Controversies and Commanders
Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac
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Controversies and Commanders
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Narrated by:
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Nelson Runger
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By:
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Stephen Sears
About this listen
Throughout the devastating years of the Civil War, the Union Army of the Potomac seldom marched in step. In this provocative book, acclaimed historian and award-winning author Stephen W. Sears takes a fascinating look at some of the intriguing Union generals and the controversies that swirled around them. Delving into historical documents and the personal papers of military officers, Sears shares the compelling stories of oft-maligned Generals McClellan and Hooker, the shocking court-martial of patriotic General Stone, the failed plots to kidnap Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and more.
As the facts come to light, the Union’s renowned leaders stand revealed as what they really were: ordinary men in the grip of extraordinary times. An authority on the Civil War, Sears skillfully paints a remarkable portrait of the personalities and events that shaped our nation’s greatest crisis. The rich analysis becomes ever more clear and accessible with Nelson Runger’s thoughtful narration.
©1999 Stephen W. Sears (P)1999 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Plutarch looks at Grant and Lee ...
- By Orson on 02-24-15
By: William C. Davis
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Embattled Rebel
- Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Civil War
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 109
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story4 out of 5 stars 90
History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Many Americans of his own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, not to mention a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but that it is too easy to diminish him because of his cause’s failure. Gravely ill throughout much of the Civil War, Davis nevertheless shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacy—the quest for independent nationhood—with clarity and force.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting
- By Jean on 10-18-14
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Turncoat
- Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty
- By: Stephen Brumwell
- Narrated by: Andrew Sellon
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
General Benedict Arnold's failed attempt to betray the fortress of West Point to the British in 1780 stands as one of the most infamous episodes in American history. In the light of a shining record of bravery and unquestioned commitment to the Revolution, Arnold's defection came as an appalling shock. Contemporaries believed he had been corrupted by greed; historians have theorized that he had come to resent the lack of recognition for his merits and sacrifices. In this provocative book, Stephen Brumwell challenges such interpretations and draws on unexplored archives to reveal other crucial factors that illuminate Arnold's abandonment of the revolutionary cause he once championed.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Uniquely Informative
- By Brenda McAteer on 07-31-18
By: Stephen Brumwell
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Rise to Greatness
- Abraham Lincoln and America's Most Perilous Year
- By: David Von Drehle
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death’s door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Union’s top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy - with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield - had a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president. Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Deep Dive into 1862
- By Bubba Smith on 01-13-16
By: David Von Drehle
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General Ulysses S. Grant
- The Soldier and the Man
- By: Edward G. Longacre
- Narrated by: Jonathan Walker
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 89
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
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Story4 out of 5 stars 64
Despite his reputation for rash decisions, brutal tactics, and intemperate behavior, Ulysses S. Grant was the only Union general who could win the war for Lincoln. Grant's aggressive strategies, swift movements and uncompromising battlefield attacks were praised in the North, feared in the South, and reviled by many of his own associates and staff. General Grant is, perhaps, one of the most controversial, enigmatic, and misunderstood generals in our nation's history.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good Biography
- By Morgan on 07-14-11
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Jefferson Davis
- The Man and His Hour
- By: William C. Davis
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 30 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 149
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 136
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
This book paints a vivid picture of Jefferson Davis as a multifaceted, often charismatic man who mirrored the turbulent times in which he lived and who stood solidly for the South that he loved. Ranging over the complete span of his long life, it shows him as a hardworking Mississippi planter, a compassionate slave owner, a hero of the Mexican War, and an able secretary of war under Franklin Pierce. But it is on the years of the Civil War and Davis’s controversial performance as president of the Confederacy that the book focuses.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Could be more generous
- By margot on 06-12-13
By: William C. Davis
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The Drillmaster of Valley Forge
- The Baron De Steuben and the Making of the American Army
- By: Paul Lockhart
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 112
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 111
The image of the Baron de Steuben training Washington's ragged, demoralized troops in the snow at Valley Forge is part of the iconography of our Revolutionary heritage, but most history fans know little more about this fascinating figure.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great history good naration
- By Matthew on 11-18-08
By: Paul Lockhart
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The Leadership of Ulysses S. Grant
- A General Who Will Fight
- By: Harry S. Laver
- Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
A General Who Will Fight is a detailed study of leadership that explores Grant's rise from undisciplined cadet to commanding general of the United States Army. Some experts have attributed Grant's success to superior manpower and technology, to the help he received from other Union armies, or even to a ruthless willingness to sacrifice his own men. Harry S. Laver, however, refutes these arguments and reveals that the only viable explanation for Grant's success lies in his leadership skill, professional competence, and unshakable resolve.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A quick focus on a interesting man
- By cosmitron on 07-11-18
By: Harry S. Laver
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The Guns of August
- By: Barbara W. Tuchman
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,658
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,530
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,508
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-28-08
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William Tecumseh Sherman
- In the Service of My Country: A Life
- By: James Lee McDonough
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,473
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,311
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,303
General Sherman's 1864 burning of Atlanta solidified his legacy as a ruthless leader. Yet Sherman proved far more complex than his legendary military tactics reveal. James Lee McDonough offers fresh insight into a man tormented by the fear that history would pass him by, who was plagued by personal debts, and who lived much of his life separated from his family.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very Fair and Balanced View of Sherman
- By Nostromo on 12-02-16
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A World on Fire
- Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War
- By: Amanda Foreman
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 32 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 160
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 132
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 135
Even before the first rumblings of secession shook the halls of Congress, British involvement in the coming schism was inevitable. Britain was dependent on the South for cotton, and in turn the Confederacy relied almost exclusively on Britain for guns, bullets, and ships. The Union sought to block any diplomacy between the two and consistently teetered on the brink of war with Britain. For four years the complex web of relationships between the countries led to defeats and victories both minute and history-making.
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5 out of 5 stars
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excellent narrative history
- By Daniel on 08-15-11
By: Amanda Foreman
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Washington's Revolution
- The Making of America's First Leader
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
George Washington was famously unknowable, but Robert Middlekauff penetrates the mystique to reveal the fears, values, and passions that drove him. Rich in psychological details regarding Washington's temperament, idiosyncrasies, and experiences, this audiobook shows us a self-conscious Washington who grew in confidence and experience as a young soldier, businessman, and Virginian gentleman; and was transformed into an American patriot by the revolutionary ferment of the 1760s and 70s.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fresh Look at Leader of American Revolution
- By Sean Lannan on 09-02-15
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The Early Morning of War: Bull Run, 1861 (Campaigns and Commanders Series)
- By: Edward G. Longacre
- Narrated by: Aaron Killian
- Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
When Union and Confederate forces squared off along Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the Federals expected this first major military campaign would bring an early end to the Civil War. But when Confederate troops launched a strong counterattack, both sides realized the war would be longer and costlier than anticipated. First Bull Run, or First Manassas, set the stage for four years of bloody conflict that forever changed the political, social, and economic fabric of the nation. It also introduced the commanders, tactics, and weaponry that would define the American way of war through the turn of the twentieth century.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best book of this early battle
- By Bradley Behrhorst on 09-02-22
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The Collapse of the Third Republic
- An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940
- By: William L. Shirer
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 48 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 679
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 579
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 577
As an international war correspondent and radio commentator, William L. Shirer didn't just research the fall of France. He was there. In just six weeks, he watched the Third Reich topple one of the world's oldest military powers - and institute a rule of terror and paranoia. Based on in-person conversation with the leaders, diplomats, generals, and ordinary citizens who both shaped the events of this time and lived through them on a daily basis, Shirer shapes a compelling account of historical events - without losing sight of the personal experience.
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4 out of 5 stars
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So much information
- By Daniel L Carmony on 05-14-19
-
1777
- The Year of the Hangman
- By: John S. Pancake
- Narrated by: Robert Thaler
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 38
A revisionist view of the Revolution's most crucial year...it explodes many of the myths surrounding Burgoyne's Canadian expedition and Howe's Pennsylvania campaign. There is a wealth of fascinating detail in this book, including information on arms and supplies, rations for women camp followers, and even the numbers of carts (30-odd) carrying Burgoyne's luggage.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very Good
- By William on 08-22-16
By: John S. Pancake
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On to Petersburg follows the Union army's movement to the James River, the military response from the Confederates, and the initial assault on Petersburg, which Rhea suggests marked the true end of the Overland Campaign. Beginning his account in the immediate aftermath of Grant's three-day attack on Confederate troops at Cold Harbor, Rhea argues that the Union general's primary goal was not - as often supposed - to take Richmond, but rather to destroy Lee's army by closing off its retreat routes and disrupting its supply chain.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Important to understanding the Overland Campaign
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Although he took command of the Army of the Potomac only three days before the first shots were fired at Gettysburg, Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic Book
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2 out of 5 stars
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A Book about Conclusions
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Of the crucial men close to President Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton was the most powerful and controversial. Stanton raised, armed, and supervised the army of a million men who won the Civil War. He organized the war effort. He directed military movements from his telegraph office, where Lincoln literally hung out with him. He arrested and imprisoned thousands for "war crimes" such as resisting the draft or calling for an armistice. Stanton was so controversial that some accused him at that time of complicity in Lincoln's assassination.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A bad narrator can ruin a good book
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good, but not what I thought
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Although he took command of the Army of the Potomac only three days before the first shots were fired at Gettysburg, Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg.
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Of the crucial men close to President Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton was the most powerful and controversial. Stanton raised, armed, and supervised the army of a million men who won the Civil War. He organized the war effort. He directed military movements from his telegraph office, where Lincoln literally hung out with him. He arrested and imprisoned thousands for "war crimes" such as resisting the draft or calling for an armistice. Stanton was so controversial that some accused him at that time of complicity in Lincoln's assassination.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A bad narrator can ruin a good book
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The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864
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Fought in a tangled forest fringing the south bank of the Rapidan River, the Battle of the Wilderness marked the initial engagement in the climactic months of the Civil War in Virginia and the first encounter between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Gordon C. Rhea provides the consummate recounting of that conflict of May 5 and 6, 1864, which ended with high casualties on both sides but no clear victor. With its balanced analysis of events and people, command structures and strategies, The Battle of the Wilderness is operational history as it should be written.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Worst narrator of any book I’ve listened to
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This Hallowed Ground
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- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 157
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
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This audiobook is the classic one-volume history of the American Civil War by Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Catton. Covering events from the prelude of the conflict to the death of Lincoln, Catton blends a gripping narrative with deep, yet unassuming, scholarship to bring the war alive in an almost novelistic way. It is this gift for narrative that led contemporary critics to compare this book to War and Peace, and call it a "modern Iliad." Now over 50 years old, This Hallowed Ground remains one of the best-loved and admired general Civil War books.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Still one of the best!
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Lincoln's Lieutenants
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- Narrated by: James Conlan
- Length: 31 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
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The high command of the Army of the Potomac was a changeable, often dysfunctional band of brothers, going through the fires of war under seven commanding generals in three years, until Grant came east in 1864. The men in charge all too frequently appeared to be fighting against the administration in Washington instead of for it, increasingly cast as political pawns facing down a vindictive congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War.
By: Stephen W. Sears
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Bloody Spring
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- By: Joseph Wheelan
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In the spring of 1864, Robert E. Lee faced a new adversary: Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. Named commander of all Union armies in March, Grant quickly went on the offensive against Lee in Virginia. On May 4th, Grant's army struck hard across the Rapidan River into north central Virginia, with Lee's army contesting every mile. They fought for 40 days until, finally, the Union army crossed the James River and began the siege of Petersburg. The campaign cost 90,000 men - the largest loss the war had seen.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Skip this! Get Catton's Stillness at Appomattox
- By BVerité on 10-19-14
By: Joseph Wheelan
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Gettysburg
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- Length: 21 hrs
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 59
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 56
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The greatest of all Civil War campaigns, Gettysburg was the turning point of the turning point in our nation’s history. Volumes have been written about this momentous three-day battle, but recent histories have tended to focus on the particulars rather than the big picture: on the generals or on single days of battle—even on single charges—or on the daily lives of the soldiers. In Gettysburg Sears tells the whole story in a single volume.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Fresh Analysis of The Most Examined Battle in US History
- By Dana D. on 07-30-24
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Combat: The Civil War
- By: Don Congdon, Bruce Catton
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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There are many, many studies of the Civil War. Books have been written on its economic effects, its political causes, its relationship to western expansion. But the real fascination of the war is the story of combat, men in battle. Combat: The Civil War tells this story in the words of men who actually marched into battle. We share their experiences, their fears, and their moments of bravery at Vicksburg, on board the Monitor, at Gettysburg, and at the bloody battle of Antietam. These eyewitness accounts are interspersed with brief commentaries by some of our most respected historians....
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2 out of 5 stars
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Could Have Been Better
- By Amazon Customer on 07-06-13
By: Don Congdon, and others
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Master of War
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- By: Benson Bobrick
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- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 119
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 95
In this revelatory, dynamic biography, Benson Bobrick, profiles George H. Thomas, arguing that he was the greatest and most successful general of the Civil War. Because Thomas didn't live to write his memoirs, his reputation has been largely shaped by others, most notably Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, two generals with whom Thomas served and who diminished his successes in their favor in their own memoirs.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Nutshell: Grant, Sherman bad – Thomas good
- By Dereck on 11-18-10
By: Benson Bobrick
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The Coming Fury
- The Centennial History of the Civil War, Volume 1
- By: Bruce Catton
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 803
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 708
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 703
> The New York Times hailed this trilogy as “one of the greatest historical accomplishments of our time”. With stunning detail and insights, America’s foremost Civil War historian recreates the war from its opening months to its final, bloody end. Each volume delivers a complete listening experience. The Coming Fury (Volume 1) covers the split Democratic Convention in the spring of 1860 to the first battle of Bull Run.
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5 out of 5 stars
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History As It Should Be
- By Bryan on 07-19-11
By: Bruce Catton
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The Quartermaster
- Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army
- By: Robert O'Harrow Jr.
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
Born to a well-to-do, connected family in 1816, Montgomery C. Meigs graduated from West Point as an engineer. He helped build America's forts and served under Lt. Robert E. Lee to make navigation improvements on the Mississippi River. As a young man, he designed the Washington aqueducts in a city where people were dying from contaminated water. He built the spectacular wings and the massive dome of the brand-new US Capitol.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Engaging Biography
- By Jean on 03-09-18
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Crossroads of Freedom
- Antietam
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 200
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 137
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 138
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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5 out of 5 stars
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Far beyond the scope of the battle
- By A. McDonald on 01-26-04
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Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
- By: Ulysses S. Grant
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 29 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,574
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,331
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,327
Among the autobiographies of great military figures, Ulysses S. Grant’s is certainly one of the finest, and it is arguably the most notable literary achievement of any American president: a lucid, compelling, and brutally honest chronicle of triumph and failure. From his frontier boyhood, to his heroics in battle, to the grinding poverty from which the Civil War ironically rescued him, these memoirs are a mesmerizing, deeply moving account of a brilliant man told with great courage.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Surprisingly funny and very informative.
- By Trent on 08-20-12
By: Ulysses S. Grant
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Terrible Swift Sword
- The Life of General Philip H. Sheridan
- By: Joseph Wheelan
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 115
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
Alongside Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan is the least known of the triumvirate of generals most responsible for winning the Civil War. Yet, before Sherman's famous march through Georgia, it was General Sheridan who introduced scorched-earth warfare to the South, and it was his Cavalry Corps that compelled Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. Sheridan's innovative cavalry tactics and "total war" strategy became staples of 20th-century warfare.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Full of history but just a little long
- By Dennis on 09-17-13
By: Joseph Wheelan
What listeners say about Controversies and Commanders
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- wtvfd801
- 10-24-15
Spellbound
This book is one of the most in depth complete stories I have ever read concerning the complexities of life and warfare between two brilliant men of opposite beliefs.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonn Bloyd
- 05-03-19
Excellent book!
Captivating, descriptive, worth the listen.... I highly recommended it to anyone interested in some of the 'unknown stories' of the civil war.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alice Conley
- 05-04-23
Intriguing!
This book greatly expands on some of the most confusing aspects of the war. I have not found another book like it.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-22-22
Not good
This is the most boring civil was book I have read or listen to . Dont waste your time or money.
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