The Internal Enemy

Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832

By: Alan Taylor

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Finalist

This searing story of slavery and freedom in the Chesapeake by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian reveals the pivot in the nation’s path between the founding and civil war. Frederick Douglass recalled that slaves living along Chesapeake Bay longingly viewed sailing ships as "freedom’s swift-winged angels". In 1813 those angels appeared in the bay as British warships coming to punish the Americans for declaring war on the empire. Over many nights, hundreds of slaves paddled out to the warships seeking protection for their families from the ravages of slavery. The runaways pressured the British admirals into becoming liberators. As guides, pilots, sailors, and marines, the former slaves used their intimate knowledge of the countryside to transform the war. They enabled the British to escalate their onshore attacks and to capture and burn Washington, D.C. Tidewater masters had long dreaded their slaves as "an internal enemy." By mobilizing that enemy, the war ignited the deepest fears of Chesapeake slaveholders. It also alienated Virginians from a national government that had neglected their defense. Instead they turned south, their interests aligning more and more with their section. In 1820 Thomas Jefferson observed of sectionalism: "Like a firebell in the night [it] awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once the knell of the union." The notes of alarm in Jefferson's comment speak of the fear aroused by the recent crisis over slavery in his home state. His vision of a cataclysm to come proved prescient. Jefferson's startling observation registered a turn in the nation’s course, a pivot from the national purpose of the founding toward the threat of disunion. Drawn from new sources, Alan Taylor's riveting narrative re-creates the events that inspired black Virginians, haunted slaveholders, and set the nation on a new and dangerous course.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2013 Alan Taylor (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Bronson Pinchot's voice is pleasant and engaging, his narration is generally expressive and intelligent, and his modulations adequately match the sense of the text." (AudioFile)

Excellent Examination of Slavery in Virginia

Would you listen to The Internal Enemy again? Why?

Alan Taylor's study of slavery in Virginia during the years of the War of 1812 offers new insights for historians, and a fascinating story for those interested in slavery or the antebellum South.

Interesting history, reader terrible

The history is very interesting and a side of US history overlooked in the past. The reader is so slowe and flat and boring I had to listen at 2x the speed.

Vivid & Fascinating

Certainly worthy of its Pulitzer Prize, at least to someone who has lived in Richmond for the past 35+ years. The period of 1792 to 1832 reveals some of the Founders in a dreary light. The determination of enslaved people to escape Tidewater Virginia is inspiring and certainly not what I was taught about the War of 1812.
I only gave Bronson Pinchot 4 stars, despite his beautiful reading voice, due to the number of incorrectly pronounced names and places. A few of the more frequent mispronunciations: ca-BELL instead of CAB-ull, HEN-ri-co instead of hen-RYE-co, Wythe should rhyme with Smith, and many others. But this is my constant gripe about many readers. Given all the time that goes into these readings, I do not understand why the editors do not do a bit of research on local pronunciations. Then again, if you have not spent time in Virginia, it probably won't bother you.

Good but not great

The story was interesting. The presentation was somewhat slow-paced and plodding. It did help pass the time.The history was interesting.

Excellent and heartbreaking

This is a tour de force . The narrative elucidates the function of the slave system in the early republic and spotlights the integral part that slavery played in the economy and politics of the Early US as well as its importance in the emergence of the new " American " psyche. The detailed research into the slaves that escaped US to join the British and the essential part that they played in the many British victories as well as the iconic burning of the US Capital was the most interesting aspect of this work. Finally the dehumanizing prejudice that these Black Americans felt not only at the hands of their " masters" but in a few of the lands that the diaspora fled to was heartbreaking. The indomitable spirit of the runaways is a testament to humanities enduring desire for respect and freedom.

one of the best audiobooks I've read recently

Any additional comments?

Terrific book, a micro-history of the Virginia Chesapeake region, slavery, and the War of 1812. The author does a very skillful job providing the context from the American points-of-view, the historical background for both the slavery elements and the War. Taylor then provides a fascinating, blow-by-blow narrative of the War of 1812 in the region, one you can understand very well because of the context he has already served up. I thought the book was going to be mostly about slave escapes, and it is, but without the background that portion would be adrift.

I thought Bronson Pinchot's narrative approach was perfect for a history book. No need for a narrator or narration with different voices or with lots of up & down emphasis. This is a history, not a drama. I am going to seek out more of the books he's narrated for Audible.

Interesting book - bad narrator

So disappointed by the dull and monotonous way this book is read. The content is fascinating but had to listen to. Television actors don't always make good readers. Decide for yourself but this is another dud on the producers part.

A prize-winner

I have read/listen to many books about this era, but the author's thorough analysis of slavery in Virginia clearly described how Virginians became trapped into supporting slavery. Most historians skim past discussion of the U.S. Presidents from Virginia slave owning. All thought they treated their slaves liked them, but all had slaves who ran away. A marvelous book.

Performance marred by mispronunciation of names

An otherwise strong performance suffers, at least for those of us who know the Chesapeake and the Tidewater, from Mr. Pinchot’s mispronunciation of names with which he evidently was not familiar, e.g., Bladensburg, Nomini and Taney.

A must read.

Informative and loaded with great historical stories that allows you to see, in your mind, what other books were only hinting at. If you're into Black genealogy this is a must read. It clearly explains the shuffling of families from one plantation to the next then state to state then country to country.