Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Better Angels of Our Nature

By: Michael A. Halleran
Narrated by: Jack Chekijian
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

The first in-depth study of the Freemasons during the Civil War

One of the enduring yet little-examined themes in Civil War lore is the widespread belief that on the field of battle and afterward, members of Masonic lodges would give aid and comfort to wounded or captured enemy Masons, often at great personal sacrifice and danger. This work is a deeply researched examination of the recorded, practical effects of Freemasonry among Civil War participants on both sides.

From first-person accounts culled from regimental histories, diaries, and letters, Michael A. Halleran has constructed an overview of 19th-century American freemasonry in general and Masonry in the armies of both North and South in particular, and provided telling examples of how Masonic brotherhood worked in practice. Halleran details the response of the fraternity to the crisis of secession and war, and examines acts of assistance to enemies on the battlefield and in POW camps.

The author examines carefully the major Masonic stories from the Civil War, in particular the myth that Confederate Lewis A. Armistead made the Masonic sign of distress as he lay dying at the high-water mark of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg.

©2010 Michael A. Halleran (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Dunmore's War cover art
Thunder at the Gates cover art
The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby cover art
Valley Forge cover art
Scars of Independence cover art
Lone Star Nation cover art
Freemasonry and War: The Masonic Sign on the Battlefield cover art
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Patriots cover art
The Irish Soldiers of Mexico cover art
The Generals cover art
Memoirs of General William T. Sherman cover art
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca cover art
Tesla vs Edison cover art
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
Custer's Trials cover art

Critic reviews

"A valuable contribution to both Civil War history and the history of the Masonic lodge. Recommended." ( CHOICE) "[A] strong affirmation of the bond between warring Masonic brethren, in the war that brought more of them together on opposing sides than any in our history." (Christopher L. Hodapp, Editor, Journal of the Masonic Society) "Michael Halleran has set a new, high standard for scholarship on Freemasonry in the Civil War. His stories are compelling, the research is impeccable, and his analysis gives fresh insights on the 'mystic tie' of the fraternity." (S. Brent Morris, Ph.D., Managing Editor, Scottish Rite Journal)

What listeners say about The Better Angels of Our Nature

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.