Recensione: The American Civil War

“The American Civil War”, di John Keegan,  edizioni Hutchinson, ISBN: 978-0-09-179483-5.

It is a good essay on the American Civil War (1861-1865), the conflict which opposed the Confederate States of the South of the United States to those Unionists in the North. The main reason for the origin of the conflict must be sought in the bitter debate that tore the nation on the issue of the legitimacy of slavery, an institution deeply rooted in the culture and  social organization  of the South and at the base of the South’s economy, but, on the other way, in full contrast with the beliefs of a democratic and egalitarian society.

The author clearly explains the nature of these economical and social reasons and describes, first the slow maturation of the ideological quarrel and its final acceleration due to the victory of Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of November 1860. The election was obtained on the basis of a strongly abolitionist political platform; even more, the votes were largely polarized. The preferences of vote in Lincon's favor were largely a contribution of the northern and western states, but on the other hand the South voted broadly in favor of the other candidates, in particular, for John C. Breckinridge.

According to the author the rapid succession of events found both sides unprepared. Between December 1860 and February 1861, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas adopted a new constitution, declared independence and joined in a confederation to which soon adhered Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina in April 1861 after the fall of Fort Sumter, which marked the real beginning of the war.

Then, the author goes on to describe the ways (somewhat baroque, from a current point of view!) through which the two armies were established and armed. The initial method was based mostly on volunteers enlisted in regiments of the territorial militia. Only with the progress of the war a method based on conscription was established to ensure the growing demand for recruits.

A large part of the essay is then devoted to the explanation of the strategic and logistical issues related to the geographic environment of the war, and to the description of the various military campaigns. The understanding of some of the main battles is aided by extensive descriptions and, in certain cases, by a series of useful maps.

A not insignificant part of the essay is then devoted to certain interesting subtopics, for example: a brief explanation of the naval warfare, a description of the soldier's day life, an explanation of the reasons justifying the large rate of desertions (that affected both armies), the growing importance of logistic and of an organized service of medical assistance and, finally a brief description of the military impact of the first military units based on the enlistment of black soldiers.

An interesting book, serious and in reach of every reader.