A Fire in the Wilderness

The First Battle Between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee

De: John Reeves

Narrado por: Danny Campbell

The riveting account of the first bloody showdown between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—a battle that sealed the fate of the Confederacy and changed the course of American history.

At the outset of the Battle of the Wilderness, General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia remained capable of defeating the Army of the Potomac. But after two days of relentless fighting in dense Virginia woods, Robert E. Lee was never again able to launch offensive operations against Grant's army. Lee, who faced tremendous difficulties replacing fallen soldiers, lost 11,125 men—or 17% of his entire force. On the opposing side, the Union suffered 17,666 casualties.

The alarming casualties do not begin to convey the horror of this battle, one of the most gruesome in American history. The impenetrable forest and gunfire smoke made it impossible to view the enemy. Officers couldn't even see their own men during the fighting. The incessant gunfire caused the woods to catch fire, resulting in hundreds of men burning to death. "It was as though Christian men had turned to fiends, and hell itself had usurped the place of the earth," wrote one officer. When the fighting finally subsided during the late evening of the second day, the usually stoical Grant threw himself down on his cot and cried.

©2021 John Reeves (P)2022 Tantor

Outstanding.

A great read and right toned narration. Knew barebones of story, but now assured of narrative flow of that fight. The personal touches of personality work very well. The issues between Sheridan Warren and others were a revelation for me; as was Wadsworth story. Unexpected detail and moving facts at the end about Arlington Vemetary. Book wraps well as a good narrative history should. A real keeper of an audiobook.

Well written history with bonus material

Core of the book is solid history of the Wilderness. Some tangents but interesting information.

disappointment

histrionic narrator who also sounds hoarse in narration. in addition, a lot of romanticized stories and accounts without any serious analysis. I really do not care how Lee was viewed by his soldiers nor of the tales of deserter's fates. there are much better works analyzing this battle.