After reading a book about Vanderbilt I became eager to know more about the American Civil War so this book became the next one on my reading list.

I now know much more about the American Civil War (previous knowledge was: lots of dead people, end of slavery) but not as much as I had hoped. The American Civil War: A Military History is more or less what it says, a lot about the military, especially the generals and not very much about anything else. And still, for a 3-5 year long war it only scratches the surface of the military parts too. I don't say it could have done much more on the space available, but I think the book would have benefitted from following some non-general individuals in more detail.

Modern USA has the American Civil War to thank for a lot. After the independence parts of the country was going in a direction that can only be called shameful and the rest of the country was so loosely coupled that it could never have become an international political super power. After the war the original constitution was patched into version 2.0 and a strong central power (necessary for the war effort) had emerged.

But back to the book. It has this strange contradiction in hinting that almost everyone dies, and then presenting numbers that says the opposite. It's not uncommon because historians seem to be eager to show that *their* war was the bloodiest or most extreme of all wars, at least spot wise. The word "casualty" is especially misleading in terms of human loss. It basically means "no longer able to fight" but without distinction between "dead" and "has a serious concussion". That brings me to another thing that slightly annoyed me. The author keeps comparing the American Civil War to European Wars as it is some kind of competition. Those comparisons at times almost seem ignorant which I hope is just my own ignorance talking.

I haven't read any other books about the American Civil War but I have the feeling there are better ones. This one is ok, and if it's the only one available, quite informative to someone with only a sketchy notion of what happened during those years over in the US. I will give it three stars but it's really an uneven mix of two and four star sections. ( )

Reads like a set of professor's notes - that had fallen on the floor - thrown together. Repetitive, disappointing. ( )

Keegan takes a bird's eye (Brit's eye?) and militarily-focussed view of our Civil War, which I found illuminating -- looking at an old story from a new angle can often yield new insights, even if the story doesn't change. Having just finished two Civil War classics -- Foote and McPherson -- I wondered if this book would be repetitive. As a long-term Keegan fan, however, I forged ahead, and am glad I did. Keegan's broad military focus provides strategic insights that don't always emerge in more detailed, or more political, accounts. Also, putting the War in the context of previous European wars (and European wars to come) added a dimension. And, as usual, Keegan writes so well that the book is a joy to read.
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Ég hreifst mjög af frásögn Johns Keegans af bandaríska borgarstríðinu.
Keegan, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/9..., sem er nýlátinn er með réttu talinn vera með fremstu sagnfræðinga síðustu aldar í hernaðarsögu og hann vakti athygli á líðan einstaklingsins sjálfs í hernaði og upplifun hans í átökum.
Saga Keegans segir á lifandi og greinargóðan máta frá átökunum, orsökum þeirra og afleiðingum, hvernig persónuleikar leiðtoganna höfðu afgerandi áhrif á hernaðinn - bæði til góðs og ills. Áhrif landslags á stríðið, liðsflutninga og einstaka bardaga hljóta sérstaka umfjöllun hjá Keegan og það er magnað að upplifa hvernig einstökum herforingjum tókst að nýta sér staðhætti sér til framdráttar á meðan aðrir gerðu bókstaflega í brækurnar. ( )

A very military review of the Civil War, Reviewed the historical backround and the various battles with a synpsis of the generals and the armies involved. All events were clearly dated and the reasons for success or failure well-documented. Great boook to give an overview of the whole event of the Civil War. ( )