US Civil War is far from my field (open to recommendations), but some people get uncomfortable at the thought of reactionaries being competent (let alone skilled) the same way they do with artists who are talented yet cruel.
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It’s a pretty big field and honestly depends on what you want in terms of military history I genuinely trust what ever a roundtable recommends but the growing and very interesting aspect of civil war academia is the social history side of things
aug 30, 2025, 3:26 pm • 8 0 • view
I usually start with biographies or broader narratives and branch out from there. Would've had a much harder time with Stephen Platt's book on the Taiping Rebellion if it hadn't been for Jonathan Spence's Hong Xiuquan bio filling in the early background.
aug 30, 2025, 3:32 pm • 2 0 • view
In this case, Lee, Grant, Sherman, McClellan & judgements on their performance & reputation. No doubt I've missed out on some important names (I've heard Joseph Johnston & Culture of Defeat mentions Longstreet), but looking into those four seems right. Unsure if there's a 'best' Lincoln biography.
aug 30, 2025, 3:37 pm • 2 0 • view
Many similar cases throughout popular history. It's a big reason why Manstein and Rommel, who were washed clean (for a time) in the Clean Wehrmacht myth became big names, while Model didn't, because nobody on Earth could claim Model was just following orders.
aug 30, 2025, 3:50 pm • 4 0 • view