The American Civil War (Abridged): A Military History Audiobook

" I enjoyed the insights of a foreign military historian. "

" I wonder whether this was the publisher's idea. Unlike the majority of his writings, on this topic, Keegan offers little original, and as other reviewers have noted, makes unaccustomed errors of fact. Sadly, not worthy of the author. "

" A great concise military history. A wonderful read. To the point. "

" In his broad, single-volume history, Keegan offers an outsider's view of the American Civil War, providing fresh insights from a bracingly impartial perspective. However, though critics were quick to voice their admiration for Keegan's previous works, they were deeply disappointed by The American Civil War. His narrative is lamentably riddled with inaccuracies, including the dates, locations, and events of major battles. He incorrectly attributes well-known quotes, presents disproved myths as facts, and repeatedly contradicts himself. Critics also bemoaned the brevity of the book, which muddled the repetitive descriptions of battles and troop movements, and Keegan's obscure asides. ""He's loath to leave any of his erudition off the table,"" opines the New York Times. Critics expected more from this eminent historian, and readers may be similarly disappointed. This is an excerpt of a review published in Bookmarks magazine. "

" There are no original ideas here, just the same mish-mash of Grant/Lincoln hero worship we have all come to know. Grant was a very good general, and Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents but really people, there is no shame in pointing out their faults and failures. It isn't like The Lost Cause devotees are going to get a beachhead by us admitting that Grant and Lincoln were not gods. As regards to Keegan, I think he simply wrote a book because he figured we needed the 'Keegan touch.' On page 233 of The Mask of Command Keegan states that promotion makes normal men into neurotic pomposity. The same is apparently true of notoriety for historians. Now that Mr. Keegan is a lord of history, he no longer feels close to the men of Waterloo, but rather closer to the same Caesar he once damned as a historian. "

" I always like Keegan, in general I liked the book. It lacked the good organization of his WWI, WWII books, some odd repetition and jumps in time when moving from zone to zone of the war. "

" This was my first contact with the history of the American Civil War and John Keegan did not dissapoint. It was well written and I learned a lot about the war but also about the time and the involved peoples in general... "

" I found it disappointing after all the rave reviews it got. Yes, Keegan does draw some interesting comparisons with the Crimean War and World War One (as one would expect), but a lot of it felt rather derivative. I enjoyed MacPherson's _Battle Cry of Freedom_ much more. "

" I have read a number of books by John Keegan, and have generally found them to be excellent. I cannot say the same about this book. It was repetitive and poorly edited. I think it could have been a much better work. "

" A great concise history of the Civil War, with a focus on Military issues. Keegan likes to organize his histories around a theme, and here he attempts to answer why the South was able to last as long as it did. A good read, but not great if you want the grander social and political sweep. "

" This was an excellent scamper through the salient points and key battles, learnt loads, good preparation for Spielberg's Lincoln movie "

" An insightful look at the American Civil War by a British historian no less. "

" I'm a Keegan fan, especially of "A History of Warfare". This isn't his best; it's a fairly straightforward overview of the background and strategy and a tactical blow-by-blow of the major battles. Still a lot of info in a concise and well-written account. "

" A fascinating read. Keegan suggests that several military tactics that became synonomous with World War I were first used with varying degrees of success during the American Civil War, forty years earlier. Trench warfare and huge land mines being two. "

" So far this one is soooooo heavy that it's taking me a long time to read. It's densely packed with facts, and links most of our moves in the 20th century to decisions made in the 1860's. Crazy. "

" Keegan writes a different view of the Civil War, one which looks at strategy. He explains why both sides entered this conflict, why it was necessary and why it lasted so long. "

" Very engaging book. Military history meets cultural anthropology. "

" A broad history of warfare that is accessible to the non-historian. <3 John Keegan. "

" Horridly boring and doubly disappointing given how interesting the title sounds. "

" An interesting account of warfare. The roles it has historically played. How various cultures deal with and wage war. And mostly the build up to World War I and how the world changed with the mechanized military. "

" Probably the best ever compilations and analysis of evolution of military tactics. "