I was impressed with Keegan's in depth review of the American Civil War. It was detailed, well organized, and pretty thorough. He pulls heavily from McPherson's works and at times this seems like a retelling of "Battle Cry of Freedom". However, it is hard to compare the two works (this one and McPherson's masterpiece) in fair regard. To give such a detailed description of this era of American history in one volume is going to take on a similar characteristic feel to any preceding attempt, assuming they both are well researched and well written.Keegan does take a very systematic look at the American Civil War and breaks it down into several topical discussions. Due to that organization, there is a lot of repetition in this book. For example, the campaign in the "west" is discussed (with many of the same details given) when discussing the chronological occurrences of the war, the importance of railroads and rivers throughout the war, and Grant and his rise to prominence. Though repetitive, I found that this did hammer home some key points and helped to refresh the reader's mind as to the key occurrences. Overall, it was not wasteful repetition and therefore tolerable. Keegan's analysis of the American Civil is developed from his usual broad perspective. This viewpoint, together with Keegan's keen intellect, provide insights not readily available elsewhere to general readers.His influence from contemporary sources is uneven: he clearly uses Grant's memoirs but ignores some of his analysis. Keegan diminishes Lee's role, by modern standards, although his thinking is closer to Grant's on this subject. As another example, he seems to have overlooked Grant's comment that much of the Confederacy's behavior was caused by the fact that, effectively as an authoritarian dictatorship, it could act out of proportion to its real economic and political strength.Valuable and engaging, as are most Keegan books.
What do You think about La Guerre De Sécession (2009)?
As usual, John Keegan does not disappoint. The very best war history writer alive.
—young_money7211
I enjoyed the insights of a foreign military historian.
—wendilu
Excellent military history of the American Civil War.
—BrujahAngel
