NF Not feeling the love for Bruce Catton

Non-Fiction
E. B. Long was one of his researchers, but that doesn't mean he didn't also do research himself as well.

Yes, it was E. B. Long is was thinking of. According to David Blight, Doubleday Publishing paid E. B. Long a hefty full-time salary to do research for Catton. ($18,000/year in the early 60's--which would be over $150,000/year in today's dollars). Blight says he knows of no other historian, ever, who had a full-time research assistant paid for by his publisher. At one point, Long wrote a report for Doubleday in which he claimed to have sent Catton, over a ten year period, over 9 million words and 24,000 pages of research notes, taken from over 3,500 sources.

Blight gave his lecture on Catton at the Huntington Library in 2011.
 
JimKlag, I've literally just read that chapter and so far, have enjoyed the book (will continue reading it shortly this afternoon).

I'm not sure what I was expecting but maybe a chronological approach, beginning as the War broke out, of how the army was recruited, organised, mobilised etc.

That first chapter goes on to talk about a skirmish in 2nd Manassas (I think) and is gripping stuff and if the structure of the book is not quite what I thought, I won't mind.

However, as I move on into the book, will I get my fix of the organisational stuff or might I have to go elsewhere for that?
 
I thought this was about Bruce Catton, not about NBF and his sword. :O o:

Yes, but his presence in this thread makes perfect sense when you remember that Forrest is master of the lightning raid. He strikes bold and swift, and shows up causing havoc deep in places you wouldn't expect to find him.
 
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Should have waited before posting above.

A few months on and I am actually re-reading the 1st volume as I enjoyed it so much the first time around.

After that first chapter, the book did provide me with the sort of chronological approach with an emphasis on organisation and operation which I was looking for.

Will buy the other 2 volumes in the trilogy now.
 
Cotton and Foote time has of come and gone... Thier vision of the war is becoming dated... There is a new generation rising and each new generation has to interrupt history for themselves...
 
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I would be interested in the north/south breakdown of who read Catton and Foote. I grew up in Va...read Foote...never touched Catton. I think folks in the south had little interest in reading Catton because of the subject matter. I have acquired some of his lately and they are in my stack but I have not gotten to them.


I have the books of both Catton and Foote. I have read all of Foote's and several of Catton's, though has been some time back, but I enjoyed both. Found them both to be wonderful reads. Classics to have.

Respectfully,
William

One Nation,
Two countries
Confed-American Flag - Thumbnail.jpg
 
Maybe not, but history has moved on so a grain of salt should be taken when reading Cotton or Foote....

The current "school" of historical thought will fall by the wayside and fall out of favor at some point, just as past schools have done. And just like past schools, there are still things that can be learned as well as things that should be taken with a grain of salt. I completely reject the idea that any scholarship is completely outdated.
 
Lately, on the forums, I've kind of gotten a feeling that Catton has fallen out of favor as a dependable Civil War author. Is this just a passing fashion or is his research now passe'? Is he still worth reading?
Catton's Reflections on the Civil War is the best CW book that I have ever read. Not really a military history, but a master historian, seasoned by decades of work, pontificating about the true nature of the war. Big thoughts, wisdom speaking.(Him, not me)
 
Lately, on the forums, I've kind of gotten a feeling that Catton has fallen out of favor as a dependable Civil War author. Is this just a passing fashion or is his research now passe'? Is he still worth reading?
I tried Catton and Foote, as someone new to the subject, but soon gave up. They are story-tellers. If you like those kinds of books, then you will enjoy them. As our CWT experts said, new evidence has come up to make them dated. Hard to believe that anything significant can be found about the war after so many years. I wonder what it is? I hope that they are not confounding new evidence with new interpretations. The latter can be found in abundance.
 
Hard to believe that anything significant can be found about the war after so many years. I wonder what it is? I hope that they are not confounding new evidence with new interpretations. The latter can be found in abundance.

That's what I wonder. The past isn't going anywhere, historical events are not going to change.
 
I did not read either, but listened to audio books by both. Both have their place and I enjoyed both. If I was to have to choose to read a print version, i would probably choose Catton, only because of the length of Foote's trilogy, not for any other reason.
 
Not sure it's quite so black and white about new history taking over from old.

Or is it?

When looking at 'new history' the question comes to mind as to what, technically, that is exactly?

1. New primary sources throwing up new information.

2. Fresh interpretation of old information from previous research.

3. New interpretation from the new information discovered above in #1.

As for the facts, for example, how well proven are they?

As for the interpretations, just because its new doesn't make it better or right. For me, it's all down to the thoroughness of the analysis and the integrity of any conclusions - are they supportable or do they make sense?

Now that I've moved on to the 2nd volume of Catton's trilogy with the 3rd volume in reserve, based on what might be termed the 'sweep away' views of new history v. old, am I now to receive Catton's words as fiction when he tells me about the movements of Brigade X or Y in Battle A or B?
 
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Yes, it was E. B. Long is was thinking of. According to David Blight, Doubleday Publishing paid E. B. Long a hefty full-time salary to do research for Catton. ($18,000/year in the early 60's--which would be over $150,000/year in today's dollars). Blight says he knows of no other historian, ever, who had a full-time research assistant paid for by his publisher. At one point, Long wrote a report for Doubleday in which he claimed to have sent Catton, over a ten year period, over 9 million words and 24,000 pages of research notes, taken from over 3,500 sources.

Blight gave his lecture on Catton at the Huntington Library in 2011.
Research ... locating and organizing the sources ... is the grunt work. The real accomplishment is the interpretation and writing ... that was all Catton's. He was the chef, the researchers were the farmers, ranchers, fishermen (all of which require their own expertise) who provided his ingredients.

If you were to find a library, archive, website, or whatever, where all primary sources relative to a given subject had been collected together (not that that will ever happen!), someone else has done your research for you. How you handle that material, and the book you produce, is all your own accomplishment.
 
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Cotton and Foote time has of come and gone... Thier vision of the war is becoming dated... There is a new generation rising and each new generation has to interrupt history for themselves...
That mainly means that they give credit to the South and Southerners instead of condemning them out-of-hand because They fought for slavery! Personally, I prefer the interpretation of Catton, Foote, etc. to any revisionist rabble-rousing pandering trash.
 
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