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The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville

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The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville

Written by: Shelby Foote
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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About this listen

The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.

The word “narrative” is the key to this extraordinary book’s incandescence and its truth. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved in it. One learns not only what was happening on all fronts but also how the author discovered it during his years of exhaustive research.

This first volume in Shelby Foote’s comprehensive history is a must-listen for anyone interested in one of the bloodiest wars in America’s history.

©1986 Shelby Foote (P)2011 Blackstone Audio
Military & War Wars & Conflicts Civil War War Military United States New Orleans
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What listeners say about The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville

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Comprehensive narrative for involved listeners

Comprehensive and well-paced, attention to names and places from both sides of the conflict sometimes disorienting in audio format (Polk/Pope, etc.). Necessarily dense in content, the breadth of source material including personal accounts and anecdotes adds a powerful colouring of the time period to the narrative with enthralling effect. Not recommended as a starting place for anyone without a background in historical or military writing due to the sheer scale of the work (over 150hrs with all 3 volumns) but very rewarding otherwise.

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Entertaining and educational

This is not the book to introduce you to the Civil War. This is the book to tell you what each general thought about on each day of each battle, what the soldiers felt as the cannonballs were whizzing, what they ate on the night before their march to a new area. This book covers the political wrangling leading up to and during the war, the logistical problems of supplying and moving armies, and what the officers wrote to their wives at night. It details Lincoln’s and Davis’ fears and misgivings and political strategies. It’s a meaty, dense, detailed account written in an engaging, entertaining way that humanizes the participants on both sides of the war. Shelby Foote is a consummate researcher and writer, and Grover Gardner is a masterful narrator.

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Foote's Magnum Opus, part 1

This is a rather massive and detailed history. Be prepared for an odyssey. It can get overwhelming at times, but the quality is there.

The narrator is very good, but the audio is a little tinny with rather pronounced S sounds.

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Superb

I frequently forgot that I was reading a work of historical research. A masterpiece of narrative storytelling, making characters and events come alive as I’ve never experienced in non-fiction.

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masterpiece

An incredible read. Read it along with listening to to the audiobook for maximum immersion.

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Masterful Telling of History

This enormous work manages to combine a very long sequence of battles and conversations or letters into a gripping narrative no less detailed than a dry textbook, but paced with very clear purpose as it tells the story of different theatres and aspects of the times without any strict chronological sequence. You get a good feel for every leader’s personality and views on both sides and even some from elsewhere in the world.

The reading performance is also excellent like his other work, managing to balance the individual voices quoted with a consistent tone without being at all monotone.

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