tarmstrong112's review against another edition
4.0
It was very good and I highly enjoyed it. It was really a general summary of the first two years of the war and then a chapter on the Battle of Antietam. Still very good and entertaining.
avalydia's review against another edition
2.0
Very dry. Had the most ridiculous boxing metaphor ever, which I am going to quote in full for posterity's sake:
"One more punch by McClellan might have knocked the Confederacy out of the war. But McClellan could not bring himself to throw that punch. Instead, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee got the South off the mat at the count of nine and began counterpunching with such skill and power that by September the Union appeared to be on the ropes."
"One more punch by McClellan might have knocked the Confederacy out of the war. But McClellan could not bring himself to throw that punch. Instead, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee got the South off the mat at the count of nine and began counterpunching with such skill and power that by September the Union appeared to be on the ropes."
cocoawolf29's review against another edition
3.0
It wasn't a great book, but it wasn't a bad book. It gave a very detailed review of the occurrences before, during, and after Antietam and their importance of the war. This isn't my personal favorite subject. Though I find it interesting in small doses, it was a bit too much in a book like this. For anyone passionate about the subject though, I think they would enjoy it.
theeverglow17's review against another edition
4.0
A concise overview of the significance of the battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg in the South). Only one chapter is dedicated to detailing the battle (and it doesn't go into hardly any details). If you want to read a book about the combat, tactics, and events of the battle, you need to find another book (Like "Landscape Turned Red" by Stephen W. Sears). Here, McPherson deals with the lead-up to battle in 1862. He describes the ups and downs of momentum from the viewpoint of the North, the South, and Europe. He also does a nice job in describing the ineptitude of General George McClellan, and how many opportunities were lost because of McClellan's paranoia earlier in 1862 on the Virginia Peninsula as well as at Antietam.
In all, the book does a nice job of summarizing the importance of the battle of Antietam, and makes a very strong case that no other battle was as significant in terms of results regarding which side won. Had the Confederates won at Sharpsburg, peace was very much on the table in part because of European support and success on Northern territory. In the end, the battle itself was a draw after the 12 bloodiest hours in American history. Yet, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia ended its invasion of Maryland; an obvious Union triumph. This discouraged Europe from recognizing the Confederate States of America and let Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. McPherson does an excellent job of explaining the impacts each of those things had on civilians, soldiers, and politicians on both sides, and across the Atlantic.
In all, the book does a nice job of summarizing the importance of the battle of Antietam, and makes a very strong case that no other battle was as significant in terms of results regarding which side won. Had the Confederates won at Sharpsburg, peace was very much on the table in part because of European support and success on Northern territory. In the end, the battle itself was a draw after the 12 bloodiest hours in American history. Yet, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia ended its invasion of Maryland; an obvious Union triumph. This discouraged Europe from recognizing the Confederate States of America and let Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. McPherson does an excellent job of explaining the impacts each of those things had on civilians, soldiers, and politicians on both sides, and across the Atlantic.
allygator's review against another edition
2.0
finally, i have finished this.
do i think this was a bad book? no. did i enjoy it? also no.
i had to read this for a history essay -- that will never lead to me liking a book.
i thought this was better than the last book i read for this class, but i still will never read it again. ever.
McPherson is clearly a very talented writer and historian. his writing is engaging, but it's also full of complex military strategy that i simply don't care about.
i'm sure people who are into military history would love this though. good for them
do i think this was a bad book? no. did i enjoy it? also no.
i had to read this for a history essay -- that will never lead to me liking a book.
i thought this was better than the last book i read for this class, but i still will never read it again. ever.
McPherson is clearly a very talented writer and historian. his writing is engaging, but it's also full of complex military strategy that i simply don't care about.
i'm sure people who are into military history would love this though. good for them
robconner88's review against another edition
4.0
After listening to several audiobooks of History, I feel like the general rule of thumb is to skip audiobooks and stick to the text copy when it comes to Historical Nonfiction. But I feel like this book in particular actually breaks the rule a little bit. I will admit, perhaps it is coming from the fact that I have been a lover of Civil War History for well over 20 years now, so this all very much information I've learned 2 or 3 times over. But with that in mind, I quite enjoyed this audiobook version.
Let me start by getting my nitpick out of the way, and that is the book itself spends almost 2/3rd of the pages setting up Antietam and getting to the battle itself. For me, that felt like a lot of background just to get to the part of the book we were supposed to be reading. By the time we get to the battle, it is a quick synopsis and then it's over. So it was a bit of a let down in that way.
I think Audience has to be taken into account though, as I believe this book is really meant for general audiences more so than any large tome of History would be. So if you have NO idea what the Battle of Antietam is, or if you wanted to learn about it for the first time as an Adult, then this is the book for you!
Listening to the audio version of the book was pretty entertaining as well. It felt like I was listening to a PBS recording of "The Civil War" by Ken Burns sans background music. It felt a lot like returning to a part of History I've not read much about in recent years, and I enjoyed that. The narrator of this audiobook is definitely a huge plus and I feel like I've heard him before in other productions on the Civil War, though I can't quite place him.
So to sum it up, I would highly recommend this book to readers who haven't really heard about Antietam before. Maybe you're planning a trip or you just found out about it. But if you are a huge Civil War Buff looking to supplement your knowledge of the war, then I have to admit there are probably better works out there for you. McPherson himself writes a much more comprehensive history as well, for those who are looking for an 800 page tome to read. But again, to be fair, I don't think McPherson or anyone involved in the publishing wrote this book expecting it to cater to that crowd. So in the end it accomplishes the goal it set out to do quite nicely, in my opinion.
Let me start by getting my nitpick out of the way, and that is the book itself spends almost 2/3rd of the pages setting up Antietam and getting to the battle itself. For me, that felt like a lot of background just to get to the part of the book we were supposed to be reading. By the time we get to the battle, it is a quick synopsis and then it's over. So it was a bit of a let down in that way.
I think Audience has to be taken into account though, as I believe this book is really meant for general audiences more so than any large tome of History would be. So if you have NO idea what the Battle of Antietam is, or if you wanted to learn about it for the first time as an Adult, then this is the book for you!
Listening to the audio version of the book was pretty entertaining as well. It felt like I was listening to a PBS recording of "The Civil War" by Ken Burns sans background music. It felt a lot like returning to a part of History I've not read much about in recent years, and I enjoyed that. The narrator of this audiobook is definitely a huge plus and I feel like I've heard him before in other productions on the Civil War, though I can't quite place him.
So to sum it up, I would highly recommend this book to readers who haven't really heard about Antietam before. Maybe you're planning a trip or you just found out about it. But if you are a huge Civil War Buff looking to supplement your knowledge of the war, then I have to admit there are probably better works out there for you. McPherson himself writes a much more comprehensive history as well, for those who are looking for an 800 page tome to read. But again, to be fair, I don't think McPherson or anyone involved in the publishing wrote this book expecting it to cater to that crowd. So in the end it accomplishes the goal it set out to do quite nicely, in my opinion.
evamadera1's review against another edition
3.0
The number one complaint I have about this book is the narrator. I know I would have liked this book much more than I do. I assumed, based on the introduction, that more of the book would be devoted to Antietam. In fact, I actually looked forward to that. Instead, the author devoted barely a few pages to the actual battle. If one looks at the book as one defining the battle as the key turning point in the war, then the narrative makes sense. However, the author's proposed outline (given in the introduction) does not match this.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book.
christopherborum's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
This is an excellent background on the battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) that clarifies why it was so important and particularly why the Union success was critical. So many things hinged on the outcome of the battle. European powers based their decision to support the Confederacy on the success of Lee's invasion of Maryland. When it was held in check at Antietam, their willingness to mediate a settlement (which would have essentially been a Confederate victory) dissipated. And Lincoln's decision to issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation had been held back pending a turn in Union fortunes on the battlefield. When that happened at Antietam, Lincoln moved forward with emancipation, transforming the Civil War from an effort to hold the Union together to a fight for abolition of slavery.
I've seen some criticism that the description of the battle itself was rushed, but this isn't really meant to be a military analysis. It's more focused on the significance of the battle in the greater context of the War. I found the descriptions of the fighting sufficient, but that may be because I was reading it the same week we actually visited the battlefield, which I also recommend.
I've seen some criticism that the description of the battle itself was rushed, but this isn't really meant to be a military analysis. It's more focused on the significance of the battle in the greater context of the War. I found the descriptions of the fighting sufficient, but that may be because I was reading it the same week we actually visited the battlefield, which I also recommend.