A Savage Thunder Summary

Over fifty thousand books on the Civil War have been published, and the task for a writer who attempts a narrative of the period would seem to be overwhelming, but James M. McPherson managed to create one of the best ever. In 1988, he published his Pulitzer-winning book, Battle Cry of Freedom, and ten years later received the Lincoln Prize for another book, For Cause and Comrades. He has published around 23 scholarly books and unlike many historians, has a reputation of trying to make history accessible to the public. McPherson became the president of the American Historical Association in 2003, and is now a member of the editorial board of Encyclopedia Britannica. McPherson has helped millions of Americans better understand the meaning and legacy of the American Civil War. He does so by establishing the highest standards for scholarship and public education about the Civil War and helps to protect the nation’s battlefields. (nytimes.com)

Through the whole book it is clear that McDonough believes that the defeat of the south was unavoidable and how important Kentucky was to the war with her waterways and railroads. The main thesis was the importance of the Western Theatre and the idea that 1862 was a decisive year in the war, The author states how the western battles got more recognition than

James M. McPherson sets out to discover what motivated the Confederate and Union soldiers to continue fighting in the Civil War in his book What They Fought For. McPherson analyses nearly a thousand letters, journals, and diary of Union and Confederate soldiers to determine what urged them to fight is this defining American Conflict. McPherson reads and groups together the common thoughts of the everyday soldier, from their letters and journals that none of which had been subjected to any sort of censorship, in that time period. He then generalizes the motivations that they used to fight for their country. Whether it be for slavery or for the Union, the author views both sides of the fighting to analysis their ideological issues, how deep their belief coursed through their veins to continue fighting, and how the soldiers held their convictions close to heart in the time of war.

McPherson starts out the book with The Pendulum of War 1861-1862. McPherson in this chapter of the book mainly talks about the uprisings and downfalls of General B. McClellan who was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the head of the Army of the Potomac. McPherson explains what the American Civil Wars ultimate goal was and what Abraham Lincoln wished to achieve was the unity of all the states armies and invasion of the Confederacy in which he had hopes of destroying their government. The union arms won some victories and also lost some as well but the first most remembered to be the embarrassing defeat McPherson names is along the banks of Bull Run in July 1861. He describes the war and what happened in it and concludes that after the release of Mason and Slidell the war was averted and later struck a financial panic in

As Tony Horwitz illustrates in Confederates in the Attic, the Civil War is far from over. Horwitz, determined to find the answers to this conflict, treks through the South, seeking to explain man's longtime obsession with a war that divided the nation. Talking to historians and Civil War reenactors of all kinds, he finds that people are still divided today when it comes to the war and present issues in society. He collects a vast amount of data, which proves to make things very difficult in drawing a general conclusion. Horwitz learns how differently the south views the war, discovers the way in which people use history to suit their own needs, and explores issues of race.

The pain, joy, bloodshed, death, and sorrow of the Civil War are all contained in the book called, "The Killer Angels." This book will show you the thoughts, feelings and actions of many of the leaders of both armies. By reading this book you will get an in depth view of the bloodiest days of the Civil War. Even if you know absolutely nothing about this war, you can still read and understand everything that is portrayed. This story not only gives you the view of many of the major leaders, but it also gives you the maps an strategies used in this war. It also shows you the conflicts in making these strategies. This book has inspired many, but the true question is will it inspire you? Reading this book will cause

This book was a good analysis of Civil War soldiers' diaries, and letters to their loved ones. Which explains what they were going through in their lives and what they fought for and risked their lives for in this conflict. In the book the author James M. McPherson uses information from l00's of diaries and letters from the soldiers to learn why they fought in this war. The Union soldiers fought to preserve the Nation that was created in 1776, to save it from destruction. The Confederate soldiers fought for their independence, liberty, self government, and for revenge.

The American Civil War was a military conflict between the United States of America (the Union), and 11 secessionist Southern states, organized as the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). It was the culmination of four decades of intense sectional conflict and it reflected deep-seated economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. Many books have been written on this “first modern war” describing how over 620,000 men were killed. Jeff Shaara goes deeper and explores the personal conflicts of four historical figures, two from the South and two from North: General Lee, General Jackson, Colonel Chamberlain, and Hancock.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara was not just a fiction novel, it was a story of a man who actually saw the battlefield of Gettysburg and learned about the battle and its importance. When he returned from the battle sight he decided to write a novel based on his experience there. Instead of creating fictional characters he used the names and experiences he had directly with the main characters of the novel. Not only did Shaara study and review letters, documents and journal enteries of the men for the interpretation, he made it more realistic and personal by the portrayal of his characters. In the paper we will address four of those main characters with their background and how they were relevant to the war. Shaara, gave us a look at each of their inner thoughts and emotions.

The Civil War is written by Robert Paul Jordan. Robert Paul Jordan also writes books about the Civil War. In The Civil War, Jordan describes the factors leading up to the Civil War, the opening shots at Fort Sumter to Antietam, and Gettysburg (“The Civil War”). Both books go into great detail on the events that went on during the Civil War, but McPherson talks more about politics, actors, factors, and military actions. Also, both books have many detail-filled photos of maps and bibliographical insights on the Civil War.

Civil war has always been a war that gives a negative view of the South while it tends to glorify the north. With this article however,

"The Civil War" series includes 25 lessons covering the politics and conflicts that nearly ripped apart a nation. It covers slavery, emancipation, retreats, battles, leaders, women of the war, and Reconstruction.

The novel attempts to get its readers to see beyond political, national, economical, and social borders. It just wants you to view human beings for what they are: flawed, beautiful, and crazy creatures. During the civil war unit all the books we read explained that one of the biggest reason of the civil war was to prove that blacks were equal.

Like for this first quote the author says “ whereas Fahnestock clearly strove to keep a detailed and accurate log of his experiences during the battle, other writers took liberties with the fact”. (Nash 17) it explains that fahnestock had experiences and how he kept a accurate and detailed log about what he had just experienced. He also quoted from the story “ these authors’ text are not so much conscientious chronicles of combat as they are works of imagination and interpretation”. (Nash 17) what this explains is that they had poor imagination and poor interpretation of combat unless they have experienced it like Fahnestock. And this one last quote the author made about the story is an example “ moore’s is a highly idealized field of battle on which all soldiers march bravely, even eagerly, into the deadly fray… there is no mention of the blinding smoke, general disarray, or incompetence that shape Fahnestock’s account”. (Nash 18) This author’s idea of the civil war was not so realistic and how the soldiers were being brave and how they were eager to fight. And in this story the author was not not being realistic about the war and tells that the men were brave and that they wanted to fight then he explains the whole story about why he wrote the story about the anti-war in American literature and that he was in the war and had experienced everything in the

The ethical differences between the North and the South in early America would become the foundation that would eventually lead to the American Civil War; a bloody battle that held great losses for both sides. The two sides fought the Civil War over the growing tension revolving around issues such as expansion and slavery. The Approaching Fury: Voices of the Storm, by Stephen B. Oates is a read that tells the story of the coming of the American Civil War through the viewpoints, of 13 principal players, including Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass.