The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

The Demon of UnrestDemon of Unrest demonstrates that a talented author, in this case Erik Larson, can find something new to say about a historical period that one might think has already been examined from every angle and by brilliant historians.Larson has concentrated on a period of less than six months — from Lincoln’s election on November 6, 1860 to the firing on Fort Sumpter in the harbor of Charleston, S.C., on April 12, 1861, its evacuation two days later, and Lincoln’s request of states to provide 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion, issued April 15, 1861.Two characters loom large in Larson’s narrative.The first of these is Major Robert Anderson, Fort Sumter’s commanding officer and a former slave owner from the South who nevertheless is loyal to the Union. He is portrayed sympathetically, as he makes an early decision without orders to abandon the forts on the mainland around Charleston as indefensible and surreptitiously transfers his troops to the fort in the middle of the harbor which is more easily defended. Anderson shows great concern for his troops and makes the best of the limited provisions and inadequate, dilapidated defenses of the fort. As the narrative unfolds, Anderson beseeches his superiors in Washington not only for supplies and reinforcements but also for direction on what he should do. His entreaties are met with silence.Edmund Ruffin is the character the author chooses to portray the rising, irrational passion of southerners to secede. A rabble rouser, Ruffin was frustrated that his efforts to promote secession in Virginia are ineffective. But John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859 gave Ruffin an opportunity to raise his personal profile as an apostle of disunion. Thwarted by the hesitancy in Virginia, where many dismissed him as a hate-mongering fanatic, and in Kentucky where many favored preservation of the Union, Ruffin transfers his campaign to South Carolina and joins a special convention in Columbia that approves secession. There, and soon after in Charleston, he is feted as a hero. Although without a military background, he attaches himself to the Palmetto Guard, a state militia unit comprising South Carolina aristocracy, and ends up pulling the lanyard to fire the first shot on Fort Sumter.What about Lincoln during this period? Larson does a brilliant job of putting the reader in the moment and recreating the uncertainty and unprecedented nature of the time.Lincoln had the overriding goal of preserving the Union, but he had no experience in Washington and was unfamiliar with the levers of power. Things looked bleak. And in the period between his election and inauguration, Lincoln was powerless. Would Buchanan and General Winfield Scott simply surrender Sumter and other southern forts?Furthermore, Lincoln was uncertain his election would be confirmed in a count of electoral votes — a potential problem that resonates given the attempt on January 6, 2021 to disrupt such a count. The constitutionally mandated final count and certification of the electoral vote was to take place on February 13, 1861. “If the two Houses refuse to meet at all, or meet without quorum of each, where shall we be?” Lincoln wrote. “I think it best for me not to attempt appearing in Washington till the result of that ceremony is known.”As we now know, the count did take place and Lincoln received a majority of electoral votes. But the soon-to-be president was still finding his way. Lincoln asked William Seward, his secretary of state, to review the draft of his inaugural address. Seward, believing himself the only man who understood the situation, edited the draft considerably. Fortunately Lincoln did not take the more controversial changes. In particular, Lincoln ignored Seward’s stilted redraft of the conclusion of the address and personally re-wrote the ending, “laden with reverence and barely suppressed emotion.”Throughout the book, Larson draws on the contemporary observations of a British journalist, William Howard Russell of the Times of London. Russell was struck by the Lincoln administration’s inability to influence events. “Everywhere the Southern leaders are forcing on a solution with decision and energy,” he wrote, “whilst the Government appears to be helplessly drifting with the current of events.” Many felt Seward, not Lincoln, was the most powerful man in government.Indeed poor Major Anderson, besieged at Fort Sumter, received no advice nor updates from Washington. Meanwhile the southerners brought up artillery to fire on Sumter from six directions and to prevent Union resupply or reinforcement from the sea.Larson chronicles the efforts Anderson and his men made to hold out, but the bombardment over many days and the lack of provisions eventually required them to surrender and evacuate the fort. The next day Lincoln issued a proclamation to put down the rebellion and reassert the authority of U.S. law.There are other characters in the book that enliven and help recreate the social atmosphere and white-hot rhetoric of the South at the time, among whom is Mary Chestnut who is portrayed much less kindly by Larson than in Ken Burns’ civil war series.This is a book worth reading, as it captures the uncertainties of the period and provokes the modern reader to think about how our institutions can be swept away by widespread, unthinking passion. Indeed, the lessons seem pertinent at the time of writing this review as we approach the presidential vote of 2024.

Nice biographical sketches of major secessionist and union leaders,Seward in particular. These are woven together to portray the events and deliberations surrounding the attack on Ft.Sumter at Charleston, marking the onset of America's Civil War. Unlike his WW2 books, Larson uses a shorter time frame into which he places a newly-elected and stressed Lincoln enroute to his inauguration and chivalrous South Carolinians pressing for secession.A worthwhile and beautifully documented study, despite awkward introductions of characters early in the book. The quotations from diaries are especially helpful in understanding the behavior of slaveowners.Shelby Foote and Bruce Catton never really captured the personalities and nuanced relationships that Larson so artfully portrays here.

The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson, tells the story of the events leading up to the beginning of the American Civil War. The book covers the period from 1807 until the surrender of Ft Sumter in April 1861, but most of the story covers the events from the election of President Lincoln in November 1860 until the surrender.The story is very detailed and is based on diaries, journals, correspondence and news reports during this time.Larson identifies the leading proponents of secession: James Henry Hammond, of South Carolina, owner of over 300 slaves, and Edmund Ruffin, of Virginia. Larson also notes the raid on Harper’s Ferry by John Brown in 1859 and the effect it had on the entire south on the subject of secession.The story then goes on to the period from Lincoln’s election to the fall of Fort Sumter.Starting with South Carolina’s first debate on secession through the act itself on December 20, 1860, and their intent to seize all federal property and arms in the state, the fate of Fort Sumter was a major dilemma. Situated in the center of Charleston harbor it controlled ingress and egress to Charleston. South Carolina, considering themselves an independent nation, sent a delegation to Washington to negotiate relinquishing the fort to South Carolina; however, even President Buchanan knew formally negotiating with South Carolina would be seen as recognizing their independence. Throughout the whole crisis Buchanan did nothing decisive wishing to leave the crisis to the new President after he was inaugurated on March 4.Meanwhile, South Carolina, joined by the other states as they seceded, were building and fortifying batteries surrounding Fort Sumter.Even after Lincoln’s inauguration confusion, misunderstood orders and uncertainty of what action to take delayed any attempt to reinforce and resupply the fort; even when an attempt was finally made in April confusion on who had the authority to assign the navy ships to the mission meant that the Powhatan, the most powerful warship in the Navy, did not take part in the expedition.The relief fleet arrived too late to save the fort.This was an excellent, detailed and long account of the events leading up to the beginning of our Civil War. All of the important people leading up to this crisis were identified and their roles explained. This book is worth reading for those who want to know how to avoid such a crisis in the future.