Synopses & Reviews
To know what war is, one should follow our tracks,” General William T. Sherman once wrote to his wife, describing the devastation left by his armies in Georgia.
Shermans Ghosts is an investigation of the "tracks" left by the wars fought by the American military in the 150 years since Sherman's infamous March to the Sea.”
Shermans Ghosts opens with an epic retelling of General Shermans fateful decision to turn his sights on the Souths civilian population in order to break the back of the Confederacy. Acclaimed journalist Matthew Carr then exposes how this strategy became the central preoccupation of war planners in the twentieth century and beyond, offering a stunning and lucid assessment of the impact Shermans slash-and-burn policies have had on subsequent wars, including in the Philippines, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Iraq and Afghanistan.
In riveting accounts of military campaigns and in the words and writings of American fighting men and military strategists, Carr finds ample and revealing evidence of Shermans long shadow. Shermans Ghosts is a rare reframing of how we understand our violent history and a call to action for those who hope to change it.
Review
Praise for Blood and Faith:"A splendid work of synthesis."
The New York Times Book Review
"A fascinating account of perhaps the first major episode of European ethnic cleansing and, just as importantly, the story of the beginning of the conviction that 'blood' matters more than belief; a conviction that led, in the end, to modern racism."
Kwame Anthony Appiah
"Balanced and thoroughly researched history."
Literary Review
About the Author
Matthew Carr is a journalist who has written for
Esquire, the
New York Times,
The Observer, and
Marie Claire, among other publications. He is the author of
Blood and Faith (a
New York Times Editors Choice) and
The Infernal Machine, both available from The New Press, as well as the acclaimed memoir
My Fathers House. He lives in Derbyshire, England.