A Savage War: A Military History of the Civil War

by Williamson Murray, Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh

Overview

How the Civil War changed the face of war

The Civil War represented a momentous change in the character of war. It combined the projection of military might across a continent on a scale never before seen with an unprecedented mass mobilization of peoples. Yet despite the revolutionizing aspects of the Civil War, its leaders faced the same uncertainties and vagaries of chance that have vexed combatants since the days of Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War. A Savage War sheds critical new light on this defining chapter in military history.

In a masterful narrative that propels readers from the first shots fired at Fort Sumter to the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army at Appomattox, Williamson Murray and Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh bring every aspect of the battlefield vividly to life. They show how this new way of waging war was made possible by the powerful historical forces unleashed by the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution, yet how the war was far from being simply a story of the triumph of superior machines. Despite the Union’s material superiority, a Union victory remained in doubt for most of the war. Murray and Hsieh paint indelible portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and other major figures whose leadership, judgment, and personal character played such decisive roles in the fate of a nation. They also examine how the Army of the Potomac, the Army of Northern Virginia, and the other major armies developed entirely different cultures that influenced the war’s outcome.

A military history of breathtaking sweep and scope, A Savage War reveals how the Civil War ushered in the age of modern warfare.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691181097
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	05/29/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	616
Sales rank:	674,904
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Williamson Murray is professor emeritus of history at Ohio State University. His many books include The Iran-Iraq War. Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh is associate professor of history at the United States Naval Academy. He is the author of West Pointers and the Civil War.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

Preface xi

Introduction 1

1 The Origins 13

2 The War’s Strategic Framework 36

3 “And the War Came” 65

4 First Battles and the Making of Armies 93

5 Stillborn between Earth and Water: The Unfulfilled Promise of Joint Operations 119

6 The Confederacy Recovers, 1862 167

7 The Confederate Counter-Offensives, 1862 205

8 The War in the East, 1863 250

9 The War in the West, 1863 293

10 The Killing Time: The War in the East, 1864 354

11 Victory in the West, 1864 415

12 The Collapse of the Confederacy 469

13 The Civil War in History 509

Acknowledgments 549

Notes 551

Further Reading 569

Index 585

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The best, clearest, and most instructive military history of the Civil War I have ever read. . . . [A Savage War] hit a home run."—H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

"A Savage Waris not just a riveting military narrative of the American Civil War written by two military historians with singular pragmatic experience, but a rare and much needed strategic assessment of the aims and methods of the Union and the Confederacy—highlighted with incisive, blunt—and persuasive—appraisals of all the major generals and supreme commanders."—Craig L. Symonds, author of Lincoln and His Admirals

"Murray and Hsieh offer keen insights on the crossroads of social, political, and technological drivers that produced what the authors call the first modern war. . . . The mini-portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and William T. Sherman sprinkled throughout that narrative are superb, and the critiques of Jeff Davis and the hapless Henry Halleck are devastating. . . . [A] stimulating contribution to the field that will captivate readers. [A Savage War] belongs on the shelf of students of war, right next to their worn copy of McPherson's classic, Battle Cry of Freedom."—Victor Davis Hanson, author of Carnage and Culture and The Savior Generals

"More than just another narrative of the Civil War, this thoughtful and often provocative book is an engaging analysis of the leadership, personalities, and strategies of both sides during America's great nineteenth-century trauma. Murray and Hsieh are not shy in offering blunt judgments of the major players, and they also suggest comparisons with past wars, notably the Peloponnesian War, as well as more recent conflicts to cast new light on familiar topics."—Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Union War

"Forceful and convincing. Murray and Hsieh have succeeded in producing a very accessible book about a very complex series of events.A Savage Waris a model of how to write military history."—Jay Winik, author of 1944 and April 1865

"Murray and Hsieh bring verve, insight, and originality to their account of the Civil War. In a crowded field, A Savage War still stands out as a book of required reading even for specialists."—Allan R. Millett, author of The War for Korea, 1950–1951: They Came from the North

"[A] very important new history of the American Civil War by two important historians."—Newt Gingrich

"A genuinely fresh set of insights about the Civil War. Murray and Hsieh have crafted a military narrative that goes well beyond anything else in the literature."—Francis P. Sempa, New York Journal of Books

"A Savage War offers a splendid overview of the greatest military trauma in United States history. The authors explore Union and Confederate martial culture, navigate with a sure step through campaigns and battles, and assess leaders convincingly—all the while challenging hoary misconceptions about the conflict. Readers new to the topic, as well as more veteran students, will turn to this book with profit."—John Gooch, author of Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922–1940

"A genuinely fresh set of insights about the Civil War."—James McPherson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"A genuinely fresh, persuasive perspective on the Civil War. . . . [A Savage War] will make even readers with a strong knowledge of the war think about how it was fought and why it ended as it did. A winner for Civil War history buffs."—James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

"Hsieh and Murray illuminate the broader political and cultural forces that shaped the [Civil War's] course while also giving due credit to the impact of contingency and human action. . . . A Savage War will appeal to both academic and popular audiences with its resonance, accessible prose, and fresh treatment of the events that still captivate America's public consciousness over 150 years later."—Lt. Col. F .G. Hoffman, Marine Corps Gazette

Editorial Reviews

"[An] illuminating, ambitious and unsentimental history. . . . Exceptionally lucid."—-Fergus M. Bordewich, Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

"Widely published and respected military historians Murray and Hsieh produce a fresh look at the U.S. Civil War. . . . An important, impressive book."

Choice

★ 08/01/2016
In this outstanding account of the American Civil War, Murray (emeritus, history, Ohio State Univ.) and Hsieh (history, U.S. Naval Acad.) contend that the war was not an event distinct from those transpiring in Europe in the 19th century. In France, the revolution and Napoleonic Wars provided the template for mobilizing citizen armies to support the battle aims of a nation. In England, the Industrial Revolution afforded the means to supply, arm, and transport armies within the country. Throughout the book, Murray and Hseih state the many similarities the Civil War shares with other major conflicts spanning history, particularly the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE). The authors depict the Civil War as the most disruptive event in American history, and the Peloponnesian War as the most disruptive in ancient Greece. Moreover, they compare the Union to Athens and the Confederacy to Sparta. In analyzing the war overall, the authors conclude that Union victory was not a foregone conclusion and credit Lincoln's strong leadership for their victory. VERDICT This expertly written narrative will draw in anyone with an interest in the Civil War at any knowledge level. A great resource for public and academic libraries.—Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

Library Journal

★ 2016-08-09
A genuinely fresh, persuasive perspective on the Civil War.Murray (Emeritus, History/Ohio State Univ.; War, Strategy, and Military Effectiveness, 2011, etc.) and Hsieh (History/U.S. Naval Academy; West Pointers and the Civil War, 2009, etc.) see the war as the first to combine the fervent nationalism of the French Revolution and the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution. Vast armies, fighting on a continental scale, had made their appearance near the beginning of the 19th century. But as Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia showed, the infrastructure to support them over those distances was yet to be created. By the time the Union and Confederacy squared off, the railroad, steamship, and telegraph set the table for a new kind of war. The ability of a few leaders—notably, Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman—to grasp the new paradigm led to the Union victory. The authors give the major battles the proper consideration, but this is not a blow-by-blow account; many lesser engagements go unmentioned. The authors argue that the western theater was of more importance than the more famous battles in the east. For one thing, that was where Grant established the reputation that eventually brought him to command. More importantly, it was where the war on the South’s economy took shape, culminating in Sherman’s March to the Sea. The authors pull no punches in their evaluations of the leaders on both sides. Even the much-admired Lee is faulted for his conviction that one decisive battle could end the war. The likes of McClellan and Bragg come off far worse. The authors also make useful analogies to the whole history of war, from ancient Greece to the 21st century, and quotes from the memoirs of Grant, Sherman, and others give the participants’ perspectives, although a few quotes and anecdotes are recycled too often. A book that will make even readers with a strong knowledge of the war think about how it was fought and why it ended as it did. A winner for Civil War history buffs.

Kirkus Reviews