The first narrative history of the Civil War told by the very people it freed Groundbreaking, compelling, and poignant, The Slaves' War delivers an unprecedented vision of the nation's bloodiest conflict. An acclaimed historian of nineteenth-century and African-American history, Andrew Ward gives us the first narrative of the Civil War told from the perspective of those whose destiny it decided. Woven together from hundreds of interviews, diaries, letters, and memoirs, here is the Civil War as seen from not only battlefields, capitals, and camps, but also slave quarters, kitchens, roadsides, farms, towns, and swamps. Speaking in a quintessentially American language of wit, candor, and biblical power, army cooks and launderers, runaways, teamsters, and gravediggers bring the war to vivid life. From slaves' theories about the causes of the war to their frank assessments of such major figures as Lincoln, Davis, Lee, and Grant; from their searing memories of the carnage of battle to their often startling attitudes toward masters and liberators alike; and from their initial jubilation at the Yankee invasion of the slave South to the crushing disappointment of freedom's promise unfulfilled, The Slaves' War is a transformative and engrossing vision of America's Second Revolution.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Content Over Style As someone who has been an amateur Civil War historian for over 40 years, this is a glimpse of the war from an entirely new, and sobering perspective. The reader needs to understand Ward has captured the oral testimonies of former slaves, and as such, the style of presentation is unavoidably choppy and not congruent. But that pales in comparison to the CONTENT of what the former slaves relate in this book. It is a unique, and again, very sobering collection of stories. And I HIGHLY recommend reading it. I... more info
It was okay I have recently purchased The Slave's War after seeing the author on The Daily Show promoting it. I absolutely love reading about history and real events from real people, but I found this a kind of difficult read. It started out good, but it seemed like halfway through, the stories seemed to be repeating, like I kept reading the same stuff over and over again. And it sort of jumps from one account to the next, confusing me some. Maybe it's just me, but I thought is was a slow read.
Compelling, enlightening book on Civil War Although this book is a hard one to read more than a few chapters at a time, it is worth the effort. I think you need time to let each section sink in and be mentally absorbed before takling the next one. I found it a bit difficult to follow exactly the narrations, as they tended to get mixed together a bit. However, of course, I waa reading late at night, so that may account for some of it. But, I did plod through and found this book an informative and unique one in recounting the harshness and suffering... more info
The Slaves' War This was by far the best book of its kind written about this particular event in American history. The author used great care in weaving a histroical story by first person accounts of the events surrounding some of the major battle of the civil war. Few authors have possessed the courage to write such an unbiased account of the slaves and how the civil war affected them both individualy and as a people as a whole. I highly recommend this book to any and all students of history especially those students... more info
Related
Sections
