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""[An] able, stimulating, and provocative interpretation."" - American Historical Review Discover why the Union Army struggled against the Confederacy despite its overwhelming advantages in manpower and resources. A perfect book for readers who enjoy John Keegan, James McPherson, James Ford Rhodes, and Ian MacGregor. The American Civil War was one of the bloodiest modern conflicts, claiming over a million lives. In this book, author Michael C. C. Adams provides a new perspective on the conflict and the reasons behind the Union Army's early defeats in the East, despite its superiority in manpower, wealth, and industry. A professor of history, Adams draws on letters, diaries, newspapers, and political documents to explore the cultural divide between North and South. He contends that the Unionist fear of an ""invincible"" Confederate army was the primary reason they suffered major defeats in early confrontations such as the First Battle of Bull Run and the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. To support his study, Adams also investigates how the pervasive defeatist attitude affected the early decision-making of the Union high command and assesses the leaders of North and South, including President Lincoln, Generals George McClellan and Ulysses Grant, and Robert E. Lee, to name a few. The result is a fascinating insight into the men and military action of this momentous period of American history. ""Sound scholarship and balanced judgement make [Adams's book] one that must be taken seriously. Historians should read it not only as a major revision in Civil War history but as an example of how cultural and military history can be fruitfully combined. Civil War buffs will find a delightful new source for controversy."" - Choice ""This excellent and provocative work concludes with a chapter suggesting how the image of Southern military superiority endured in spite of defeat."" - Archer Jones, Civil War History

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