The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson

Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this “riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult” (Los Angeles Times).

“Perhaps no other historian has ever rendered the struggle for Sumter in such authoritative detail as Larson does here.”—The Washington Post

“Even history buffs will find much that is new here.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.

Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”

At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.

Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.

©2024 Crown (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Larson, one of today’s pre-eminent nonfiction storytellers, trawls a variety of archives to explore the historically momentous months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Battle of Fort Sumter.”—The New York Times

“Perhaps no other historian has ever rendered the struggle for Sumter in such authoritative detail as Larson does here. . . . Few historians, too, have done a better job of untangling the web of intrigues and counter-intrigues that helped provoke the eventual attack and surrender.”—The Washington Post

“The immediacy of the story in The Demon of Unrest—as well as on-the-ground reports from inside South Carolina's Fort Sumter, an early Union bulwark—lend the book vigor.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Best yet from Larsen

Suspenseful and timely in a modern America where talk of succession can be heard again. Will we ever learn?

The narration from Patton is perfect.

Fascinating story great narration

Like every Larson book I found Demon extremely interesting and insightful.
The author makes every story about topics I know alittle about enthralling. Since 3rd grade history I knew how the civil war started but after reading this I truly understand the complete story from both sides on how this came to be.
Will Patton is amazing as usual.

A very good book

Read it…..think about it. Even today we see the same strains of egotism, dilema, blinding pride, heartfelt empathy, confusion, courage, tribal self justification, and despair.

A great education

Giving a human and detailed account of the time made it a great book.

A look into the Civil War mind

Erik Larson has a unique ability to provide a look into the mind of a people during a time in history that many think they know. I learned a great deal here. Enjoyed every second of it.

Bravo!

Well done! Well written with great detail and many different personal perspectives. Sounds like Eric finally told the whole story.

Captivating about about a crucial time in our US history!

Fascinating hearing the direct thoughts of people experiencing the Southern Successions from the Union & Confederates, Fort Sumpter’s defenders, & the pro-slavery sentiments that were so clearly misguided. Thank you for this book!

You need to read this to understand the Civil War

I can’t believe how little I learned about the essential story of the beginning of the Civil War! I’m eager for more on this story.

Great narration by will Patton

This is another outstanding book written by Erik Larson. I loved the book because I’ve always been interested in the Civil War, but for some reason had never read much about Ft. Sumter, and this account is informative and thrilling at the same time. I highly recommend it.

Surprising and brilliant

A book by Erik Larson is an invitation into the real story, whatever that story might be. As a Southerner, I've spent my life feeling ashamed and guilty about a war fought to defend hideous enslavement. Larson draws pictures of gentlemen and scoundrels on both sides of the fratricidal conflict and, while nothing mitigates slavery, at least Southern men and women come across as rational human beings rather than only ignorant monsters.
The true story of the vanquishing of Ft. Sumter would be farcical were it not the beginning of a terrible tragedy, the wounds from which have never fully healed. A necessary book, a brilliant story, and a history of mythic and deeply sad proportions.