Rating: 
Summary: A great book!
Review: Mr. Lincoln's Army tells the story of the Army of the Potomac from the beginning of the Civil War through the Battle of Antietam. The history is told from the point of view of the soldiers in the army, but it also explains the larger political and military issues that affected the country. The book is full of vivid details that help you understand how the soldiers really experienced the war and why they did what they did. If you don't know the history of the Civil War and have ever wondered why so many people are fascinated by it, this would be a great place to start. I have read a number of books about the Civil War, and was familiar with most of the general history, and I still found the book enthralling.
Rating:
Summary: Why oh why did they stop printing this?????
Review: What a wonderful book. I was so lucky to be able to pick up a great condition trilogy of the AOP (Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory Road, and Stillness at Appomatox).Catton's style is so amazing. You get the broad strokes of tactical movement, political wranglings, down in the ditch tales, camp life, and of course the human equation. Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. I must say, I'm glad I had a little working knowledge of the ACW before reading. He does have a tendency to just start up. For instance, Lincoln's Army starts in the middle of 2nd Manassas, then kind of works back into a flash back and fills in some of the bios. This may be a little confusing for an un-informed reader. You may want to read a very general, one volume sort of history before moving on to Catton. The good thing though is the book is suitable for a beginner and yet I think the more you know about the ACW, the more you will enjoy it. There are so many great little stories about politicians, soldiers, officers, etc. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Why oh why did they stop printing this?????
Review: What a wonderful book. I was so lucky to be able to pick up a great condition trilogy of the AOP (Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory Road, and Stillness at Appomatox). Catton's style is so amazing. You get the broad strokes of tactical movement, political wranglings, down in the ditch tales, camp life, and of course the human equation. Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. I must say, I'm glad I had a little working knowledge of the ACW before reading. He does have a tendency to just start up. For instance, Lincoln's Army starts in the middle of 2nd Manassas, then kind of works back into a flash back and fills in some of the bios. This may be a little confusing for an un-informed reader. You may want to read a very general, one volume sort of history before moving on to Catton. The good thing though is the book is suitable for a beginner and yet I think the more you know about the ACW, the more you will enjoy it. There are so many great little stories about politicians, soldiers, officers, etc. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Writing Style
Review: When it comes to writing, Catton's style is nearly impeccable. When reading Catton's book, you get the feeling that this is a great writer writing about the Civil War, not a great Civil War historian who is writing.
Catton paints with broad strokes regarding the campaigns of the Army of the Potomoc up to November 1862. People who are interested in the Civil War will definitely want to read more detailed histories of the individual campaigns, but for those who have already done so, reading Catton is great because he ties them all together and really gets into the psyche of the soldiers and the army as a whole.
Much of the book focuses of course on McClellan, who is persona non grata in most histories being written these days. But Catton is able to evoke some sympathy for McClellan's odd position in the power struggle between the military commanders and the Administration's politics, let alone the power struggle within the Administration itself.
All in all, this is a great book for people who have read about the Civil War in depth and are looking for enjoyable reading.
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