The Civil War 100:
A Ranking of the Most Influential People in the War Between the States
For many years, one of the most popular undergraduate seminars
at University of Wisconsin-Madison was "The Civil War Through
Biography." Students who were lucky enough to get into this
class (after enduring repeated turndowns and endless waiting lists)
studied the War Between the States through the eyes of the Americans
whose lives were touched by the conflict. The class was an innovative
and enjoyable way to look at the war.
Author Robert Wooster offers a similar perspective in The Civil
War 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People in the War Between
the States. Here Wooster offers 100 brief biographical sketches
of the men and women who most influenced the events of the Civil
War. He even goes so far as ranking these people in order of their
importance in the war experience.
In his introduction, Wooster sets out the ground rules for his
system of ranking. Acknowledging that there are inherent problems
in ranking people from entirely different spheres of influence,
the author none-the-less takes into account domestic, diplomatic
and military affairs.
To begin with, Wooster defines the term "war" broadly.
His interpretation encompasses events and situations that led
up to the conflict as well as the repercussions and consequences
that resulted from it. Since the war was primarily a military
contest, fully one half of the names on the list are those who
served in the military. And, due to the fact that the North had
twice a many citizens and was the eventual victor in the war,
the resulting list contains twice as many Northerners as Southerners.
One has to admit that even the conceptualization of a list that
ranks these influential people is a daring task. My first
impression of Wooster undertaking such a project was that he would
be offering himself up as historical cannon fodder to a host of
historians who will no doubt disagree with his choices. And there
are multiple opportunities with which one could disagree. Readers
can take issue not only with who is included or excluded from
the list, but also with the order in which they are ranked.
Author Wooster plainly admits that the process was not an easy
one. The first one-third of the list, he claims, was easy. The
following two-thirds considerably less so. In fact, that portion
of the rankings changed several times during his revision of the
manuscript.
In addition, inclusion on the list is more of a recognition of
a true influence on the war era as a whole rather than a reflection
of abilities. For instance, Col. Elmer Ellsworth, the first general
officer killed in the conflict, is commonly held in very high
regard as a leader of men. However, his early death, though widely
regarded as a great calamity, resulted in very little impact on
the war itself, and thus Ellsworth is not included on the list.
The resulting book is a compilation of the brief biographies of
these 100 influential individuals. The author does not engage
in justifying the ranking of the 100. Rather, his biographical
narrative and reporting of the important contributions made by
the person in question speaks for their respective positions on
the list.
Taken at face valueone historian's opinion of the 100 most influential
people caught up in the Civil Warthe book is enjoyable. Half the
fun of reading it was disagreeing with the author; not only on
the ranking of the individuals, but also in the outright inclusion
or exclusion of certain personalities.
The Civil War 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People
in the War Between the States is an enjoyable read. You may
not agree with the conclusions drawn by the author, but that,
it turns out, is what makes the book so engaging.
