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The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
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$14.99
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War in this “riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult” (Los Angeles Times).
“A feast of historical insight and narrative verve . . . This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.
Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”
At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.
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Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Price:
$14.99
Tom Weikert –
At a time when our nation is perilously divided, Erik Larson publishes “The Demon of Unrest” and strikes a note of warning. He authors another winning work of narrative nonfiction detailing the events following the 1860 presidential election that propelled Abraham Lincoln to the White House and ushered in America’s cataclysmic descent into civil war. Additionally, he brilliantly animates the famous characters of this period (Buchanan, Lincoln, Seward, and Davis) and lesser names such as Edmund Ruffin, James Hammond, and Mary Chesnut of the Southern planter aristocracy. Strikingly, the latter, products of generational slave ownership and owning as many as 400 slaves, vociferously and unashamedly champion the cause of slavery. Larson’s narrative serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us of the dangers of division and the importance of unity in our current social and political climate.
From his extensive research, the author quotes from speeches, letters, diary entries, and other period documents revealing unapologetic pro-slavery sentiment. Through these Southerners’ thoughts and comments, we learn just how, like Kudzu, slavery became wildly entwined with Southern culture. No matter how inexplicable or indefensible their position might be today, in the mid-19th century, these Americans believed it was their birthright to continue owning other human beings in the name of tradition and because slavery was so much a part of the Southern culture and rural economy. More importantly, with “The Demon of Unrest,” Larson sheds light on how charged the issue of slavery was in the years leading up to Lincoln’s election and, therefore, how inevitable secession would become.
As always, the author’s character development is first-rate. Perhaps best of all is his treatment of Major Robert Anderson, a career U.S. Army officer and one of the central characters appearing throughout “The Demon of Unrest.” Anderson, the Fort Sumter, South Carolina commander, and gallant American patriot of the first order, became one of the early heroes of this period. We witness his painstaking preparations to fortify Fort Sumter, a U.S. Army garrison and initial Union stronghold, key terrain in the middle of Charleston Harbor and the annals of U.S. history. He and his charges remain alone on an island, steadfastly defending American ideals. Their challenge becomes existential on April 12, 1861, when the Confederates bombard the fort and two days later force its surrender to start the war.
Claiming three-quarters of a million lives, the American Civil War, or the War Between the States, was a watershed event, the legacy with which we, as Americans, still live today. In addition to the author’s signature ability to capture the mood of a particular period or incident in history, Larson fans will recognize his trademark emphasis on meticulously mining historical documents to bring the story to life, for instance, capturing seemingly insignificant comments and minor actions of the characters so that we see that they, like us, were fully human. In detailing their activities, Larson transports us to an earlier age during which honor and chivalry in the Antebellum South held sway. Then, negotiations deadlocked, both sides determined not to move off their hardened positions, the nation tilts to war, and we readers have a ringside seat. The author helps us see firsthand how the Civil War, which resulted in more than 600,000 casualties over four years, was virtually a foregone conclusion.
Larson writes fluidly but concisely, some chapters only a few pages long, and his sturdy vocabulary challenges readers to be Merriam-Webster-ready. His strength is pacing; he allows events to unfold in a way that captures the reader’s attention and holds it transfixed for page after page. Like all his books, “The Demon of Unrest” reads like the story is happening in real-time. Larson achieves his objective; he sounds the alarm that another collapse into chaos is not far-fetched. Unrest in America is mounting.
One reads “The Demon of Unrest” with his mouth agape, incredulous that these events happened and could happen again. Worry, anxiety, and fear grip the nation today just as they did in the deeply divided America of 1861. South Carolina, specifically Charleston, became ground zero for American turning on American and friend becoming foe. A charming U.S. city seemingly overnight morphed into a powder keg.
Indeed, 1861 brought us a national Hatfield-McCoy moment, the American family riven by disagreement and debate. When considering our shrill and uncompromising public discourse and eroding confidence in U.S. government institutions today, readers of “The Demon of Unrest” can appreciate how easily the situation could devolve into another armed conflict.
Above all else, Larson’s “The Demon of Unrest” reminds Americans that we must, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “appeal to the better angels of our nature.”
Glen –
Larson does a great job of developing the history of Lincoln’s first election, the transfer of power issues and the beginnings of secession as well as the depth of slavery in the South and the history of the focal point that was Ft. Sumter and the beginnings of the civil war. Larson is an excellent writer and this is on par with his other works.
spider queen –
Outstanding exploration of this small minute leading up to the revolution.
Microscopically detailed, bringing the reader into the most minute and grinding details of those virtually imprisoned in the Fort.
Covers thoroughly the misperceptions of those involved, on both sides. I’ve read a number of sound books on the topic, but this one brings one face-to-face with the thoughts, perceptions, context of understandings, of specific participants, as well as the general publics.
What stuck me most, in the context of current events involving the Supreme Court of our day, is the influence that one corrupt? ill-intentioned? biased Supreme Court judge had on the overall progress towards a continuingly divisive national war.
And the enduring nature of its … evolution. The tenacity of the under-lying myths and false values.
Another excellent work by Mr. Larson–I’m grateful.
Charlotte O. –
First and foremost, I am reading along to the audible version of this book and the narrators voice is amazing. I highly recommend buying by the the book and the audible on this one. This is the second Erik Larson book I’ve read, “Devil in the White City” being the first. With Devil the biggest criticism was that the duel narratives were disjointed and sort of crammed together. I agreed with this. Reading this book is so much more cohesive,and therefore easy to get into. The civil war isn’t even one of my favorite historical eras and I am addicted. Erik Larson really knocks this out of the park. I highly recommend trying this book on for size, it’s intrancing.
Peter W. Smith –
Erik Larson is one of the outstanding authors of current times. His analysis of history and his unique manner of expressing events if truly remarkable.
In this book, Larson deals with the deep unrest which permeated the United States at the time of the accession of Abraham Lincoln to the U.S. Presidency.
Larson’s timing of the retelling of the deep schism in American Society in 1861 is in perfect juxtaposition with the deep unrest in American Society today. The demon is in the details.
This is a truly remarkable book!
Jmh –
Great historical read told as a story. Very in-depth research with very factual. Easy read.
Patricia Macfarlane –
Very well written and well researched.
Alicia Dollahan –
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I grew up in Pennsylvania, just outside Gettysburg, but have lived in Charleston, SC for over 10 years now and in SC for over 20. I found the author’s bias toward southerners – their attitudes toward Yankees (yes, it’s still a thing), their idea of honor, their society structure, etc. – all very accurate and very obviously telling. The author made no qualms of making his belief that the Civil War was exclusively based on the protection of slavery well known in the book. However, in Charleston the belief is (still) that they were fighting for State’s rights and to protect their way of life, not necessarily to protect their right to own slaves. Larson truly hit the nail on the head with the dichotomy of the war’s driving force and couldn’t have more accurately captured the attitudes of those times and still now.
Fort Sumter was vividly described and easily allowed readers to visualize the site, even for those who have never been here in person. My only negative for the book is that I felt some of the side stories could have been minimized just to keep the focus on the war. Ms. Mary Chestnut’s storyline in particular I didn’t feel contributed much to the story of Fort Sumter and the start of the Civil War, but would be an excellent basis for any number of spin-off stories about life in that era and/or in Charleston.
If I could give this book a 4.5 out of 5, I would. Larson’s research was impressive and obviously thorough. My only point deduction comes from the length that I think could have been cleaned up a little bit. Otherwise, this is a very worthy investment of time for history lovers!