I bought the abridged version here instead of the two - volume set. This book was great! The chapters were fairly short and McPherson's writing style is easy to read. It was an "optional" book for a course I took in college and I'm glad I bought it. It focuses on the social and political aspects of the Civil War as much as the battles. I really like that. It begins with politics in the election of 1860 and ends with Reconstruction. When it does discuss battles, it has maps to show you the various stages and days visually. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the Civil War, including historians, students, and History teachers.

Ordeal by Fire is an excellent reference for anyone studying the Civil War. James McPherson has a brilliant narrative style that makes his work a pleasure to read, and easy to comprehend. This is a must-read book for anyone studying the civil war. It is also a good reference for the Reconstruction era.

Ordeal By Fire has been an excellent source so far of what caused America to enter into a full scale Civil War

Insightful, and comprehensive. I bought this book in order to study for a DSST exam on the Civil War. I find myself going back to it now just for the joy of reading it. By the way, the book does a super job of getting you ready for the exam.

McPherson's work here is quite comprehensive, notwithstanding The Battle Cry of Freedom, and quite detailed which makes it exactly the right text of choice for a Civil War classroom. The maps, charts, and photographs show without crowding the material the nature of the battles and campaigns the Union and Confederacy fought against each other. The photographs include gems that drive the ravaging, taxing, bloody hell of war home to readers. One cannot help but be shocked by the photograph on page 490 or many of the others depicting the horrors of war. That is one of many reasons that make this a book worth reading. Also worth mentioning is the meticulous amount of information and the methods by which it is organized. McPherson's text is mainly digested details of the war as he rarely refers the reader to other sources. There is an excellent organization to the text that makes it second to none.

While the general reader or Civil War buff might enjoy McPherson's popular "Battle Cry of Freedom," this book in a first rate textbook on the Civil War. McPherson spends ample time exploring the causes of war: the disputes over slavery in the territories, the attempts at compromise, and finally the start of the war itself. His military analysis of various battles is suscinct but comprehensive: satisfying to the military history buff, but not confusing to the lay reader.
Most importantly, McPherson incorporates a lengthy discussion of Reconstruction into the book (an element missing in "Battle Cry of Freedom"), thus describing the crucial aftermath of the war.

I first became acquainted with this book twelve years ago when I was a college student taking an American Civil War course and have highly recommended it ever since. The serious history student will find the book to be very comprehensive, covering not only the war itself, but the antebellum years and the period of reconstruction as well. The social, economic, military and political causes and consequences of the war are all covered in great detail. Professor McPherson has also included many visual aids such as maps and charts which the reader will find quite instructive. Needless to say, it was, and has remained, one of my primary resources whenever I need to refresh my memory concerning just about any topic on the war. I wore out my first copy and recently was forced to replace it with a second. However, Ordeal by Fire is really a text book and subsequently not always an easy read. If you prefer your history in narrative form, I highly recommend McPherson's book Battle Cry of Freedom instead.