A ""compact, engrossing narrative""
* that vividly reimagines the events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War
What separates historian Nelson D. Lankford's engaging examination of the causes of the Civil War from other books on the subject is its willingness to consider the alternative possibilities to history. Cry Havoc! recounts in riveting detail the small quirks of timing, character, and place that influenced the huge trajectory of events during eight critical weeks from Lincoln's inauguration through the explosion at Fort Sumter and the embattled president's response to it. It addresses the what-ifs, the might-have-beens, and the individual personalities that played into circumstances-a chain of indecisions and miscalculations, influenced by swollen vanity and wishful thinking-that gave shape to the dreadful conflict to come.
By:
Nelson Lankford
Imprint: Penguin USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 211mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 313g
ISBN: 9780143112792
ISBN 10: 0143112791
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 18 December 2007
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Cry Havoc!Prologue: Harpers Ferry, October 1859 1. Faithfully Execute Washington, D.C., March 4, 1861 2. Wait And See Early March 3. Toujours La Politesse Washington, D.C., Early to Mid-March 4. Contrivances Of Delay Richmond, Mid-March 5. Collision Course Late March to Early April 6. Flash Point Charleston, April 12 7. Tidings Of War April 12 to 15 8. Cheated And Deceived April 15 to 17 9. Give The Old Lady Time Richmond, April 15 to 17 10. John Brown In Gray Harpers Ferry, April 17 to 18 11. Burning Bridges Baltimore, April 17 to 19 12. Alone Washington, D.C., April 18 to 21 13. Broad Stripes And Bright Stars April 18 to 21 14. Sunday Rest Gosport Navy Yard, April 21 15. Wild Excitement Baltimore, April 20 to 21 16. Countless Rumors April 21 to 25 17. Dismembering The Nation Late April to Early May Epilogue: Spring 1865 Acknowledgments Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index Maps appear on pages 14, 52, 140 , and 160
Nelson Lankford edits The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the quarterly journal of the Virginia Historical Society. A resident of Richmond, he is the co-editor of Eye of the Storm and Images from the Storm and author of The Last American Aristocrat.
Reviews for Cry Havoc!: The Crooked Road to Civil War, 1861
""Disturbs the time-honored march of history with a series of provocative what- ifs."" -The New York Times Book Review* ""Captures the drama and complexity of this volatile period [and] reminds readers that . . . events could have taken a different path. Anyone interested in the background of our greatest national crisis will find Cry Havoc! hugely rewarding."" -Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War
- Winner of Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize.
