Mr. Lincolns HighTech War, Thomas B. Allen
Mr. Lincolns HighTech War, Thomas B. Allen
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Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War
How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War

Author: Thomas B. Allen, Roger MacBride Allen

Narrator: Fred Sullivan

Unabridged: 4 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/2013


Synopsis

Thomas B. Allen's expertise in military history and strategy is combined with Roger MacBride Allen's knowledge of technology to reveal a lesser known yet fascinating side of the sixteenth president of the United States. Their authoritative narrative reveals Lincoln as our nation's first hands-on commander-in-chief, whose appreciation for the power of technology plays a critical role in the North's Civil War victory over the less developed South.We meet Lincoln as he exchanges vital telegraph messages with his generals in the field; we witness his inspection of new ship models at the navy yard; we view the president target shooting with the designer of a new kind of rifle; and we follow Lincoln, the man of action, as he leads a daring raid to recapture Norfolk, Virginia. The book's historic sweep also sets Abraham Lincoln in the context of his military era: we learn about the North's Anaconda Plan and the South's counter strategies and how the concept of total war replaced the old Napoleonic way of fighting.Readers will come away with a rich sense of a leader who lived through one of the most exciting ages of technological and social change in America. Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War brings alive a time when the railroad brought soldiers to and from the battlefields, when hot-air balloons were used for surveillance, and when ironclad warships revolutionized naval warfare.

About Thomas B. Allen

Thomas B. Allen has written several military history and espionage titles, including the highly acclaimed Remember Pearl Harbor and George Washington, Spymaster for National Geographic Children’s Books. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.

About Roger MacBride Allen

Roger MacBride Allen is the author of numerous science fiction novels, including a number in the Star Wars universe, as well as his own Chronicles of Solace space opera trilogy. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and lives in Maryland.

About Fred Sullivan

Fred Sullivan is an actor and an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. He has played over one hundred roles as an award-winning resident actor at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. He is resident director at Gamm Theatre and teaches acting at the Rhode Island School of Design.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nathan

I would have had more reasonable expectations going into this somewhat disappointing book if I had known ahead of time, before reading it, that the book was published by National Geographic.  Despite the author's click-baity book, this short volume is no detailed discussion of the importance of the......more

Goodreads review by Bill

This book should have been better. The author has the right idea and theme he just approaches it on a shallow level. This book is a nice introduction and brief history of the war. It just does not cover what it says it is going to do very well. There was so much more to explore with the railroads. T......more

Goodreads review by James

Long title and a bit of a misnomer because this book also deals with the Confederate States of America's use of technology. Granted, the Confederacy was limited by their scarce industrial capability, but they focused what they had on their navy, including the first ironclad in combat and the first s......more

A new twist is taken in this book about Abraham Lincoln. Readers follow the Civil War as new inventions are introduced, including the telegraph, railroads, surveillance balloons, iron-clads and submarines, and high-powered weapons. Accompanied by period photographs, cartoons and illustrations, each......more


Quotes

“Well researched and clearly written, the book discusses the course of the Civil War in terms of the development of new technology, from the ironclad and the submarine to the rapid-fire, repeating rifle and the use of railroads to carry troops and supplies…readers whose knowledge of the Civil War comes from historical novels and battle-by-battle historical accounts will gain a fascinating perspective on why the war progressed as it did and how it was ultimately won.” Booklist (starred review)

“The lively, well-researched text makes it clear that Lincoln grasped the concept of ‘total war’ and did not hesitate to exploit the latest know-how to ensure victory…this book is a vital addition to the Lincoln shelf and an exceptional and novel approach for students investigating the Civil War.” School Library Journal

“It is difficult to imagine a reader not finding something worth learning from this book.” VOYA