Bruce Catton
Encyclopedia
Charles Bruce Catton was an American historian
and journalist
, best known for his books on the American Civil War
. Known as a narrative historian
, Catton specialized in popular histories that emphasized colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes, they are generally not presented in a rigorous academic style. Catton won a Pulitzer Prize
for history in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox
, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia
.
, to George R. and Adela M. (Patten) Catton, and raised in Benzonia, Michigan
. His father was a Congregationalist
minister
, who accepted a teaching position in Benzonia Academy and later became the academy's headmaster. As a boy, Catton first heard the reminiscences of the aged veterans who had fought in the Civil War. In his memoir, Waiting for the Morning Train (1972), Catton explained how their stories made a lasting impression upon him:
In 1916, Catton began attending Oberlin College
, but he left without completing a degree because of World War I.
during World War I, Catton became a reporter and editor for The Cleveland News
(as a freelance reporter), the Boston American
(1920–1924), and The Plain Dealer (1925). From 1926 to 1941, he worked for the Newspaper Enterprise Association, a Scripps-Howard syndicate), for which he wrote editorials and book reviews, as well as serving as a Washington, D.C.
, correspondent. Catton tried twice to complete his studies, but found himself repeatedly pulled away by his newspaper work. Oberlin College awarded him an honorary degree in 1956.
, Catton was too old for military service. In 1941, he took a position as Director of Information for the War Production Board
, and later he held similar posts in the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior. His experiences as a federal employee prepared him to write his first book, War Lords of Washington, in 1948. Although the book was not a commercial success, it inspired Catton to leave the federal government to become a full-time author.
In 1954, Catton accepted the position as founding editor of the new American Heritage
magazine. Catton served initially as a writer, reviewer, and editor. In the first issue, he wrote:
Army of the Potomac trilogy
In the early 1950s, Catton published three books known as the Army of the Potomac trilogy. In Mr. Lincoln's Army (1951), the first volume of his history of the Army of the Potomac
, Catton covered the army's formation, the command of George B. McClellan
, the Peninsula Campaign
, the Northern Virginia Campaign
, and the Battle of Antietam
. In the second volume, Glory Road (1952), Catton covered the army's history under new commanding generals, from the Battle of Fredericksburg
to the Battle of Gettysburg
. In his final volume of the trilogy, A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)—the author's first commercially successful work—Catton covered the campaigns of Ulysses S. Grant
in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865. The book won a Pulitzer Prize
for history and the National Book Award
for excellence in nonfiction in 1954. The three volumes were reissued as a single volume reprint titled, Bruce Catton's Civil War (1988).
Centennial History of the Civil War
From 1961 to 1965, the Centennial of the Civil War
was memorialized, and the publication of Bruce Catton's Centennial History of the Civil War trilogy highlighted this era. Unlike his previous trilogy, these books focused not only on military topics, but on social, economic, and political topics as well. In the first volume, The Coming Fury (1961), Catton explored the causes and events leading to the start of the war, culminating in its first major combat, the First Battle of Bull Run
. In the second volume, Terrible Swift Sword (1963), he followed both sides as they mobilize for a massive war effort. The story continued through 1862, ending with the Battle of Fredericksburg
. In the third volume, Never Call Retreat (1965), the war continued through Vicksburg, Gettysburg
, and the bloody struggles of 1864 and 1865 before the final surrender.
Ulysses S. Grant trilogy
Following the publication of Captain Sam Grant (1950) by historian and biographer Lloyd Lewis, Catton wrote the second and third volumes of this trilogy, making extensive use of Lewis's historical research, provided by his widow, Kathryn Lewis, who personally selected Catton to continue her husband's work. In Grant Moves South (1960), Catton showed the growth of Grant as a military commander, from victories at the Battle of Fort Henry
and the Battle of Fort Donelson
, to the Battle of Shiloh
and the Vicksburg Campaign
. In Grant Takes Command (1969), Catton followed Grant from the Battle of Chattanooga
in 1863 through the 1864 Virginia campaigns against Robert E. Lee
and the end of the war.
Other Civil War books
In addition to these three important trilogies, Catton wrote extensively about the Civil War throughout his writing career. In U. S. Grant and the American Military Tradition (1954), Catton writes what many consider one of the best short biographies of the general. In Banners at Shenandoah: A Story of Sheridan's Fighting Cavalry (1955), Catton wrote for young people about Union
cavalry commander Philip Sheridan
in the Shenandoah Valley
in 1864. This Hallowed Ground (1956) was an account of the war from the Union perspective. Upon its publication, it was widely considered the best single volume history of the Civil War, receiving a Fletcher Pratt Award from the Civil War Round Table of New York in 1957.
In America Goes to War (1958), Catton made the case that the American Civil War was one of the first total wars
. In The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War (1960), Catton wrote the accompanying narrative to a book that included over 800 paintings and period photographs. It received a special Pulitzer Prize citation in 1961. In The American Heritage Short History of the Civil War (1960), Catton offers a fast-moving narrative that covered both the military and political aspects of the war. In Two Roads to Sumter (1963), written with his son William, Catton recounted the 15 years leading up to the war, seen from the vantage points of the two leading politicians involved in the conflict: Abraham Lincoln
and Jefferson Davis
. And in Gettysburg: The Final Fury (1974), Catton offered a slim volume on the Battle of Gettysburg
, dominated by photographs and illustrations.
Other books
In addition to writing Civil War histories, Catton wrote other books, including The War Lords of Washington (1948), an account of Washington, D.C., during World War II, based on his experiences in the federal government, Four Days: The Historical Record Of The Death Of President Kennedy (1964), a 144-page collaboration of the American Heritage Magazine and United Press International
on the John F. Kennedy assassination
, and Waiting for the Morning Train (1972), about the author's Michigan boyhood. Toward the end of his life, Catton published Michigan: A Bicentennial History (1976) and The Bold & Magnificent Dream: America's Founding Years, 1492–1815 (1978).
Of the many Civil War historians, Catton was arguably the most prolific and popular. Oliver Jensen, who succeeded him as editor of American Heritage magazine, wrote:
Since 1984, The Bruce Catton Prize was awarded for lifetime achievement in the writing of history. In cooperation with American Heritage Publishing Company, the Society of American Historians in 1984 initiated the biennial prize that honors an entire body of work. It is named for Bruce Catton, prizewinning historian and first editor of American Heritage magazine. The prize consisted of a certificate and 2,500 dollars. The prize was awarded to Dumas Malone (1984), C. Vann Woodward (1986), Richard B. Morris (1988), Henry Steele Commager (1990), Edmund S. Morgan (1992), John Hope Franklin (1994), Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (1996), Richard N. Current (1998), Bernard Bailyn (2000), Gerda Lerner (2002), David Brion Davis (2004), and David Herbert Donald (2006).
In 1977, the year before his death, Catton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Gerald R. Ford, who noted that the author and historian "made us hear the sounds of battle and cherish peace."
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, best known for his books on the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Known as a narrative historian
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
, Catton specialized in popular histories that emphasized colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes, they are generally not presented in a rigorous academic style. Catton won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for history in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox
A Stillness at Appomattox
A Stillness at Appomattox is an award-winning, non-fiction book written by Bruce Catton in 1953. It recounts the American Civil War's final year, describing the campaigns of Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865. It is the final volume of the Army of the Potomac...
, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Early life
Charles Bruce Catton was born in Petoskey, MichiganPetoskey, Michigan
Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,080. It is the county seat of Emmet County....
, to George R. and Adela M. (Patten) Catton, and raised in Benzonia, Michigan
Benzonia, Michigan
Benzonia is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 519 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Benzonia Township at the southeast end of Crystal Lake on U.S...
. His father was a Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
, who accepted a teaching position in Benzonia Academy and later became the academy's headmaster. As a boy, Catton first heard the reminiscences of the aged veterans who had fought in the Civil War. In his memoir, Waiting for the Morning Train (1972), Catton explained how their stories made a lasting impression upon him:
In 1916, Catton began attending Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, but he left without completing a degree because of World War I.
Journalism career
After serving briefly in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I, Catton became a reporter and editor for The Cleveland News
Cleveland News
The Cleveland News was a daily and Sunday American newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, published from 1905 to 1960, when it was absorbed by rival paper The Plain Dealer.-History:...
(as a freelance reporter), the Boston American
Boston American
The Boston American was a daily tabloid newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts from March 21, 1904 until September 30, 1961. The newspaper was part of William Randolph Hearst's chain, and thus was also known as Hearst's Boston American....
(1920–1924), and The Plain Dealer (1925). From 1926 to 1941, he worked for the Newspaper Enterprise Association, a Scripps-Howard syndicate), for which he wrote editorials and book reviews, as well as serving as a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, correspondent. Catton tried twice to complete his studies, but found himself repeatedly pulled away by his newspaper work. Oberlin College awarded him an honorary degree in 1956.
Writing career
At the start of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Catton was too old for military service. In 1941, he took a position as Director of Information for the War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
, and later he held similar posts in the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior. His experiences as a federal employee prepared him to write his first book, War Lords of Washington, in 1948. Although the book was not a commercial success, it inspired Catton to leave the federal government to become a full-time author.
In 1954, Catton accepted the position as founding editor of the new American Heritage
American Heritage (magazine)
American Heritage is a quarterly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes. Since that time, Edwin S...
magazine. Catton served initially as a writer, reviewer, and editor. In the first issue, he wrote:
Army of the Potomac trilogy
In the early 1950s, Catton published three books known as the Army of the Potomac trilogy. In Mr. Lincoln's Army (1951), the first volume of his history of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, Catton covered the army's formation, the command of George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
, the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, the Northern Virginia Campaign
Northern Virginia Campaign
The Northern Virginia Campaign, also known as the Second Bull Run Campaign or Second Manassas Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during August and September 1862 in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E...
, and the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. In the second volume, Glory Road (1952), Catton covered the army's history under new commanding generals, from the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
to the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. In his final volume of the trilogy, A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)—the author's first commercially successful work—Catton covered the campaigns of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865. The book won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for history and the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for excellence in nonfiction in 1954. The three volumes were reissued as a single volume reprint titled, Bruce Catton's Civil War (1988).
Centennial History of the Civil War
From 1961 to 1965, the Centennial of the Civil War
American Civil War Centennial
The American Civil War Centennial was the official United States commemoration of the American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States...
was memorialized, and the publication of Bruce Catton's Centennial History of the Civil War trilogy highlighted this era. Unlike his previous trilogy, these books focused not only on military topics, but on social, economic, and political topics as well. In the first volume, The Coming Fury (1961), Catton explored the causes and events leading to the start of the war, culminating in its first major combat, the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
. In the second volume, Terrible Swift Sword (1963), he followed both sides as they mobilize for a massive war effort. The story continued through 1862, ending with the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. In the third volume, Never Call Retreat (1965), the war continued through Vicksburg, Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, and the bloody struggles of 1864 and 1865 before the final surrender.
Ulysses S. Grant trilogy
Following the publication of Captain Sam Grant (1950) by historian and biographer Lloyd Lewis, Catton wrote the second and third volumes of this trilogy, making extensive use of Lewis's historical research, provided by his widow, Kathryn Lewis, who personally selected Catton to continue her husband's work. In Grant Moves South (1960), Catton showed the growth of Grant as a military commander, from victories at the Battle of Fort Henry
Battle of Fort Henry
The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater....
and the Battle of Fort Donelson
Battle of Fort Donelson
The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
, to the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
and the Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
. In Grant Takes Command (1969), Catton followed Grant from the Battle of Chattanooga
Chattanooga Campaign
The Chattanooga Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga in September, the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen...
in 1863 through the 1864 Virginia campaigns against Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and the end of the war.
Other Civil War books
In addition to these three important trilogies, Catton wrote extensively about the Civil War throughout his writing career. In U. S. Grant and the American Military Tradition (1954), Catton writes what many consider one of the best short biographies of the general. In Banners at Shenandoah: A Story of Sheridan's Fighting Cavalry (1955), Catton wrote for young people about Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
cavalry commander Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
in 1864. This Hallowed Ground (1956) was an account of the war from the Union perspective. Upon its publication, it was widely considered the best single volume history of the Civil War, receiving a Fletcher Pratt Award from the Civil War Round Table of New York in 1957.
In America Goes to War (1958), Catton made the case that the American Civil War was one of the first total wars
Total war
Total war is a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of fully available resources and population.In the mid-19th century, "total war" was identified by scholars as a separate class of warfare...
. In The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War (1960), Catton wrote the accompanying narrative to a book that included over 800 paintings and period photographs. It received a special Pulitzer Prize citation in 1961. In The American Heritage Short History of the Civil War (1960), Catton offers a fast-moving narrative that covered both the military and political aspects of the war. In Two Roads to Sumter (1963), written with his son William, Catton recounted the 15 years leading up to the war, seen from the vantage points of the two leading politicians involved in the conflict: Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
. And in Gettysburg: The Final Fury (1974), Catton offered a slim volume on the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, dominated by photographs and illustrations.
Other books
In addition to writing Civil War histories, Catton wrote other books, including The War Lords of Washington (1948), an account of Washington, D.C., during World War II, based on his experiences in the federal government, Four Days: The Historical Record Of The Death Of President Kennedy (1964), a 144-page collaboration of the American Heritage Magazine and United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
on the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
, and Waiting for the Morning Train (1972), about the author's Michigan boyhood. Toward the end of his life, Catton published Michigan: A Bicentennial History (1976) and The Bold & Magnificent Dream: America's Founding Years, 1492–1815 (1978).
Personal life
On August 16, 1925, Catton married Hazel H. Cherry. In 1926, they had a son, William Bruce, who taught history at Princeton University and at Middlebury College, Vermont, where he was the first Charles A. Dana Professor of History.Death and legacy
Bruce Catton died in a hospital near his summer home at Frankfort, Michigan, following a respiratory illness. He was buried in Benzonia Township Cemetery in Benzonia County, Michigan.Of the many Civil War historians, Catton was arguably the most prolific and popular. Oliver Jensen, who succeeded him as editor of American Heritage magazine, wrote:
Since 1984, The Bruce Catton Prize was awarded for lifetime achievement in the writing of history. In cooperation with American Heritage Publishing Company, the Society of American Historians in 1984 initiated the biennial prize that honors an entire body of work. It is named for Bruce Catton, prizewinning historian and first editor of American Heritage magazine. The prize consisted of a certificate and 2,500 dollars. The prize was awarded to Dumas Malone (1984), C. Vann Woodward (1986), Richard B. Morris (1988), Henry Steele Commager (1990), Edmund S. Morgan (1992), John Hope Franklin (1994), Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (1996), Richard N. Current (1998), Bernard Bailyn (2000), Gerda Lerner (2002), David Brion Davis (2004), and David Herbert Donald (2006).
In 1977, the year before his death, Catton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Gerald R. Ford, who noted that the author and historian "made us hear the sounds of battle and cherish peace."
Works
- The War Lords of Washington. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1948.
- Mr. Lincoln's Army. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1951.
- Glory Road. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1952.
- A Stillness at AppomattoxA Stillness at AppomattoxA Stillness at Appomattox is an award-winning, non-fiction book written by Bruce Catton in 1953. It recounts the American Civil War's final year, describing the campaigns of Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865. It is the final volume of the Army of the Potomac...
. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1953. - U.S. Grant and the American Military Tradition. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1954.
- Banners at Shenandoah: A Story of Sheridan's Fighting Cavalry. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1955.
- This Hallowed Ground. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1956.
- America Goes to War. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1958.
- The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War. New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1960.
- The American Heritage Short History of the Civil War. New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1960.
- Grant Moves South. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1960.
- The Coming Fury. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1961.
- Terrible Swift Sword. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1963.
- Two Roads to Sumter. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963.
- Four Days: The Historical Record Of The Death Of President Kennedy. New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1964.
- Never Call Retreat. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1965.
- Grant Takes Command. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1969.
- Waiting for the Morning Train. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972.
- Gettysburg: The Final Fury. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1974.
- Michigan: A Bicentennial History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1976.
- The Bold & Magnificent Dream: America's Founding Years, 1492–1815. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1978.
Honors and awards
- 1954 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for A Stillness at AppomattoxA Stillness at AppomattoxA Stillness at Appomattox is an award-winning, non-fiction book written by Bruce Catton in 1953. It recounts the American Civil War's final year, describing the campaigns of Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865. It is the final volume of the Army of the Potomac... - 1959 Meritorious Service Award in the Field of Civil War History, presented by Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
- 1977 Presidential Medal of FreedomPresidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, presented by Gerald R. Ford - 1956–1978 Catton received 26 honorary degrees from colleges and universities across the United States
External links
- Jensen, Oliver. "Working with Bruce Catton" in American Heritage, February/March 1979.
- Miller, John J. "He Rewrote History" in Traverse, June 2009.
- Reynolds, Mark C. "Golden Anniversary" in American Heritage, November/December 2004.
- Cleveland Public Library
- National Book Foundation
- Cleveland Arts Prize