Shelby Foote, that loquacious Mississippian, has left us. His three volume set on the American Civil War chronicles one of the few wars that actually resolved anything. To read his prose is to experience the epitome of fine writing merged with the historian's craft. Most of us first became aware of Shelby as a feature commentator on Ken Burns' series, The Civil War. He wrote like he spoke: The eloquent metered pace of a white suited Southern Gentleman. General Lee did not merely watch the progress of the battle...Rather Foote might write: "General Lee, from his perch astride Traveler, that noble dappled mare that carried him for so long, observed the ebb and flow of the epic struggle taking place...."
He perhaps never found a way to say things quickly, but he said them well and with an objective honesty that was refreshing.
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