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A Stillness at Appomattox (Army of the Potomac, Vol. 3) Paperback – November 9, 1953

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,012 ratings

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PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • America's foremost Civil War historian recounts the final year of the Civil War in his final volume of the Army of the Potomac Trilogy.

Bruce Catton takes the reader through the battles of the Wilderness, the Bloody Angle, Cold Harbot, the Crater, and on through the horrible months to one moment at Appomattox. Grant, Meade, Sheridan, and Lee vividly come to life in all their failings and triumphs.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If every historian wrote like Bruce Catton, no one would read fiction. This marvelously well-told account of the final year of the Civil War marches readers from Wilderness, through Petersburg, and finally to the climax at Appomattox. The surrender scene, when Grant and Lee meet at last, is spine tingling. This is the third book of Catton's Army of the Potomac trilogy. It's also the best of the bunch, even though the first two, Mr. Lincoln's Army and Glory Road, are both exceptional. Not to be missed. --John Miller

From the Publisher

When first published in 1953, Bruce Catton, our foremost Civil War historian was awarded both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for excellence in nonfiction. This final volume of The Army Of The Potomac trilogy relates the final year of the Civil War.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor; Reprint Edition (November 9, 1953)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385044518
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385044516
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 1 x 7.95 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,012 ratings

About the author

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Bruce Catton
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Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, best known for his books on the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes, they were not generally presented in a rigorous academic style. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Library of Congress (File:Bruce Catton LC-USZ62-132904.jpg) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
1,012 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the historical accuracy and insights into the Civil War, which are presented in a clear and concise manner. The emotional content is described as poignant, touching, and passionate. Readers appreciate the author's detailed explanations of manpower, political issues, supply issues, and camp life. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the war and its impact on the present political climate.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

108 customers mention "Readability"105 positive3 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's understanding of the Civil War generals and their contributions. The detailed writing style and attention to detail provide a close look at General Phillip Sheridan's value.

"...to want to know more, because he brings the past to life and light, so well, that you are truly transported, and so much is revealed, and you have a..." Read more

"...Bruce Catton's brilliant work, A Stillness at Appomattox, the third published in a trilogy about the Army of the Potomac won a Pulitzer Prize and..." Read more

"...I love civil war history. The in depth wording was very moving,as if you were there. A great read for anyone interested in this war." Read more

"...not difficult to read, it's exhaustively researched, detailed and easy to follow, with numerous fascinating asides into relevant areas...." Read more

43 customers mention "Historical accuracy"43 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compelling and informative. They appreciate the historical details and personal accounts that help readers understand the events. The narrative brings the past to life and illustrates our nation's greatness, providing detailed accounts of major campaigns and battles.

"...; he opens your mind to want to know more, because he brings the past to life and light, so well, that you are truly transported, and so much is..." Read more

"...Bruce Catton is a work of non-fiction by one of the premier historians of the 20th century...." Read more

"...This one tells an excellent story. Highly recommended." Read more

"A very good conclusion to the army of the Potomac trilogy...." Read more

38 customers mention "Insight"38 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a good insight into what was happening during the Civil War. It is well-researched and presented, with a mastery of the subject that draws them in. The story brings everything into context and gives a sense of what it was like to be a soldier. They enjoy the explanations of the hospital and logistics systems.

"...well then Bruce also does another remarkable thing; he opens your mind to want to know more, because he brings the past to life and light, so well,..." Read more

"...All in all this book is not difficult to read, it's exhaustively researched, detailed and easy to follow, with numerous..." Read more

"...Catton’s book offer an element of careful thought and subtlety profoundly absent from today’s rhetoric about the war...." Read more

"...This trilogy is, as all his work is, thoroughly researched and very balanced...." Read more

7 customers mention "Strength"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book gripping and powerful. They praise the author's clear-eyed, vivid writing style that captures the soldiers' persistence and mindset during battles. The book is described as pragmatic about the Union Army's strengths and weaknesses, especially in terms of race.

"...word-smith, and a very complex personality, who managed to hold this country together, during one of the most difficult periods of it's history,..." Read more

"...War through the eyes of the Union Army, and is very pragmatic as to its strength and weaknesses, especially in matters of race and recruiting,..." Read more

"...All these years later I think they continue to hold up very well...." Read more

"Poignant, sad, smart, revealing, beautifully written, riveting . . . a book that is as relevant and fresh today as when written . . ...." Read more

6 customers mention "Emotional content"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book poignant, sad, and touching. They describe it as passionate and personal, bringing a human perspective to the war.

"Poignant, sad, smart, revealing, beautifully written, riveting . . . a book that is as relevant and fresh today as when written . . ...." Read more

"...Told in both factual historical and griping personal terms the narrative brings a much more human and emotional aspect to this campaign...." Read more

"No wonder this book won the Pulitzer prize. The story is told with so much compassion that you truly feel it. A must read. Vin" Read more

"...to a most enjoyable series on the Civil War that is both erudite and personal." Read more

5 customers mention "Detail"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's detail. They find it provides a good overview of manpower, political issues, supply issues, and character analysis. The organization of the Army is explained in detail, with specific details about characters. Readers appreciate the analysis of Northern politics and relevance to the current political climate.

"...This author details manpower and political issues, supply issues and paints pictures of camp life, revealing the soldiers in their true form...." Read more

"...This is journalism at its best. Organization of the Army is in enough detail, characters are explained and note specific traits which allow insight..." Read more

"...Good explanation of the union generals and all they chances they missed for ending the war sooner," Read more

"...Much of the book is relevant to the present political climate." Read more

3 customers mention "Authenticity"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the authenticity of the narrative.

"...that illuminates Grant in a light that is not only pleasing, but obviously genuine...." Read more

"Beginning to end Catton builds a narrative of power and authenticity. And I THOUGHTi knew something about the Civil War." Read more

"...of what troops marched in what direction - but I liked the authenticity of these sections. I recommend it." Read more

3 customers mention "Content"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content readable and factual. It is a work of non-fiction by Bruce Catton, one of the premier historians. The book has won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for non-fiction.

"A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton is a work of non-fiction by one of the premier historians of the 20th century...." Read more

"This book won a Pulitzer Price and National Book Award for non-fiction. It is an intense story focused on the end of the Civil War...." Read more

"Exceptionally well written in terms of readability and factual content. Reads like a novel but with a high level of historical background...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2013
    The thing about history, is how quickly is fades, and nothing illustrated this phenomenon more graphically for me, than this Pulitzer Prize winning trilogy. When you stop to consider that Bruce Catton tried to just hone in on ONLY what The Army of Potomac was doing (and there were many various named armies), during the Civil War, well then Bruce also does another remarkable thing; he opens your mind to want to know more, because he brings the past to life and light, so well, that you are truly transported, and so much is revealed, and you have a whole new understanding, as to how life has evolved, and how we came to life, as we know it today. That is shedding a LOT of light. No wonder he won the Pulitzer, right? I was transfixed by these three volumes; I literally could not put them down. And don't get me wrong, I'm practically Amish; I despise warfare, so go figure. Since first I read Bruce Catton, I have read a number of other highly recommend writers, on the subject, of The Civil War, but no writer that I have ever read, writes, so clearly, and providing enough detailed historical perspective, of the right kind, to make the read truly fascinating, without making it be overly bloody, even though it's all about war. The thing that struck me the most deeply about these volumes, is the scale of the Civil War was incredibly epic, given the size of the US population at the time, and the percentage of casualties; 500,000 men gave there lives, so that first and foremost, the US would not be divided. We always think of the end of Slavery as the greatest accomplishment of that great Clashing of Idealogies, and ultimately, that was it's greatest legacy. But if one looks deeper, one must question what the true causes of the Great War really were, and any deep thinker, will probably not be very comfortable with any of the answers they come up with. After you read this trilogy you want to know Lincoln better. He was an incredibly remarkable man. Not a saint though, but a brilliant word-smith, and a very complex personality, who managed to hold this country together, during one of the most difficult periods of it's history, that perhaps, it will ever know. Perhaps above all, it's surprising, that maybe you might feel, after reading these books, like you have been down in the trenches, with the common man, and perhaps you will feel, just a little of the brotherhood, and catch a glimpse, into what drove men, into what ultimately became a grueling way of life, for a cause they ultimately came to forget, how they they set forth, to begin with.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2013
    A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton is a work of non-fiction by one of the premier historians of the 20th century. This narrative retraces the steps of the Army of the Potomac in the final year of the Civil War and begins with the story of General Judson Kilpatrick's daring raid in the Spring of 1864 through the capitulation of Robert E. Lee's, Army of Northern Virginia, at Appomattox Courthouse April 1865. Catton examines the lives of the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac and its leaders, especially that of its lifeblood, General Ulysses S. Grant. The author tells the story of the final year of the Civil War through the eyes of the Union Army, and is very pragmatic as to its strength and weaknesses, especially in matters of race and recruiting, placing great detail on the complexities of such a forces cobbled together from many different worlds and cultures. Even though he tells the story from the vantage point of the Union Army, he is very forgiving of Lee and his hard scrabble veterans, fighting tooth and nail for very inch of Virginia soil blocking the Union efforts every step of the way.
    A Stillness at Appomattox, tells the story of the battles of The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, the Crater, Siege of Petersburg, Five Forks, capture of Petersburg and Richmond and the chase to Danville with Grant trapping his quarry at Appomattox Courthouse, where at the McLean House, General Robert E. Lee signed the surrender of the illustrious Army of Northern Virginia and the guns went silent. Catton goes into great detail in describing the battles, bringing them to life and painting vivid portraits of struggles,suffering, triumph and heroism. Catton painfully paints a true and blemished picture of the true costs of the final year of the war, uncovering each stone to show the true face of war. This author details manpower and political issues, supply issues and paints pictures of camp life, revealing the soldiers in their true form.
    In A Stillness at Appomattox, Catton points out some very important changes, marking turning points in the way war is fought, such as the beginning of total war, with the depredations in the Shenandoah Valley. He also describes in great detail the switch from close quarter Napoleonic style shoulder to shoulder assaults to a more realistic spread out approach insisted upon by war weary veterans who understood that close quarters made for easy targets. Catton details the change from standard upright warfare to an entrenched style developed by the undermanned and outgunned Confederates. Catton describes the situation brilliantly by relaying the old saying that if the Confederates had half a day they could build works so well that they could never be pushed out.
    Bruce Catton's brilliant work, A Stillness at Appomattox, the third published in a trilogy about the Army of the Potomac won a Pulitzer Prize and was published in 1953 and became an instant authority and reference for the casual reader to the serious researcher. He used first hand accounts and secondary sources to weave his tale of an armies struggle to overcome politics, cronyism and an entrenched sense and attitude of failure in marching against the great General Robert E. Lee and the storied Army of Northern Virginia. Catton paints a wonderful picture of the stubburn Grant bullishly forcing his will upon the southern forces with the ultimate outcome of bloodying the enemy so badly that they could not possibly rise again to fight another day. Bruce Catton (1899-1978) won a Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox and awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1977 by President Gerald Ford, "Ford noted that the historian "made us hear the sounds of battle and cherish peace"
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022
    This was a GREAT read for me. I love civil war history. The in depth wording was very moving,as if you were there. A great read for anyone interested in this war.

Top reviews from other countries

  • A M Wilkinson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quick delivery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2022
    As described and delivered in good time.
  • Paul Harrington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Though I have read many books about the Civil War ...
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2017
    Though I have read many books about the Civil War, this is the first one I have read by Bruce Catton.

    I now realize what I have missed.

    Catton isn't so much an historian as he is a yarn-spinner, a story-teller gifted with extraordinary powers of description.

    His writing is visceral and vivid, simultaneously humanizing and dehumanizing war in a style and language that is novelistic in feel, but rooted in brutal reality.

    His portraits of the combatants, from generals to privates, bring the heroism, stupidity and ultimate cost of war into stark focus.

    I fully intend to get my hands on his other works.
    One person found this helpful
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  • seamus
    5.0 out of 5 stars The debt owed to those who didn't come home.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2019
    Powerfully written. You can smell the cordite. Written with great empathy for all concerned. Must never be forgotten or repeated. Should be read by all Americans.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Andrew Fraser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2019
    Fantastic, like all his works
  • Krissy
    4.0 out of 5 stars History at its best!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2020
    No wonder this is regarded as a seminal piece of narrative history on the American Civil War. it is beautifully written and very readable. It doesn't just cover the battles and strategy, but considers the emotional and psychological impact. Why is it out of print?!