Ernest B. Furgurson

While neither as entertaining nor as poetic as Margaret Leech's "Revellie in Washington," this is a well-written account of events in the capital between Lincoln's election and assassination. Very light on the military history of the war and appropriately only focuses on military aspects of the war as they affected Washington. Very good detail on the construction of the capitol dome. The author pored over many era diaries and manuscripts and his liberal use of their words enlivens his narrative. Recommended reading for anyone interested in what life in the capital was like during this tumultuous period.… (més)

Ernest Furgurson has written an excellent history of Richmond, Va., capital of the Confederacy, and how it weathered the Civil War. The book is informative, somewhere between interesting and riveting. Its cast of characters -- the majority of the Confederate political leadership -- bears way too much resemblance to the present situation in our country, where so many in government and commerce spoke "patriotic" rhetoric to lead us into a misguided war (fought valiantly and at great cost by the troops on the field and with great suffering to their families), almost purely for their own highly misguided self-interest. Another example of the powers that be seeming not to have any idea of or interest in the consequences of their actions, use of power, or greed.… (més)