Great News!
We have just received word the September Suspense has been awarded the 2012 Daniel M & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize given by the Austin Civil War Round Table, Inc.
The Laney Prize is awarded for distinguished scholarship and writing on the military or political history of the Civil War.
This is especially noteworthy in light of all the books published in 2012 to coincide with the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War; there were many excellent offerings in the competition this year.
Congratulations to Dennis and thank you to the Civil War Roundtable of Austin!
From The Journal (Martinsburg, WV)
"September Suspense" captures the crucial military and political moments of one of the most pivotal months of the Civil War as reported by contemporary newspapers. Frye describes how fragile the idea and reality of the United States were during that crucial month, as Washington, Wall Street and the entire nation hung anxiously in the balance, watching to see what would happen during Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. The outcome of that invasion would, at the least, affect the upcoming November elections and possibly even the viability of the republican form of government in the world.
See the full announcement in The Journal of the Laney award here:
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/594312/Frye-wins-national-award-for-book.html
First-rate reviews for
September Suspense: Lincoln's Union in Peril
From A. Wilson Greene in the Civil War Monitor:
September Suspense is a page-turner…. Frye’s firm grasp on the subject matter allows him to explore a diversity of topics apart from the battlefield, providing refreshing context for the military events that ultimately arrest his attention. Chapter Three, for example, examines regional views toward slavery in the context of Lincoln’s dilemma with emancipation in 1862. The administration’s controversial suspension of civil liberties, diplomatic relations with Britain and France, and the economic impact of the cotton embargo and blockade all receive Frye’s considered attention.
Read the complete review here: http://www.civilwarmonitor.com/book-shelf/frye-september-suspense-2012
From Civil War News:
Each chapter of Frye’s excellent book sparkles with information and citations that lead readers to new understandings about topics we thought had been exhausted.
See the full review at http://civilwarnews.com/reviews/2012br/nov/sept-frye-b101206.html
From Hagerstown magazine:
Everyone familiar with the Civil War will know what happened at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, but Dennis' recounting still holds some surprises...a fresh look at an event that has been parsed for 150 years, bringing to light many overlooked details....
September Suspense is a page-turner…. Frye’s firm grasp on the subject matter allows him to explore a diversity of topics apart from the battlefield, providing refreshing context for the military events that ultimately arrest his attention. Chapter Three, for example, examines regional views toward slavery in the context of Lincoln’s dilemma with emancipation in 1862. The administration’s controversial suspension of civil liberties, diplomatic relations with Britain and France, and the economic impact of the cotton embargo and blockade all receive Frye’s considered attention.
Read the complete review here: http://www.civilwarmonitor.com/book-shelf/frye-september-suspense-2012
From Civil War News:
Each chapter of Frye’s excellent book sparkles with information and citations that lead readers to new understandings about topics we thought had been exhausted.
See the full review at http://civilwarnews.com/reviews/2012br/nov/sept-frye-b101206.html
From Hagerstown magazine:
Everyone familiar with the Civil War will know what happened at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, but Dennis' recounting still holds some surprises...a fresh look at an event that has been parsed for 150 years, bringing to light many overlooked details....
About the book
September the eleventh has been burned into our minds. But another September the eleventh, this one in 1862, had cataclysmic implications for the United States of America as well. In 1862, these unified states had been ripped apart by a civil war then entering its 18th month. Until now, few have understood how close this breach was to becoming a permanent fixture on the map of history.
In September Suspense, Dennis Frye, chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Park, draws from a voluminous cache of period newspapers to expertly demonstrate just how fragile the national bond had become by the autumn of 1862.
It was the nation's, and Mr. Lincoln's, most trying month, as Gen. Robert E. Lee marched toward Union soil, panicking entire cities, destroying fragile political alliances and causing all of the North to rethink the fight and question whether it was best to redouble its war efforts or give up and let the South pursue its own course. For three weeks in September, the air was electric, nerves were at the breaking point and the whole of the North held its breath.
When the war began, the Union figured on a quick and conclusive win. And likewise, today it is often assumed that the North was too powerful to ever be seriously threatened. September Suspense forcefully demonstrates just how wrong conventional wisdom can be.
In September Suspense, Dennis Frye, chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Park, draws from a voluminous cache of period newspapers to expertly demonstrate just how fragile the national bond had become by the autumn of 1862.
It was the nation's, and Mr. Lincoln's, most trying month, as Gen. Robert E. Lee marched toward Union soil, panicking entire cities, destroying fragile political alliances and causing all of the North to rethink the fight and question whether it was best to redouble its war efforts or give up and let the South pursue its own course. For three weeks in September, the air was electric, nerves were at the breaking point and the whole of the North held its breath.
When the war began, the Union figured on a quick and conclusive win. And likewise, today it is often assumed that the North was too powerful to ever be seriously threatened. September Suspense forcefully demonstrates just how wrong conventional wisdom can be.
Antietam Rest Publishing
P.O. Box 246 Harpers Ferry, WV, 25425-0246
P.O. Box 246 Harpers Ferry, WV, 25425-0246