The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom, The Civil War Era
by James M. McPherson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2003

book reviewed by Peter Slocum

Justly celebrated as a magnificent narrative history when first published in 1988, "Battle Cry of Freedom" wove a narrative of the Civil War into an insightful examination of the social, political and economic factors at play in mid-19th Century America. Much more than battles alone, James M. McPherson's Pulitzer Prize winning bestseller gave us the full flavor of the times.

The book captivated many students of the Civil War - "I was swept away, feeling as if I had never heard the saga before," said the NY Times reviewer - and it became required reading; my daughter's high school history class was among those required.

Now comes a new illustrated edition, a 760-page heavyweight, with 700-plus pictures (150 in color) and 24 color maps. And despite a few drawbacks, and the high standard set by the original, I think it is safe to say this volume offers a richer experience.

The footnotes are gone, sacrificed for reasons of space, as is about a fifth of the text. Some of the footnotes are a real loss. For instance, McPherson's detailed analysis of the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott decision draws upon such fascinating sources as private correspondence between President-elect James Buchanan and two Supreme Court justices. That is valuable information, and those who read only the illustrated edition will miss it.

However, in exchange, we get a wealth of new pictorial material that deepens the book's value. The drawings, paintings, cartoons and political flyers provide direct evidence of the way people were thinking at the time, and therefore give us a window on the social climate. I am a great fan of political cartoons, because they so often crystallize popular thought and political debate.

For example, McPherson selects a scathing 1855 anti-Catholic cartoon (p. 103), depicting Pope Pius IX landing on U.S. shores, demanding that his toe be kissed, to illustrate the Know-Nothing movement's passions.

A satirical Southern cartoon, featuring a clown-like Lincoln controlling his puppet-commanding generals (p. 507) captures Southern society's contempt for the Union leader.

Personal portraits have power, too:

-- A small photo of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (p. 31), taken in 1848, the year she organized the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, shows a determined young mother with her two young sons, not the slightly frumpy matron we are accustomed to seeing. You can see the will power in the set of her jaw.

-- A large painting (p. 158) of abolitionist John Brown captures all the fire and rage in his soul, and conveys a bit of the madness that drove the one-time Lake Placid farmer.

The full-page colored maps are not particularly attractive or helpful, and the artwork is odd. That is a small quibble though, and should not detract from the overall value of this volume.

Priced for the holiday market, the book jacket sets the price at $65 until Jan. 1, 2004, when it rises to $75.

*******

11/28/2003