Shades of Blue and Gray: Introductory Military History of the Civil War

There is no other one-volume history of the Civil War that is so up-to-date in its author's mastery of current scholarship on the war, that so succinctly yet completely summarizes the military history of the war. . . . Anything Herman Hattaway says on the Civil War has to be taken seriously. -- Russell Weigley

A perceptive, well-crafted account--the best clear, brief military history of the Civil War available. Good focus on themes of technology, strategy, tactics, and leadership with an emphasis on the West Point contribution. Wonderfully clear and concise accounts of campaigns and battles that never seem stale. Like all Hattaway's work it is characterized by great scholarship with a kind of charming quirkiness. --George Rable

There is no other one-volume history of the Civil War that is so up-to-date in its author's mastery of current scholarship on the war, that so succinctly yet completely summarizes the military history of the war. . . . Anything Herman Hattaway says on the Civil War has to be taken seriously. -- Russell Weigley

A perceptive, well-crafted account--the best clear, brief military history of the Civil War available. Good focus on themes of technology, strategy, tactics, and leadership with an emphasis on the West Point contribution. Wonderfully clear and concise accounts of campaigns and battles that never seem stale. Like all Hattaway's work it is characterized by great scholarship with a kind of charming quirkiness. --George Rable

Herman Hattaway is Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Why the South Lost the Civil War, How the North Won, and General Stephen D. Lee, all past selections of the History Book Club.