A Short History of the Civil War

With this study, Stokesbury, professor of history at Acadia University, enhances his reputation as an interpreter of complex wars in brief texts (A Short History of World War I; A Short History of World War II). Blending perceptive analysis with concise narrative, he describes the Civil War as America's defining experience both for the causes involved and for the tremendous human and material costs. Stokesbury makes a solid case that participants thought the war was worth the effort and the sacrifice. Southerners convinced themselves they had intended less to preserve slavery than to leave an oppressive system. Northerners fought for ``a new birth of freedom,'' a redefining of the meaning of ``government of the people, by the people, for the people.'' Both sides were proud enough of themselves that they could ultimately be Americans again. (Nov.)