This is book is equal parts sad and astonishing. The tremendous losses of the Civil War were not only on the battlefield--more than 600,000 people died of causes including disease, dehydration, exposure, and starvation, in addition to combat. Animals also died in massive numbers, and the poor sanitation, lack of proper burial, and economic disruption of the war changed the nation's ecology permanently.

The reason I cannot rate this book higher is because the authors squander their opportunity to truly condemn the war and the sentiments that both caused and continued it. The CSA's accomplishments, such as they were, are noted in a way that will please the Lost Cause liars. And even the horrifying moments describing the putrid disease in segregated districts or the murder of black soldiers are quickly shifted to the ecological and geographic features that enabled these particular horrors. There's even a chapter that laments how, once the slaves were freed, they stopped digging ditches for free and soil erosion became a big problem. It feels odd to approach this tragic war in a detached manner, and in 2020, a book that truly hit back at the lies that have been spawned since Reconstruction would have been a welcome addition to the history bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It is great to learn about the environmental impact of Civil war. The lessons of the past will serve as reminders of for the present.

In An Environmental History of the Civil War Judkin Browning and Timothy Snyder investigate the effects of the environment and the land on the soldiers - as well as its effects on them. Chapters cover disease, weather, food, animals, death and disability, and terrain. The size of the armies were capable of changing their environment just by grouping together - sometimes by providing new hosts for viruses and bacterial infections and sometimes by polluting water, hacking out roads, and leaving battlefields piled with the dead. Interested readers should be aware that the authors continually note that more data is available from the North, which they extrapolate to the South. Also, the first chapter and epilogue deal with disease and contain the most examples. I personally would have liked more natural history information (plants and animals) but this still gave an interesting view of the Civil War.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

An Environmental History of the Civil War by Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver, to be released in mid-April, is the latest contribution to American Civil War history that not only takes into account environmental factors but makes the case that these factors were central to deciding the outcome.

The various chapters discuss illness (particularly infectious diseases), weather, the availability and scarcity of adequate food, terrain, use of animals and the problems associated with their use, and soldiers’ death and disability. These are placed in context more or less chronologically, although their impacts were felt throughout the course of the war.

While many of the big-picture conclusions are not revelations, the book delves into the details supporting the conclusions in a scholarly yet accessible fashion that aids in understanding. The two authors’ combined expertise makes for a wonderful synthesis of a good deal of material. For those interested in Civil War history who are not fluent in environmental history but who would like to see events examined from this angle, this book is a fine choice.

Good for those who have an interest in the civil war. A look at the natural world and what the peoples impact as well.

This book takes an unexplored aspect of the Civil War and delivers a very informative and well written explanation of these aspects. While some previous books may have dealt indirectly with some these aspects no one has ever tied the all together. I would reccomend the book for anyone interested in the Civil War who wants to see it from a different perspective.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This belongs in the library of any serious student of the Civil War. It is written in an engaging style that does not get bogged down in minutiae and superfluous detail. Few realize how much environmental factors influenced the actions and outcomes of the war. The authors point out many factors that would not be normally considered including animal availability, sickness, weather, and sustenance. Students of the war often wonder why commanders did what they did (or didn't) but now the obvious is explained and put into context to the whole conflict. A great read.