Mr. Keegan has brought us an original examination of this tragedy which has probably been the subject of more books than any event in the history of America. He doesn't just describe the events but takes us behind the scenes for a fuller understanding of the "why" behind the "what". To do so however, much of the content represents his subjective interpretation of events and any subjective interpretation can be argued with others. For example, many historians would question the importance of slavery in the motivation of either side in the war. This might be "politically incorrect" but this approach positions slavery as the effect and not the cause which is believed to be the fundamental difference in economy, society and culture between the north and south. To further the point, these differences still exist today; perhaps to a lesser degree but one has only to look at the political and religious landscape in the country to appreciate how strong these differences can be. (We did recently see the governor of Texas defend succession as a viable political tool). All in all I found John Keegan's book fascinating and rich in details that are not always appreciated. It's his interpretation of these details which I sometimes have problems with.
