Ends of War

“Immensely readable and utterly convincing. . . . [Janney] offers a fresh and disquieting version of Lee’s surrender, adroitly balancing official, political and military decisions with the recollections of the men on the ground who endured—and sometimes defied—its consequences. Anyone who still believes that the scenes around Kabul airport this summer were uniquely chaotic must read Ends of War.”—Wall Street Journal

“Janney expertly explains the complications of these ambiguous terms and their inconsistent application. The author also makes an excellent case that Grant should have specified terms more clearly, although she also acknowledges that he had to act quickly as circumstances on the ground shifted from day to day...this detailed military history will find an eager audience among Civil War enthusiasts.”—Library Journal

“A detailed and compelling analysis. . . . Janney’s study is a welcome reminder that ending a war is a messy business, no more so than in the instance of the American Civil War.”—America’s Civil War

“This beautifully written and engaging book will make an excellent addition to any graduate or undergraduate classroom. It is a valuable contribution to the military and political history of the Civil War.”—Civil War Monitor

“If you're tired of reading about familiar Civil War events and eager to learn something new, every chapter of Ends of War will satisfy.”—Civil War Monitor’s Best Civil War Books of 2021

“One of the best works on the Civil War in the last several decades. This is truly a superb book in every conceivable way: scrupulously researched in both primary and secondary sources, marvelously organized around several key themes, comprehensive in scope, and elegantly written.”–North Carolina Historical Review

“Remarkable. . . . Janney has performed a superb task in helping us understand our greatest war and the workings of the human condition.”—Civil War Book Review

“A fabulous examination of a mostly ignored aspect of the Civil War. . . . This book is a must-read for any scholar of the Civil War . . . [and an] excellent example of historical scholarship [that] will define the study of the disposition of Lee’s army for decades to come.”—H-War

“In the US, Janney is leading the charge in the study of the Civil War’s conclusion and here offers a detailed examination, with numerous participant accounts, of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and the national confusion that followed for many months. Janney captures the legalities and military questions regarding how to implement parole, pardons, and amnesty; the difficulties of soldier repatriation or refusal to quit; the fear and distrust between North and South after Abraham Lincoln’s murder; and the key issues involving newly freed African Americans in a tableau illustrating the birth of many American issues that persist today. . . . Recommended.”—CHOICE

“Excellent. . . . Janney’s detailed research of paroles for surrendered Confederates makes a major contribution to the field.”—Journal of Southern History