Product Description

This magisterial history of the first modern war is on the scale of John Keegan's classics, A History of Warfare and The First World War. In his sweeping, unputdownable narrative he highlights the geography, leadership and strategic logic at the heart of the conflict.

John Keegan writes: ‘The geography of the battlefield is to me a living reality. I know the appearance of the battlefields, I know the distances between them, I know the cemeteries in which the dead were buried. What constantly puzzles me, however, is to relate the landmarks of the war to its events, chronology, strategy and logic. That war went on for so long – four years – over such an enormous space – the Confederacy covered an area as large as Europe west of Russia – and involved so many battles – 260 is the common reckoning – and so many people that its events conform to no pattern at all.

'How to make sense of the war is the question. In recent years, this became the primary concern of historians, after nearly a century of writing concerned either with arguing the rights or wrongs or simply re-telling the story chronologically.

'The story of America is, in one of its dimensions, that of man and wilderness. The story can be told as one in which man tames and dominates; it can equally be told as one in which nature is never really subdued, always bides its time, often asserts its power to remind men of their pygmy status. The Civil War is certainly a story of the struggle of man against man; it is equally a story of the struggle of man against geography, in which those who had a feel for the country eventually succeeded because they knew how to work with the landscape instead of ignoring or defying it.’

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #766 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

About the Author
John Keegan, who was knighted in the Millennium Honours List, is the Defence Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Britain's foremost military historian. The Reith Lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, The Second World War, A History of Warfare (awarded the Duff Cooper Prize), The First World War, Intelligence in War and The Iraq War.

Customer Reviews

A good military history - but not more than that
I am afraid I must beg to differ from the previous reviewer. This book is (of course) very good as a military history. However, despite its title it really does not aspire to be more than that (as the notes and bibliography reveal) - and there is a great deal more than that to the Civil war. So it is far from being a definitive book about the war - and if you are looking for that you may well be disappointed.
However it is excellent on the real military history aspects. Keegan has conveyed more clearly to me the impact of geographical factors, both generally and in relation to specific battles, than anything else I have read. He is excellent on identifying and keeping track of the planning of the war on each side. He is also wonderful at evaluating the individual generals, and drawing speaking parallels with generals of other wars. Frankly, I could have used and enjoyed more detail on each of these facets, but particularly the last.
The two big problems with the book are (1) the title, which conveys a false sense of the ambit of the book - it should more properly be called "A Military History of the Civil War" or "The Geography, Battles and Generals of the Civil War" (2) the introductory chapters (and to some extent parts of the concluding chapters too) where Keegan goes outside the military history remit; these sections are frankly somewhat carelessly written and edited (so much repetition - including the same phrase twice within two paras -that I came close to throwing the book across the room) and say nothing illuminating at all. He would have been much better to drop these, cut to the chase, and give us some more of what he is really good at.

The Finest Book of the American Civil War
There is no doubt that Sir John Keegan is THE writer of historical factual books. I thought his book, The First World War, could not be bettered. I was wrong. This book is the finest I have read about this dreadful war which shaped the America, and thus the world, of today.

I was amazed to learn that the graddaughter of General Stonewall Jackson died less than 20 years ago! There are still many men alive who have talked to veterens of this awful period in America's history. Keegan's book tells it all; as it should be told. Buy this book, you will never regret it.

good but flawed
Keegan is a brilliant military historian. I've read most of his books It's unfortunate that in this book his research is flawed. Geography, locations, people and places in many instances are incorrect. Read the New York Times Book Review for a partial list of the many innaccuracies in Keegans account It's written by an historian who has a lot of respect for Keegans ability. Not so in this book. . With more attention to research and factually accurate reporting it could have been a great book. Now you don't know what to believe. It's a shame really.