James McPherson evokes the meaning and significance of the Civil War McPherson, the dean of U.S. Civil War historians, offers readers an insightful overview of some of the most important questions in contemporary Civil War scholarship. McPherson's mastery of the Civil War literature and the field's historiographic debates allows him to present nuanced answers to those questions and many others, and his gift for narrative clarifies even the most obscure scholarly disputes. The literature on the Civil War is one of the greatest accomplishments of the American historical profession, and this collection of lucid essays is a distinguished addition to the field." - Foreign Affairs