
The War That Forged a Nation
Why the Civil War Still Matters
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Narrated by:
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Grover Gardner
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By:
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James McPherson
About this listen
More than 140 years ago, Mark Twain observed that the Civil War had "uprooted institutions that were centuries old, changed the politics of a people, transformed the social life of half the country, and wrought so profoundly upon the entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short of two or three generations". In fact five generations have passed, and Americans are still trying to measure the influence of the immense fratricidal conflict that nearly tore the nation apart.
In The War that Forged a Nation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson considers why the Civil War remains so deeply embedded in our national psyche and identity. The drama and tragedy of the war, from its scope and size - an estimated death toll of 750,000, far more than the rest of the country's wars combined - to the nearly mythical individuals involved - Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson - help explain why the Civil War remains a topic of interest. But the legacy of the war extends far beyond historical interest or scholarly attention.
McPherson ultimately proves the impossibility of understanding the issues of our own time unless we first understand their roots in the era of the Civil War. From racial inequality and conflict between the North and South to questions of state sovereignty or the role of government in social change - these issues, McPherson shows, are as salient and controversial today as they were in the 1860s.
Thoughtful, provocative, and authoritative, The War That Forged a Nation looks anew at the reasons America's Civil War has remained a subject of intense interest for the past century and a half and affirms the enduring relevance of the conflict for America today.
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Story
Through historical newspaper accounts and the personal letters of soldiers, the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself are stunningly recreated. You will enter the mind of Robert E. Lee as he makes the fateful decision to cross the Potomac River and take the offensive. You will feel the frustration of Abraham Lincoln as he struggles to convince George McClellan to fight. And you will stand side-by-side with foot soldiers as the peaceful Maryland countryside explodes.
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Far beyond the scope of the battle
- By A. McDonald on 01-26-04
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Robert E. Lee
- A Life
- By: Allen C. Guelzo
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In Robert E. Lee, the award-winning historian Allen Guelzo has written the definitive biography of the general, following him from his refined upbringing in Virginia high society, to his long career in the U.S. Army, his agonized decision to side with Virginia when it seceded from the Union, and his leadership during the Civil War. Above all, Guelzo captures Robert E. Lee in all his complexity--his hypocrisy and courage, his outward calm and inner turmoil, his honor and his disloyalty.
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Unfortunately falls into judging Lee like CNN
- By Jeff B on 11-08-21
By: Allen C. Guelzo
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War on the Waters
- The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861–1865
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Although previously undervalued for their strategic impact because they represented only a small percentage of total forces, the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. In War on the Waters, James M. McPherson has crafted an enlightening, at times harrowing, and ultimately thrilling account of the war’s naval campaigns and their military leaders. McPherson recounts how the Union navy’s blockade of the Confederate coast, leaky as a sieve in the war’s early months, became increasingly effective as it choked off vital imports and exports.
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From Offshore, This War Looks Completely Different
- By John on 04-30-21
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The Fall of the House of Dixie
- The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South
- By: Bruce Levine
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The J. G. Randall Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Illinois and associate editor of North and South magazine, Bruce Levine presents a gripping chronicle of the cultural and economic upheaval the South experienced during and after the Civil War. Drawing upon a treasure trove of diaries, letters, newspaper articles, and government documents, Levine offers a unique perspective on the old South's demise through the voices of those who lived through the conflict.
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Merely ok. . .
- By Steve E. on 03-19-13
By: Bruce Levine
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1812: The Navy's War
- By: George C. Daughan
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America's prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean but America's war fleet, only 20 ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war.
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Arghhhh!!! Not meant for audio.
- By Jonathan Love on 07-07-12
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Reconstruction (Updated Edition)
- America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877
- By: Eric Foner
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 31 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Reconstruction chronicles the way in which Americans—black and white—responded to the unprecedented changes unleashed by the war and the end of slavery. It addresses the ways in which the emancipated slaves' quest for economic autonomy and equal citizenship shaped the political agenda of Reconstruction; the remodeling of Southern society and the place of planters, merchants, and small farmers within it; the evolution of racial attitudes and patterns of race relations; and the emergence of a national state possessing vastly expanded authority and committed.
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Child of SC
- By William Latham on 02-13-25
By: Eric Foner
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1861: The Civil War Awakening
- By: Adam Goodheart
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, 1861 presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began. 1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal.
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Not what I expected
- By Sol on 07-01-11
By: Adam Goodheart
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History of the American Frontier 1763-1893
- By: Frederic L. Paxson
- Narrated by: Joseph Tabler
- Length: 24 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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History of the American Frontier 1763-1893 by Frederic L. Paxson, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin. Houghton Mifflin Company 1924. Pulitzer Prize-winner in History, 1925. The prize-winning History of the American Frontier, 1763-1893 covers a very wide sweep of topics, with unusual strength in handling violent relations between the frontiersman and the Indians. Paxson emphasized the impact on people of the process of moving to the west, downplaying the static aspects of specific localities.
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Horrible. I want my credit back.
- By Alessandra A Navetta on 06-24-23
As good as it gets!
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worth reading but title is somewhat misleading
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Excellence in book form
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Reader: Good and an interesting voice.
Production: Good.
The War that Forged a Nation - Another View on ACW
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What made the experience of listening to The War That Forged a Nation the most enjoyable?
The narrator. Grover Gardner is one of the best narrators.Any additional comments?
While I expected more from the foremost Civil War historian, this is still a good book. It is more of an overview of the war. I would have liked more in depth discussion but was not disappointed.Great Overview
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McPherson is comprehensive and insightful as always. His portrait of Lincoln is both fresh and objective.
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It took 6 books to find a good narrator
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Essential History
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James McPherson is no stranger to the subject which makes me wonder how many quotes I've read in other books came from these works? We all know how the war ends, who the villains are, who the poor generalship originates from and how the Great Emancipator succumbs to a radical. But the way the information is provided is refreshing in comparison to several other works I've read.
And Grover Gardner does and excellent job too! His voiced inflection is perfect and his delivery is effortless which has me gravitating towards most of his narrations. This is a pretty darn good book and well worth your time. You will not be bored in the least.
Surprisingly Well Done!
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Great insight
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