The Civil War, A Narrative: Volume 2 Fredricksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote - 1963

The Civil War, A Narrative: Volume 2 Fredricksburg to Meridian

by Shelby Foote

Hardcover Cloth 988 pages. Condition Very Good Dust Jacket Very Good. Presumed First edition second printing 1963 with corresponding number line. Attractive grey buckram boards with blue blocks and gilt embossing shows off this Clean, tight, square copy with no marks, highlights or bookplates. Grey topstain. Book Well kept and carefully stored in unread condition. Slight shelf wear. An unclipped dust jacket smooth and clean is discolored with age with slight shelf wear - a few wrinkles and chips. Not an ex-library, book club or remainder copy.

In the tumultuous year of 1863, the American Civil War reached a critical juncture. Foote's second volume masterfully captures the unfolding drama from Fredericksburg to Meridian.

In December 1862, the Battle of Fredericksburg unfolded. Union forces, now under General Burnside, attempted to take Richmond but faced a devastating defeat. The Confederate Army, led by General Lee, held strong, and the bloody battle left an indelible mark on the war's narrative.

In May 1863, the Chancellorsville campaign took center stage. Stonewall Jackson's audacious flank-turning victory against Union forces showcased his tactical brilliance. However, Jackson was mortally wounded during the battle, altering the course of the war.

The pivotal Battle of Gettysburg occurred in July 1863. Foote vividly portrays this iconic three-day conflict, where Union and Confederate armies clashed in Pennsylvania. The Union emerged victorious, but the cost in lives was staggering. Foote presents Gettysburg not as legend but as raw reality.

Amidst these battles, General Grant's relentless Vicksburg Campaign demonstrated his strategic acumen. The siege of Vicksburg revealed Grant as the "killer-general" who could "face the arithmetic." Simultaneously, General Sherman embarked on the calculated destruction of Meridian, disrupting Confederate supply lines and weakening their hold on the region.

Foote weaves together the stories of Presidents Lincoln and Davis, their letters, and their leadership struggles. Lincoln's eloquence culminated in the Gettysburg Address, while Davis undertook arduous western trips to rally support. Recognized as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time, this volume continues Foote's authoritative account, breathing life into the complexities of war and human courage.

Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Foote was relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career until his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, where he introduced a generation of Americans to a war that he believed was "central to all our lives."