The Civil War by Bruce Catton, Research Paper Example

The Reflection on the Civil War was not actually a book at first, it is a series of audio tape recordings Bruce Catton made throughout his life. The book was based on the collection of these tapes and offers a tone which is considered to be controversial, yet the text was not very demanding of its readers, it had a level of depth and empathy. Catton offered his personal insights about the war and how it had affected him and the areas around him. He did not do this by focusing on himself, though. There was just a tone of personal connections felt within the chapters of the book.

Catton throughout the book would ask questions of why the Civil War did not leave any feelings of bitterness between the North and the South that after all they went through, both sides did not seem to walk away with too much hatred (Sutherland 5). Catton referred to the War as having a lost cause, and the soldiers who fought in it seemed to have known this and accepted it. Yet, it suggests that he did not quite understand why they still suffered greatly knowing that the cause was lost. He refers to the soldiers who fought in the wars as great and heroic. He claims that there is no implication of revenge to be made on either side, that both sides have laid down their different beliefs (Sutherland 5). This is what is said to be the lost cause – that the war is something to be cherished and an outlet for all their emotions. This was not supposed to be regarded as an outbreak of violence (Sutherland 5). Catton covers both the military perspective as well as the political aspects of war. He speaks about the events which lead up to the war, and his analyses of them. His book are written in a narrative way, and gives the feel of being personal with the reader. He argued that the Civil War was one of the first “total wars” in the United States, and there were methods which were overlooked in order to completely over-throw the South (Dean). He goes in to detail of how military actions could have been used at the time, and he spoke of “full victory”. Even though he accounts of ways to over-throw the South, his narrative did not seem biased. He only mentioned military strategies and political aspects, not going in to his deeper moral perspective of the issue. Catton considers the Civil War, though as a “mighty victory” for the Confederacy, however it was a great disaster struck on the Union (Dean).

Catton did not have any biased views because he did not speak explicitly of one side of the war. He kept his direct comments to himself, and his personal views were just seen as underlying themes throughout the book. He does this in a colorful way where you feel all the emotion he must have gone through. His work accomplishes the tasks of painting history in a way easy for readers or the audience to relate to (Hubbell). He does this by stating simple dates of events, complied with facts and their analysis. Even though his book is considered of great historical value, it is not presented in a strictly academic style. This makes it much easier to read, as if it were a simple narrative. There are no hard terms or phrases or complicated analyses which hinder the reader from relating to the content of Catton’s work. It is neatly presented and easy to follow. Catton’s reflection of the Civil War is presented in a historical manner, yet it comes off more of a personal account.

It is Catton’s work as a journalist during his time which had placed him in the area physically, in battlefields and among soldiers. He took these experiences and used them to recount all his feelings, and the feelings of others. These experiences were of World War II. It was when he was a boy that Catton reminisced about the Civil War. This might have accounted for his fascination for the event (Hubbell). He wrote books on the veterans of the Civil War, and how he saw them when he was younger. His experiences did not lead him to any bias against any side of the Civil War. He speaks of the War as a whole and does not separate the North from the South in any way which may seem controversial (Dean).

Catton is regarded as one of the greatest historians, and also a Professional Civil War Historian (Hubbell). This is seen is his numerous works about the Civil War, he writes them in forms of narratives, personal accounts and biographies. He does this is a colorful way (Sutherland 5).

The book did not entirely change my views on the Civil War because I did not have that much knowledge on the subject. However, it did open up my eyes on what was happening during the time, and it was not only a war about violence and victory. Catton made it sound more personal than that, that the war greatly characterizes the United States as a country (Fahs and Waugh 253). The fact that the War was a shared event for people throughout the nation has initially tied the country together with a certain bond. This is seen where he questions why there is no remorse of any grudges held in the North or in the South.

Works Cited

Alice Fahs, and Joan Waugh, eds., The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture (Chapel     Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2004) 253.

Daniel E. Sutherland, “Sideshow No Longer: A Historiographical Review of the Guerrilla War,” Civil War History 46.1 (2000): 5.

Eric T. Dean, “”We Live under a Government of Men and Morning Newspapers”,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 103.1 (1995).

John T. Hubbell, “To Sum Up,” Civil War History 50.4 (2004).