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A Savage War: A Military History of the Civil War
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A Savage War: A Military History of the Civil War Hardcover - 2016

by Williamson Murray; Wayne Wei-Siang Hsieh


From the publisher

How the Civil War changed the face of war The Civil War represented a momentous change in the character of war. It combined the projection of military might across a continent on a scale never before seen with an unprecedented mass mobilization of peoples. Yet despite the revolutionizing aspects of the Civil War, its leaders faced the same uncertainties and vagaries of chance that have vexed combatants since the days of Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War. A Savage War sheds critical new light on this defining chapter in military history. In a masterful narrative that propels readers from the first shots fired at Fort Sumter to the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army at Appomattox, Williamson Murray and Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh bring every aspect of the battlefield vividly to life. They show how this new way of waging war was made possible by the powerful historical forces unleashed by the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution, yet how the war was far from being simply a story of the triumph of superior machines. Despite the Union's material superiority, a Union victory remained in doubt for most of the war. Murray and Hsieh paint indelible portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and other major figures whose leadership, judgment, and personal character played such decisive roles in the fate of a nation. They also examine how the Army of the Potomac, the Army of Northern Virginia, and the other major armies developed entirely different cultures that influenced the war's outcome. A military history of breathtaking sweep and scope, A Savage War reveals how the Civil War ushered in the age of modern warfare.

From the rear cover

"If you think that there is nothing new to write about the Civil War, this book will prove you wrong."--H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

"More than just another narrative of the Civil War, this thoughtful and often provocative book is an engaging analysis of the leadership, personalities, and strategies of both sides during America's great nineteenth-century trauma."--Craig L. Symonds, author of Lincoln and His Admirals

"A Savage War is not just a riveting military narrative of the American Civil War written by two military historians with singular pragmatic experience, but a rare and much needed strategic assessment of the aims and methods of the Union and the Confederacy--highlighted with incisive, blunt--and persuasive-- appraisals of all the major generals and supreme commanders."--Victor Davis Hanson, author of Carnage and Culture and The Savior Generals

"A Savage War offers a splendid overview of the greatest military trauma in United States history. The authors explore Union and Confederate martial culture, navigate with a sure step through campaigns and battles, and assess leaders convincingly--all the while challenging hoary misconceptions about the conflict. Readers new to the topic, as well as more veteran students, will turn to this book with profit."--Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Union War

"A Savage War is a marvelous book. Iconoclastic, endlessly fascinating, and wide-ranging, this work is a singular achievement, something sure to delight Civil War buffs. A must-read."--Jay Winik, author of 1944 and April 1865

"Murray and Hsieh bring verve, insight, and originality to their account of the Civil War. In a crowded field, A Savage War still stands out as a book of required reading even for specialists."--Allan R. Millett, author of The War for Korea, 1950-1951: They Came from the North

"[A] very important new history of the American Civil War by two important historians."--Newt Gingrich

"A genuinely fresh set of insights about the Civil War. Murray and Hsieh have crafted a military narrative that goes well beyond anything else in the literature."--James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

"Forceful and convincing. Murray and Hsieh have succeeded in producing a very accessible book about a very complex series of events . . . A model of how to write military history."--John Gooch, author of Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940

Details

  • Title A Savage War: A Military History of the Civil War
  • Author Williamson Murray; Wayne Wei-Siang Hsieh
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition; F
  • Pages 616
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ
  • Date 2016-09
  • ISBN 9780691169408 / 0691169403
  • Weight 2.15 lbs (0.98 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.8 in (23.62 x 16.00 x 4.57 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
    • Topical: Civil War
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - History - Civil War,
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2016008730
  • Dewey Decimal Code 973.73

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 03/01/2017, Page 0
  • Kirkus Reviews, 09/01/2016, Page 0
  • Library Journal, 08/01/2016, Page 108

About the author

Williamson Murray is professor emeritus of history at Ohio State University. His many books include The Iran-Iraq War. Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh is associate professor of history at the United States Naval Academy. He is the author of West Pointers and the Civil War. They both live in Fairfax, Virginia.
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