Leaders of the American Civil War - (And Criticism) by Jon L Wakelyn & Charles F Ritter (Hardcover)

About the Book

Covering both the great military leaders and the critical civilian leaders, this book provides an overview of their careers and a professional assessment of their accomplishments. Entries consider the leaders' character and prewar experiences, their contributions to the war effort, and the war's impact on the rest of their lives. The entries then look at how history has assessed these leaders, thus putting their longtime reputations on the line. The result is a thorough revision of some leaders' careers, a call for further study of others, and a reaffirmation of the accomplishments of the greatest leaders.

Analyzing the leaders historiographically, the work shows how the leaders wanted to be remembered, how postwar memorists and biographers saw them, the verdict of early historians, and how the best modern historians have assessed their contributions. By including a variety of leaders from both civilian and military roles, the book provides a better understanding of the total war, and by relating their lives to their times, it provides a better understanding of historical revisionism and of why history has been so interested in Civil War lives.

Book Synopsis

Covering both the great military leaders and the critical civilian leaders, this book provides an overview of their careers and a professional assessment of their accomplishments. Entries consider the leaders' character and prewar experiences, their contributions to the war effort, and the war's impact on the rest of their lives. The entries then look at how history has assessed these leaders, thus putting their longtime reputations on the line. The result is a thorough revision of some leaders' careers, a call for further study of others, and a reaffirmation of the accomplishments of the greatest leaders.

Analyzing the leaders historiographically, the work shows how the leaders wanted to be remembered, how postwar memorists and biographers saw them, the verdict of early historians, and how the best modern historians have assessed their contributions. By including a variety of leaders from both civilian and military roles, the book provides a better understanding of the total war, and by relating their lives to their times, it provides a better understanding of historical revisionism and of why history has been so interested in Civil War lives.

Review Quotes

"The essays are accurate, objective, and authoritative....[T]he scope of the entries, the particular context provided by focusing on the war, and the readability of the prose mean that the volume will be a useful addition to public and academic libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

?Civil War buffs will welcome this biographical dictionary...a valuable feature is an extended commentary and analysis of some of the outstanding items of the vast historiography about the Civil War.?-Library Journal

?The essays are accurate, objective, and authoritative....[T]he scope of the entries, the particular context provided by focusing on the war, and the readability of the prose mean that the volume will be a useful addition to public and academic libraries.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

?This volume makes good reading for pleasure by any Civil War buff....History students in colleges and universities will find it invaluable for course and research assignments....This book is highly recommended for all libraries and individuals with an interest in the Civil War.?-American Reference Books Annual

?Undergraduates and general readers will find this volume to be a boon in their initial search for facts and interpretations about forty-seven selected leaders of the American Civil War. Historians will find cogent essays surveying the lives and failures or accomplishments of a diverse group of politicians, journalists, religious leaders, military commanders, and other public figures.?-Journal of Military History

"Civil War buffs will welcome this biographical dictionary...a valuable feature is an extended commentary and analysis of some of the outstanding items of the vast historiography about the Civil War."-Library Journal

"This volume makes good reading for pleasure by any Civil War buff....History students in colleges and universities will find it invaluable for course and research assignments....This book is highly recommended for all libraries and individuals with an interest in the Civil War."-American Reference Books Annual

"Undergraduates and general readers will find this volume to be a boon in their initial search for facts and interpretations about forty-seven selected leaders of the American Civil War. Historians will find cogent essays surveying the lives and failures or accomplishments of a diverse group of politicians, journalists, religious leaders, military commanders, and other public figures."-Journal of Military History

About the Author

CHARLES F. RITTER is Professor and Chairperson of History at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland. He is coauthor, with Jon L. Wakelyn, of American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910 (Greenwood, 1989).

JON L. WAKELYN is Professor of History at Kent State University. He is the author of several books, including Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy (Greenwood, 1977), Web of Southern Social Relations (1985), and Southern Pamphlets on Secession (1996).