The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville

By Shelby Foote

Categories: History

This opening volume of Shelby Foote's three-part narrative of the Civil War opens with Jefferson Davis's farewell to the Senate and follows the conflict to October 1862, built around the contrasting leadership of Davis and Abraham Lincoln. The major battles are here, from Bull Run and Shiloh to the Seven Days and Antietam, alongside Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, the fall of New Orleans, the Monitor and the Merrimac, and Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. This Vintage edition reprints the 1958 original.

Recommended by 1 person

• Ryan Holiday: “Having read and enjoyed Shelby Foote's novel Shiloh (which I highly recommend), I was motivated to attempt his magnum opus, the one million-plus word trilogy The Civil War. The books are surprisingly readable, come in a bright box set and are great for flipping through.”