A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War
There are plenty of history books on the Civil War, but few
books that convey another country’s perspective. Amanda Foreman has done
history buffs a service by providing a British perspective of our great
conflict. Foreman also provides fascinating details about spy operations in Canada
and some information about French, Irish, and German participation as diplomats, soldiers, and observers. Not quite a
world on fire, but it’s eye opening to learn how much our civil war affected
other nations.
The greatest contribution of A World on Fire is additional
insight into the issue of British and French recognition of the Confederate
States of America. This was the biggest political battle of the war and Abraham
Lincoln beat Jefferson Davis on what many believed should have been an easy Confederate
victory. If recognition had come, the South probably would have achieved
independence.
A World on Fire is a dazzling research effort with
most of the narrative driven from personal letters, diaries, and official
documents. Unfortunately, too much of this research made it into the book. The large tome sometimes takes a deep dive into a British person’s
experience for no apparent reason other than that individual kept a good diary.
The perspective of a common soldier or low level officer can be valuable and
interesting, but it felt out of place in a book purportedly about foreign perspectives
of the war because a soldier’s experience was similar independent of their
nationality. The books also jumps around in a manner that seems unnatural, with
characters resurfacing after a long absence without any reminders of who they
were.
In all, A World on Fire is a rare glimpse of the American
Civil War from a different perspective. Considering the number of books on the
subject, that is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself.
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