"A Splendid Tale Of Victory"

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War looming (the Battle of Fort Sumter was April 12-13), Glenn W. LaFantasie of Western Kentucky University says the late Bruce Catton's A Stillness At Appomattox is the best Civil War book ever written:

This book leaves sharp images lingering in the reader's mind, largely because Catton expertly sets scenes, describes people in human terms, and refuses to disguise the ugly, malevolent and heartless aspects of war. Yet, in the end, the book is surprisingly uplifting, a splendid tale of victory, no doubt because Catton so adeptly uses irony and compassion to tell the Army of the Potomac's story.