Kearnys March, Winston Groom
Kearnys March, Winston Groom
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

Kearny's March
The Epic Creation of the American West, 1846–1847

Author: Winston Groom

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Unabridged: 12 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/28/2022

Synopsis

In June 1846, General Stephen Watts Kearny rode out of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with two thousand soldiers, bound for California.At the time, the nation was hell-bent on expansion: James K. Polk had lately won the presidency by threatening England over the borders in Oregon, while Congress had just voted, in defiance of the Mexican government, to annex Texas. After Mexico declared war on the United States, Kearny’s Army of the West was sent out, carrying orders to occupy Mexican territory. When his expedition ended a year later, the country had doubled in size and now stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific, fulfilling what many saw as the nation’s unique destiny—and at the same time setting the stage for the American Civil War.Winston Groom recounts the amazing adventure and danger that Kearny and his troops encountered on the trail. Their story intertwines with those of the famous mountain man Kit Carson; Brigham Young and his Mormon followers fleeing persecution and Illinois; and the ill-fated Donner party, trapped in the snow of the Sierra Nevada. Together, they encounter Indians, Mexican armies, political intrigue, dangerous wildlife, gold rushes, and land-grabs. Some returned in glory, others in shackles, and some not at all. But these were the people who helped America fulfill her promise.Distilling a wealth of letters, journals, and military records, Groom gives us a powerful account that enlivens our understanding of the exciting, if unforgiving, business of country-making.

About Winston Groom

Winston Groom (1943–2020) was a bestselling author best known for the #1 New York Times bestsellers Forrest Gump and Gumpisms: The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump. He also wrote many nonfiction works, including the prizewinning Shrouds of Glory; Conversations with the Enemy, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and 1942: The Year That Tried Men's Souls; among others.

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner has recorded more than 650 audiobooks since beginning his career in 1981.  He's been named one of the "Best Voices of the Century" as well as a "Golden Voice" by AudioFile magazine.  Gardner has garnered over 20 AudioFile Earphones Awards and is the recipient of an Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, as well as a three-time finalist.  In 2005, Publishers Weekly deemed him "Audiobook Narrator of the Year." Gardner has also narrated hundreds of audiobooks under the names Tom Parker and Alexander Adams.  Among his many titles are Marcus Sakey's At the City's Edge, as well as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and John Irving's The Cider House Rules.  Gardner studied Theater and Art History at Rollins College and received a Master's degree in Acting from George Washington University.  He lives in Oregon with his significant other and daughter.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sweetwilliam on June 23, 2014

The author Winston Groom said he was motivated to write this book because the United States gained more territory over the course of 1846-1847 than at any other two years in our Nation’s history. I feel that the title “Kearny’s March” is a bit misleading. The book also chronicles many more marches d......more

Goodreads review by Joe on January 21, 2021

This isn't just about General Kearny's march from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to California. There's also the Donner Party, the war with Mexico, the Mormon Battalion; it's about Pres. Polk, Fremont, Kit Carson, Gen. Kearny, Capt. Phillip Cooke, and other explorers, Indians, soldiers, mountain men, and......more

Goodreads review by Don on August 28, 2023

A misleading title as the book has a much wider range than simply General Kearny's march through the American Southwest during the Mexican American war. It really encompasses almost everything that went on in the American West during 1846-47...and boy did a lot go one. The war itself, Texas becomes......more

Goodreads review by David on April 27, 2021

Author Groom skillfully weaves this historical tapestry, pulling together disparate events and characters, scattered over widespread expanses of the Western U.S and Mexico during a two-year period – from 1846 to 1847. This is probably one of the most interesting stages of mid-nineteenth century Amer......more

Goodreads review by Shirley on March 28, 2025

Another Southwest History Book Club read and another great book club discussion! It's kind of oddly named as Kearny doesn't feel like the main focus, but we understood how he tied the book together. One book club member suggested it be titled The Rise and Fall of Fremont. 😂 This is really a book on......more

Quotes

“Kearny’s March is for those who long to relive those exciting and dangerous days.” Dallas Morning News

“A vivid recounting of the seminal year that transformed the adolescent United States into a two-ocean nation.” Washington Independent Review of Books

“The exploits of many of the colorful characters in this history are often breathtaking…A grand story.” Tuscaloosa News

“Narrative writing that adds freshness and immediacy to a true-adventure saga.” Alabama Writers’ Forum

“This is not a tale for dainty or euphemistic narration, and Groom knows warfare at first hand.” Weekly Standard (Washington, DC)

“Galloping popular history, guaranteed to entertain.” Kirkus Reviews

“Groom has done a sprightly job of chronicling this important but little-studied conflict.” Larry McMurtry, New York Times bestselling author

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List