Jesse James

Last Rebel of the Civil War

By: T. J. Stiles

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

In this brilliant biography T. J. Stiles offers a new understanding of the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Although he has often been portrayed as a Robin Hood of the old west, in this ground-breaking work Stiles places James within the context of the bloody conflicts of the Civil War to reveal a much more complicated and significant figure.

Raised in a fiercely pro-slavery household in bitterly divided Misssouri, at age sixteenJames became a bushwhacker, one of the savage Confederate guerrillas that terrorized the border states. After the end of the war, James continued his campaign of robbery and murder into the brutal era of reconstruction, when his reckless daring, his partisan pronouncements, and his alliance with the sympathetic editor John Newman Edwards placed him squarely at the forefront of the former Confederates’ bid to recapture political power. With meticulous research and vivid accounts of the dramatic adventures of the famous gunman, T. J. Stiles shows how he resembles not the apolitical hero of legend, but rather a figure ready to use violence to command attention for a political cause - in many ways, a forerunner of the modern terrorist.

©2002 T. J. Stiles (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

This is a first rate biography

Brilliantly read and written. Simers is the utmost authority on the subject and he is no fanboy. Very critical look at Jesse James.

Excellent performance

Very informative, entertaining , audio book I've learned more than I ever knew about Jesse James.

Missouri’s Favorite Terrorist

If you’re looking for more JJ hero mythology to feed your state’s right cosplay trips, Stiles isn’t it.

However, if you are interested in deep historical research that strips aways the myths to illuminate the past, this is it.

Good narration. You’ll need the book for the extensive footnote discussion on sources and methods.

outstanding

gives you a view on how the Civil War and events in Missouri during the war would turn Jesse into the outlaw of American history.

Great book

lots of history and well put together. I'm glad I know his real story now.