1861: The Civil War Awakening

By: Adam Goodheart

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, 1861 presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began.

1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal. It set Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom.

The book introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes - among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer's wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Adam Goodheart takes us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the mouth of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at this moment of ultimate crisis and decision.

©2011 Adam Goodheart (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, History, 2012

“With boundless verve, Adam Goodheart has sketched an uncommonly rich tableau of America on the cusp of the Civil War. The research is impeccable, the cast of little-known characters we are introduced to is thoroughly fascinating, the book is utterly thought-provoking, and the story is luminescent. What a triumph.” (Jay Winik, author of New York Times best-sellers April 1865 and The Great Upheaval)

"Engrossing .... Tension is palpable on every page .... Goodheart's book is an impressive accomplishment, a delightful read, and a valuable contribution that will entertain and challenge." ( Harvard Magazine)

"Exhilarating ... inspiring ... irresistible ... 1861 creates the uncanny illusion that the reader has stepped into a time machine." ( New York Times Book Review, cover review)

"In his marvelous book... Goodheart brings us into 19th-century America, as ambiguous, ambitious and fractured as the times we live in now, and he brings to pulsing life the hearts and minds of its American citizens." ( Huffington Post)

“Jonathan Davis's narration sets the scene with hints of foreboding, creating a feeling of tension about the impending war. He draws listeners into stories of people like recaptured slave Lucy Bagby and future president James Garfield….Goodheart's meticulous research and lively writing will appeal to any history buff.” ( AudioFile)

"Beautifully written and thoroughly original--quite unlike any other Civil War book out there." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Original, detailed, fascinating

Wide-ranging history, using the first year of the war as a framework for a much larger narrative. There are many familiar names here (Lincoln and Douglas and Jefferson Davis, of course); but also many I hadn't heard before: for example, Lucy Bagby, a slave who escaped, was recaptured, and later liberated by the Union army; Thomas Starr King (a transcendentalist and anti-secession orator); and Asbury Harpending, a privateer and pro-Confederacy adventurer. Other people, familiar as names, become living personalities here: Jessie Benton Fremont, Benjamin "Spoons" Butler, Nathaniel Lyon, Franz Sigel, James Garfield. One notable incident, the burning of part of Hampton, is something I knew nothing about, despite having lived in Hampton for four years. A really interesting and original book.

A Emotional History of Unknown People

History as proven by Adam Goodheart is made up of people living ordinary lives in the right place and time, and who stepped forward to become natural leaders of change. Often emotionally charged dialog grips the mind of the listener--even over minute details. Clearly Goodheart found docuiments not used by other writers.

For me this was the best history because I already new the basics from ordinary historians. Too bad this is Goodhearts only work so far. The narrator is so professional you do not even think of him as an essential part of this fabulous experience.

Plodding, but mildly interesting

The author's premise seems to be that the events of 1860 and early 1861, especially the firing on Fort Sumpter, changed the northern US population from an attitude of "co-existence" with slavery to a war fever and follows that conversion through the stories of assorted individuals. While some are well known to history (for example Major Robert Anderson and James Garfield) most are unknown or little known today.

While I personally find the premise unconvincing (slavery had already radicalized much of the North by the time of the Dredd Scott decision) the stories of the individuals are themselves interesting. I have to admit that although I have read a lot about the lead-up to the Civil War and the war itself much of this information was new to me.

I have only given this book 4 stars (I would have given it 3 1/2 if I could) because I do not feel that the stories, although interesting, contributed to my knowledge of this period. There is one exception and that is the stories of the "contraband" in Virginia. I knew nothing of this event and it does much to explain the attitude of the southern slaves.

The narration is adequate but uninspired. I have heard much worse, but also much better.

This is historical writing at its best.

A unique history of the first months of the Civil War, told mainly in selected, highly detailed, and richly textured vignettes emblematic of the issues looming over the country at large. Mr. Goodheart by limiting his focus to this narrow but pivotal time period has given us a feel for the perplexing, frightening challenges facing the United States as it stumbled into an unknowable internecine war. These were history-shaping, ethos-changing months for our country, months that standard Civil War surveys pass over too quickly on their way to the "real" war.

Great

First book about the Great War I have found to be told from a neutral perspective. It inspired me to review the political motivations from the Northern and Southern viewpoints.

A very interesting presentation...

I enjoyed the way the author brought out overlooked and forgotten details and persons leading up to the civil war. Ultimately it was all about a country that needed to move forward out it's own shame of slavery. How is it that disgusting evil can be so tenacious? As I grow older I am amazed at how short 150 years really is and I hope this country continues to move forward though I doubt we will ever experience such a social giant step as we did then. And yes it is a reminder of the greatness of Lincoln and leaves me wondering about the shallowness of modern day republicans,

The loss of innocense.

Any additional comments?

This book was not about bullets and battles, this book dealt with the fact of the American people coming of age during the Civil War and for a short time thereafter. Having read many books on the Civil War seen many films and visited many battlefields and monuments over the decades this concept and factual evolution brings a whole new thought process to understanding what happened during the Civil War and thereafter. The author was inspired when he came up with the idea in his own mind to write this book. It's certainly a masterful presentation that you will enjoy reading and listening to. Definitely a refreshing look to the Civil War.

Read this then read 12 years a Slave.

Would you consider the audio edition of 1861: The Civil War Awakening to be better than the print version?

It was for me, I fall asleep when reading, I like to work around the house and listen or because I fly a lot I listen on planes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Don't have a favorite, wait yes Lincoln

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I will now

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wanted to go back and remember history, I wanted to remember the sacrifces these men made for all of us.

An amazing story, thoughtful and well done

I'm not a big "history buff" reader; I pick up an occasional book in this category when the reviews are decent. But this one honestly blew me away.

The story is nothing less than a complete account of the exact moment in time when our country was splitting apart into two pieces. You might feel like that is happening in our country right now, but I think you'll be amazed at how different (and at the same time how similar) conditions were back in 1860-61.

The author doesn't bother with a blow-by-blow "football game" account of the early battles of the Civil War. I find that kind of book to be pretty boring, and it's probably easy to find the information elsewhere. Instead, this is about the few key events happening at the very beginning of the conflict -- events that people might not have even assigned much importance too at the time -- that were going to change the entire character of the war and what came afterwards.

In summary, this book is brimming with what I like best about this genre -- keen insight and details that get missed or lost in other, more conventional history books. For all you non-history fans, give this one a try!

All things 1861

Awesome collection of people, events, and ideas surrounding the time line of 1861 and how the tie together what happened because of these events and what they lead to next.
Overall a great read with an outstanding performance.