 "Antietam in its context" | 2008-06-19 |
| - Reviewed By david_w_nicholas |
The Civil War has had many books written about it over the years. I've got a small portion of them (several hundred at least I would guess) and they have varying points of view and different attitudes. In the current book, Pulitzer Prize-winner James McPherson convincingly recounts the events surrounding the Battle of Antietam, and places it in the context of those surrounding events. He demonstrates that the battle, because of the circumstances at the time, was the most crucial battle of the war, more important than Gettysburg or any other, because of the international implications that it had, and the effect it had on the civilian populations North and South. The actual battle is only briefly dealt with.
This is one of those books which is hard to categorize. It's not really a full-fledged historical work. It's only 150+ pages, just over 200 with the index, bibliography, and notes, and it really has only one serious theme (that of the battle's importance). As such, it's really more along the lines of an extended essay than an actual full historical account of the battle. This isn't bad, but the reader should know this before they buy the book. I would suggest, if a reader is looking to educate themselves about the battle, that this is a good introduction: Sears or Murfin would provide much more detail and analysis if those were needed. |
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 "Undertanding Antietam's impact" | 2007-11-09 |
| - Reviewed By eggers_j |
"Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam" by James M. McPherson is the story of The Battle of Antietam, the first battle to be fought in the north, near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. This battle which took place on September 17th, 1862 produced the most casualties in American history with approximately 23,000 dead.
After pursuing Confederate General Robert E. Lee into Maryland, Union Army Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan launched attacks against Lee's army, in defensive positions behind Antietam Creek. At dawn on September 17, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee's left flank. Attacks and counterattacks swept across Miller's cornfield and fighting swirled around the Dunker Church. Union assaults against the Sunken Road eventually pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. In the afternoon, Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside's corps entered the action, capturing a stone bridge over Antietam Creek and advancing against the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill's division arrived from Harpers Ferry and launched a surprise counterattack, driving back Burnside and ending the battle. Although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout September 18, while removing his wounded south of the river.
Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attacks failed to achieve concentration of mass, allowing Lee to counter by shifting forces along interior lines to meet each challenge. Despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. Nevertheless, Lee's invasion of Maryland was ended, and he was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it had unique significance as enough of a victory to give President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation.
Arthur James M. McPherson claims that this battle, more so than Gettysburg, is the battle that changed the course of the war. Because Lee was forced to flee, it showed the futility of the Southern cause, causing foreign powers such as France and Britain to refuse to recognize the Confederacy as a legitimate government separate from the Union. It also resulted in the final removal of General McClellan, an over cautious man who didn't like to fight, even though his organizational skills are credited for helping. `Crossroads' goes more into the politics and social climate before the battle that led up to the monumental after effects than the battle itself. It goes into the minds of the men who fought, by reading diary entries and letters of correspondence between leaders. Most illuminating is the passages of McClellan, a paranoid man who just can't muster the courage to fight and then blame his faults on everyone else.
If you already knew about this essential battle, I don't know if you'll find anything new here. As for me, however, I found it extremely illuminating. |
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| "Concise and informative" | 2007-06-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1KJO5VP4K3CHU |
This book is in the Pivotal Moments in American History series and the thrust of the book is to show why the battle of Antietam deserves to be considered a pivotal moment. This book focuses on the failings of General McClellan and on the political (both domestic and foreign) importance of this battle. Even a partial Confederate victory would likely have led to Britain and France forcing a negotiated settlement of the war, or at least it would have led to the recognition of the Confederacy as an independent state, which was a major Confederate aim. A complete Confederate victory could have led to their occupation of Washington and a complete collapse of the Union forces. As such, Professor McPherson makes a strong case for this being the most pivotal battle of the American Civil War. Other battles were very important, but it is likely that they would not have been fought had the Union not won the battle of Antietam, even if the victory was less than a complete one. The partial Union victory improved the Republican showing in the congressional elections of 1862, led to the dismissal of General McClellan, prevented the European recognition of the Confederacy, and allowed Lincoln to present the Emancipation Proclamation (which he had formulated weeks before) thereby permanently preventing any European recognition of the Confederacy.
This is a short book (only 156 pages of text). It briefly discusses military events of 1862 and how these led to a continual seesawing of the fortunes of the North and South. It then discusses the factors immediately leading up to the battle and the importance of the battle. However, the fighting of the battle is only covered in a brief 34-page chapter, so those looking for a detailed history of the battle itself may be disappointed.
Professor McPherson shows why he is currently a preeminent Civil War scholar. His writing is entertaining and the points he makes are made forcefully and clearly. This is a great book for those who what to know why Antietam was a pivotal moment in American history, as well as for those who not ready to tackle his 952-page complete history of the Civil War.
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 "not very interesting" | 2007-01-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A12QWRBSIQ7BDK |
The author uses personal records such as diaries and letters to add local color to this campaign. Overall the book does not turn much new ground.
McClellan is, as usual, condemned as barely competent. For my two cents, McClellan is the victim of hindsight, and was a serious, effective man, though I have yet to read that in any popular Civil War history. Perhaps McClellan did overestimate the size of Lee's army, but he acted on the data that was provided him. Much like Admiral Jellicoe at the WWI naval battle of Jutland, he did not lose his force, and he held the field, and that was the essential strategic requirement.
The book has a general point of view bias to the Union side. An OK read for someone unfamiliar with the campaign, but Civil War buffs won't find much new here. |
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| "Another great installment in the Pivotal Mometns in American History" | 2006-12-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: AQ3540NJNST0C |
| Another great installment in the Pivotal moments of American history. I think one of the great triumphs of this book is the explanation as to why this is a more important battle than Gettysburg. This book takes into consideration all of the international factors that went into the significance of the battle. It clearly provides a discussion of what happened and with the pictures and diagrams provided you get a very vivid picture of one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War. This is an excellent book for civil war buffs and a must have for a civil war library. James McPhereson continues his streak of developing excellent and thoughtful civil war novels. |
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| "Shorter McPherson, but still terrific research and contextually sound" | 2006-12-13 |
| - Reviewed By shawnsullivan |
Crossroads of Freedom, by James M. McPherson, does a superb job in its goal of discussing how the Battle of Antietam was a turning point in the American Civil War. McPherson, our pre-eminent historian on the Civil War era, writes clearly and concisely and is very successful in the goals set forth by the author and fellow editor of the Pivotal Moments in American History Series, David Hackett Fischer. As Fischer states in the Editor's Note "It takes a long view of its subject and sets the battle firmly in the context of large historical processes. This is also an idea of historical change not as a single transforming event, but as a web of contingencies."
A word of caution here. For those who have read McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom, (and if one is interested in this period it should be required reading) his prose in Crossroads seems a bit pithy, but rest assured, as with all of McPherson's writings and teachings, there is no shortfall on research. Professor McPherson weaves wonderful quotes from letters written by privates, by generals, both "Presidents", Lincoln and Davis, and news articles and headlines into his always strong narrative. His writing always seems to amaze as his narrative is seamless but, at the same time, his ability to put an event into its historical context is his main strength in his written research.
All in all a terrific, if short, book on a period in time where so much of our young country's future hung in the outcome of many variables, all well delineated in this great entry into a fun and educational series by the Oxford University Press. |
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| "Good popular history" | 2006-10-05 |
| - Reviewed By 6nomad9 |
| Though more a highly abbreviated history of the Civil War than a history of the battle of Antietam per se, CFA is well written, well argued, and entertaining. Earlier in his career, McPherson wrote one of the finest histories ever (The Battle Cry of Freedom). CFA does not begin to match BCF for its sweep and erudition, but of course its focus (on a "pivotal moment in American history") is intentionally more narrow. CFA is pitched to the McCullough and Ken Burns crowd (I among them), purveyors both of excellent popular histories and excellent scholarly histories. With BCF, McPherson proved himself a master of the latter genre; with CFA, he proves himself a master of the former genre. If you're interested in Civil War history and looking for a book to begin with, CFA is as good as any. If you're seriously interested, BCF is a must. |
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 "Needs a different title" | 2005-01-20 |
| - Reviewed By bwirth4 |
| After reading the book first and then reading the reviews, I have to agree that the book has it's good and bad points however I think that the title is a little misleading. I was expecting to read a book that would go into a little more detail regarding this bloody battle. I think I was past page 100 (Total story pages of 156) before Antietam was even mentioned. I did gain some insight regarding many of the social and political dramas that happened prior to the battle but when you read the title of the book, that is not what you are expecting to read about. If you are looking for a book about the battle, this is not the book to get. If you are interested in a lot of the things that were occurring, especially in England and France regarding their involvement, and whether or not they should recognize the Confederacy then perhaps this book is for you. |
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| "A Partial Treatment" | 2004-12-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3LU2T898I23RB |
James McPherson's book on the battle of Antietam has its pluses and minuses. Its strength lies in its treatment of the political situation at the time the battle of Antietam was fought. I think he did an excellent job laying out the South's desire for recognition by European powers and how closely it came to acheiving it. He also reflected well the ups and downs of morale in the North and South leading up to the battle. His writing style is easy to follow and I found it difficult to put the book down.
This having been said it is the battle itself which is the weak point of the book. While this book does an excellent job laying out the political landscape, it does a poor job of actually describing the battle. Not because of poor writing or anything like that, it's simply a very short description of the battle. It basically stayed at the corps level and didn't delve much into the division or brigade level and certainly not much into the regimental level.
I think McPherson did well at trying to prove a thesis. His thesis is that the battle of Antietam layed at the crossroads of the Civil War, in which the momentum that had built for European recognition of the South was stopped and the Emancipation Proclamation finally had the proper political moment to be released. September of 1862 was the closest the South would ever come to that recognition and the Emancipation Proclamation would change the tenor of the war and swing the political momentum back to the side of the Union. In this sense then the battle was one, if not THE pivotal moment of the Civil War. I think he argued his thesis quite convincingly.
The only reason I gave this book three stars instead of four or even five was simply because I felt it fell short of adequately describing the battle of Antietam itself. This having been said, I would recommend it as a fine political and military overview leading up to the battle and after reading it would then turn to Stephen W. Sear's book "Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam" for an excellent military treatment of the battle itself. |
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| "A focus on contingencies" | 2004-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By pouz |
I have always had a high opinion of Dr. McPherson, and he certainly doesn't disappoint with this excellent work. "Crossroads of Freedom" isn't a thorough examination of the Battle of Antietam. Instead, it is an expert look at the perilous condition of the Union prior to the September battle, and illustrates the critical importance of this engagement, and how it served as a turning point in both Civil War and American social/political history.
Full of generalizations by one of today's most enlightened historians, this book is perfect for the Civil War enthusiast and novice alike; It simply puts the first few years of the war into perspective. Perhaps the most valuable facet of this work is the excellent bibliography and appendices that serve as an invaluable asset to further research in a variety of subjects. |
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