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Summary: Interesting Glimpses at some key Civil War Issues
Comment: This is a slim volume of four essays that turn their attention to three issues of the Civil War: the significance of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in their conduct of war for the Northern and Southern sides, and the relationship of President Lincoln with the Radical Republicans during the War. These essays probably assume readers already well versed in the history of the times, although they are not too obscure for the general reader. Author Bruce Catton establishes immediately that the Civil War was not the classic "war of professionals, with set rules, established values, and recognized limits." The Civil War was all-out warfare fought by soldier-citizens for whom the only acceptable outcome was total victory. It was Grant, after a series of failed generals, who finally dealt with the exigencies and peculiarities of the war and devised a strategy leading to victory. Grant was aggressive in his pursuit of the war and understood the need to destroy the other's army and not simply gain strategic points through maneuver, all done with untrained, yet willing, troops. It is clear that the North had an immense advantage in resources, but it was left to Grant to devise a multi-pronged, total war effort and use this advantage in resources by continually pressing the enemy.
Lee was dealt a difficult hand to play in the Civil War. He was outmanned two or three to one; his advantage of internal rail lines did not prove to be that beneficial; Southern localism detracted from a united front; and the defense of the Southern agricultural system dependent on slavery required that troops be dispersed much too widely. The author, Charles Roland, points out that Lee was not given command of all of the Southern army until the war was essentially over, though his advice to Jefferson Davis was valued. As commander of the Northern Virginia army, Lee had an uncanny ability to predict Northern strategy and troop movements. His strategy to penetrate into Northern territory to strike fear into the civilian population, aid Northern peace advocates, and perhaps end the war was a bold initiative. But the Southern army was routed at Gettysburg in July of 1863, partially due to poor strategy and execution; it was not Lee's finest moment. The author suggests that Lee did not, at times, control his subordinate officers sufficiently well to prevent uncoordinated or ineffective battlefield actions. After Gettysburg the Southern war effort was doomed, but Lee prolonged the Confederacy for a year (1864-65) by resisting the final push of Grant towards Richmond with a series of excellent counter moves and stands. The author calls that effort "one of the most prodigious military efforts of the modern age."
The essays by David Donald and T. Harry Williams are brief, but in depth, looks at the Radical Republicans and their influence on President Lincoln. While the essays are interesting and informative, they are actually a continuation of an insider dispute among academic historians as to the significance of the Radicals during the War. Donald claims that all Republicans generally shared the same beliefs and that it is virtually impossible to identify a group of Republicans or a set of policies that can be definitively labeled "Radical." He holds that differences among members of a party are normal. However, he does not disagree that there was widespread disagreement, even disapproval, with Lincoln by many Republicans. Williams, on the other hand, finds that a group of Republicans were doctrinaire about their beliefs concerning the eradication of slavery, opposed to the more pragmatic approach of Conservative Republicans. These Radicals even made attempts to usurp executive authority and privilege in the conduct of the war and in the choice of Cabinet members. Lincoln was largely able to deflect such pressures. The post-Civil War period is not covered in these essays, but it would seem that what influence the Radicals may have had was fleeting given the return to dominance of the white elite in the South.
All of these essays are mere glimpses into the Civil War era. Perhaps they would be clarifying for some or stimulate more investigation by others.
