Synopsis
This definitive biography of William Clarke Quantrill reveals the characteristics and events that led a quiet Ohio schoolteacher to become the most feared and notorious guerrilla of the Civil War. A virulently pro-slavery Confederate soldier and a brilliant tactician, Quantrill was a charismatic warrior who attracted hundreds of followers to his side--notably the teenaged Frank James, Jesse James, and Cole Younger. The peak of his career came on August 21, 1863, when he led 450 men in a dawn raid on the staunchly Unionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, executing roughly 200 unarmed, unresisting men and teenage boys in what became the greatest atrocity of the Civil War.
Brilliantly weaving together eyewitness accounts, letters, memories, newspaper articles, and military reports into a riveting narrative, this groundbreaking work penetrates the myth of a cardboard-cutout psychopath to expose Quantrill in all his brutality and human complexity. It includes the most accurate account ever written of the Lawrence, Kansas massacre and also details the postwar outlaw careers of those who rode with him.
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About the Author
EDWARD E. LESLIE is a professional writer and author of the internationally acclaimed Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls. He lives in Ohio.
Reviews
John Lescault generally gives a straight reading of Leslie's exciting book about William Quantrill and his raiders. Over 100 years after they burned Lawrence, KS, and butchered its male citizens, it remains the defining event in the history of the town. Leslie discusses the influences and events that made Quantrill into a cold-blooded killer. He portrays Quantrill as a man of his times, and his description of the atrocities of Civil War guerrilla warfare parallels the callousness of current-day terrorists. When Lescault reads some of the letters and accounts of eyewitnesses, he displays their emotions and expresses their enthusiasms, desperation, and grief. Unfortunately, geography is key to following the action; maps and photographs would increase the listener's enjoyment. Recommended for general collections.?Juleigh Muirhead Clark, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fdn., VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Edward Clarke Quantrill, quiet schoolteacher and Confederate soldier, led bands of guerrillas, mainly in Kansas and Missouri, and became one of the most feared and notorious figures of the Civil War. Leslie's meticulous biography provides a compelling portrait of this brilliant tactician. John Lescault's reading is clear and precise; it overcomes some of the problems that can beset narrated nonfiction. He clearly differentiates quoted passages by changing tone and tempo slightly. He wisely avoids dialects or accents but consistently provides the appropriate emotional shading--from the accounts of terrible suffering to those illustrating camaraderie and commitment to a cause. This is a story that would seem unbelievable if written as fiction and that, thanks to the talents of author and narrator, will leave listeners intrigued. M.A.M. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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