Download or read book Our Fiery Trial written by Stephen B. Oates and published by Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press. This book was released on 1979 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection of ten interrelated essays, Stephen B. Oates focuses on the American Civil War era and several of its leading figures. While arguing 'the need for unflinching realism and a humanistic approach in the study of the past, ' Oates critically examines alternative interpretive practices, particularly those serving polemical, political, or mythical standards.