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papidoc's review against another edition
5.0
I suppose I went into this backwards. This is the final volume of the Army of the Potomac trilogy written by Bruce Catton about the Civil War. After spending some time visiting historical sites in and around Richmond, VA, I particularly wanted to read this account of the last year of the Civil War. In 1954, it won both the Pulitzer Prize for history and the National Book Award for non-fiction.
In A Stillness at Appomattox, Catton walks his readers through the various battles that took place during that final bloody year of the Civil War. We gain glimpses into the character, relationships, military movements, and stratagems of major players such as Grant, Sheridan, and Lee, as well as of numerous more minor characters in that great tragedy. We see moments in which, but for this or that misstep, the way could have ended months (maybe years) earlier, saving untold thousands of lives.
The Battle of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, the numerous battles in and around Cold Harbor, the massively destructive explosion (and squandered opportunity) of the Crater, and many others come to life through Catton's writing. Just a few days before reading this book, I had been wandering through these same battlefields, imagining the troop maneuvers and encounters, picturing to myself the circumstances in which so many men with differing loyalties, but similar values, found themselves. Standing near the edge of the Crater, I could almost see the stunned expressions on the faces of those who saw the land rupture and explode from within, and hear their anguished cries.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more about the immediate aftermath of the war, the encounter of Grant and Lee at the courthouse, and the dissolution of the armies. I would like to have learned a bit more their experiences following the war. But that is a very minor complaint when held up against the vast sweep of the Civil War saga thoroughly and expertly covered in Catton's account. Well done!
In A Stillness at Appomattox, Catton walks his readers through the various battles that took place during that final bloody year of the Civil War. We gain glimpses into the character, relationships, military movements, and stratagems of major players such as Grant, Sheridan, and Lee, as well as of numerous more minor characters in that great tragedy. We see moments in which, but for this or that misstep, the way could have ended months (maybe years) earlier, saving untold thousands of lives.
The Battle of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, the numerous battles in and around Cold Harbor, the massively destructive explosion (and squandered opportunity) of the Crater, and many others come to life through Catton's writing. Just a few days before reading this book, I had been wandering through these same battlefields, imagining the troop maneuvers and encounters, picturing to myself the circumstances in which so many men with differing loyalties, but similar values, found themselves. Standing near the edge of the Crater, I could almost see the stunned expressions on the faces of those who saw the land rupture and explode from within, and hear their anguished cries.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more about the immediate aftermath of the war, the encounter of Grant and Lee at the courthouse, and the dissolution of the armies. I would like to have learned a bit more their experiences following the war. But that is a very minor complaint when held up against the vast sweep of the Civil War saga thoroughly and expertly covered in Catton's account. Well done!
larryerick's review against another edition
5.0
This third volume in the Army of the Potomac trilogy is a marked change from the first volume. The supreme civil war buff that wrote, and very often entertained us, in the first volume, has transitioned in each following volume to become a most competent professional historian. While the genuinely fascinating anecdotes that highlighted the first volume have diminished, this final volume is constantly and consistently still very interesting, blending more smoothly the "stories" with the facts and analysis. Also, this final volume no longer gives the impression of blindly looking at the history from an unnecessarily one-sided perspective, a problem that occasionally marred the first two volumes. Perhaps the biggest highlight of many in this volume is the telling of General Philip Sheridan's actions during the Battle of Cedar Creek: extraordinarily stirring without embellishment. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
tarmstrong112's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Catton has a way of presenting history in such an engaging and entertaining way. The narrative in this book just flowed so beautifully and it made for a pleasant reading experience. I can see why this book won the Pulitzer Prize and I feel it was worthy of every award it was given. I have a particular interest in the Army of the Potomac, and I often find Civil War scholarship is more concerned with that army in it's time before Grant joined than it is in the campaigns of 1864-65. So I appreciated the focus on the later part of the army's history (I am aware this is Book 3 of a trilogy, but my points stands). Overall a great book.
jerry22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
mightync's review against another edition
5.0
An exceptional work of history. The prose is remarkable; poignant, emotional and beautiful. Not only does Bruce Catton deliver a knowledgeable recounting of the end of the war for the Army of the Potomac but he does so with a novelist's touch. The highs and lows that the officers and soldiers experienced during this time are brought to life here, but the haunting brutalities of war and the soaring elation of victory are the scenes that are most memorable and profound. You will finish this book knowing you have read something great. A Pulitzer Prize is well deserved.
ksull95's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A great in-depth account of the final year of the American Civil War. At times it can feel a bit drawn out but Bruce Catton utilizes first-person accounts in such a way that the events of individual battles and marches are made more real than I've ever read before.
patrickhackett's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me months to read despite it being incredibly well written. I'm admittedly terrible at reading nonfiction, especially when the topic is military history, but Bruce Catton made it incredibly compelling despite my lack of interest in the topic. Definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in the Civil War era.
papi's review against another edition
5.0
I suppose I went into this backwards. This is the final volume of the Army of the Potomac trilogy written by Bruce Catton about the Civil War. After spending some time visiting historical sites in and around Richmond, VA, I particularly wanted to read this account of the last year of the Civil War. In 1954, it won both the Pulitzer Prize for history and the National Book Award for non-fiction.
In A Stillness at Appomattox, Catton walks his readers through the various battles that took place during that final bloody year of the Civil War. We gain glimpses into the character, relationships, military movements, and stratagems of major players such as Grant, Sheridan, and Lee, as well as of numerous more minor characters in that great tragedy. We see moments in which, but for this or that misstep, the way could have ended months (maybe years) earlier, saving untold thousands of lives.
The Battle of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, the numerous battles in and around Cold Harbor, the massively destructive explosion (and squandered opportunity) of the Crater, and many others come to life through Catton's writing. Just a few days before reading this book, I had been wandering through these same battlefields, imagining the troop maneuvers and encounters, picturing to myself the circumstances in which so many men with differing loyalties, but similar values, found themselves. Standing near the edge of the Crater, I could almost see the stunned expressions on the faces of those who saw the land rupture and explode from within, and hear their anguished cries.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more about the immediate aftermath of the war, the encounter of Grant and Lee at the courthouse, and the dissolution of the armies. I would like to have learned a bit more their experiences following the war. But that is a very minor complaint when held up against the vast sweep of the Civil War saga thoroughly and expertly covered in Catton's account. Well done!
In A Stillness at Appomattox, Catton walks his readers through the various battles that took place during that final bloody year of the Civil War. We gain glimpses into the character, relationships, military movements, and stratagems of major players such as Grant, Sheridan, and Lee, as well as of numerous more minor characters in that great tragedy. We see moments in which, but for this or that misstep, the way could have ended months (maybe years) earlier, saving untold thousands of lives.
The Battle of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, the numerous battles in and around Cold Harbor, the massively destructive explosion (and squandered opportunity) of the Crater, and many others come to life through Catton's writing. Just a few days before reading this book, I had been wandering through these same battlefields, imagining the troop maneuvers and encounters, picturing to myself the circumstances in which so many men with differing loyalties, but similar values, found themselves. Standing near the edge of the Crater, I could almost see the stunned expressions on the faces of those who saw the land rupture and explode from within, and hear their anguished cries.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more about the immediate aftermath of the war, the encounter of Grant and Lee at the courthouse, and the dissolution of the armies. I would like to have learned a bit more their experiences following the war. But that is a very minor complaint when held up against the vast sweep of the Civil War saga thoroughly and expertly covered in Catton's account. Well done!
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