Battle Cry of Freedom
The Civil War Era
Published By: Oxford University Press, 1988
Genre: Nonfiction | History & Culture, Military & War
Page Count: 876 (Paperback)
Audiobook Length: 39 hours and 40 minutes
Audiobook Narrator: Jonathan Davis
ISBN: 9780195168952
Publisher’s Description
Now featuring a new Afterword by the author, this handy paperback edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom is without question the definitive one-volume history of the Civil War.
James McPherson’s fast-paced narrative fully integrates the political, social, and military events that crowded the two decades from the outbreak of one war in Mexico to the ending of another at Appomattox. Packed with drama and analytical insight, the book vividly recounts the momentous episodes that preceded the Civil War including the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. From there it moves into a masterful chronicle of the war itself—the battles, the strategic maneuvering by each side, the politics, and the personalities. Particularly notable are McPherson’s new views on such matters as the slavery expansion issue in the 1850s, the origins of the Republican Party, the causes of secession, internal dissent, and anti-war opposition in the North and the South, and the reasons for the Union’s victory.
The book’s title refers to the sentiments that informed both the Northern and Southern views of the conflict. The South seceded in the name of that freedom of self-determination and self-government for which their fathers had fought in 1776, while the North stood fast in defense of the Union founded by those fathers as the bulwark of American liberty. Eventually, the North had to grapple with the underlying cause of the war, slavery, and adopt a policy of emancipation as a second war aim. This “new birth of freedom,” as Lincoln called it, constitutes the proudest legacy of America’s bloodiest conflict.
This authoritative volume makes sense of that vast and confusing “second American Revolution” we call the Civil War, a war that transformed a nation and expanded our heritage of liberty.
About the Author
Renowned American historian James M. McPherson, born in Valley City, North Dakota, has left an indelible mark on Civil War scholarship. A recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for History for his magnum opus “Battle Cry of Freedom” (1988), McPherson’s succinct and compelling narratives make complex historical subjects accessible. His dedication to educating both academia and the public solidifies him as a distinguished figure in American history.
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