1861
The Civil War Awakening
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3.8 • 177 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A gripping and original account of how the Civil War began and a second American revolution unfolded, setting Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom.
An epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields, 1861 introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes—among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Their stories take us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the waters of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at its moment of ultimate crisis and decision. Hailed as “exhilarating….Inspiring…Irresistible…” by The New York Times Book Review, Adam Goodheart’s bestseller 1861 is an important addition to the Civil War canon.
Includes black-and-white photos and illustrations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Goodheart, a historian and journalist who will be writing a column on the Civil War for the New York Times online, makes sophisticated use of a broad spectrum of sources for an evocative reinterpretation of the Civil War's beginnings. Wanting to retrieve the war from recent critics who dismiss the importance of slavery in the Union's aims, he reframes the war as "not just a Southern rebellion but a nationwide revolution" to free the country of slavery and paralyzing attempts to compromise over it. The revolution began long before the war's first shots were fired. But it worked on the minds and hearts of average whites and blacks, slaves and free men. By 1861 it had attained an irresistible momentum. Goodheart shifts focus away from the power centers of Washington and Charleston to look at the actions and reactions of citizens from Boston to New York City, from Hampton Roads, Va., to St. Louis, Mo., and San Francisco, emphasizing the cultural, rather than military, clash between those wanting the country to move forward and those clinging to the old ways. War would be waged for four bitter years, with enduring seriousness, intensity, and great heroism, Goodheart emphasizes. 15 illus.
Customer Reviews
1861 tremendous read
1861 is fantastic. It is one of those "can't put it down" books. 1861 tells the story of the lead up to the Civil War much like 1776 tells the story of the lead up to the Revolutionary War (although 1776 focuses more on the military side whereas 1861 focuses on the evolving attitudes among the Union - in general - towards the war). It's difficult to convey this message in only 460 pages but Goodheart does a wonderful job.
The firsthand accounts do a particularly nice job showing how people viewed the conflict as war approached. Ranging from future President James Garfield as a young Ohioan legislator/professor to an everyday Californian writing to his sister in Maine regarding his renewed support for the Union, common themes emerge that create a lightbulb moment for the reader.
You will enjoy this book, I know I did.