shoes seems a bit much, especially as it seems regrouping his army at Gettysburg seems to have been Lee's intention anyways (due to it's strategic road junctions, etc.)Heth's account appeared in a letter to the Southern Historical Society Papers in 1877, and it does emphasize the shoes, so it is entirely possible that even if they weren't there that he believed them to be there. I apologize if that came across as a criticism of Mr. Foote (who is certainly an inspiration of mine). I guess what i really intended to say is that it is a disputed subject, and Foote did himself a disservice by not citing what references he used.


Edit - to add to the debate, here's a discussion of this topic on the Gettysburg Discussion Group http://www.gdg.org/Research/Authored%20Items/dtheth.html

It seems that both sides have their merit, and i was perhaps to hasty in my skepticism

I have read the monster three times. I was ready to go a fourth time when I saw that it can be found as an audio book...I got it and I was really impressed. The first volume is about 36 hours long. Luckily I can listen to my trusty Creative Zen Plus at work. Great stuff.

cbclimber wrote:I have read the monster three times. I was ready to go a fourth time when I saw that it can be found as an audio book...I got it and I was really impressed. The first volume is about 36 hours long. Luckily I can listen to my trusty Creative Zen Plus at work. Great stuff.

I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time i go on a road trip

Foote's trilogy is excellent and a pleasure to read. I often think about rereading them but they are damn long and a project to complete.

Mcpherson and Sears also have great, easy to read ACW subjects.

You must not read Foote's masterpiece on a mission to "complete" it. If you need a fast one-volume treatment, try something like "Battle Cry of Freedom" or another quickie.

Foote must be sipped like fine wine and read for enjoyment at leisure; not in a rush to get an outline of the Civil War into your head.

Foote's trilogy is narrative history at its finest. It drips with atomosphere and anecdote and his mastery of the subject matter. Long ago I was trained as an historian. I can state, without qualification, that "The Civil War, a Narrative" by Shelby Foote is the best treatment of the subject extant, period.