![]() A fast-paced narrative which fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox.Integrates the political, social, and military events.Filled with fresh interpretations and punctures old myths.The definitive one-volume history of the Civil War.This authoritative volume makes sense of that vast and confusing "second American Revolution" we call the Civil War, a war that transformed a nation and expanded our heritage of liberty. ![]() This "new birth of freedom," as Lincoln called it, constitutes the proudest legacy of America's bloodiest conflict. Eventually, the North had to grapple with the underlying cause of the war-slavery-and adopt a policy of emancipation as a second war aim. The book's title refers to the sentiments that informed both the Northern and Southern views of the conflict: the South seceded in the name of that freedom of self-determination and self-government for which their fathers had fought in 1776, while the North stood fast in defense of the Union founded by those fathers as the bulwark of American liberty. The only shortfall is detailed information of battle casualties for each individual clash between the Union and Rebel forces. Particularly notable are McPherson's new views on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s, the origins of the Republican Party, the causes of secession, internal dissent and anti-war opposition in the North and the South, and the reasons for the Union's victory. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War-the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry-and then moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself-the battles, the strategic maneuvering on both sides, the politics, and the personalities. James McPherson's fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. And enough quotes and excerpts from letters and diary entries to personalize those affected by the war, North and South.Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. Enough battle facts to satisfy you if you aren't studying military tactics. ![]() There is enough storytelling to bring characters like Grant, Jackson, Johnston, McClellan, and Sherman alive. If you're interested in the history of the time but have American primary and secondary school knowledge, this is a great book. I did not understand the significance of the Whig party and its relationship to the Republican Party. The Mexican-American war the role of Manifest Destiny in the expansion or curtailment of slavery is made clear. Now I understand the tension created by the Missouri Compromise that led to the Pottawatomie Massacre that led to the Lawrence Massacre. Before this, the war, in my limited knowledge, started with Dredd Scott and Harper's Ferry. This book covers one of the most turbulent periods of the USAs history, from the Mexican War in 1848 to the end of the Civil War in 1865. The appeal of this narrative is that it paints a cohesive picture of the United States in the preceding decades before the war that helps to explain its causes.
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