Every Drop of Blood

Hatred and Healing at Lincoln's Second Inauguration

By: Edward Achorn

Narrated by: Adam Barr

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A brilliantly conceived and vividly drawn story - Washington, D.C. on the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s historic second inaugural address as the lens through which to understand all the complexities of the Civil War

By March 4, 1865, the Civil War had slaughtered more than 700,000 Americans and left intractable wounds on the nation. After a morning of rain-drenched fury, tens of thousands crowded Washington’s Capitol grounds that day to see Abraham Lincoln take the oath for a second term. As the sun emerged, Lincoln rose to give perhaps the greatest inaugural address in American history, stunning the nation by arguing, in a brief 701 words, that both sides had been wrong, and that the war’s unimaginable horrors - every drop of blood spilled - might well have been God’s just verdict on the national sin of slavery.

Edward Achorn reveals the nation’s capital on that momentous day - with its mud, sewage, and saloons, its prostitutes, spies, reporters, social-climbing spouses and power-hungry politicians - as a microcosm of all the opposing forces that had driven the country apart. A host of characters, unknown and famous, had converged on Washington - from grievously wounded Union colonel Selden Connor in a Washington hospital and the embarrassingly drunk new vice president, Andrew Johnson, to poet-journalist Walt Whitman; from soldiers’ advocate Clara Barton and African-American leader and Lincoln critic-turned-admirer Frederick Douglass (who called the speech “a sacred effort”) to conflicted actor John Wilkes Booth - all swirling around the complex figure of Lincoln.

In indelible scenes, Achorn vividly captures the frenzy in the nation’s capital at this crucial moment in America’s history and the tension-filled hope and despair afflicting the country as a whole, soon to be heightened by Lincoln's assassination. His story offers new understanding of our great national crisis, and echoes down the decades to resonate in our own time.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 by Edward Achorn. Recorded by arrangement with Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Powerful, informative and thought provoking

Edward Achorn’s effort to research and write this book was nothing short of brilliant. History buffs will love how the precise way it interweaves the Civil War with Lincoln’s amazing story as well as Booth’s.
The book is interesting and informative.

A fascinating tale

The days leading up to Lincoln's second inauguration come to life in Achorn's vivid narrative. This critical moment in U.S. history is recounted through the writings and descriptions of dozens who witnessed that occasion. It's a fascinating tale.

Outstanding history

This is an excellent recounting of the time around Lincoln’s second inauguration. It is important to be reminded of the opposition to ending slavery and the moral and practical bases on which Lincoln proceeded. It is very well read.

DC politics during Lincoln Presidency

At age 82 believing I knew about the Civil War from Grant’s autobiography, I had a lot to learn. Washington politics during Lincoln’s term not only were complex but they evolved as the war progressed. This is a book of insight, well- written, and will benefit anyone interested in that era of the growth of our democracy.

A True continuous story

I have never read a historical book that seemingly was one continuous story. The level of detail in accounts from many perspectives is incredible. I would recommend this book to listen to and to read to everyone.

An extraordinary work of history

Extremely well-done history of the speech itself and the many threads of history of history that led up to it: the war itself (of course), the public perceptions of Lincoln (surprisingly crude and unforgiving), the people and their experiences (an extraordinary assembly that includes, in part, Walt Whitman tending to wounded soldiers in the hospitals; John Wilkes Booth, seething through DC and elsewhere and tending a secret romance with the daughter of a sitting American senator; Salmon P. Chase, haughty and ambitious, and his striking daughter, Kate; Ulysses Grant; foreign dignitaries; and many, many others, famous, infamous, and forgotten); the angry politics of the time and the diverse ways in which Lincoln's in which Lincoln's proclamations and speeches were received; the muddy streets of DC, filled with enormous numbers of people, on the day the speech was give; the thousands of people standing in line to enter the White House to shake Lincoln's hand... It is a rich tapestry, and Achorn is adept at tracing each thread in a very accessible and engaging way.

Adam Barr's narration was very good -- perfect pace, tone, and enunciation.

Emotional description of Lincoln and Civil War

powerful portrait of Lincoln emotional development particularly during presidency and civil war. Different from other history.

Lincoln’s Times in Three Dimension

This is the deepest rendition of the culture in which the war was fought and in which Lincoln acted that I have read. Walk the muddy streets of the war time capital.

President of a House Divided

The parallels to today's fractured America are striking.

Author Achorn presents a wide-ranging review of the political landscape of the day, a setting roiling with the ingrained hatred of man for man. Elected to a second term, Lincoln delivers his inaugural address to a stressed nation that is struggling to come to terms with a cultural chasm that persists to this day.

What a Moving Story!!

I so enjoyed listening to this great book! The main story of Lincoln’s Second Inauguration and events surrounding it is dramatic enough. But what makes this book come alive is all the incidental stories that are woven into the tapestry. The story of Walt Whitman and his care for wounded soldiers, the story of Clara Barton’s brother, the sad ending to the lives of rivals Mary Todd Lincoln and Kate Chase Sprague, the friendship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, and the interesting account of Seldon Connor, who was wounded in battle, but lived to serve his country and state for years, all of these and more make this a memorable book indeed. Both the author and narrator were new to me, but I will look forward to hearing from both of them in many more books. Highly recommended!