The book ,A Stillness at Appomattox, written by Bruce Catton in 1953, was an enlightening history of the last year of the war as Union general U. S. Grant led the Army of the Potomac against Confederate general Robert E. Lee to finish the American Civil War. Catton vividly describes the plight of the common soldier while keeping the overview of the war in perspective. He effectively creates a mood of misguidance and loss that is felt in more recent conflicts as well as the Civil War. A highly accredited author, Catton creates an effective story that brings the emotions of the front with the motives of the high command. Bruce Catton emphasized the misguided feeling felt during the war throughout the book by detailing the lack of effective …show more content…
On top of this, the broad idea was to use brute force to overcome Lee's army, which is reasonable from an overview standpoint, but is much less popular with the common soldier. This generated a distrust for the command, and a feeling of loss. Additionally, most of the commanders were trained in traditional tactics involving charges and open field battles, ill-suited to the trench warfare that had appeared during the war. The pointless charges wasted soldiers, and destroyed loyalty within the army. Catton also shows the seemingly pointless nature of the war by showing occasions in which the soldiers from both sides would call a truce and share resources during the war. This shows that the troops no longer considered the enemy as inhuman. Many soldiers remarked that the enemy knew the soldiers better than the officers, who were patriotic comparatively, did. Additionally, the book pointed out disputes between different generals, which disrupted the war and led to inferior decisions. For example, Grant was unable to fire Butler because if he did, the general may run for president, which could …show more content…
He received a Pulitzer Prize for A Stillness at Appomattox, and has written three trilogies on the subject. He specializes in writing in the narrative style, giving personal insight into characters, but maintaining accuracy with overall figures. His book was from the Union perspective, but with his unique writing style, he managed to avoid limiting his bias to only favor one side. He made the reader respect the brutality of war, and yearn for peace while understanding the reasons for the war. Catton used his tremendous experience to portray vivid images of both the Confederate and Union sides of the
Perry for example was already uncertain of his future and his knee injury already had him on edge. towards the end of the book after burning the corpses of his past comrades he lost all faith, and innocence. So the theme of the book is that war is devastating to person both mentally and
by Tony Horwitz Midnight Rising: John Brown And The Raid That Sparked The Civil War, written by Tony Horwitz, is a historical book about civil war, which released in 2011. In his book, Tony Horwitz presents the exciting story of John Brown, who attacked the U.S. armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and it might be known as the first salvo of the U.S. Civil War. Tony Horwitz wants to bring a fresh viewpoint on one of the most important event that helps lead to the Civil War. Mr. Horwitz explores the suffering soul of Brown, the desperate passion of his follower, and most important – the spirit of a newborn nation. Remarkably well investigated and written, the author makes this attractive book to become a must-read for any reader who interested
Company Aytch as a Primary Source Company Aytch is a book written from the point of view of a confederate soldier during the American civil war. The book does succeed in being a historical primary source. The soldier, Samuel R. Watkins, speaks of all the events he participated in or heard about during the war times from the beginning to the confederate surrender. His telling of the stories are from his own point of view from during the war for the majority of the book. The entirety of his participation in the war is documented throughout the book with the intention of someone else reading it.
During the Civil War in 1861-1865, the North also known as the free states were at war with the South who are known as the slave states. A couple madly in love are separated at this time as he goes to fight in war. The suspense throughout the short story The Locket makes you want to read more, yet it takes a lot thinking to put the story together. It was suspenseful leading to a joyful ending. However, the ending is not predictable.
War causes anxiety on the battlefield and later in life. Myers showed that his novel has a message about anti-war through the hardships Richie Perry and his squad mates went through in the Vietnam
The United States Civil War is possible one of the most meaningful, bloodstained and controversial war fought in American history. Northern Americans against Southern Americans fought against one another for a variety of motives. These motives aroused from a wide range of ideologies that stirred around the states. In James M. McPherson’s What they fought for: 1861-1865, he analyzes the Union and Confederate soldier’s morale and ideological components through the letters they wrote to love ones while at war. While, John WhiteClay Chambers and G. Kurt Piehler depict Civil War soldiers through their letters detailing the agonizing battles of war in Major Problems in American Military History.
Jeff Shaara’s Gods and Generals is written based on the events and people from 1858 through 1863 during the American Civil War. Although this novel was a piece of historical fiction, it is one of the most accurate recordings of history. Gods and Generals drew the reader in through the engrossing stories of Robert Edward Lee, Winfield Scott Hancock, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Before reading the novel, readers most likely thought of these men as heroes and men who were capable of anything. However, after completing Gods and Generals an individual could feel more connected with the characters because of the personal stories they portrayed throughout the novel.
Name of Document: A Southern Woman Describes the Hardship of War - 1862 A. List four things the author said that you think are important: 1.The townspeople fears the fact that the southerns will lose the town. 2. Laura and other southerns didn’t expect to see the Union invade Tennessee so quickly. 3.All communication with the brother will be lost if the Union captures their town.
Lee favored offensive Napoleonic warfare tactics as opposed to defensive strategies. He also despised the use of paid spies. There were advantages and disadvantages to his loose commanding style. This style was good because it showed his trust in his men to execute their orders without him needing to overwhelm them by micromanaging. The downside of this commanding style was that his complete trust in his men would often result in disappointment and Lee being left blind in enemy territory for days.
This book is a historical novel about the American Revolution in the South of the United States, specifically in South Carolina. Award-winning Ann Rinaldi, who was born in New York in 1934, wrote this deftly plotted novel in 1998 and is mainly addressed to young adults willing to embark on a fast-paced adventure amidst the American raging war in the South. Rinaldi mentions actual battles, including American and British military leaders. She explains how much of a venture it was for her to take on a book about the American Revolution in the South, since not only was it a conflict between the British and American forces, but also between American civilians.
After my reading of this novel, the Civil War itself became something that I'll never forget, unlike all the other times I've learned about it in school where it simply just went in one ear and out the other. I've never been to the battle field or knew what it was like, nor did I have any good accounts of what it would be like with my lack of prior preceptions... but, surprising to me, the Killer Angels gave me a really good idea of what it must be like. Because of that, I ridicule myself for dreading to read a book about a war in history. I found myself tearing up in several parts of the book at the courage and bravery and sacrifices made by some of the men who were willing to give and entrust to their leaders and for their beliefs. Colonel
March Summary The novel “March” written by Geraldine Brooks is about the story of Mr. March during the Civil War. March leaves his wife, Margaret (Marmee), and their four daughters, Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy to fight for the Union after seeing younger men sign up. In the war, March is a chaplain for the Union army. During the war, March writes letters to his family in Concord without talking about the brutality and gore of the war.
This war was greater for the American society than it was for their soldiers. While many of the soldiers lost their mind, American saw great economic growth and overcame the Great Depression. Finally, in the last chapter, Adams talks about the knowledge of postwar history. Although evil groups, such as Nazism, had been overcome, many problems remained in the home front that and some still exist
Catton also appropriately utilizes a formal diction to address the immensely significant historical conflict. For example, he uses words and phrases such as poignant, chivalry, obeisance, and burgeoning to further reflect the serious issue at hand. Through his essay, Catton predominantly focuses on the immense polarities between Lee and Grant, but he also delineates that, in fact, they also had many similarities that allowed for a smoother transition from war to peacetime in the United States. He effectively achieves this comparison through his strategical organization and usage of descriptive sentences and rhetorical
In chapter one of What They Fought For, I learned about the letters and diaries of the Confederate soldiers. The themes of the letters were home-sickness, lack of peace, and the defense of home against their invading enemy. The thought of soldiers fighting for their homes and being threatened by invaders, made them stronger when facing adversity. Many men expressed that they would rather die fighting for a cause, than dying without trying and this commitment showed patriotism. Throughout the letters, soldiers claimed their reason for fighting, was for the principles of Constitutional liberty and self-government.