The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War - Softcover

Mark Dunkelman Providence Journal-Bulletin Eicher gives us the entire broad sweep of Civil War military history. No other one-volume history of the war presents as comprehensive and close an account of the campaigns and battles...A laudable accomplishment. Jay Winik The New York Times Book Review A solid and comprehensive military overview from start to finish. Brian Holden Reid Los Angeles Times The Longest Night reveals something altogether more impressive: a command of the subject...and a wealth of facts and figures...Elegant and clear. Jeffry D. Wert Author of Gettysburg: Day Three It should stand for a long time as the best and most complete single-volume military history of the Civil War. A splendid achievement.

In this compelling new account of the American Civil War, noted historian David Eicher gives us an authoritative history of battle from the first shots at Fort Sumter to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. As a strictly military history, The Longest Night covers hundreds of engagements, both well known and obscure, including the oft-neglected Western theater and naval actions along the coasts and rivers. The result is a gripping popular history that will fascinate anyone just learning about the Civil War while offering more than a few surprises for longtime students. Drawing on hundreds of sources and excerpts from correspondence by those who fought the war, The Longest Night conveys a real sense of life -- and death -- on the battlefield. In addition, Eicher analyzes each side's evolving strategy; examines the tactics of Lee, Grant, Johnston, and Sherman; and discusses significant topics such as prisons, railroads, shipbuilding, clandestine operations, and the role of African-Americans in the war. This is an indispensable chronicle of the war that James M. McPherson, in the Foreword, calls "the most dramatic, violent, and fateful experience in American history."