Why the North Won the Civil War
By: essays by Henry Steele Commager [and others] ; edited by David Herbert Donald
Edition: 1st Touchstone Ed edition
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: November 5, 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 128
ISBN-13: 9780684825069
Copyright date: 1996
Subjects: American history: c 1800 to c 1900; Civil war; Military - General; History; History - Military / War; History: American; USA; United States; United States - Civil War; History / General; Confederate States of America; 1861-1865, Civil War; Civil War, 1861-1865
First sentence: THIS IS NOT so much a study in history, or even in historiography, as in historical causation.
Description: "Focusing on the political, military, economic, social, and diplomatic reasons behind the Union victory, this collection presents the most complete picture of this key aspect of Civil War studies. In an essay new to this edition, Henry Steele Commager offers a historiographical overview of the collapse of the Confederacy. Richard N. Current describes the economic superiority of the North and shows how the civilian resources of the South were dissipated during the war. T.

Harry Williams examines the deficiencies of the Southern military strategy and leadership. Norman A. Graebner discusses the reluctance of France and England to aid the South. David Herbert Donald, in his own essay, reports that excessive Southern emphasis on individual freedom fatally undermined military discipline. And David M. Potter suggests that a lack of political leadership in the South resulted in gross incompetence.

And exclusively for this edition, the editor has written a new foreword and completely updated the bibliography to create the most comprehensive and enlightening guide to understanding this fascinating issue."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: "Six authoritative views on the economic, military, diplomatic, social, and political reasons behind the Confederacy's defeat" - cover.
Table of contents: title: Foreword / David Herbert Donald; title: The defeat of the Confederacy : an overview / Henry Steele Commager; title: God and the strongest battalions / Richard N. Current; title: The military leadership of North and South / T. Harry Williams; title: Northern diplomacy and European neutrality / Norman A. Graebner; title: Died of democracy / David Herbert Donald; title: Jefferson Davis and the political factors in Confederate defeat / David M. Potter; title: For further reading