United States History - 19th Century - Civil War, Diplomacy & International Relations

Out of the Storm

Name: Out of the Storm
Author: Noah Andre Trudeau
ISBN: 9780316853286

by Noah Andre Trudeau

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Overview

Out of the Storm is a moving and dramatic account of the final months of the American Civil War. In the spring of 1865, after four years of devastating conflict, the North and South had their final reckoning. For the men and women whose fierce determination to preserve their way of life had sustained the Confederacy, it was a time to confront the bitter truth that all was lost. For Abraham Lincoln, standing at the threshold of a long-awaited triumph, it was both a time to reconcile the cost of what had been won and a time to move forward, to rebuild the nation and heal its grievous wounds. Although most Civil War histories close with Lee's surrender at Appomattox, it took three more months to end this bloodiest of all American wars. These final months of struggle and change are explored in vivid detail in Out of the Storm. There are the final military campaigns of the war: Grant's pursuit of Lee; Sherman's death embrace with Johnston's army in North Carolina; and Wilson's relentless sweep through central Alabama and Georgia. There are compelling accounts of the tragic sinking of the steamboat Sultana (America's worst maritime disaster); the tremendous munitions explosion that leveled a large section of Mobile; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt for his killer; and the pursuit and capture of Jefferson Davis. Offering viewpoints of both North and South, Noah Andre Trudeau follows the domino-like collapse of the Confederacy, presenting poignant stories of individual courage and honor amid irrevocable chaos and change. This defining moment in the history of the United States has received surprisingly little study; it was a period of transition from a society at war with itself to a restored peace. Drawing upon an impressive body of personal reminiscences, memoirs, and previously unpublished material, Out of the Storm is a rich and memorable portrait of the last months of conflict. With this third volume, Trudeau completes his celebrated Civil War tri

In a narrative enriched by dozens of personal recollections from soldiers on both sides, Trudeau brings to life the momentous last months of this tragic conflict, from the final armed clashes after Lee's surrender to the assassination of Lincoln. Third in the trilogy which includes Bloody Roads South and The Last Citadel. Illustrations. Maps.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this concluding volume of a trilogy, Trudeau Bloody Roads South ; The Last Citadel relies on firsthand accounts to tell the compelling story of the Confederacy's death throes. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, marked only the beginning of the end: the Civil War had gone on too long to end in a single stroke. Confederate government was still intact, and large Confederate forces remained in the field. While Union cavalry ravaged northern Alabama, Union infantry stormed the fortress of Mobile. Men continued to die in obscure skirmishes from Texas to South Carolina. Trudeau's richly textured presentation never loses focus in depicting the complex course of events from the final days of the Army of Northern Virginia, through the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, to the growing recognition in the South and the North that the great national tragedy was finally over. This is a major contribution to the field. Apr.

Library Journal

Trudeau wonderfully concludes his Civil War trilogy Bloody Roads South , Fawcett, 1993; The Last Citadel , LJ 10/15/91 by looking beyond Appomattox. This affecting work explains the circumstances that led to Lee's surrender, but it also examines Lincoln's assassination, the single event that provided closure to the war. Detailing the tragic events that followed the actual fighting also provide a clearer picture of the postwar United States and its attempts to be one nation again. It is impossible not to be moved by the graphic descriptions of the sinking of the Sultana , the flight of Jefferson Davis, and the last battle of the war in the west. This is a fitting conclusion to a series that masterfully intertwines personal accounts with descriptive narrative. In the words of Lieutenant Colonel Branson upon hearing the last volley: ``That winds up the war.''-- Barbara Zaborowski, Cambria Cty. Lib., Johnstown, Pa.

Jay Freeman

Lee's surrender at Appomattox did not end the Civil War, either in a formal or a strictly military sense. Several months of often brutal fighting lay ahead, particularly in the trans-Mississippi region. At the same time, the now evident collapse of the Confederacy led to a flurry of political scheming and jockeying for position in both North and South. With a narrative that cuts back and forth between Union and Confederate armies, Trudeau provides a fascinating and often surprising glimpse at a generally neglected aspect of the war. At times, his narrative becomes confusing, but Trudeau is writing about an extremely chaotic and confusing time. Although he often portrays individual acts of heroism and nobility on both sides, the overall effect of this history is rather depressing; an army and a society in the throes of death aren't a pretty sight. For large collections.