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Why the Confederacy Lost

Gabor S. Boritt

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Description:After the Civil War, someone asked Gen. Pickett why the Battle of Gettysburg had been lost: Was it Lee's error in taking the offensive, the tardiness of Ewell & Early, or Longstreet's hesitation in attacking? Pickett scratched his head & replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it." This simple fact, writes James McPherson, has escaped a generation of historians who have looked to faulty morale, population, economics & dissent as the causes of Confederate failure. These were all factors, he writes, but the Civil War was still a war--won by the Union army thru key victories at key moments. With this brilliant review of how historians have explained the Southern defeat, McPherson opens a fascinating account by several leading historians of how the Union broke the Confederate rebellion. In every chapter, the military struggle takes center stage, as the authors reveal how battlefield decisions shaped the very forces that many scholars (putting the cart before the horse) claim determined the outcome of the war. Archer Jones examines the strategy of the two sides, showing how each had to match its military planning to political necessity. Lee raided north of the Potomac with one eye on European recognition & the other on Northern puplic opinion--but his inevitable retreats looked like failure to the Southern public. The North, however, developed a strategy of deep raids that was extremely effective because it served a valuable political as well as military purpose, shattering Southern morale by tearing up the interior. Gary Gallagher takes a hard look at the role of generals, narrowing his focus to the crucial triumvirate of Lee, Grant & Sherman, who towered above the others. Lee's aggressiveness may have been costly, but he well knew the political impact of his spectacular victories; Grant & Sherman, meanwhile, were the 1st Union generals to fully harness Northern resources & carry out coordinated campaigns. Reid Mitchell shows how the Union's advantage in numbers was enhanced by a dedication & perseverance of federal troops that wasn't matched by the Confederates after their home front began to collapse. Joseph Glatthaar examines black troops, whose role is entering the realm of national myth. In 1960, there appeared a collection of essays by major historians, entitled Why the North Won the Civil War, edited by David Donald; it's now in its 26th printing, having sold over 100,000 copies. Why the Confederacy Lost provides a parallel volume, written by today's leading authorities. Provocatively argued & engagingly written, this work reminds us that the hard-won triumph of the North was far from inevitable.AcknowledgmentsIntroductionAmerican victory, American defeat/ James M. McPhersonMilitary means, political ends: strategy/ Archer Jones"Upon their success hang momentous interests": generals/ Gary W. GallagherThe perseverance of the soldiers/ Reid MitchellBlack glory: the African-American role in union victory/ Joseph T. GlatthaarNotesFor Further ReadingContributorsIndexWe have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Why the Confederacy Lost. To get started finding Why the Confederacy Lost, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
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ISBN: 0195085493

Description: After the Civil War, someone asked Gen. Pickett why the Battle of Gettysburg had been lost: Was it Lee's error in taking the offensive, the tardiness of Ewell & Early, or Longstreet's hesitation in attacking? Pickett scratched his head & replied, "I've always thought the Yankees had something to do with it." This simple fact, writes James McPherson, has escaped a generation of historians who have looked to faulty morale, population, economics & dissent as the causes of Confederate failure. These were all factors, he writes, but the Civil War was still a war--won by the Union army thru key victories at key moments. With this brilliant review of how historians have explained the Southern defeat, McPherson opens a fascinating account by several leading historians of how the Union broke the Confederate rebellion. In every chapter, the military struggle takes center stage, as the authors reveal how battlefield decisions shaped the very forces that many scholars (putting the cart before the horse) claim determined the outcome of the war. Archer Jones examines the strategy of the two sides, showing how each had to match its military planning to political necessity. Lee raided north of the Potomac with one eye on European recognition & the other on Northern puplic opinion--but his inevitable retreats looked like failure to the Southern public. The North, however, developed a strategy of deep raids that was extremely effective because it served a valuable political as well as military purpose, shattering Southern morale by tearing up the interior. Gary Gallagher takes a hard look at the role of generals, narrowing his focus to the crucial triumvirate of Lee, Grant & Sherman, who towered above the others. Lee's aggressiveness may have been costly, but he well knew the political impact of his spectacular victories; Grant & Sherman, meanwhile, were the 1st Union generals to fully harness Northern resources & carry out coordinated campaigns. Reid Mitchell shows how the Union's advantage in numbers was enhanced by a dedication & perseverance of federal troops that wasn't matched by the Confederates after their home front began to collapse. Joseph Glatthaar examines black troops, whose role is entering the realm of national myth. In 1960, there appeared a collection of essays by major historians, entitled Why the North Won the Civil War, edited by David Donald; it's now in its 26th printing, having sold over 100,000 copies. Why the Confederacy Lost provides a parallel volume, written by today's leading authorities. Provocatively argued & engagingly written, this work reminds us that the hard-won triumph of the North was far from inevitable.AcknowledgmentsIntroductionAmerican victory, American defeat/ James M. McPhersonMilitary means, political ends: strategy/ Archer Jones"Upon their success hang momentous interests": generals/ Gary W. GallagherThe perseverance of the soldiers/ Reid MitchellBlack glory: the African-American role in union victory/ Joseph T. GlatthaarNotesFor Further ReadingContributorsIndexWe have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Why the Confederacy Lost. To get started finding Why the Confederacy Lost, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Why the Confederacy Lost

Why the Confederacy Lost

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