In The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larson gives the history of the months leading up to the 1861attack on Fort Sumter seen as the opening salvo in the United States Civil War. I will admit to knowing only the bare bones of the attack or the war in general so I was excited whe I received an early copy from Netgalley and the publishers. I finished it a while ago but found writing this review difficult because I have mixed feeling about it.

On the plus side, Larson’s writing is clear, factual, well- researched and -documented including contemporaneous documents and letters, while avoiding the dry writing of most academic history, thus making it more interesting and easily accessible to everyone. And I must say, it is very interesting.

However, my problem with it is, as other reviewers have said, he gives us a great deal from the perspective of White slave holders but very little from Black people, whether enslaved or free. He documents some of the injustices and horrors inflicted on enslaved people but also some of the small kindnesses given them as well as showing them aiding in preparations for the attack. But the only actual Black voice we hear is that of Frederick Douglass, responding negatively to a speech by Lincoln which seemed meant to placate the South and this was followed by a more positive response from a Lexington lawyer who saw it as a judicial attempt at reconciliation. Interestingly, if it was, the South perceived it as hostility towards them.

I suspect Larson was trying to give a balanced and unbiased view of what can still be seen as an emotionally charged issue. The January 6th insurrection occurred while he was researching this book and he wondered about parallels. In fairness to Larson, this isn’t meant be one of those dry history tomes which, by the way, can also show biases, but I kind of felt, in his effort to be objective, he seems to give too much weight to the Southern perspective.

But that’s just me and my perspective may be skewed by being a non-American. Overall, despite these criticisms, I did quite enjoy reading this book. As I said, Larson makes history interesting, even fascinating and I found this book impossible to put down.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review ( )

very rare for me to read a non fiction book and give it 5 stars
a wonderful book ( )

I very much enjoyed learning about Fort Sumter. Raised as a southerner and loving southern literature, this story of the fort and the characters surrounding it fascinated me.

Erik Larson talks in the beginning about the January 6th insurrection and wondered about parallels. What causes people to latch onto an idea that becomes a person and a people's identity? What causes people to align with an idea so strongly that literally killing a person is justified? Larson introduces us to Abraham Lincoln, presenting a man with a sense of humor and a steel resolve to meet history where it stands. We meet southerners who believe in the myth of the south with their entire being, even willing to lose a son to the cause. I studied southern literature in college, and Larson touches upon several ideas that represent southern beliefs. I will say that it's impossible to completely understand the south from the outside. Even comments made by Larson and others during the novel show an inability to fully grasp the southern conflicts and paradoxes. Larson uses primary sources to tell the stories, from men to women, from southern to northern. It's through these sources that you see the southern ideas pull states together, leave the union, and choose to kill for those ideas. You also see the northerners as not completely understanding and believing unity is more important that southern ideas.

The southern myth of a beautiful society existing before the Civil War continues to create misunderstandings--at the least--and terrible, killing violence--at the worst. This novel gives a bit of an introduction to the idea and delves well into the messages and beliefs that caused Fort Sumter to be fired upon. It was historically educational yet sad to see the choices made that eventually led to a war amongst United States citizens that, in some ways, continues to be fought. It's well worth your time! ( )

Brings a fresh perspective to life. Its focus it’s the lead up to South Carolina’s succession and then the attack on Fort Sumter. Anderson the fort’s commander is well presented. Comparing the social anger of those years to our contemporary experience’s is thought provoking. ( )

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The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is an account of the few months between Abraham Lincoln’s election to the attack of Fort Sumter by the Confederacy. Mr. Larson is an award winning author and a writer who spent much time on the best sellers’ lists.

This is a non-fiction book that tells, in a story-like fashion, of the beginning of the American Civil War. The author follows Fort Sumter’s commander, Major Robert Anderson, the secessionist radical Edmund Rufin, diarist and wife of a South Carolinian planter Mary Boykin Chestnut, and, of course, Abraham Lincoln.

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson is based on first-hand sources such as diaries, secret communications, as well as plantation records and ledgers. The story is presented very well, almost like a novel, telling a cohesive story from start to finish. I got a kick from the fact that Lincoln kept misspelling the fort’s name as “Sumpter” which was kept in his quoted correspondences.

I enjoyed reading about the disconnect between the highest echelons of government and the populace. Lincoln and William Seward (Secretary of State) honestly thought most Southerners would be against secession. The South Carolinians, however, had different ideas, helped by then-President Buchanan.

The path to the Confederate attack on a United States fort was paved by misunderstandings, missed opportunities, slow and/or vague communications, and indecisiveness. It seemed that the only two people who seemed to understand the significance of an attack and did everything they could to prevent it were Union Major Anderson, and Confederate General Beauregard on the other side of the bay.

The South Carolinians prided themselves on gentlemanly behavior and believed themselves to be American knights known as The Chivalry. Like Don Quixote, they filled their heads with stories of knight adventures, Sir Walter Scott was a major literary influence and believed in the Code Duello, rules that govern dueling. Each section of the book is introduced with examples from the code, which shows the South Carolinian mindset when it comes to battles.

The book unfolds the events that started the war from the ground up in a pulpy fashion, somewhat reminiscent of the adventure books the Confederates love, but maybe not the way they imagined themselves. The fact that I, a history geek who read much about the American Civil War, found the story suspenseful is a credit to Eric Larson’s immense talent. ( )