Sherman

Soldier, Realist, American

By: B.H. Liddell Hart

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

A biography of William T. Sherman by the military theorist and author of Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon.

©1929 The Executors of Lady Liddell Hart, deceased (P)2019 Tantor

Perfect performance for an American icon

Derek Perkins gives another outstanding performance, and thankfully he was selected as the narrator for this biography of William Tecumseh Sherman, the brilliant Civil War General who was instrumental in bringing the war to an end. Sherman grew into his role and developed his tactics and strategy of diversion and troop movement. For this strategy he saved the lives of his troops by avoiding confrontation, yet achieving his goals. This is an inspiring and illustrating biography. It was hard to put dow. Unlike Robert O’Connell’s biography, Hart’s is dominated by meticulous descriptions of battles, such as the march to Savannah. This is more of a military history than O’Connell’s which delves into Sherman’s family dynamic and other affairs away from the battle, such as his matriculation at West Point and commands before the Civil War. Hart is battle concentrated and Perkins’ commanding voice dominates the telling of Sherman’s story.

A Must Read!!!

Loved this book. I am from Lancaster, OH so it was fantastic to read a book about such a renowned figure from my hometown. Sherman was a giant of his age and any lover of military history and strategy will love this fascinating and detailed review of his life and career with only scant opinion. The narrator does a great job of being easily understood while maintaining the mood of each section without putting you to sleep. There are even some parts of high brow comedy, masterfully derived by the writer from Sherman's correspondence and memoirs. Highly recommend!

Deep dive

Be prepared this is a very deep look into Schoellman and his campaigns. There are times when it gets kind of bogged down with the details of the different campaigns and to listen to it once you’re not going to be able to comprehend all of it. I was kind of hoping for something a little more Sherman specific. But you definitely give a very good feel for how he did what he did and perhaps a little of what he was thinking.

Sherman...

Sherman Effective General ... standard American White Supremacist... he fought very skilfully to preserve a Unified White Supremasist State...

great book/good narrator

i deducted a star because the narrator's English accent and pronunciation of certain words annoyed me. I would have liked it better if they used an American as the narrator.

An Important History

This is really a magnificent book, and shows Sherman, more than Grant or Lee, as the greatest commander of the Civil War. It is a work of accessible scholarship.

Liddell Hart, writing in the 1920s, is clearly influenced by the fact that by the end of the Civil War, the fighting ressembled WW I more than the Napoleonic Wars. The author clearly suggests that General Sherman would never have launched wave frontal assaults, as Lee did at Gettysburg, Grant did at Cold Harbor, Hood did at Atlanta and Franklin, and everyone did in WWI. Whether Sherman would have found a way to break the deadlock in WWI, given the absence of flanking room is unclear, but I suspect he would have resorted to combined arms to mount a way around the deadlock.

Sherman's humanity also comes through in the book as well. All around a very worth while listen.

Derek Perkins is an excellent narrator for this work.

Well written, well read

Hart was clearly a master scholar who’s writing showed a delight in the scholarship and subject of this giant of modern military history, Sherman.

The narrator did a great job reading it making a great combo.

Starts slow, builds into a great study of a great general

This study starts with Sherman’s early life, especially his early adult life. This allows the reader to better understand Sherman’s growth during the American Civil War, but it definitely feels like trudgery for those of us who want to hear about a war hero. Get through the early part, and you will be rewarded!

Focused story of Sherman and outstanding narrator

Although written in another era, nearly 100 years ago, in language that we don't use today, I found this portrayal of Sherman to be riveting. I have read several books about Grant and the battles in the west in which he and Sherman were engaged. I have a natural interest since I have a g-g grandfather who served in Sherman's armies from Corinth through Missionary Ridge. Hart's narrative is lucid and clear. He cites Sherman's correspondence extensively and places the campaigns and battles in the context of the wider war. It helped me that I already had more detailed background on the course of events since this is not a detailed battle book. Liddell Hart is unabashed in his respect for Sherman. As such, Sherman's vilifiers will not find this book as engaging and rewarding as I did. If half of it is accurate, which is certainly an understatement, Sherman was a remarkable individual.

As always, Derek Perkins is simply the best. He can narrate every audio book I listen to and I will be happy. I recently listened to a book about Tesla that could have used his voice.