Ends of war The unfinished fight of Lee's army after Appomattox

Within the last few years, the study of war cessation has entered the global academic arena, leading to the publication of often interdisciplinary works, both contemporary and historic. As just one example, an entire 2019 issue of the Journal of Strategic Studies, "How Do Wars End?," encompassed an interdisciplinary examination of the topic. In the US, Janney (Univ. of Virginia) 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. Not an easy read, this footnoted and illustrated volume includes an extensive bibliography and will be useful especially for interdisciplinary studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty. --Myron J. Smith, emeritus, Tusculum University