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Book Review: Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the Civil War (James M. McPherson) : ACWBook Reviews | one comment | Print This Post | Email This Post
Not everyone is going to like McPherson’s new book, Drawn With the Sword. If you don’t believe that slavery was the onlyreal cause of the war, don’t waste your time reading McPherson. He has never hidden the fact that he believes that slavery wasthe one issue that fatally divided North and South. McPherson gives grudging credit to other issues, such as states’ rights, butto him, the bottom line is slavery. If McPherson’s obsession with slavery does not turn you off, you’ll probably enjoy Drawn With the Sword. In the 15 essays that make up the book, McPherson explores a variety of subjects ranging from the causes of the war to how the South almost won and why the war still fascinates us today. Fourteen of the essays have been previously published, but were revised for this edition. The one new piece “What’s The Matter With History?” is worth the price of admission itself. McPherson hoped, with this work, to reach the three audiences that he feels all readers of history fall into: professionalhistorians, Civil War buffs and general readers. He has succeeded admirably in this goal. Not only does he make you think,re-examining issues that have reached the point of seeming almost “cut-and-dried,” but he does so in a manner that is enjoyableto read. If more professional historians approached their task with the grace and touch of McPherson, there would be no needto ask, “What’s the matter with history?” You may not always agree with McPherson’s conclusions, but you can’t read DrawnWith the Sword without giving some consideration to his point of view. B. Keith Toney Subscribe Today
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One Comment to “Book Review: Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the Civil War (James M. McPherson) : ACW”
The fact that every serious issue prior to the Civil War that divided the country was a result of, or related to slavery. The conflicts in Kansas were over slavery. Congress was divided over slavery, the new Republican Party was deeply divided over Abolition and the extent of its implementation. The Democrats were even further divided over slavery. Lincoln agonized over the slavery issue, and lack of victories against the South, before Abolition in 1862.
Individually, slavery was certainly not the issue for every soldier. But for the country as a whole, it is very hard to deny the importance of slavery over other issues before the Civil War. States rights, and “other issues” all seemed to lead to the same primary issue, slavery. I don’t think McPherson has an obsession, but, rather, provides well researched material.
By O. Spunkmeyer on Mar 21, 2009 at 10:59 am