Justin Martin is the author of four highly praised books: Greenspan: The Man behind Money; Nader: Crusader, Spoiler, Icon; Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted; and Rebel Souls: Walt Whitman and America's First Bohemians. As one of the few journalists to gain access to Greenspan, Martin produced a bestselling biography of the secretive Fed chairman, selected as a notable book by the New York Times Book Review. His Nader biography served as a primary source for An Unreasonable Man, the Academy Award-nominated documentary, and Genius of Place received glowing national reviews. Martin's articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including Fortune, Newsweek, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
"A Fierce Glory accommodates perspectives largely absent from older
accounts of the Civil War, including the multi-ethnicity of both
armies and the presence in the ranks of several women passing as
men."
--Milwaukee Shepherd-Express
"A colorful, deft, beautifully paced account of the bloodiest
battle in American history. Justin Martin carefully tends
Antietam's 'glowing embers, ' approaching the day on the ground and
from every angle."--Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
Cleopatra and The Witches
"Almost every angle imaginable on the Civil War has been studied
and yet authors continue to bring forth different perspectives.
This is the case with Justin Martin's A Fierce Glory...[An]
excellent book that looks at the Battle of Antietam from a
different angle."
--Collected Miscellany
"Although there are many books on the Battle of Antietam, this one
stands out for its superb use of first-hand participant accounts.
The author weaves the broader story of the battle into the work in
a seamless manner...In addition, the far-ranging consequences of
the battle are discussed at length. The result is a work that
engages readers and retains their interest page after page...A
worthy addition to the works available on Antietam and the American
Civil War."--Military Heritage
"If you're looking for an Antietam book with minute-by-minute
movements of regiments and brigades, look elsewhere-this isn't a
'right-flank, left-flank' account. Instead, you'll find an
exquisite, compelling narrative, with Martin serving as your tour
guide at the Bloody Lane, the West Woods, the 40-Acre Cornfield and
elsewhere...Unlike other Antietam books, Abraham Lincoln...is
deeply embedded in the narrative."--John Banks' Civil War Blog
"In A Fierce Glory author Justin Martin well portrays the horror of
Civil War combat from the common soldier's perspective. His deft
human touch, evident throughout the narrative, makes for a complete
sensory experience."--Wall Street Journal
"In a war that redefined carnage, Antietam stands out...Martin does
not miss any key elements of the battle, nor does he neglect the
larger social and political undertones...A multi-faceted story that
brings to bear a range of emotions surrounding the complicated
events depicted...Anyone seeking a fresh telling of the human cost,
anyone questing for larger meaning within this particularly bloody
Civil War battle, will find A Fierce Glory to be a worthwhile
read."--Washington Independent Review of Books
"In this succinct, highly readable book, spiced with telling
anecdotes and vivid character sketches, Martin seamlessly
interweaves a clear, suspenseful account of the battle with a
careful depiction of Lincoln's road to emancipation."--Michael
Burlingame, award-winning Lincoln scholar and author of Lincoln: A
Life (2 vols.)
"Martin avoids clinical military assessments and instead imbues the
story of Antietam with small personal details about the very real
people-from private to president-whose fates changed with the
outcome...Martin argues intriguingly that the Union
victory-snatched from stalemate only by the eventual Confederate
retreat-served as the true turning point of the war...Novelistic
prose, supported by thorough documentation and photos, packs an
additional wallop, bringing home the battle's high human
cost...Martin's fantastic recreation of this significant battle,
with its focus on humanity, will resonate with both Civil War
novices and more knowledgeable readers."--Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
"Martin has given us an engrossing, important new look at Antietam,
making a convincing case that the outcome had more impact on the
course of the war, and on U.S. history, than any other Civil War
engagement."--Marc Leepson, author of Desperate Engagement: How a
Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C., and Changed
American History
"Martin has written a personal and approachable book about the
great and terrible Battle of Antietam. His narrative style is
breezy and conversational, quite different from the usual voice on
this subject, but with it he successfully interprets some important
political and military themes for a general-reader audience...A new
and different take on the Battle of Antietam."--Antietam on the
Web
"Martin is at his best relating the intersection of the experiences
of individual soldiers and the places in which they found
themselves as the battle progressed...A readable introduction for
those unfamiliar with this crucial battle."--Library Journal
"Martin takes you to the fabled Antietam battlefield in an
engagingly written 'you are there' style that has you virtually
feeling the bullets whizzing above your head. This is no dry
military history or conventional Civil War book but a riveting
group biography that delves into the hearts and minds of a number
of colorful, larger-than-life characters, all of it placed in the
context of the fateful deliberations of Lincoln over issuance of
the Emancipation Proclamation. A tour de force."--John Oller,
author of The Swamp Fox and American Queen
"More than the repulse of a Confederate invasion, the Union victory
at Antietam paved the way for black freedom--thus proving, in its
way, the most important battle of the Civil War. Appropriately, A
Fierce Glory is more than a military history (although it depicts
the actual fighting vividly). Martin has culled a vast array of
sources to explore the political, religious, medical, and,
ultimately, the societal impact of Antietam. A highly original
work."--Harold Holzer, winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln
Prize
"Not only does one get the story of the battle but also that of
Lincoln and his Proclamation...It is highly readable and captures
the drama of our bloodiest single day and its momentous
result."--New York Journal of Books
"What an achievement! Both panoramic and intimate in scale, it
situates Antietam within the context of Civil War history but also
takes the reader in close, face to face with the personal reality
of 19th century warfare."--Amanda Vaill, author of Hotel Florida:
Truth, Love, and Death in the Spanish Civil War
"With a great eye for colorful detail, Martin has pulled off the
feat of contextualizing the battle for a general audience. I
learned something new on every page--not just about Lincoln,
McClellan, and Lee, but about medical pioneers Clara Barton and
Jonathan Letterman, photographer Alexander Gardner, and the fates
of average soldiers on both sides. An absorbing read."--Jonathan
Alter, New York Times bestselling author of The Promise: President
Obama, Year One
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