Audiobooks by James McPherson

For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War

General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, 'You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that.' Why did those men risk certain death, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful years? Why did the conventional wisdom-that soldiers become increasingly cynical and disillusioned as war progresses-not hold true in the Civil War? It is to this question-why did they fight-that James McPherson now turns his attention. He shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism. McPherson draws on more than 25,000 letters and nearly 250 private diaries from men on both sides. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war.

James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), David Colacci (Narrator)

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Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief

From the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom, a powerful new reckoning with Jefferson Davis as military commander of the ConfederacyThe best concise book we have on the subject McPherson is our most distinguished scholar of the Civil War era. The New York Times Book Review History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. Many Americans of his own time and in later generations considered him an incompetent leader, not to mention a traitor. Not so, argues James M. McPherson. In Embattled Rebel, McPherson shows us that Davis might have been on the wrong side of history, but that it is too easy to diminish him because of his cause's failure. Gravely ill throughout much of the Civil War, Davis nevertheless shaped and articulated the principal policy of the Confederacythe quest for independent nationhoodwith clarity and force. He exercised a tenacious hands-on influence in the shaping of military strategy, and his close relationship with Robert E. Lee was one of the most effective military-civilian partnerships in history. Lucid and concise, Embattled Rebel presents a fresh perspective on the Civil War as seen from the desk of the South's commander in chief. From the Trade Paperback edition.

James M. McPherson, James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), Robert Fass (Narrator)

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War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865

Although previously undervalued for their strategic impact because they represented only a small percentage of total forces, the Union and Confederate navies were crucial to the outcome of the Civil War. In War on the Waters, James M. McPherson has crafted an enlightening, at times harrowing, and ultimately thrilling account of the war's naval campaigns and their military leaders. McPherson recounts how the Union navy's blockade of the Confederate coast, leaky as a sieve in the war's early months, became increasingly effective as it choked off vital imports and exports. Meanwhile, the Confederate navy, dwarfed by its giant adversary, demonstrated daring and military innovation. Commerce raiders sank Union ships and drove the American merchant marine from the high seas. Southern ironclads sent several Union warships to the bottom, naval mines sank many more, and the Confederates deployed the world's first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. But in the end, it was the Union navy that won some of the war's most important strategic victories-as an essential partner to the army on the ground at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Mobile Bay, and Fort Fisher, and all by itself at Port Royal, Fort Henry, New Orleans, and Memphis. "McPherson, professor emeritus of Princeton and dean of Civil War historians, enhances our knowledge with this history of the conflict's naval aspects. As definitive as it is economical, the work establishes beyond question the decisive contributions of maritime power to Union victory."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

James M. McPherson, James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), Joe Barrett (Narrator)

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Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tried by War, James M. McPherson is acclaimed as the greatest living Civil War historian. In this compelling biography, McPherson follows Abraham Lincoln from his early frontier days to his turbulent years in the White House. This concise yet comprehensive account reveals why Lincoln still remains a quintessential American icon.

James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), John McDonough (Narrator)

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Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

Though Abraham Lincoln arrived at the White House with no previous military experience, he quickly established himself as the greatest commander in chief in American history. James McPherson illuminates this often misunderstood and profoundly influential aspect of Lincoln's legacy. In essence, Lincoln invented the idea of commander in chief, as neither the Constitution nor existing legislation specified how the president ought to declare war ordictate strategy. In fact, by assuming the powers we associate with the role of commander in chief, Lincoln often overstepped the narrow band of rights granted the president. Good thing too, because his strategic insight and will tofight changed the course ofthe war and saved the Union. For most of the conflict, he constantly had to goad his reluctant generals toward battle, and he oversaw strategyand planning for major engagements with the enemy. Lincoln was a self-taught military strategist (as he wasa self-taught lawyer), which makes his adroit conduct of the war seem almost miraculous. To be sure, the Union's campaigns often went awry, sometimes horribly so, but McPherson makes clear how the missteps arose from the all-too-common moments when Lincoln could neither threaten nor cajole his commanders tofollow his orders. As we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009, this work provides a genuinely novel, even timely, view of the most written about figure in our history. Tried by War offers a revelatory portrait of leadership duringthe greatest crisis our nation has ever endured. How Lincoln overcame feckless generals, fickle public opinion, and his own paralyzing fears is a story at once suspenseful and inspiring.

James M. McPherson, James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), George Guidall (Narrator)

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This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War

In this collection of provocative and illuminating essays, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson offers fresh interpretations and insights into many of the most enduring questions and debates about America's greatest historical crisis-the Civil War. In a collection that includes several never before published essays, McPherson reflects on everything from Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief to what might have happened if the South had won. "It will seduce anyone, Civil War neophyte or fanatic, for its authority and judgments....There is not a bad chapter in this book. This Mighty Scourge is a marvelous read from a master historian. Like all good history, what it makes you want to do is know more."-Boston Globe

James M. McPherson, James McPherson (Author), Barrett Whitener (Narrator)

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This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom and many other award-winning books, James M. McPherson is America's preeminent Civil War historian. Now, in this collection of provocative and illuminating essays, McPherson offers fresh insight into many of the most enduring questions about one of the defining moments in our nation's history. Readers will find insightful pieces on such intriguing figures as Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Jesse James, and William Tecumseh Sherman, and on such vital issues as Confederate military strategy, the failure of peace negotiations to end the war, and the realities and myths of the Confederacy. Combining the finest scholarship with luminous prose, and packed with new information and fresh ideas, this book brings together the most recent thinking by the nation's leading authority on the Civil War.

James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), Barrett Whitener (Narrator)

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Battle Cry of Freedom: Volume 2: The Civil War Era

James M. McPherson, professor emeritus of U.S. history at Princeton, is one of the foremost scholars of the Civil War. In this informative and meticulously researched masterpiece, he clarifies the differing ways of life and philosophy that led to this shattering conflict. Abraham Lincoln wondered whether 'in a free government the minority have the right to break up the government.' Jefferson Davis felt 'forced to take up arms' to guarantee his states' rights. McPherson merges the words of these men and other political luminaries, housewives, and soldiers from both armies with his own concise analysis of the war to create a story as compelling as any novel. Battle Cry of Freedom vividly traces how a new nation was forged when a war both sides were sure would amount to little dragged for four years and cost more American lives than all other wars combined. '' of the 50,000 books written on the Civil War, the finest compression of that national paroxysm ever fitted between two covers.''Los Angeles Times Book Review

James McPherson (Author), Jonathan Davis (Narrator)

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Battle Cry of Freedom: Volume 1: The Civil War Era

James McPherson (Author), Jonathan Davis (Narrator)

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Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg

[I]n a larger sense, we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our power to add or detract. President Abraham LincolnJames M. McPherson, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom , and arguably the finest Civil War historian in the world, walks us through the site of the bloodiest and perhaps most consequential battle ever fought by Americans. The events that occurred at Gettysburg are etched into our collective memory, as they served to change the course of the Civil War and with it the course of history. More than any other place in the United States, Gettysburg is indeed hallowed ground. It's no surprise that it is one of the nation's most visited sites (nearly two million annual visitors), attracting tourists, military buffs, and students of American history. McPherson, who has led countless tours of Gettysburg over the years, makes stops at Seminary Ridge, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, and Little Round Top, among other key locations. He reflects on the meaning of the battle, describes the events of those terrible three days in July 1863, and places the struggle in the greater context of American and world history. Along the way, he intersperses stories of his own encounters with the place over several decades, as well as debunking several popular myths about the battle itself.What brought those 165,000 soldiers 75,000 Confederate, 90,000 Union to Gettysburg? Why did they lock themselves in such a death grip across these once bucolic fields until 11,000 of them were killed or mortally wounded, another 29,000 were wounded and survived, and about 10,000 were missing mostly captured? What was accomplished by all of this carnage? Join James M. McPherson on a walk across this hallowed ground as he be encompasses the depth of meaning and historical impact of a place that helped define the nation's character.From the Hardcover edition.

James M Mcpherson, James M. McPherson, James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), Grover Gardner, James M. McPherson (Narrator)

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Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam

James M. McPherson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author, and America's leading Civil War historian. In this powerful book, he reconstructs the gripping Battle of Antietam-the single bloodiest day in the history of American combat. In stunning detail and with remarkable insight, McPherson makes a convincing case that Antietam was the battle that changed the course of the war.

James M. Mcpherson, James McPherson (Author), Nelson Runger (Narrator)

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