Early youth is a baffling time. The present moment is nice but it does not last. Living in it is like waiting in a junction town for the morning limited; the junction may be interesting but some day you will have to leave it and you do not know where the limited will take you. Sooner or later you must move down an unknown road that leads beyond the range of the imagination, and the only certainty is that the trip has to be made. In this respect early youth is exactly like old age; it is a time of waiting before a big trip to an unknown destination. The chief difference is that youth waits for the morning limited and age waits for the night train.

In The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War (1960) Catton wrote the accompanying narrative to a book that included over 800 paintings and period photographs. Biographical sketch and list of articles by Catton in American Heritage


Honors and awards
1954 Pulitzer Prize and U. In his memoir Waiting for the Morning Train (1972) Catton explained how their stories made a lasting impression upon him:

In 1916 Catton began attending Oberlin College but he left without completing a degree because of World War I.

Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes they were not generally presented in a rigorous academic style. Known as a narrative historian Catton specialized in popular history featuring colorful characters and historical vignettes in addition to the basic facts dates and analyses. Charles Bruce Catton (October 9 1899 – August 28 1978) was an American historian and journalist best known for his books on the American Civil War.