5/5

Second time around was even better than the first: This is THE definitive book on the Civil War. McPherson weaves an intricate tapestry of the 1850s and ’60s that captivates the reader and transports you back in time. I truly believe this to be some of the finest historical non-fiction I have read and a triumph of the genre for a broader reading public.

While more specialized books can give you detailed looks into more particular pieces of the conflict no other text manages to distill the essence of the period into such a clear narrative. My personal favorite chapter will always be the Vicksburg campaign, but there are so many memorable passages in this book I shall return to it over and over throughout my life: Bleeding Kansas, the Monitor vs. the Virginia, the Mississippi river-boat battles, the gorilla war in Missouri and Lincoln’s procession through Richmond are all permanently etched into my mind by this masterpiece.