James M. McPherson

Battle Cry of Freedom

Comprehensive, entertaining, passionately pro-northern though not disrespectful nor detrimental to the South. I liked the fact of the author implicating himself with the North's cause, since a impartial attitude could only be expected by a non-American or a pedant. There's respect though, even sincere admiration for the capacity for fight and the stubborness to never give up of the South. Plus the book is readable enough for the amount of pages it has, what else can one wish for?

The book covers alternatively the politics, sociology, what have you, including the military part. I think the author dedicates much more to the former, which is wider in scope obviously, than to the fighting per se. So since there is so much information going on, some things will interest you more and some less, but overall it is well written and entertaining.

I am sure that one thing that made this book so successful was that -although biased- pro-North it is never arrogantly so. Good History.