Rising in Flames

By: J. D. Dickey

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times best-selling historian sheds new light on Sherman’s epic “March to the Sea", especially the soldiers, doctors, nurses, and civilians who would change the nation for the better.

America in the antebellum years was a deeply troubled country, divided by partisan gridlock and ideological warfare, angry voices in the streets and the statehouses, furious clashes over race and immigration, and a growing chasm between immense wealth and desperate poverty.

The Civil War that followed brought America to the brink of self-destruction. But it also created a new country from the ruins of the old one - bolder and stronger than ever. No event in the war was more destructive, or more important, than William Sherman's legendary march through Georgia - crippling the heart of the South's economy, freeing thousands of slaves, and marking the beginning of a new era.

This invasion not only quelled the Confederate forces, but transformed America, forcing it to reckon with a century of injustice. Dickey reveals the story of women actively involved in the military campaign and later, in civilian networks. African Americans took active roles as soldiers, builders, and activists.

Rich with despair and hope, brutality, and compassion, Rising in Flames tells the dramatic story of the Union's invasion of the Confederacy and how this colossal struggle helped create a new nation from the embers of the Old South.

©2018 J. D. Dickey (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Recommended reading

Far more than just Sherman’s March across Georgia. Demonstrating detailed research, this book gives in-depth personal studies of several people involved from high-ranking officers to orderlies. Extensive background is filled in throughout the war, with activities at the national level down to individual units and soldiers. Civilian support is also subjected to extensive examination.

Very well-read throughout. The reader is excellent.

Recommended read to fill those Civil War knowledge gaps you didn’t know you had.

Thanks to Audible for making this volume available free of charge.

Light summary of the war

This book cover the lead up to and the entire war. Not a battle by battle recount but a quick and clean study of the war leading up to Sherman March. Good read not to heavy or academic.

Captivating

While there are a few contestable things in this book, I greatly enjoyed how it covers the biographical histories of certain persons who books rarely do. It was quite enjoyable & I'd put it ahead of a number of books just because it's not repeating the same things as many tend to.

Not to be overlooked

We know of Grant and Sherman, but long overlooked have been two women of comparable Civil War achievement: Mary Livermore and Mother Bickerdyke. This book corrects this oversights. While Dickey details the military history of the War, he gives due credit to these two women who performed heroic deeds to see that the northern troops were fed, clothed, and nursed.

Pretty good book about General Sherman's March.

pretty well written explanation of General Sherman's "Hard War" campaign in the south, and what led to it as well as the aftermath. it also provides interesting information about some of the lesser known contributors, including some civilians. The narration was well done also.

Excellent Historical Read

Great detailed account of many triumphs and tragedies of the civil war and its aftermath as seen through the eyes of Sherman’s Army.

Great listen

Great listen! one of those books you hate to stop listening to. Interesting character stories as well as a great description of the military history of the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. Excellent narration by Grover Gardner as usual.

Fantastic book and great narrator

Rising in Flames tracks Sherman's relentless drive through the South through the stories of a marvelous and varied cast of complex characters, some good, some cruel, some who change with and are changed by the times and their experiences, and some who cling stubbornly to their prejudices while advancing the Union's cause. Dickey brings each of them to life and weaves them together in a fast paced, stylishly written narrative that he has built upon an impressive foundation of historical research.

How is this considered nonfiction?

The author twists facts to make for a better storyline. The extent to which he distorts and plays around with Sherman’s history to make a more compelling story makes me doubt the credibility of all the other individuals, which is unfortunate. Life doesn’t follow a neat path like a novel. There’s no need to spice up an already fascinating time period.

Not a a March to the Sea

it wasn't bad, but it told too broad of a story with too much going on so it wasn't about the march to the sea but rather a series of mini biographies that, while interesting, we're not compelling