Synopses & Reviews
In this compelling new account of the American Civil War, noted historian David Eicher gives us an authoritative history of battle from the first shots at Fort Sumter to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. As a strictly military history, andlt;Iandgt;The Longest Nightandlt;/Iandgt; covers hundreds of engagements, both well known and obscure, including the oft-neglected Western theater and naval actions along the coasts and rivers. The result is a gripping popular history that will fascinate anyone just learning about the Civil War while offering more than a few surprises for longtime students. andlt;BRandgt; Drawing on hundreds of sources and excerpts from correspondence by those who fought the war, andlt;Iandgt;The Longest Nightandlt;/Iandgt; conveys a real sense of life -- and death -- on the battlefield. In addition, Eicher analyzes each side's evolving strategy; examines the tactics of Lee, Grant, Johnston, and Sherman; and discusses significant topics such as prisons, railroads, shipbuilding, clandestine operations, and the role of African-Americans in the war. This is an indispensable chronicle of the war that James M. McPherson, in the Foreword, calls "the most dramatic, violent, and fateful experience in American history."
Review
"The U. S. Civil War is one of most studied wars in the history of warfare. The extant literature covers all of the levels of war (from the lowest technical-tactical aspects of specific battles to the highest levels of grand strategy) in amazing detail. With so much written, and with so many sources available to the military historian, one would think that little more could be learned, that few narratives could be offered that are not merely repackaged presentation of old news. It is precisely because of this, however, that David J. Eicher's The Longest Night will stand as one of the triumphs of Civil War history. This single volume work (of 990 pages) was written as a companion piece to James M. McPherson's Pulitzer Prize winning Battle Cry of Freedom. Where McPherson's single volume work covers the social, political, and economic context of the war, Eicher's focus is strictly on the military aspects of the war. (It should be noted that McPherson wrote the forward to this work.) Eicher has written a book that is both a fully contained narrative and a reference work. This
work has an elegant style and is amazingly comprehensive. The Longest Night contains more than 80 maps and diagrams, is well documented, and highly accessible. This work will certainly become a classic of Civil War history. It should be read and consulted by scholars and buffs alike." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Review
Brian Holden Reid andlt;Iandgt;Los Angeles Timesandlt;/Iandgt; andlt;Iandgt;The Longest Nightandlt;/Iandgt; reveals something altogether more impressive: a command of the subject...and a wealth of facts and figures...Elegant and clear.
Review
Mark Dunkelman andlt;Iandgt;Providence Journal-Bulletinandlt;/Iandgt; Eicher gives us the entire broad sweep of Civil War military history. No other one-volume history of the war presents as comprehensive and close an account of the campaigns and battles...A laudable accomplishment.
Review
James M. McPherson from the Foreword The story of campaigns and battles -- and of the commanders, strategy, technology, and other matters necessary to understand those campaigns and battles -- that David J. Eicher presents in the following pages is an essential starting point for anyone who wants to know how and why the Civil War came out as it did. The Longest Night is almost unique among Civil War books: it is both a narrative and a reference work. Here the reader will find engrossing accounts of all the battles, large and small, linked together in a manner so lucid and logical that the cause-effect relationships among events taking place in several theaters of war in chronological succession -- sometimes even simultaneously -- emerge with new clarity. The reader will also find detailed descriptions and analyses of many technical aspects of Civil War armies, navies, and armaments: artillery, the Signal Corps, codes and ciphers, intelligence, cavalry, shoulder weapons, and many, many more....No matter what you are looking for regarding the military history of the Civil War, you are likely to find it in this book -- and you will enjoy a good read at the same time.
Review
Jeffry D. Wert Author of andlt;Iandgt;Gettysburg: Day Threeandlt;/Iandgt; It should stand for a long time as the best and most complete single-volume military history of the Civil War. A splendid achievement.
Review
Frank J. Williams Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Chair of the Lincoln Forum An extremely well-written and comprehensive story of the battle history of the Civil War that is destined to become a classic.
Review
Jay Winik andlt;Iandgt;The New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/Iandgt; A solid and comprehensive military overview from start to finish.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [897]-938) and index.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;David J. Eicherandlt;/bandgt; is an astronomer and Civil War historian. The managing editor of andlt;Iandgt;Astronomyandlt;/Iandgt; magazine, he is the author of several books on the Civil War, among them andlt;Iandgt;Mystic Chords of Memory: Civil War Battlefields and Historic Sites Recapturedandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Civil War in Books: An Analytical Bibliography.andlt;/Iandgt; He lives with his wife and son in the Milwaukee suburbs.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;List of Mapsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Foreword by James M. McPhersonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Introductionandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Prologue: 1915andlt;BRandgt;andlt;ol type="1" start="1"andgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The War Begins at Sumterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Organizing the Struggleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Southern Joy over First Bull Runandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;A Massacre at Ball's Bluffandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;An Unlikely Hero at Belmontandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Grant Moves into Tennesseeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Clash of the Ironcladsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;A Bloodbath at Shilohandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Jackson's Valley Campaignandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Peninsular Campaignandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Confederate Triumph at Second Bull Runandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The War's Bloodiest Dayandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Fredericksburg's Appalling Lossandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Stalemate at Stones Riverandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Campaign for Vicksburgandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Lee's Master Strokeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Three Days at Gettysburgandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Visiting the River of Deathandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Battles for Chattanoogaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Sherman Eyes the Deep Southandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The Red River Campaignandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Grant Moves into the Wildernessandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Action at Atlanta and Petersburgandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Sheridan Raids the Valleyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Sherman's March to the Seaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Fall of the Last Confederate Portandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;Lee's Army Crumblesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;liandgt;The End of the Civil Warandlt;BRandgt;andlt;/olandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Epilogue: 1865andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Bibliographyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;/Iandgt;