From the Publisher
James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
“Next to Richmond, Atlanta was the most important Confederate city by 1864. Its fall in September of that year signaled the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. Among the many books about General William T. Sherman's Atlanta campaign, The Bonfire stands out for its focus on the experience of Atlantans themselves. Marc Wortman's vivid narrative proves that war is indeed hell.
MARCH 2010 - AudioFile
During the Civil War, Atlanta found itself "in the direct line of the whirlwind." Anthony Heald's narration opens by setting the scene of devastation, but Marc Wortman's book is more about ordinary life in the city as it was disrupted by war and fighting. Heald provides a hint of an accent when reading period documents about the conflict with Native Americans in Georgia, a slave who became wealthy as a barber and businessman, and those still loyal to the United States, to name just a few of the account's topics. The minimal words devoted to the actual fighting are the least interesting part of this compelling history of a city in wartime. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
