Author Description
"The War for the Union: The Organized War (1863-1864)" and "The Organized War to Victory (1864-1865)" complete the award-winning magnum opus "Ordeal of the Union." In this volume Allan Nevins concludes his definitive history of the American Civil War. There is the bloody grinding-down of Confederate resolve, as the Union Army burns Atlanta, Sherman marches to the sea, Lee fails at Gettysburg, and the slow death grip between two great armies in the Battle of the Wilderness winds down in to Appomottox. As these events take center stage, Nevins never forgets the importance of the economic build-up of the North, and the ways that exigencies of war served to create a new concept and new techniques of organization. The work closes with the assasination of Lincoln, the succession of Johnson, and the demobilization of the armies. Returning to the pursuits of peace, America is at once faced with new problems, and a new optimism. "Ordeal of the Union" is one of the most important historical works ever written, and is now available for the first time (complete and unabridged) in paperback in four handsome volumes.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the final stages of the American Civil War by analyzing how the Union's superior organizational capacity and economic mobilization ultimately overwhelmed the Confederate war effort. Allan Nevins, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, utilizes extensive primary source documentation and administrative records to construct a comprehensive narrative of the conflict's conclusion. He argues that the war's outcome was determined not only by battlefield tactics but by the systematic transformation of Northern society into a modern, industrial state capable of sustaining total war.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed accounts of major military campaigns including the Atlanta Campaign and the Overland Campaign.
- Analysis of the economic and logistical infrastructure of the Union during 1863-1865.
- Examination of the political transition following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the Union perspective and administrative developments rather than individual soldier experiences.
- It does not provide an exhaustive tactical breakdown of every minor skirmish in the Western Theater.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians frequently cite this work as a foundational pillar of Civil War scholarship due to its exhaustive research and narrative scope. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which reflects the author's commitment to detailed historical reconstruction.
Page Count:
1072
Publication Date:
1992-09-30
Publisher:
Collier
ISBN-10:
0020354452
ISBN-13:
9780020354451
History
19th Century
Civil War
Political History
Military History
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