Publishers Weekly
02/06/2023
In this ingeniously constructed account, historian Chadwick (Law & Disorder) stitches together speeches, letters, diary entries, Cabinet meeting records, and more to recreate the Fort Sumter crisis as it unfolded. Though construction of the fort—located on an artificial island off the coast of Charleston, S.C.—commenced in 1814, it was still unfinished when South Carolina seceded in December 1860 and demanded that all federal forces—including the 85 men stationed at Sumter—leave the state. The tense standoff pitted Union Army major Robert Anderson against his friend and former West Point student, Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard, who began positioning cannons for a bombardment of Sumter in March 1861. Among other sources, Chadwick excerpts Anderson’s letters to Union Army commanders pleading for reinforcements and supplies; the diary of Southern socialite Mary Chesnut; public and private statements by Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis; and Secretary of State William Seward’s messages to Confederate representatives falsely claiming that Fort Sumter would be evacuated, which invigorated the Southern cause. Though some perspectives feel more marginal than essential, they add up to a comprehensive study of the spark that set the Civil War aflame. It’s a noteworthy feat of scholarship. (Apr.)
New York Journal of Books
The genius of Bruce Chadwick’s oral history of the road to Ft. Sumter is that it reveals the emotions, the uncertainties, the fears, the rumors, the excitement, the hopes, the pride, the courage, and the animosities of the men and women involved in the Civil War.
Booklist - Jay Freeman
"Washington has not been praised as a military genius; troops under his direct command won only two major battles against the British, and his greatest tactical skill seems to have been in organizing retreats. Yet he is given—and deserves—the lion's share of credit for winning the military struggle. Chadwick effectively utilizing primary sources [and] provides highly readable accounts of key battles. He is at his best, however, in tracking Washington's development as a military and political leader. This is a fine addition to our understanding of the 'indispensable man.'"
From the Publisher
Praise for The Cannons Roar
USA Today
"Chadwick puts a more human face on Washington by creating a very detailed portrait of how he and the outgoing Martha lived."
The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Chadwick has achieved the effect of a living—and momentous—dialogye with history by carefully selecting quotes from dozens of participants in that fraught time and skillfully binding them together. His swift, absorbing, wholly coherent narrative gives a sense of immediacy to the travails of those who thirsted for a fight, and those who groped after peace, as the nation moved toward a terrible test of arms.
Frank Cucurullo
"Chadwick's excellent history shows how the issue of slavery came crashing into the professional, public, and private lives of many Americans...Chadwick offers a fascinating premise: that James Buchanan, far from being a passive spectator, played a major role in the drama of his time. 1858 is a welcome addition to scholarship of the most volatile period of American history."
G. Kurt Piehler
"Highly recommended—a gripping narrative of the critical year of 1858 and the nation's slide toward disunion and war...Readers seeking to understand how individuals are agents of historical change will find Chadwick's account of the failed leadership of President James Buchanan especially compelling."
Library Journal
03/17/2023
When Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) was elected president of the United States in 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Other Southern states quickly followed and seized federal property in their states. Major Robert Anderson (1805–71), U.S. Army commander of Fort Sumter, located in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor, refused to surrender. That provoked a standoff between federal officials and Confederate and South Carolina authorities. On April 12, 1861, over a 24-hour period, Confederate batteries bombarded the fort, which initiated the Civil War. Former journalist Chadwick (American history, Rutgers Univ.; The First American Army) weaves together quotes from newspapers, letters, and diaries to give an in-depth and firsthand look at the crisis leading up to the attack on Fort Sumter and the attack itself. The varied and divergent views of many different witnesses, Black and white, are fully represented here. The feelings of gloom, uncertainty, and fear that hung over the nation are expertly portrayed. Chadwick's combined use of lesser-known and better-known sources provides a fresh new look at this pivotal moment in U.S. history. VERDICT Readers interested in Civil War and American history should find something new in this title to enjoy.—Chad E. Statler
