The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War
Written and Narrated By: Joanne B. Freeman
Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
Holy cow! And I thought things were pretty bad now…!
You think the current political landscape is fraught with tension and vitriol now, just listen to The Field of Blood and you’ll hear some pretty wretched, wretched things about our history.
Mostly taken from the diaries of one man, Benjamin French (the Forrest Gump of history who just happens to be around during every major political event from the time period), this audiobook is sure to astound and exhaust. Congress from the past was a violent place to be, a “field of blood” as one wit noted at the time.
There were sneers and slights that members couldn’t get past—they turned into matters of honor, and duels were fought over them. Deaths occurred because of them, and it’s quite tragic to listen to. The public showed up in droves to watch the showdowns which played out on the floor, and the worst happenings were saved until “the ladies” left the room. It was all very passionate, all very uncivil.
It’s kind of scary that it was the South vs. the North, with the South bullying and jeering, slapping and punching. And it’s scary that things started getting a bit better when men from the North began fighting back, packing weapons, meeting threats with threats of their own.
Is that where we’re coming to now? Do we have to meet violence and vitriol with the same? This book could be really quite disheartening. And at the time, politicians were coming to terms with the telegraph conveying their words to mass and faraway audiences while nowadays we’re coming to terms with Tweets…
If you’re looking for an eye-opener of a book, one sure to make you feel queasy, look no further; The Field of Blood is it. Narrated by Freeman herself, it is sometimes exasperating as well as all of the above as Freeman obviously takes great delight in “events” of the day, delivering mayhem with a smile playing in her voice.
I have to admit that it is sometimes funny, comes off as a big farce, but for the most part, it was simply distressing. I’m glad I listened to it, but I feel pretty beaten up by the whole experience. It’ll be quite some time before I give it a second listen, if I do at all.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.