The Civil War: A Narrative - Volume 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville - Shelby Foote [epub]

In 1954, Shelby Foote was a young novelist with a contract to write a short history of the Civil War. It soon became clear, however, that he had undertaken a long-term project. Twenty years later Foote finally completed his massive and essential trilogy on the War Between the States. His three books are prose masterpieces with lively characterizations and gripping action. Although Foote never sacrifices the truth of what happened to his penchant for artistry, his skills as a novelist serve him well. Reading all three of these books will take some time, but they are worth the investment - especially if you, like Foote, have a touch of sympathy for the South's lost cause.

"Here, for a certainty, is one of the great historical narratives of our century, a unique and brilliant achievement, one that must be firmly placed in the ranks of the masters."
- Van Allen Bradley, Chicago Daily News

"Anyone who wants to relive the Civil War will go through this volume with pleasure... Years from now, Foote's monumental narrative most likely will continue to be read and remembered as a classic of its kind."
— New York Herald Tribune Book Review