Battle Cry of Freedom

The Civil War Era

By: James M. McPherson

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 39 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

James M. McPherson, professor emeritus of U.S. history at Princeton, is one of the foremost scholars of the Civil War. In this informative and meticulously researched masterpiece, he clarifies the differing ways of life and philosophy that led to this shattering conflict.

Abraham Lincoln wondered whether in a free government the minority have the right to break up the government. Jefferson Davis felt forced to take up arms to guarantee his states rights. McPherson merges the words of these men and other political luminaries, housewives, and soldiers from both armies with his own concise analysis of the war to create a story as compelling as any novel.

Battle Cry of Freedom vividly traces how a new nation was forged when a war both sides were sure would amount to little dragged for four years and cost more American lives than all other wars combined. Narrator Jonathan Davis powerful reading brings to life the many voices of the Civil War.

©2003 James Macpherson (P)2020 Recorded Books, Inc.

Excellent!!

This book gives insight on the long road to the civil war as well as the battles, the actors, and the politics, covering the war from many angles. I thurally enjoyed this book! I would call it a must read for those interested in the American Civil War.

A scholarly presentation

I’ll preface my comment by stating my interest in history. This is a long book. It spends a lot of time on the political and social environment leading to and through the execution of the rebellion. I have to admit I was expecting and hoping for a more granular reading on the execution of the war but this book deals with the strategies behind the battles which I have to admit was insightful and interesting in itself. I listened to every word.

That good

Outstanding book, and outstanding narration. Couldn’t wait to pick it back up over and over again until it was finished.

In depth telling of an important chapter of American history

A great deep dive into the civil war - a must read for any scholar of American history

Comprehensive and engaging

Amazingly detailed, dense with information but easy to get through and does a good job weaving together the political, military, and socioeconomic factors of the time.

Excellent

This is a very comprehensive historical scholarly work that provides fascinating details to the build up to the civil war, with less focus on the battles and the war itself. The political interplay between both sides is insightful and thought provoking, leading the reader to deduce that nothing was as it seems on the surface and everything was so much more underneath the sea of change taking place at that point in human history. I will never forget the frame of this book and view of the author's epiphany shared in the epilogue. I am inspired to take a deeper dive into the era to learn even more about the events and people who fought on both sides of a truly one of a kind Civil War, an American war between brethren with divergent ideals about liberty, freedom, and slavery. My heart breaks for our people, our families, that lived and died during this devastating war, fought in the heart of our homeland, creating in its wake, vast fields of sorrow.

Excellent pre and civil war history

One of the best history I have read on this era. Well written and narrated. Really give a lot of the reasons why the session occurred and why it might happen again.

A masterpiece

It was a pleasure to experience this book on audio, many years after reading it soon after it came out. McPherson was able to miraculously tell a very complex story in a one volume format.

He uses great metaphors and provides needed context to really help the reader understand the events, so this is a book that is appropriate both for people who are unfamiliar with Civil War history, and for people who have read dozens or more Civil War books.

The voice artist mispronounces a couple of names (esp Rosecrans) and has a couple of other quirks, but he does a good job of changing tone and emphasis to keep the reader engaged.

Excellent book!

A great, holistic look at this period of American history. I highly recommend it. Get it!

Great amount of information and detail

So much information I did not know about. I especially like the stories about the generals on both sides. Also, the stories about the different views Union politicians had about abolition was very eye opening. The narrator was super.