The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta

Posted on by

The destruction of Atlanta is an iconic moment in American history it was the centerpiece of Gone with the Wind But though the epic sieges of Leningrad, Stalingrad, and Berlin have all been explored in bestselling books, the one great American example has been treated only cursorily in general histories Marc Wortman remedies that conspicuous absence in grand fashion with The Bonfire, an absorbing narrative history told through the points of view of key participants both Confederate and Union. The Bonfire reveals an Atlanta of unexpected paradoxes a new mercantile city dependent on the primitive institution of slavery governed by a pro Union mayor, James Calhoun, whose cousin was a famous defender of the South When he surrendered the city to General Sherman after forty four terrible days, Calhoun was accompanied by Bob Yancey, a black slave likely the son of Union advocate Daniel Webster Atlanta was both the last of the medieval city sieges and the first modern urban devastation From its ashes, a new South would arise. Download The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta by Marc Wortman – kino-fada.fr I learned a great deal about Atlanta and the famous march.Great book background concise, biographies full of detail I have committed to watching Ken Burns Civil War documentary after finishing this book because the Civil War is that darn interesting Now where am I going to find the eleven hours to watch the series Working on it.As a native of Atlanta, I have often wondered why my home was different from all other southern cities It has no natural resources, it is not on a body of water, it had no manufacturing base, yet from its founding in 1841 the Cherokees and Creeks were expelled 1838 , it had grown into the key to a Union victory only 20 years later The foundations of its personality are in its location a bit of geographical happenstance and the people who were attracted for the opportunities it offered It w As a native of Atlanta, I have often wondered why my home was different from all other southern cities It has no natural resources, it is not on a body of water, it had no manufacturing base, yet from its founding in 1841 the Cherokees and Creeks were expelled 1838 , it had grown into the key to a Union victory only 20 years later The foundations of its personality are in its location a bit of geographical happenstance and the people who were attracted for the opportunities it offered It was a city of the deal Why did Atlanta become a center of the African American middle class and education institutions The Atlanta mayor in 1861 w...This amazing book tells a larger series of stories, starting with biographies of personalities including Civil War Mayor Calhoun, and the settlement and resettlement conflicts with Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole peoples All is told briefly and winningly William T Sherman, as a young man, was part of the Indian removal and survey, and so, at end here, he is again in the American West Yet, to tell such large arcs of story, much is truncated and elided, though the primary source quotations are w This amazing book tells a larger series of stories, starting with biographies of personalities including Civil War Mayor Calhoun, and the settlement and resettlement conflicts with Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole peoples All is told briefly and winningly William T Sherman, as a young man, was part of the Indian removal and survey, and so, at end here, he is again in the American West Yet, to tell such large arcs of story, much is truncated and elided, though the...I have read dozens of books on Civil War Atlanta as I researched and wrote my novel, Yankee in Atlanta The Bonfire, by Marc Wortman tops them all This masterful work is distinguished by its spellbinding narrative, comprehensive context, and critical but lesser known history surrounding the Atlanta home front as well as the military campaign for the city My copy is underlined, dog eared, highlighted and bracketed As a historical novelist, this book was a dream come true type of resource High I have read dozens of books on Civil War Atlanta as I researched and wrote my novel, Yankee in Atlanta The Bonfire, by Marc Wortman tops them all This masterful work is distinguished by its spellbinding n...A 90some year old neighbor informed me that her great great grandfather and his son, her great grandfather, both served as Atlanta s mayors one during the Civil Way, the other during Reconstruction , and both figure prominently in this read That personal tidbit increased my interest, and I was not disappointed The nonfiction book reminds me of the runaway bestseller Is Paris Burning which I read with such fascination when it came out many years ago too many The Bonfire was written in A 90some year old neighbor informed me that her great great grandfather and his son, her great grandfather, both served as Atlanta s mayors one during the Civil Way, the other during Reconstruction , and both figure prominently in this read That personal tidbit increased my interest, and I was not disappointed The nonfiction book reminds me of the runaway bestseller Is Paris Burning which I read with such fascination when it came out many years ago too many The Bonfire was written in that style, ...At this remove from events, and even having lived in north Atlanta suburbs for a time in the 1980s, it is difficult to comprehend the racial climate of 1850s, and subsequent It was 20 years after I left 1991 that I first heard of the peculiar racial restrictions which were still on the books in Fulton County While Sherman did a fairly complete rubbing out of the city of Atlanta, one wonders if perhaps the ground ought not have been scraped clean to bedrock before anything was again built Bu At this remove from events, and even having lived in north Atlanta suburbs for a time in the 1980s, it is difficult to comprehend the racial climate of 1850s, and subsequent It was 20 years after I left 1991 that I first heard of the peculiar racial restrictions which were still on the books in Fulton County While Sherman did a fairly complete rubbing out of the city of Atlanta, one wonders if perhaps the ...Personal and regional history of Atlanta from it s origins as plundered, sacred Indian lands to it s very rapid growth as the railroad heart of the South, through the booming early Civil war years to it s final battles and destruction at the hands of General Sherman Quite a story from hu...I have traveled through Atlanta historian Franklin M Garrett s multi volume work on the history of Atlanta but Marc Wortman s book is muchfocused in its scope and is a masterful exploration of the primordial roots to the founding, growth, and destruction of the City of Atlanta I have toured many of the regional battlegrounds and historical sites to discover Atlanta s past and Georgia s roots Wortman s writing, however, enlivens the area s economic, societal, cultural, and political fou I have traveled through Atlanta historian Franklin M Garrett s multi volume work on the history of Atlanta but Marc Wortman s book is muchfocused in its scope and is a masterful exploration of the primordial roots to the founding, growth, and destruction of the City of Atlanta I have toured many of the regional battlegrounds and histo...initial reaction vivid, but could have been muchsubstantial chapters clocked in at right around 16 pages per, with a dearth of footnotes occasional drifts into straightaway, undelimited conjecture full of great new facts and anecdotes, but i m undereducated in this area and can t evaluate such yet My various sources of publishing intelligence sure dropped the collective ball here Acquired upon sight, , 2009 08 29 The destruction of Atlanta is an iconic moment in America initial reaction vivid, but could have been muchsubstantial chapters clocked in at right around 16 pages per, with a dearth of footnotes occasional drifts into straightaway, undelimited conjecture full of great new facts and anecdotes, but i m undereducated in this area and can t evaluate such yet My various sources of publishing intelligence sure dropped the collective ball here Acquired upon sight, , 2009 08 29 The destruction of Atlanta is an iconic moment in American history it was the centerpiece of Gone with the Wind But though the epic sieges of Leningrad, Stalingrad, and Berlin have all been explored in bestselling books, the one great American example has been treated only cursorily ingeneral histories Marc Wortman remedies that conspicuous absence in grand fashion with The Bonfire , an absorbing narrative history told through the p...

The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta
  • English
  • 06 August 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 431 pages
  • 1586484826
  • Marc Wortman
  • The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta