The Centennial History of the Civil War 3 VOLUME SET (The Coming Fury / Terrible Swift Sword / Never Call Retreat)

Bruce Catton

Published by Doubleday & Company, Inc.

The Centennial History of the Civil War 3 VOLUME SET (The Coming Fury / Terrible Swift Sword / Never Call Retreat) by Bruce Catton.Bruce Catton's monumental Centennial History of the Civil War complete in three volumes. Catton shows how the Union and Confederacy, slowly and inexorably, reconciled themselves to an all-out war-an epic struggle for freedom.Mixed printings with NO dust jackets. None are ex-library or remainder copies.Multivolume set is heavier than standard book; S and H will be adjusted.Set Condition Very Good NO Dust Jackets. Mixed set of three volumes with lovely grey boards with blue buckram spine and red stripe red and silver embossing. Set is a tight, square copy with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Books well kept and carefully stored with slight shelf wear. Mixed topstains. Edges and pages are lightly toned. A few bumped corners. Some stains and fading to covers. Spotting to edges. Index in each volume with maps on endpapers.A great reading copy of this best selling set.The Coming Fury Hardcover Cloth 565 pages. Presumed First edition 1961.Terrible Swift Sword Hardcover Cloth 559 pages. Presume First edition 1963.Never Call Retreat Hardcover Cloth 555 pages. Presumed First edition 1965.Volume 1: The Coming Fury documents the initial progress of the conflict from the secession crisis triggered by the 1860 election results to the conclusion of First Bull Run. Picking up as it does in 1860 the book is a remarkable introduction to the U.S. Civil War, not least because of the engaging style that Catton brings to the field of popular history. Over sixty years after its publication, the book still holds up superbly, and retains a place on the list of essential Civil War reads.Volume 2: In Terrible Swift Sword, Bruce Catton tells the story of the Civil War as never before-of two turning points which changed the scope and meaning of the war. First, he describes how the war slowly but steadily got out of control. This would not be the neat, short, "limited" war both sides had envisioned. And then the author reveals how the sweeping force of all-out conflict changed the war's purpose, in turning it into a war for human freedom. It was not initially a war against slavery. Instead, this was, Mr. Lincoln kept insisting, a fight to reunite the United States.At first, it was not even much of a fight. Cautious generals; inexperienced, incompetent, or jealous administrators; shortages of good people and supplies; excess of both gloom and optimism, kept each side from swinging into decisive action. As the buildup began, there were maddening delays. The earliest engagements were halting and inconclusive.After these first tests at arms, reputations began to crumble. Buell, Halleck, Beauregard, Albert Sidney Johnston. Failed to drive ahead-for reasons good and bad. General McClellan (impaled in these pages on the arrogant words of his letters) captured more imaginations than enemies, and continued to accept serious over estimates of Confederate strength while becoming more and more fatally estranged from his own government.Volume 3 Never Call Retreat: The final volume of Bruce Catton's monumental Centennial History of the Civil War traces the war from Fredericksburg through the succeeding grim and relentless campaigns to the Courthouse at Appomattox and the death of Lincoln.This is an eloquent study of the bitterest years of the war when death slashed the country with a brutality unparalleled in the history of the United States. Through the kaleidoscope tone and temper of the struggle, two men, different in stature, but similar in dedication to their awesome tasks, grappled with the burden of being leaders both in politics and war.In the north Lincoln remained resolute in the belief that a house divided against itself could not stand. His determination and uncanny vision of the destiny of the country and its people far transcended the plaguing tensions, fears, and frustrations of his cabinet and Congress. Seller Inventory # 657988

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Centennial History of the Civil War 3 ...
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Binding: Hard
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 22.