Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War by S. C. Gwynne (PDF)

Description

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Empire of the Summer Moon and Rebel Yell comes “a masterwork of history” (Lawrence Wright, author of God Save Texas), the spellbinding, epic account of the last year of the Civil War.The fourth and final year of the Civil War offers one of the most compelling narratives and one of history’s great turning points. Now, Pulitzer Prize finalist S.C. Gwynne breathes new life into the epic battle between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; the advent of 180,000 black soldiers in the Union army; William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea; the rise of Clara Barton; the election of 1864 (which Lincoln nearly lost); the wild and violent guerrilla war in Missouri; and the dramatic final events of the war, including Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the murder of Abraham Lincoln. “A must-read for Civil War enthusiasts” (Publishers Weekly), Hymns of the Republic offers many surprising angles and insights. Robert E. Lee, known as a great general and Southern hero, is presented here as a man dealing with frustration, failure, and loss. Ulysses S. Grant is known for his prowess as a field commander, but in the final year of the war he largely fails at that. His most amazing accomplishments actually began the moment he stopped fighting. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gwynne argues, was a lousy general, but probably the single most brilliant man in the war. We also meet a different Clara Barton, one of the greatest and most compelling characters, who redefined the idea of medical care in wartime. And proper attention is paid to the role played by large numbers of black union soldiers—most of them former slaves. Popular history at its best, Hymns of the Republic reveals the creation that arose from destruction in this “engrossing…riveting” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) read.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐S.C. Gwynne is a Texas journalist and historian. I had read his previous book on Stonewall Jackson and eagerly perused Hymns of the Republic. The book gives us a detailed examination of the final bloody year of the American Civil War. The pageant of pain opens with Grant’s bloody Overland Campaign in the spring of 1864. Bloodbaths like Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and the Crater ensued as the great Union General forced Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia southward towards Richmond. The siege warfare of the Petersburg front is covered as well as Sheridan’s conquest of Jubal Early in the Shenandoah Valley. We follow General William Tecumseh Sherman on his march from Chattanooga to Atlanta and his successful March to the Sea. We see Clara Barton dealing with the wounded on hellish battlefields from Antietam to the horrors of the Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp in Georgia. Great characters from Abraham Lincoln to RE Lee to Jeff Davis populate these pages making the book a true page turner. The plight of the African American soldier in the Union Army is explored as well as the sinful blight of slavery. The war finally ended in the spring of 1865 as the most horrendous war in American history limped to its tragic end. S.C. Gwynne writes like a novelist and presents the story of the final year of war in an easy to understand and very readable style. As someone who has a vast Civil War library and an amateur student of the war for many decades I still learned and profited from reading this excellent history!

⭐The major players are highlighted in the final year of struggle between the armies of the Northern and Confederate States. In one tragic story after another several crucial questions are addressed. Would it have been possible for the Democratic Candidate, George McClellan to defeat Lincoln in the election of 1864? Yes! And what would have happened if Lincoln had lost? Would there have been an immediate armistice followed by negotiations? The Southern Confederacy, ever faithful to the Rebel Cause, was determined to keep fighting even if it meant continuing the war with Guerrilla fighters like Confederate Scout John S. Mosby. How could Grant bring the South to their knees without crushing everything the South held dear? Would the South run out of men and be forced to engage Confederate Colored Troops as the Northern Army had? Unthinkable! When colored troops were employed by the Union Army, how were they treated? We learn that they were left to die wounded in the battlefield or shot rather than be taken as prisoners of war. From logistics in the battlefield hospitals to political bureaucracy in Washington DC or Richmond we learn how the war was slowly grinding to an end. Even if you have read many books on the Civil War this book is worth reading. It is a sobering, thoughtful, flowing account of the last year in a pivotal point in the history of the U.S.

⭐The book does a tremendous job of showing how very much in doubt the outcome of the war was in 1864, and why it turned the way it did.

⭐I read this book while on vacation in France. Being in France, I went to a few World War 1 museums and exhibits, and a common theme in discussions around the Great War was it was the point of history where romantic notions about war ended. However, in reading Gwynne’s latest book, I can’t help but think that it was the American Civil War that killed the ideas of romantic war. And that is certainly evident in the last year, which is the focus of Gwynne’s book. Thoroughly researched and well-written, it is great, enjoyable read and Gwynne’s narrative doesn’t feel like a retread of ground covered before, nor does it feel like a condensed version of larger works on the subject. It is not, however, James McPherson or Shelby Foote. Readers looking for a more exhaustive work should look to McPherson, while those with all the time in the world should look to Foote.

⭐This book reminded me of The Month that Saved America by Jay Winik. Of course this had more detail obviously. Gwynne’s writing style is excellent. The book opens with the massacre at Fort Pillow and closes with a chapter on Andersonville. The ugliness of war is a constant theme throughout. Not to mention the politics that surrounded the fighting. Hard core Civil War buffs may find it lacking in combat coverage. I believe the author did this to tell a more complete picture of all that was going on in the last year of the war.

⭐SC Gwynne has become my favorite author. Empire of the Summer Moon has long been one of my favorite books but his work detailing the final year of the civil war might have replaced it. His writing is so engaging and makes every chapter the more interesting than the one before.

⭐You want to rekindle your love of history ? start with this author and any of his books . I’ve now finished them all and am much after for it. My fave is summer Moon but they are all compelling entertaining g and edifying. Enjoy. Apologies fortypos. Kindle cursor control sucks.

⭐Great book after reading many others. This one goes deep into the myths, facts, and consequences of the worst war in American history! Of all my reading so far, this is the best, although not easy discovering such carnage.

⭐Learned a lot reading this. Great overview of the war and good insights.

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