The American Civil War
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2,0 • 1 Bewertung
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- 11,99 €
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- 11,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
The American Civil War was one of the longest and bloodiest of modern wars. It is also one of the most mysterious. It has captured the imagination of writers, artists and film-makers for decades but the reality of it confuses and divides historians even today.
In this magisterial history of the first modern war, the distinguished military historian John Keegan unpicks the geography, leadership and strategic logic of the war and takes us to the heart of the conflict. His captivating work promises to be the definitive history of the American Civil War.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
American scholars tend to write the Civil War as a great national epic, but Keegan (The First World War), an Englishman with a matchless knowledge of comparative military history, approaches it as a choice specimen with fascinating oddities. His more thematic treatment has its shortcomings his campaign and battle narratives can be cursory and ill-paced but it pays off in far-ranging discussions of broader features: the North's strategic challenge in trying to subdue a vast Confederacy ringed by formidable natural obstacles and lacking in significant military targets; the importance of generalship; the unusual frequency of bloody yet indecisive battles; and the fierceness with which soldiers fought their countrymen for largely ideological motives. Keegan soars above the conflict to delineate its contours, occasionally swooping low to expand on a telling detail or a moment of valor or pathos. Some of his thoughts, as on the unique femininity of Southern women and how the Civil War stymied socialism in America, are less than cogent. Still, Keegan's elegant prose and breadth of learning make this a stimulating, if idiosyncratic, interpretation of the war. 16 pages of photos, 12 maps.
Kundenrezensionen
Not very amused!
Mr Keegan has clearly some issues concerning subjectivity about slavery and racism. There are many annoying sentences in the book, which lack objectivity and promote sarcasm, especially referring to the welfare of the slaves. This has never been a welcomed (or enchanting as the author suggests) status quo for those who suffered, regardless of their social status in the "system".