Blood: Stories of Life and Death from the Civil War - Adrenaline Series

by Ulysses S. Grant, Peter Kadzis

~ Available as an audio book in download format at LoDingo
The Civil War — the bloodiest, most dramatic moment in this nation’s history — also produced some of the country’s greatest literature.

Blood reflects the violent hatred, love, patriotism, and heroism this conflict generated through the vivid stories of the men and women who were there.

This collection includes Ulysses S. Grant (via the rumored pen of Mark Twain) recounting the taking of Vicksburg; Theodore Lyman watching Grant come into his own on his first drive toward Richmond; George Templeton Strong describing the horror of the New York Draft Riots; and plantation owner Mary Chestnut’s report on the final days before the fall of Atlanta.

Also included are firsthand accounts ranging from Pickett’s Charge to Sherman’s March, from Lee’s Virginia campaigns to the heroism of African American foot soldiers, as well as excerpts from some of the most notable fiction on the subject.


What the Critics are Saying
"This collection of eyewitness accounts of the Civil War presents a wide range of experiences; civilian, officer, slave, and poet all tell of what they saw. Among the most prominent are: Grant, Sherman, Pickett, and Whitman. The five readers all give distinctive voices to each character as they read. All are believable and make one realize that history is the story of people." (Publishers Weekly)


File Format: M4B
File Size: 75Mb
Length: 5hrs 16min
(audio book download)


Downloading from LoDingo is easy, safe & customer friendly... All audio books come in chapter format M4B for easy listening. No (DRM) file restrictions & Your audio books at LoDingo can never get lost or broken. They are always shelved in your download center at LoDingo and you can come back and instantly download them at any time.

Genres: History, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Civil War

Audiobook

First published May 18, 2000

About the author

Ulysses Simpson Grant, originally Hiram Ulysses Grant, in Civil War victoriously campaigned at Vicksburg from 1862 to 1863, and, made commander in chief of the Army in 1864, accepted the surrender of Robert Edward Lee, general, at Appomattox in 1865; widespread graft and corruption marred his two-term presidency, the eighteenth of the United States, from 1869 to 1877.

Robert Edward Lee surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant at Appomattox in 1865.

Robert Edward Lee, Confederate general, surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant, Union general, at the hamlet of Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865 to end effectively the Civil War.


The son of an Appalachian tanner of Ohio, Ulysses Simpson Grant of America entered the military academy at 17 years of age in 1839. The academy graduated him in 1843. In 1846, three years afterward, Grant served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War under Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. The conflict concluded in 1848.

Grant abruptly resigned in 1854. After struggling through the succeeding years as a real estate agent, a laborer, and a county engineer, Grant decided to join the northern effort.

Abraham Lincoln appointed Grant to brigadier of volunteers in 1861; he in 1862 claimed the first major capture of fort Henry and fort Donelson in Tennessee. A Confederate attack at the battle of Shiloh surprised him, who emerged, but the severe casualties prompted a public outcry. Following many long initial setbacks and his rescue of the besieged at Chattanooga, however, Grant subsequently established his reputation as most aggression and success to Lincoln. Named lieutenant in 1864, Grant implemented a coordinated strategy of simultaneous attacks, aimed at destroying ability of economy to sustain forces of the south. He mounted a successful attrition against his Confederate opponents to courthouse in 1865.

After Andrew Jackson, four decades earlier, people elected duly popular Grant as a Republican in 1868 and re-elected him in 1872 as the first to serve fully. Grant signed and enforced congressional rights legislation to lead Reconstruction.
Grant built a powerful, patronage-based Republican Party in the south and strained relations between the north and former Confederates. Sometimes, nepotism produced scandal of his Administration; people coined the neologism to describe his politics.

Grant left office in 1877 and embarked upon a two-year world tour. Unsuccessful in winning the nomination for a third in 1880, left destitute by a fraudulent investor, and near the brink of death, Grant wrote his Memoirs, which were enormously successful among veterans, the public, and critics. However, in 1884, Grant learned that he was suffering from terminal throat cancer and, two days after completing his writing, he died at the age of 63. Historians typically rank Grant in the lowest quartile for his tolerance, but in recent years his reputation has improved among some scholars impressed by his support for rights for African Americans.

Reviews

[RYD · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with a lot of collections, there were some pieces in this that I liked more than others. My favorite was easily the Civil War writing of Walt Whitman.

[Akhet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book sharing perspective of people who were involved in the war. Especially liked the words of Walt Whitman who worked in many hospitals during the war.

[Mandyhello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walt Whitman is rad

[Matt Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a Walt Whitman book when I found this. It really is an interesting glimpse into a bleak time in America’s history. The fact that it has many short stories about the war both compliments and detracts from the book. It compliments as reading a long historical account of the civil war can be challenging for most people. It detracts as the quality and interest of the different stories varied widely and it was easy to get distracted and discount some of the various stories as they came and went quickly. I did enjoy several of the accounts, particularly the one by Walt Whitman. Overall, good book, but not great for me anyway.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of it. It was interesting to learn about the Civil War from different point of views (Ex. A general, a volunteer medic, a former slave, a Southern belle, etc.). The stories that grabbed my attention the most were General George Pickett’s letters to his wife, Walt Whitman’s experiences of tending to the wounded, Adaline Gray’s account of living as an emancipated slave, and Thomas W. Higginson’s recollection of how the visit of a quarter master’s infant daughter brought joy to all the soldiers in Higginson’s army. If you are interested in learning about the Civil War from various points of view, I recommend this book (or audiobook, in my case).

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied and fascinating collection of primary sources. This includes Grant on accepting Lee's surrender, recollecting babies in the encampment, plantation owner Mary Chestnut’s report on the final days before the fall of Atlanta, firsthand accounts ranging from Pickett’s Charge to Sherman’s March, as well as excerpts from Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman's poignant inspection of amputations and other treatment of the tragically wounded.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

For so many people, to die within a few hours day-in and day-out, only to give the nation a confused sense of grief and social justice. The fans refuse to let the champions choose the course of an ugly manifestation. Destined to hear the chatter of fools.

[Jan Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Civil War told through the eyes of many diferent people of the time. Walt Whitmann served as a union nurse during the war. He was my favorite. I also enjoyed a union soldier at Andersonville and General George Picket's letter to his sweetheart at the time of Gettysburg.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters better than others but a good cross section of famous people and ordinary people's diaries.

[Roy Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stories.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

tiring

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting to hear the perspective of the people who fought the war!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting letters and stories from both sides of the Civil war.

[Joe DiBuduo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories from the civil war by historic figures, including Walt Whitman.

[Loren Shultz]

I liked the use of correspondence from ordinary to famous people. It seemed about one third or more of the book was from Walt Whitman, which was a shame. Nothing against Whitman, but there was so much more, varied material from which to draw.