DeRose's well-researched and well-presented account of how a group of veterans ended the tyranny of corrupt politicians in Athens, Tennessee is as relevant now as it would have been in the 30s and 40s when it took place. When those elected to serve the community only serve themselves, the people must rise. This book brings to light a little-known piece of American history.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

We are told that if you fail to pay attention to history that we are doomed to relive it. The Fighting Bunch by Chris DeRose reminds us of that. This historical novel reveals the events of the “the Battle of Athens,Tennessee” in which a corrupt politician, Paul Cantrell , who controlled the town and its environs from 1936-1946, was able to continue his rule by subverting the election process through such means as stuffing ballot boxes, using the police to intimidate voters, arresting poll watchers, and taking ballot boxes to guarantee the results are in his favor. This scenario is frighteningly similar to what some people in power predict will happen.
This novel is so relevant. It reveals the struggle of a group of returning veterans to overthrow Cantrell and his cronies. The story goes back and forth between what is happening in Athens and what happens to those six men during their war experiences. At first I found that change in perspective difficult because it seemed to move from one location overseas during battle to Athens. At one point at the end of chapter 11, the story moves from a battle to the description of a band performing in front of the courthouse. That just didn’t work for me because the events in the battle were so tense . The two scenes did not correlate. Perhaps the writer could have kept the war experiences in separate chapters or perhaps remove the band reference because Chris DeRose had been building a narrative about the corruption in Athens being just as disturbing as the global war events and culminating in the fighting in Athens.
Overall, though, this novel is engrossing. I learned a lot about various battles in the Pacific Theater. The author’s descriptions are vivid and draw t reader into the action. I enjoyed reading this book although its timeliness is alarming. I have already been encouraging friends to read it once it is available to the public. Again, it is urgent that we take the lessons of history seriously and hopefully avoid repeating them.

This was a quick read and a wonderful one about a group of WWII veterans fighting abroad for democracy who came home to find that their county was run more like the dictatorships they were battling against than the ideals they were fighting for. What a fascinating story that was largely hidden for decades! The author backs up the story with many primary sources, including some from the people involved in the "Battle of the Ballots."

This book is an engaging history of the determine needed to overcome a corrupt crime machine that controlled a part of Tennessee with Athens at its center. The author follows several of the main players as they grew up and struggled with their environment, fought in World War II and upon their return fought back successfully again the syndicate to have the liberties for which they had fought for during the war. This is a good book for anyone who likes to see the underdog victorious and corruption removed from office.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

I’d never heard of this story until I came across this book. And as such, it spent the first 50% telling the backstory. Most of this was interesting, but a bit of it could have been trimmed. Once the battle started, though, I was truly amazed at just how bloody it was (and at the fact that no one died).

This book proves once again that nothing can really change without taking a stand. And by that, I mean being willing to kill and die for it. In today’s world, it’s especially noteworthy that many of the corrupt men were police officers. They were all run out of town, and almost all of them stayed gone.

The GI’s got a bit brutal, but they had to. Otherwise, their town might still be under siege. One thing is certain, though; now, it would have been the Republicans instead of the Democrats. And with everything that’s happened so far at the GOP level - including stealing the 2016 election - nothing feels as horrific as what happened in Athens, TN back in 1946.

An interesting, engaging read though DeRose struggled a bit with organization in the first half and missed opportunities to question the more problematic parts of this story.

Current conversations about the state of our democracy that have arisen as we've seen Trump's administration pummel norms that have helped our democracy function for the past two hundred fifty years tend to obscure the fact that our democracy- and the norms of its operation- have had a very uneven track record. Besides the obvious fact that our laws have rarely lead to full enfranchisement for all adult citizens; procedural challenges (as outlined in Jill Lepore's 2008 article from The New Yorker) have limited our ability to vote freely. At the time of the Athens Rebellion, which is the focus of The Fighting Bunch, both legal and procedural limitations made it relatively easy for a Democratic political machine to suppress the vote and stuff the ballot boxes, resulting in two decades of corrupt local leadership for this small community in east Tennessee. It is really important to continue to read these stories to learn from the past. It's easy to take our systems for granted, but they require a lot of work to ensure that they're operating safely and fairly for everyone.

DeRose frames the men who violently overthrew this system as heroes. He spends the first half of the book toggling between their war efforts (Bill White's account of Guadalcanal as a marine was particularly harrowing) and the corruption at home, emphasizing the leadership of the soldiers, the risks they took, the hardship they survived, the wounds they suffered- while Cantrell's people stayed at home, ginning up arrests to collect fines, skimming the local budget, and allowing saloons and gambling parlors to operate illegally. This was a really awkward section of the book; DeRose didn't really do much to transition readers from the war front to the home front, and the content would have been better served had he focused on the corruption at home, travelled with the G.I.s to their experiences overseas, then followed the conflict when the G.I.s used those experiences overseas to change the leadership at home.

DeRose makes a decent case that the G.I.s had attempted other, legal means of getting a fair election in a rigged system before raiding the armory and besieging the deputies in the jailhouse, but he never challenges that assumption that it was the right thing to do. The local population supported the G.I.s; the G.I.'s ran the government more fairly than the machine, so...the ends justified the means. But that's a rather alarming position to take in the current climate when the President has said he is not necessarily willing to cede power if he loses the election; when he's supported paramilitary groups who've set up armed counter-demonstrations to anti-racist protests- and we know those groups tend to be pro-Trump. What does this book contribute to our understanding of using violence to gain political control? What is the role of our military (and ex-military) in transfers of power? If the public supports a violent transfer of power, does that make it okay? I would have appreciated a more nuanced discussion of those underlying issues.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Athens, Tennessee is located in the southeastern area of the state near the North Carolina border. It is a small town--about 13 square miles, but in 1946 all hell broke loose when a group of World War II (WWII) veterans united to take back their city from the criminals who had been running it for years. Under the questionable leadership, townsfolk experienced police brutality, voter intimidation and extreme political corruption. Officers were getting commissions based on the number of arrests they made; votes were discarded and miscounted; ridiculous salaries were being paid to people who barely, if at all, worked. When a group of young men came home from the war, they got together and wondered what it was they had fought for exactly. These fellows had been in Europe, Japan, northern Africa and other places where they saw horrific action. They all fought for freedom and when they came home, they realized that the city they lived in was far from free. Members of their families were arrested for no reason, threatened at the voting polls, and forced to pay homage to the dictators that ran the place. The former GIs took action and that action resulted in a violent showdown on August 1 and 2, 1946. They used the lessons that they learned in the military and won the fight restoring 'freedom' to their hometown. It really is a fascinating tale. My only complaint about the book was the number of people involved. It was hard to keep track of everyone--the good guys and the bad. Other than that, the story of The Battle of Athens was a fascinating read. Lots of history and lots of action. It also made me think how many other towns in this country were/are similarly run. Its a sad state of affairs when WWII veterans have to take matters in their own hands after coming home from the fight of their lives.

The Fighting Bunch is a exciting piece of a historical story that many have never heard of out know if back in 1946 in Tennessee. I had never hear of this before. The research on this true story is outstanding,exciting and challenging to read. The many men who fought for freedom not only overseas come back home to find this,our country is being taken over. Time to vote,these men have to fight to take back out homes,our country from men who want control. Fantastic reading you will not believe what happened in that state and how they had to band together! Received this from Net Gallery!

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

This was an amazing story. I had no idea this sort of bullying and mafiosa behavior had been going on in a small town in Tennessee. Prior to, and during the Second World War, in a place called Athens, Tennessee, people were bullied, controlled and killed at the whim of a self-appointed group of men determined to keep their places as officials in charge. They did so with little or no repercussions as the residents were in fear for their very lives. It became a way of living for ordinary citizens who only wanted to live peacefully.

But as happens in life, the more people have, the more they desire. The mob of officials became more and more powerful and arrogant taking what they wanted without regard to cost. And, again, as happens in life, some people decided enough was enough.

Young men returning from combat as the war ended, began to wonder what was happening in their town. What had they just spent months, even years, fighting for if not freedom? Why did they not have that freedom in their own country? Why were they allowing a select few to control and kill at will?

The seasoned veterans decided it was time to take back their city. The tale of Athens is an inspiring story of courage and determination. It wasn’t easy to step up again. This is a book that is a must read. The characters are real, the history is real and the description of what occurred is breathtaking. I would recommend this book to history buffs and citizens of all interests.

A group of American soldiers returns from fighting in World War II and makes a horrifying discovery: their hometown is under siege. Not from Nazis or the Imperial Japanese, however, but corrupt politicians. Determined not to relive the horrors they just fought, the soldiers take matters into their own hands to regain their town. Author Chris DeRose examines in fascinating detail and prescient prose the Battle of Athens, Tennessee, in his new nonfiction book The Fighting Bunch.

In the mid-1930s in McMinn County, Tennessee, a wealthy man decides to join politics. With blustery promises, he wins the election for sheriff. For the next ten years, Paul Cantrell holds the county, and particularly the town of Athens, under his thumb. Gambling and other illegal establishments open and run freely, as long as the kickbacks land in Cantrell’s pockets. If anyone doesn’t like his methods, he makes sure the deputies and his other cronies bring people in line.

For ten years, Cantrell rises through the ranks and is eventually elected senator. He curries favor with other men of like minds at the state level to cement his power. Interested in lining his own wallet and keeping the political climate to his advantage, Cantrell endorses a show of force and the people of McMinn County begin to live in fear.

They’re arrested for fabricated or minor infractions. Elections are openly rigged with fraudulent voting running rampant. Citizens trying to exercise their Constitutional rights are beaten and killed. Anyone who whispers against Cantrell is taught a lesson that often ends in violence.

Athens resident Bill White and his friends, teens during the time of Cantrell’s rule, express their frustration to one another but don’t know how they can fight against what is commonly called the machine. Then the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, and White and many of his friends join U.S. forces overseas. As they engage in active combat, thoughts of home keep them alive. Surely, they believe, after seeing the horrors of war in news reports, things in Athens would have gotten better.

White and his friends return to find exactly the opposite. Cantrell’s hold on the county has only strengthened. The young men, now military trained and wiser in life experience, decide to form their own party and introduce the GI ticket in McMinn County for the upcoming elections. Every person on the ballot is a returning soldier, and the residents of Athens express their support…while still looking over their shoulders for Cantrell’s men.

On August 1, 1946, as White and the others on the GI ticket witness firsthand the theft of ballot boxes and the violent intimidation tactics of Cantrell’s group, they hit a limit. White and other veterans finally take up arms and engage in a shootout that lasts hours. They risked their lives in Europe and Asia to make sure their family and friends could live and vote in a free society; they’re not about to let their war years go to waste by kowtowing to a man too full of himself to think of the greater good.

Author Chris DeRose’s years of interviews and research shine in this enthralling account of the Battle of Athens, sometimes called the Battle of Bullets and Ballots. Cantrell’s brazenness and White’s bravery are by turns heartbreaking and inspiring. While it’s true that White and the other GIs had military training on their side, DeRose reminds readers over and over that the veterans were simply men who believed in a free and equal democracy and were willing to fight for it.

DeRose’s account is especially timely, given current events. His profile of Paul Cantrell, emboldened by other men who also seek personal gain over communal good, rings true enough to life today to feel painful. The book proves that history does repeat itself. The political parties of the offenders may change, but hubris and an inflated sense of one’s importance still lie at the heart of every politician’s downfall.

Anyone wanting to serve their communities in public office would do well to study the mistakes of the past. Chris DeRose’s book makes a great addition to that necessary reading. I recommend readers Bookmark The Fighting Bunch.

If Chris Derose’s The Fighting Bunch were a novel, I probably would have put it down almost as quickly as I picked it up. I would have found the premise of the book to be too farfetched for me to take it seriously, and I would have been unwilling to suspend my level of disbelief to that degree. If nothing else, that shows how naïve I can be about some of the things that happened in America’s s relatively recent past. The book’s subtitle, a long one, says it all: The Battle of Athens and How World War II Veterans Won the Only Successful Armed Rebellion Since the Revolution. But I suspect I’m not the only one who never heard about what happened in Athens, Tennessee, in 1946 after a group of battle-hardened veterans came home and found their county to be completely controlled by one corrupt politician and his gang of criminal-enforcers.

When the bloody battle was all over, the (mostly) young men who fought and won the Battle of Athens began to realize that they might be in big trouble. After all, what they had just done was not exactly legal, so they could very well themselves end up prisoners in the jail they had just liberated from the political machine so determined to rob them of that day’s election victory. Wiser heads in the group convinced the rest that it was time for all of them to shut up about what had just happened in their little Tennessee town. And they did exactly that - even to the extent that their own children and grandchildren were never sure exactly what role their elders played in the armed rebellion.

Chris Derose, when he began The Fighting Bunch, realized that only half the story had ever been told, and he knew that the time left for gathering first-hand accounts of the events of that night was fast running out. Only a handful of men were left to tell the story. Derose, though, found the next best thing: adult children of the men who were willing to share both their own memories and any original papers left behind by their fathers, along with even some of the original acetate recordings of the live radio broadcast by station WROL from that night. As indicated by its dozens of footnotes and an extensive list of interviews, Derose did his homework, and it shows. His account of “the only successful armed rebellion since the Revolution” and the men who pulled it off is fascinating.

Bottom Line: The Fighting Bunch is a rather shocking account of how a group of WWII veterans, men themselves instrumental in assuring the freedom of Europe and the rest of the world, came back to Tennessee to find their own home-county under the thumb of a despicable dictator and the murdering thugs he employed. No one dared oppose the gang - even at first, the veterans themselves - but what happened when the ex-military men reached their breaking-point is a story that readers will find difficult to forget.

I've heard this story before, in bits and pieces. Maybe an article in some magazine, a short piece on some television show, regardless, I have heard this story before, except...

This book is comprehensive, but not dry or drawn out. Lots of finer details and background of the actors involved. How the corruption went up to the office of the governor and yet how little Washington could or would do. We see what the GIs when through, the citizens of Athens experiences of war and how that gave them the determination and courage that lead down the road they did. And, what happen after that election day and night.

Thoroughly enjoyable. DeRose brought the details together that made this story, gave it life, believable and full of hope. History buffs should love it. People concern with today’s state of our two-party system will love it too.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an unbiased review.

The Fighting Bunch is a particularly timely read for our current electoral environment. It's an interesting story (that I've personally never heard before) but takes a long time to get around to the good stuff.

Summary:
A group of hardened World War II vets come back home to their town in Tennessee to find their families terrorized by a corrupt government machine that shamelessly arrests and assaults hard-working honest citizens while protecting (and profiting from) the criminal bootleggers and illegal gambling dens. Any opportunity to vote them out of office is stymied by the machine's complete control over the election process. Through intimidation, poll taxes, and flagrant voter fraud, they fix every election to keep themselves in office and increase their own personal wealth.

The GI's, back from fighting abroad for freedoms for other people, are now faced with fighting for the freedoms of their own community against this frankly fascist government. To do so, they'll need to use both ballots and bullets to remove the machine's terrible hold on their town.

Review:
I love politics, especially electoral politics. Especially revolutionary, democratic politics where the citizenry take their fate into their own hands. I am so surprised that I had never heard this incredible story before. These men were absolutely courageous in their fight for their home town. It was inspiring to see them not only challenge the machine to a fair election but to keep their promise to the people to make sure every vote counted.

Unfortunately, it took half the book to get to that point. The first half is alternating chapters of the history of the political machine's rise in Tennessee and the experiences of the GIs during World War II. Both of those are fine, but don't add much to the narration of the book. Both could have been compressed into two short chapters at the beginning without losing much of anything of the actual story. Honestly, you can start the book right about at the halfway point without reading anything previous and have no trouble picking up the narrative.

I also would've liked more of the final battle at the jail. It happened so quickly and was done so quickly in the book that you can almost miss it. I realize that the author was working from a small set of sources (and has done some excellent investigative sleuthing to get even that!) but the climax happens so quickly you barely notice it.

All in all, though, it was a good book about common people fighting for democratic values (and a good case for the importance of the second amendment). It is really begging for a movie treatment, especially these days.

The war did not stop in 1945 for those in Athens, Tennessee. Several came back from service determined to put a stop to the politicians and big money that controlled their town. An exciting story. Well researched and documented and amazingly true. If you are interested in southern towns and how they took care of problems in those days you will be intrigued by this book. For locals in Tennessee. It is a must-read. An exciting book and the town's political journey and courage of a few returning soldiers to right unjustified wrongs is a part of history now preserved. Thanks to #netgalleyTheFightingBunch for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was an interesting book. In the late 1930s and 1940s, McMinn County, Tennessee, including the town of Athens, was under the control of a corrupt Democrat party political machine (Crump/Cantrell). The local Democrat office-holders, including the county sheriff, as well as his deputies, rigged the elections to ensure the "correct" candidates won and used their power and authority to harass the local residents and pad their bank accounts. On election day, they would arbitrarily close precincts, refuse to count ballots from precincts their candidate had lost in the past, post armed officials outside of precincts, stuff the ballot boxes with fraudulent ballots, engage in absentee ballot fraud, refuse to allow people to vote if they were expected not to vote the "correct" way, harass and beat up election observers who tried to keep the count honest, etc. In between elections, the elected officials abused their power. The sheriff and his deputies would make false arrests and charge the detainees for expenses that never occurred, such as serving warrants, subpoenaing witnesses, and hailing the detainee miles to jail (even if the arrest had occurred a block away from the jail).

The local Congressman, John Jennings, tried to get the Tennessee government and the federal Department of Justice to take action without much success. Lawsuits to force the election laws to be upheld tended to go in the favor the "machine". A group of WWII veterans, having returned home from fighting and defeating Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan to help ensure freedom and democracy around the world, decided they had to take a stand to defend and preserve freedom and democracy in their town. They formed the "GI ticket" and convinced the local Republican party to formally endorse it. They were able to garner lots of support, though much of it was in secret, as the residents of Athens and the surrounding towns did not want to attract the attention of the corrupt, abusive sheriff and his deputies. On the day of the election, August 1, 1946, the GI ticket was winning in those precincts where ballots were counted fairly. However, the "machine" utilized its typical tactics, including bringing in a large number of armed individuals to intimidate voters and ensure the count went the "correct" way. Ultimately, a group of veterans decided to use force to ensure the ballots were counted correctly, leading an assault on the county jail in Athens, where a group of deputies had hidden with some of the ballot boxes. When the ballot boxes were obtained and the ballots openly and accurately counted, the GI ticket won overwhelmingly.

The story of the "Battle of Athens" has been well hidden for decades, as many of the participants did not want to be too open about their activities, not wanting to face possible criminal charges, and the residents of Athens wanted life to return to a semblance of normalcy, with free and fair elections and honest leaders. However, the author was able to locate a considerable amount of material related to the events in Athens, Tennessee, scouring archives and contacting as many of the participants and/or their relatives that he could locate to hear their recollections and obtain any letters, memorabilia or other documents. As a result of his extensive research, the author is able to do a great job of portraying what life was like in Athens and surrounding areas in the last 30s and early to mid 40s, portraying the massive corruption and fraud, discussing the military careers of some of the veterans, and providing details as to what type of people these veterans and their family, friends, and supporters were, as well as their lives after the "battle of Athens." The events made news headlines around the country and provoked responses from some influential people. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt stated in a newspaper column, "We may deplore the use of force but we must also recognize the lesson which this incident points for us all. People must be able to determine their fate at the ballot box in a fair election. Ultimately, Americans would not accept living under tyranny. The decisive action which has just occurred in our midst is a warning, and one which we cannot afford to overlook."

Thankfully, the degree of corruption and abuse perpetrated by the Crump/Cantrell political machine would not be allowed to happen today. However, incidents of intimidation at precincts and incidents of absentee ballot fraud still occur, with the likelihood of such fraud increased in the current political climate, with the high degree of divisiveness and the expected heavy reliance on absentee ballots/voting by mail due to Covid-19, especially in states not adequately prepared to handle the greatly increased volume of absentee voting. While armed revolution will hopefully never again be required to preserve our voting rights and basic liberties, "The Fighting Bunch" is a reminder of the need for vigilance.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Free ARC from Net Galley

Wonderful, wonderful book!

More true history we have never heard of and I thank you Mr. DeRose for bringing this to the world. Veterans of today could they do something like that or is this stand for liberty only for the past or "greatest" generation?

Behold all you who love the 2nd amendment you better read this, and for those who even argue against it this TRUE history may change your mind. Thank you author and publisher for the truth of America's history

I am pleased to thank St. Martin's Press for sending me an advance review copy of Chris DeRose's upcoming book entitled "The Fighting Bunch: The Battle of Athens." The book recounts the little known story of an armed uprising that occurred in the city of Athens, Tennessee in 1946. The violence that took place was a consequence of entrenched and widespread political corruption in that city that had gripped both the City and the County from the late 1930's until 1946. The political machine responsible, not surprisingly, had tentacles extending throughout McMinn County and the State of Tennessee. The actual "insurrection" occurred when demobilized G.I.s fresh from the battlefields of World War II returned to their hometown only to discover extreme voter fraud enforced by a corrupt political machine at every level of City and County government. These veterans were determined to enjoy the political freedoms that they had thought they were fighting for and were appalled to see the mess which prevailed in their hometown. The narrative begins by tracking some of the figures prominent in the "revolt" through their military service, and the first half of the book looks at this while recounting events occurring on the homefront unbeknownst to them until their return. It climaxes with an armed confrontation as the veterans took up arms in defense of their civil rights. The events received widespread coverage, both nationally and internationally at the time, but in view of the shameful political mess which had prompted them and everyone's tacit acceptance of the justice of what happened, quickly disappeared from the national consciousness. I recommend the book for anyone looking to explore an occasion in which the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution seems to have been vindicated for precisely the reasons that it was originally enacted. The "insurrection" successfully removed, by force of arms, a politically corrupt system that was so entrenched and tacitly supported by the political powers that be that the people of the community saw no option save armed revolt to restore their civil rights. Remarkably, despite bitter fighting, the "insurrection," far from leaving lasting scars, seems to have accomplished its objectives with relatively little bloodshed and achieved a lasting redress of grievances since the aforementioned "powers that be" had no real interest in publicizing the widespread nature of the corruption which prompted the events related in the text. It is a fascinating tale.