The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville

By: Shelby Foote

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.

The word “narrative” is the key to this extraordinary book’s incandescence and its truth. The story is told entirely from the point of view of the people involved in it. One learns not only what was happening on all fronts but also how the author discovered it during his years of exhaustive research.

This first volume in Shelby Foote’s comprehensive history is a must-listen for anyone interested in one of the bloodiest wars in America’s history.

©1986 Shelby Foote (P)2011 Blackstone Audio

missing the maps

excellent coverage, minutely detailed, replete with quotes from the participants. Even as a former infantry officer it is still a bit hard to follow the battle plans and outcomes wi th hou a map.

The Epitome of Historical Narratives

Shelby Foote's three-volume work is fantastic. When it comes to historical narratives, it takes the cake as far as detailed accounts of the conflicts, both between the northern and southern military regimes, but also of the inner struggles of major characters on both sides. Not only are key issues covered in detail, but, rather than merely stating facts, the author created an eloquent recital of events that keeps the listener/reader interested. (At least, it did this for me. I imagine that if it was simply a straight compilation of listed facts then it wouldn't be considered the must-read that it is when it comes to a key portion of the US's history.) Whether it's the details of military conflict, the planning before and after such events, the social and political conundrums of the day, the emancipation of slaves, or even the happenings in major characters' personal lives, Foote did an amazing job of setting the events down on paper.

Grover Gardner does an excellent job of narrating this piece, too. Considering the book's large amount of direct quotes of conversations, speeches, and letters, Gardner applies a subtle change to his tone which lets the listener/reader know that quotation marks go around what he's reading - an excellent touch that you'll become familiar with quickly. His voice is very clear and eloquent, too, so there won't be a problem understanding what he's reading. Nicely done, sir!

Still authoritative, best first book on the topic

This book does not break any new ground, but remains one of the best starting points for understanding the American Civil War in all its complexity and poetic justice.

Foote was no sentimentalist. When he judged Jackson as having been too slow in the approach or Lincoln as acting without proper forethought, he says it. But unlike modern historians, he had no axe to grind and could also find the good and commendable in each figure's actions (if there was any). Thus he was a reliable historian. It's a uniquely American version of Von Ranke's "wie es eigentlich gewesen".

Incredible

This is an amazing comprehensive treatment of the civil war. The author constructs multidimensional characters out of the historical record in a really incredible way that's somewhat difficult to describe. The book switches perspectives methodically throughout; e.g., whenever he deals with Lincoln's perspective, he always immediately switches to Davis thereafter (although who comes first in order varies). That's obviously as broadscale as you can get. About as narrow as he gets is alternating the perspectives of theatre commanders; but he does cover every theatre, and there's an excellent treatment of the naval aspect to the war that I really knew nothing about beforehand and found fascinating. You won't get first person information (quotes, anecdotes, etc) about anyone lower than a colonel; that is to say, he'll just say "a soldier in that company," or "a diarist in Richmond at the time," etc., rather than identifying that person for you. Hope that gives a picture; highly recommend.

narrator is a little bland

he can be a little too professory...sorry not a word but its the best way I could describe him

Great concept, great book

Loved the narrative format and the use of so many anecdotes to give color to events we in the US have heard so many times before.

I enjoyed it

I love to listen to military history so for me and anyone like me it’s great, but if you tend to like fiction more steer clear of this. It gets into almost everything from the men in battle and how they got there to the impact of the battle in both Washington and Richmond.

Not a Civil War Buff

I was drawn to this book after years of living in Virginia and passing signs every 30 seconds mark some major (or often minor) event in the Civil War. Even from that perspective this book is a masterpiece. It is so well written and informative that you can't put it down (or I guess press stop(?)) Be prepared for the second and third volumes, because you won't want to miss them.

Narrative history at it's finest

I know almost nothing about the American Civil War. Shelby Foote's account is vivid, full of character portraits and details of a vanished society. Sometimes difficult to follow (I imagine there are diagrams of battles in the print version) but always delightful to listen to.

Excellent listening, great book

I read all three volumes twenty years ago and enjoyed them immensely. I never thought I read them again until I got an iPod and found Audible.com. I've gone through the first book in a little over two weeks, reading it the first time took over two months. I like the reader's voice, although he doesn't realize how some names should be pronounce (i.e., Cairo is pronounced 'kay-row' in southern Illinois). I look forward to listening to the other two books.