1861: The Civil War Awakening [Paperback]

Normally, this is a book that I would pass up on the history shelf; me, an avid non-fiction reader and Civil War history buff. Why? Usually, books on the "years" of the Civil War are merely recountings of the events, maybe with an unique fact thrown in here and there, but nothing really new. How many times do I have to read about Lincoln's agony of whether or not to defend Ft. Sumter? However, after reading an insightful review in the "New York Times Book Review", this book found itself in my hands, and after reading it, it's become one of my new favorites. "1861: The Civil War Awakening" by Adam Goodheart is destined to become an often read introduction to this terrible, turbulent time.

What drew me in was the prologue. How often had I read about Maj. Robert Anderson's brave defense of the fort from Confederate shelling, and how he gave in honorably. What I didn't know what that Anderson originally was chosen to defend in Fort Moultrie. When South Carolina voted to secede, his small but valiant group of men (including a brass band!) constantly pressured him to move to Sumter, which was more easily defended from attack than the "park-like" Moultrie. Anderson wanted to go, but felt compelled to follow his orders. It wasn't until a telegram arrived that asked him to defend the "forts" (note the plural S) that he felt finally like he had permission to move. So he did, sneaking over to Sumter, all because of the letter S. The rest is history.

In fact, that is what Adam Goodheart truly understands; that history is all about story; the story of a person or of people. Much gets lost in the endless recitation of battle facts and ennui, which is important to remember, but there is so much more. It's the stories that drive the war. By focusing on different people through the book, from Ralph Farnham, who fought in the Revolution and lived long enough to cast a vote for "The Rail-Splitter", to the Wide Awakes, to the Abolitionists, to San Francisco, the book paints a great picture of the country at the time of war. To understand the conflict, attests Goodheart, you must understand the country and the people who lived in it, to understand the vast array of reactions to the onset of Civil War. It reminds me a bit of NPR American Chronicles: The Civil War, which also tells many, many stories.

This is a treasured book. In what will be a vast avalanche of Civil War books coming out over the next four years, this is a great opening salvo, filled with insights to people we all know too well and to people we don't know at all.

Highly recommended.

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War I wanted to add a series of books to my reading list to compliment this fact. To be honest with you, I was only somewhat excited about this literary endeavor, having already read a multitude of books on the Civil War over the years - including the Shelby Foote trilogy, Shaara's "The Killer Angels", and too many more to list here. I really didn't want to simply rehash the many famous battles that took place during this great conflict unless some new and intriguing data could be added. With that in mind, I struck out on Adam Goodheart's "1861". While I plan on reading a few books over the sesquicentennial, I am very glad I started with this book.

Bottom line: this book offered me a take on the Civil War that was entirely new and interesting to me. Goodheart started with a research question: How does a nation of real people go from a relatively peaceful state to a willingness to engage in bloody civil war in just a short matter of time? What changed within the minds of individuals, never mind the political and military figures, that allowed for this to happen? It is a question worth asking when you consider the price that was paid and the sacrifice required to bring the war to an end over the course of four years. The answer to this question offers guidance for us to this day.

To answer the research question, Goodheart chose to look at the lives of several individuals, who, at least in my case, were relatively new case studies to the American Civil War. The timeframe essentially takes place from the Presidential election of 1860 through First Manassas. He looked closely at the lives of figures associated with key milestones, such as Major Anderson at the Siege of Fort Sumter and Nathaniel Lyons securing the federal armory in St. Louis. But, I think more importantly, he looked at the lives of some lesser know but still key figures in drawing the nation into a willingness to enter civil war. A sampling of this includes James A. Garfield, the final living participant in the Battle of Bunker Hill, Benjamin Franklin Butler, and many more. The one character he uses to carry the book through from start to finish is that of Elmer Ellsworth - a showman, friend of Lincoln, and former of the first Zouave union army unit to see combat. In that final role, Ellsworth was also killed removing a confederate flag from a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. Goodheart tells this story, as he successfully does with many others, to progress the understanding of how the nation moved so quickly into civil war. Goodheart noted that while Fort Sumter was a rallying cry to war for the north, the death of the famed Ellsworth is what pushed many over the edge in their desire to engage with the confederacy.

Perhaps the best part of 1861 though is its case for war against slavery. Goodheart does an amazing job of tearing down the myths of the Civil War as it relates to slavery. He accurately portrays the feeling of many in the north and south at the time regarding their views of slavery, pro or con, or somewhere in between - which is in fact where many stood, including in the north. The true abolitionists of the day were viewed as radical, and were few in number. That said, most had serious doubts about slavery as an institution, which Goodheart went to great lengths to describe. While the Civil War for many was about state's rights versus federal, for many others, slavery was from the beginning the only issue worth discussing. In studying the history of the Civil War we seem to fluctuate greatly between the causes of the conflict, at times downplaying the role of slavery, at times increasing it. Goodheart, I believe, strikes a true path of understanding, by studying the lives of many, and their varying beliefs on the subject. With this line of understanding, it becomes obvious why emancipation was soon to follow, despite what many originally stated as their willingness to go to war.

On the whole, this was a refreshing, novel, and highly informing read for me on the topic of the Civil War. For others who wish to read about the subject, and are already very familiar with various battles, I highly recommend this book. It will offer new insight.

For any followers of the NYTimes' "DISUNION" blog http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/disunion/ we've been looking forward to this book's release for a long time.

150 years later and the Civil War is as relevant and interesting as ever, and Goodheart focuses this book around that first year, 1861, and how the Civil War REALLY came about.

In this beautifully packaged (deckled/uneven pages!) book, Goodheart spins a well crafted and accurate non-fiction narrative of the story of the start of our country's divide and brings our troubled political past alive in a story that reads unlike any other history book I've read.

It's the rare entry point to the Civil War that can delight any Civil War buff who thinks he knows everything already as well as captivate and interest the vaguely curious and cautious non-historian.

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