Secession to Fort Henry

Wow. A couple of friends at work have been urging me to read Shelby Foote's trilogy, Civil War A Narrative, for over four years now, and I finally completed the first of the three, Fort Sumpter to Perryville. I am just as impressed as they suggested I would be. Although the series is now quite old (the original copyright is 1958), it is still probably one of the best and most comprehensive descriptions of the war from beginning to end. Foote was actually a journalist and novelist rather than an historian, but his interest in the war between the states was an over riding and life long passion. His experience as a writer probably prepared him better for his task of presenting the conflict to the reading public than any PhD in history could ever have done. His laid back and genteel style of address, his thorough knowledge of and apparent impartiality for both sides in the conflict, and his delightfully anecdotal approach to the subject are a pleasure to read. I think it is telling that his is the Civil War History most often cited in the footnotes and bibliographies of other writers on the subject, even those of more recent publication. Like the diary of the southern belle Mary Chestnut, Foote's Civil War seems to be the sine que non reference to have in ones own work. Not taking note of it is almost to suggest ignorance of ones own topic, if not downright illiteracy!Although the narrative is essentially told from the perspective of the various officers and politicians involved-often they were the same people, both an officer and a politician-the author also includes diary entries and letters from common soldiers on both sides, lending a very up close and personal sense to the events of the war. (I remember on several occasions telling my husband that I had to "get back to the War, as we were about to attack Richmond!" or some other place.) My only complaint is that, at least so far, very little is made of the black experience in the war. This may be because documents from this population are largely lacking or that mentions of black individuals in other material is often skewed, although it seems doubtful. I know that Mary Chestnut mentions slaves and that some documentaries have quoted letters from slave/soldiers to family back home. I found particularly interesting the character sketches of Lincoln and his opposite number in the Confederacy's presidency, Jefferson Davis. Their problems were often quite similar, yet their psychological make up was so vastly different, that outcomes were often determined by this fact. It was also interesting that they had similar difficulties with their constituency, both coming under attack by the public for the way they were conducting the war and the choices of personnel they made to conduct it. So impartial is the author and so respectful of the strengths of both societies and their leaders and armies, that the reader is often cheering first one side and then the other, is fearful for the well-be