Shelby Foote slowly exposes the nature of man's Noble struggle through the Civil War like rain water slowly washing dirt and grime from a precious stone. Pacing you through every battle in almost chronological order, you see how the pieces fit together in the epic and not so epic battles. Growing up just 45 minutes from Vicksburg, trips to see the battle lines were routine. But Foote made them come alive with his attention to both historical detail and historic fact. Well done. My only regret is there is no audio version of this trilogy in Foote's own voice. His nuance for dialogue rivals Eudora Welty and Truman Capote.