A Stillness at Appomattox

The Army of the Potomac, Volume 3

By: Bruce Catton

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Undoubtedly Bruce Catton's most brilliant book, A Stillness at Appomattox won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for excellence in nonfiction. Catton, our foremost Civil War historian, recounts the most spectacular conflicts between Grant and Lee and details the end of hope for the Confederacy. Utilizing various collections of unpublished letters written by soldiers, personal diaries of spouses and relatives, memoirs of soldiers and their families, and official war records, Catton follows Grant's campaigns from early 1864 to the end of the war, detailing many crucial battles along the way.

©1953 Bruce Catton (P)2014 Tantor

Wonderful book. Probably my favorite from Catton

Narroration was excellent, bad Narroration can ruin an otherwise good book. The story is superb. And all together was very interesting

This makes history come to life

The narration is fabulous. The research that has gone into this book is impressive. It has left me with a profound respect for men who gave their all for the freedoms I enjoy.

History comes alive

This is a classic, the story of Grant's command of the Union Army from the battle of the Wilderness to Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Catton's command of the language combined with his knowledge of history combine for a very enjoyable book, wonderfully narrated by Michael Kramer the book takes on even greater dimensions. If you enjoy history you will enjoy this book.

Very good for its time.

This is a classic work, showing how many people from the mid-20th century viewed the war. It is too easy on the Rebels, still influenced by Lost Cause mythology. It goes to great lengths describing the suffering of people in the Shenandoah and doesn’t speak a word about the suffering of the enslaved. Those who escape are denigrated or even mocked. Those who volunteered in the US Army are called “contrabands”. This tells a rich story, but I’m glad it has been superseded by more recent historians, such McPherson.

Still, Catton weaves a compelling tale and fills it with personalities and details. Definitely worth the read, but it should not be the only book read, and it’s not the most authoritative.

Perfect

Truly a masterpiece. I have read or listened to a dozen civil war books and this may have been the best. It held my interest beyond my expectations.

So poetic

A magnificent of an incredible struggle. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

Poetic History

This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner for good reason. It’s both good history and pretty fair poetry. It is a chronicle of the end of the Civil War, starting just before Grant and Meade took the Army of the Potomac across the Rapidan and into the Wilderness, and ending, well, at the end. It manages to provide both high level insight into the strategy, politics, and social context of the war, along with detailed portraits of major figures (notably Grant and Sheridan), and an intimate look at how the common infantry soldier lived, fought, and died during the war. I can’t recommend the book highly enough.

Remarkable

One of the very best Civil War books I have read. I highly recommend it.

Poetry

a beautifully written and poetic approach to a terrible time, amazing!

Very interesting detail. But dry, stiff narration.

Great book, lots of interesting detail of the war after the Battle of Gettysburg. I like that it incorporated excerpts from letters written home by soldiers to help tell the story.

The narrator is dry and at first sounds bored, or maybe like someone is forcing him to read this book against his will. About a third of the way into the book I got used to it...but I almost stopped listening before that. Fortunately the story kept me interested, and I'm glad I finished it.