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Cry Havoc! by Nelson D. Lankford
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Cry Havoc!

The Crooked Road to Civil War, 1861

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Narrator Michael Prichard

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Length 9 hours 52 minutes
Language English
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In early March 1861, civil war loomed. By late April, Americans had begun to kill their fellow citizens. Cry Havoc! recounts in riveting detail the events that divided the states and reveals how quirks of timing, character, and place all conspired to transform the nation into a battlefield. Nelson Lankford, author of Richmond Burning, chronicles the eight critical weeks that began with Lincoln's inauguration through the explosion at Fort Sumter and the president's fateful response to it. Before Fort Sumpter, the balance could have tipped in favor of a peaceful resolution. But the groundswell of patriotic fervor that followed convulsed the political and military landscape in ways unimaginable just weeks before. This book addresses the many might-have-beens, both familiar and lesser known. What if Lincoln had shown restraint over Fort Sumter? What if he had delayed the proclaimation calling for troops? Could wavering unionists in the upper South have held the line? A must-read for all who wish to understand the birth of the modern United States of America, Cry Havoc! probes the fateful series of events and analyzes each of the failed possibilities that hindsight affords.

"Might-have-beens haunt this absorbing study of the opening act of the Civil War."โ€”Publishers Weekly

Nelson Lankford is Assistant Director for Publications and Education at the Virginia Historical Society. He holds a PhD in history from Indiana University.

Michael Prichard has played several thousand characters during his career. While he has been seen performing over one hundred of them in theater and film, Michael is primarily heard, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. During his career as a one-man repertory company, he has recorded many series with running characters-including the complete Travis McGee adventures by John D. MacDonald and the complete Nero Wolfe mysteries by Rex Stout-as well as series by such masters as Mark Twain, John Cheever, and John Updike. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and several AudioFile Earphones Awards, including for At All Costs by Sam Moses and In Nixon's Web by L. Patrick Gray III. Named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine, he holds an M.F.A. in theater from the University of Southern California. Michael appears regularly on the professional stage, including as a member of Ray Bradbury's Pandemonium Theatre Company, performing such great roles as Captain Beatty in Fahrenheit 451, which became the second-longest-running production in the Los Angeles area. Bradbury himself dubbed Michael "the finest Beatty in history."

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Get two free audiobooks AND support local bookstores Make the switch