"Out of the Storm" is a good account of the last months of the Civil War, that is unfortunately eclisped by Burke Davis's superior "The Long Surrender," which covers much of the same ground, but provides a better historical perspective. Andre Trudeau focusses on the three month period April-June 1865, carrying the narrative of the War from the fall of Richmond to the last skirmish in Texas (a Confederate victory). Along the way, he retells many important stories that seem lost to history, like the Sultana explosion, the deadliest naval disaster in U.S. history than claimed the lives of nearly 1700 people, most of them returning Union POWs. Overall, this is an interesting historical account that should appeal to those with an interest in the Civil War.

Mr Trudeau's final Civil War book was spelendidly told in neat and organized sections. The events leading up to and after Lee' surrender are detailed and written in a compelling style. The known and unknown characters that peopled the era are unique, interesting and in some cases mysterious. The final battles are well researched and the maps are superbly drawn allowing the reader to follow the course of action. I highly recommend his other fine works, "Bloody Roads South" and "The Citadel" to round out the most critical and bloody years of the conflict.

"Like Men of War" is a good book that details the overlooked exploits the United States Colored Troops from the Civil War. Most battles and skirmishes in which black troops took part are mentioned here. The book's only faults are its ponderous length, its discounting of massacres committed by the U.S.C.T. against Confederates, and its discounting of the contributions of blacks to the Southern cause. (Unknown to many, there were blacks who sided with the CSA and did shoulder arms for it.) Otherwise, this book is good primer on a part of the Union army that at the end of the war was 10% of the Union's total force.

"Like Men of War" is a good book that details the overlooked exploits the United States Colored Troops from the Civil War. The only faults in the book is its sometimes ponderous length, its discounting of massacres committed by the U.S.C.T. against Confederates, and its discounting of the contributions of blacks to the Southern cause.

Your knowlege of the Civil war will never be complete without reading this book. This book takes you there........

Recently a group of friends, knowing that I am an American History student, asked me to take them to the National Battlefield Park at Gettysburg and give them a personal tour. Naturally, I wanted to provide them with both and interesting and yet, informative day. So, I decided to bone up on the battle by reading several different histories and I am heartily glad that I chose this as one to read. Why? Trudeau covers just about every aspect of the battle in a very readable way allowing me to refresh my memory quickly. Therefore, I was able to explain to my friends not only why and how the battle was fought, but also to throw in little personal intrest tidbits about several of the townsfolk, commanders, and common soldiers who witnessed and participated in the three day fight. The maps were especially helpful to me in pin pointing important stopping places (some of them not on the official tour) along the route we took. If you are planning to visit Gettysburg, PA anytime in the future I recommend reading this book first. It believe it will greatly enhance your experience.

Among the many books that cover the Battle of Gettysburg in its entirety it is impossible to assume that every detail or element can be covered to a large degree. Such details can be found in books featuring a particular day of the battle or event. Trudeau's book is a great look at the entire battle from Confederate and Union early marches into Pennsylvania all the way through to the aftermath of the conflict. There is a great rhythmic flow to Trudeau's writing which makes for great reading. Trudeau gets into every battle from each day while quoting from soldiers, officers or civilians that may have had something to say in regards to the events that unfolded. Due to the immense amount of information that could be covered Trudeau does leave certain elements out of the book such as biography and some battle detail. He was brief in regards to the Wheatfield battle and also the struggle for Little Round Top. You won't see the details in this book as you would in a Harry Pfanz book though you will be guided by many maps which help back key positions and movements throughout the three day saga.

I highly recommend this book to anyone learning about Gettysburg or who doesn't really have a large understanding of the battle. For those with higher knowledge it may be a great book to use for thought as for example Trudeau doesn't shroud Chamberlain with many high honors while vaguely covering Lee's 2nd Day plan or Longstreet's countermarch. As much as he may not cover some key issues Trudeau does bring to light other interesting points. For example he does bring to light the political tensions in the Union army and how commanders seem to favor other certain commanders when such favoritism has dire consequences. The issue of Buford's intelligence being passed over after Reynold's death because Doubleday and others preferred their own strategy brought about an interesting thought to this book.

Overall this is a very great book, very well written and definately worth reading for further insight! 5 STARS!!!

In the tradition of Coddington's splendid "Gettysburg: A Study In Command," comes Noah Andre Trudeau's "Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage."

Trudeau's effort to tell the entire story of the Gettysburg Campaign comes off well. The author weaves the history of all the events and unit movements into the fascinating story that Gettysburg can be when placed in skilled hands. This book has enough detail for civil war students. It also tells the larger story in a well written way that will satisfy those readers of history who are looking for the great epic in a retelling of the past.

Trudeau begins at the end of the Chancellorsville campaign, when Lee is pondering a move that takes advantage of the immediate situation he created in pounding Joe Hooker's Army of the Potomac. The book delves into the decision to invade the North and Lee's preparatory moves in implementing that thrust as well as the Union following and joint mission to both shield Washington and Baltimore as well as chase down the Confederates.

Both of these preludes to the meeting at Gettysburg get just due. The battle can not properly be understood without this prologue and the author handles it well.

The three days of July 1-3, 1863 are handled superbly. The majesty and drama of this, the greatest armed conflict to visit North America is well told. Unit movements at the regimental level as well as command objectives and decisions are both described. Trudeau meshes well the front line and headquarters stories of the battle.

The author's extensive research leads him to some minor conclusions and thoughts that run counter to established wisdom. These include some myth debunking and proper perspective that he buttresses with sources and first person recollections. For example, some evidence he brings forward suggests that Chamberlain's famous right wheel of the 20th Maine might have been an accident of missed commands during the heat of battle instead of a well-planned maneuver. Lee's greeting of his soldiers returning from Pickett's Charge is placed in the context of his accepting responsibility for an audacious (but not wrong) attack instead of the sorrowful apology that is frequently portrayed. He is not a revisionist, but his willingness to challenge some small parts of the story with contradictory evidence is refreshing and illuminating.

The author uses many first person accounts of combatants and Gettysburg citizens to illuminate the history. Although frequent, they are used in short snippets, which works well. Some histories, in an attempt to make the first person the focus will quote long paragraphs from journals or letters -- which can often break the narrative flow of a book. Turdeau favors the short sentence or two, or even phrase, from an observer or two to get the sense of immediacy that gives the story its drama. This tight editing allows him to bring the participants into the story without sacrificing the pace and flow of his writing.

This is a very good book that deserves to take its ranks among the standards of Civil War writing.

This is a beautiful, lavishly illustrated history of the civil war. Unfortunately, the illustrations overwhelm the text. Readers interested in a solid account of the Civil War would be better off turning to a text-only book such as James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom.

This book bears comparison with another recent heavily illustrated one-volume overview of the civil war, Geoffrey C. Ward's The Civil War (companion to the PBS documentary). This book has more striking illustrations, in that they are in full-blown vivid color, whereas many in Ward's are in sepia or black and white. Ward's, though, has much better maps. It is frustrating that in this book it is not always clear exactly where battles occurred, because of the lack of maps. On the other hand, this book is better written than Ward's.

This book is useful as an adjunct to other accounts of the civil war, but if you are interested in reading only one general book about the war, this is not the one.

A real quality one volume stab at the definitive Civil War book for the general reader. The narrative pulls you on through the war in breathtaking style. The illustrations are superb (though my copy had bad watercolour staining on several pages). I would have liked additional battle schematics to follow each of the major battles and a larger scale series of campaign maps. I had to resort to a 1992 road atlas to find some of the places!! Excellent value. Four stars. Stewart Hawkins. Auckland, NZ

Written by the most renowned author on the Civil War namely Bruce Catton and edited by pulitzer prize winning author Prof. McPherson, there was no doubting that the written portion of this historical treatment of the ACW would be excellent. However the graphical component is just as stunning with superb photographs, paintings and sketchings. If you're interested in a one all encompassing volume on the ACW then this is it. Unfortunately I did not receive the promised CD with the order but of course one cannot fault the book for that. Of course it is nowhere as detailed as Shelby Foote's three volume (3000 page) treatment of the subject but then again Foote's work is a narrative and doesn't include pictures. The best bet is to get them both.....you won't regret it!

I was moved to read this book by a recent visit to the Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia. I spent the better part of a weekend touring various parts of the Battlefield with Park Rangers, but I still came away confused. The siege lines are lengthy and the key locations of the battle are separated and distant from each other. (I got lost several times driving around.)

For some battlefields I have seen, such as Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, or Vicksburg, a vist can illuminate and can be more informative than a casual reading of several books. For Petersburg, the reverse is true. I think this is due to the length of the siege (from June 1986-April 1865), to the complexity of the military operations, and to the interrelationship of the Petersburg siege with activites elswhere, particularly Sheridan's raids in the Shenendoah Valley and Sherman's taking of Atlanta and March to the sea. I found I needed to hold these events in mind in understanding the siege, rather than simply view the battlefield. Trudeau's book, which I found during my visit to Petersburg, helped me to do this.

Noah Andre Trudeau's "The Last Citadel" explains the Petersburg Siege and places it in its context in ending the Civil War. Perhaps most importantly for me, he explains how the decisive event of the siege occurred before it even began: Grant's brilliant move following the Union disaster at Cold Harbor, in which he stole a march on General Lee, crossed the James River, (a risky and audacious move) and attacked Petersburg from the South. Lee had forseen this move. He told Cnfederate General Early at Cold Harbor that: "we must destroy this army of Grant's before he gets to the James River. If he gets there it will become a siege, and then it will be a mere question of time." These were prophetic words but Lee was unable to react quickly enough when Grant moved his army from its trenches at Cold Harbor and crossed the James River.

Trudeau's book is divided into four large Parts, together with a Prologue and an Epilogue. Each part begins with a short quotation from General Grant's "Final Report of Operations, March 1864 -- May, 1865". The four parts are each divided into short chapters which are, in turn, presented in very short bold-faced headings each highlighting a critical moment or event. Thus the scene shifts rapidly from the Union lines to those of the South, from General Grant's deliberations to those of General Lee, from the battles to the trenches. It is, on the whole, an effective means of presenting the story. It held my attention and helped me understand the sometimes confusing sequences of events.

There are excellent discussions of the famous Battle of the Crater and of General Lee's numerous attempts to take the initiative and break the siege. I found the best and most poignant writing in Part IV of the book which details the breaking of the siege. Trudeau explains how Lee's lines were simply stretched too thin and how Grant after laboring to create this situation, was able to exploit it with an all-out assault. There is a good treatment of the battle of Five Forks, which led to the break -- this discussion occurs at the end of the chapter rather than at the beginning. I viewed and heard a discussion of the Five Forks site during my visit to Petersburg -- Five Forks is some distance from most of the rest of the Battlefield. But I didn't really understand the significance of the site until I read Trudeau's book.

There are eloquent accounts of the evacuation of Petersburg and of visits during the siege by President Lincoln. Trudeau's Epilogue is thoughtful and a good summation of the book and the siege.

The maps in the book were helpful. And I particularly enjoyed the many drawings and illustrations in the book. These illustrations were made contemporaneously with the events they describe and have not often been reproduced.

This book is a good account of a critical but sometimes underestimated battle in our country's Civil War.

This book seems to be the only resource out there for people wanting to better understand the ten month seige of Petersburg. Trudeau writes in an engaging narrative style and handles his subject skillfully. The parts that mention the explosion at the docks in City Point and the rapid narrative that describes the battle of Fort Stedman stand out as a few of the many satisfying moments in the book. Having been a Seasonal Park Ranger at Petersburg National Battlefield, I found "The Last Citadel" an indispensable resource and heartily reccomend it to all students of the Civil War.

An entertaining read to be sure, but also a cut-and-paste account that offers no real analysis and relies too much on post-war sources.

This first book of Noah Andre Trudeau's trilogy covering the final stages of the Civil War offers an excellent account of the fighting in the Wilderness and at Cold Harbor between May - June 1864. The personal accounts of the soldiers experiences during the fighting are well presented. The action scenes are well written and the book flows along quite well. An enjoyable book to read for anyone interested in this period of time.