If I had to pick one US Civil War book to read, which should I choose?

by jcb6939

So I’m American and got a decent education on the US Civil War and currently listening to the Civil War Podcast but want to read a civil war book as well. If I had to pick just one book about the whole war, which would be the best? Are Shelby Footes volumes the best option? I heard good things about them

Meesus

Shelby Foote's books are excellently written, but you need to be very aware of the biases he has and treat them accordingly. He doesn't necessarily get facts wrong, but he does romanticize a lot of things. He's got a very pro-Southern bias and he does a lot to try to portray the North and South on a more even moral ground. He doesn't deny the role of slavery as the root cause of the war, and in fact often romanticizes slavery in his writing.

Despite his biases, however, I'd argue his books are the best way to learn the "national myth" version of the Civil War. It's not not an excellent historical work, but it very much provides a comprehensive version of the war as it often ends up being taught in schools and battlefield museums. It primarily focuses on the military campaigns and the more dramatic political side as it relates to such, and in those respects Foote's volumes are excellent works.

If you're looking for a starting point to get a general overview of the war, Foote's books are excellent, engaging reads. But if you're looking for more nuance and analysis, especially on issues like economics or slavery, I'd suggest something else.