Just recently finished reading a book called A Blaze Of Glory by Jeff Shaara. Its about the battle of Shiloh in 1862. Very well written book. It mainly focuses on General Sidney Albert Johnston, Commanding General of the Confederate forces in the West, and Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, in charge of Union forces in the West. It tells, as well, the stories of two individuals further down the chain of command, Lt. James Seeley, an officer in the Confederate Calvary, serving under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Private Fritz Dutchie Bauer, of the 16th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6, 1862, a Sunday. Their was initial success on the part of the Confederates, as they caught the Union Army by surprise, some of them still in their tents. But, as the Federal troops slowly gave ground in their move back towards their supply base at Pittsburg Landing, the area they had to defend grew smaller, and they were able to form a defensive perimeter around the entire landing, with well placed artillery batteries on high ground, stopping the Confederate advance. More Federal troops came ashore from a steady stream of boats throughout the night, strengthening the Federal position. It did not help that, near the end of the day, as General Johnston rallied and led his troops into battle against the Federal troops, he fell from his horse, mortally wounded by Federal musket fire. It is a severe blow toward the Confederates, as they have lost one of their most able battlefield commanders, much like what would happen in the spring of 1863 in the East, with the death of Thomas Johnathon Stonewall Jackson. The next day, April 7, under Grants orders, the men in blue go on the offensive, driving the Confederate back through the ground they had taken the day before, back beyond to where they had started their attack. In all, 100,000 soldiers from both sides met at Shiloh, suffering 24,000 casualties. It was a bitter defeat for the South. Now, I am reading the next book in the series, A Chain of Thunder. It is about the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. Back again are Grant and Sherman, in charge of the siege, as well as Confederate Generals Joseph Johnston and John C. Pemberton. Back also is Private Bauer, now a hardened veteran due to his baptism of fire at Shiloh. He also a changed man for another reason. After the battle, he was sent home for 90 days, due to the death of his father and his mother being sick with the same illness. His mother dies shortly after he returns home, and, with no other family, he settles his familys affairs, finishes his leave, and returns to the 16th Wisconsin. Upon his return, he finds out that one of his friends, Sammie Willis, who earlier had been promoted to Sergeant, then received a Battlefield Commission to Second Lieutenant, has been transferred to the 17th Wisconsin. They are not separated for long, though, as, shortly after his return, Private Bauer receives orders that he is being transferred to the 17th. There is also a new voice in this book, that of 19 year old Lucy Spence, a citizen of Vicksburg, a very headstrong and resilient young woman who has been on her own since the death of her mother, and her father, a traveling minister, hardly ever home. She has the support of her neighbors and the Confederate soldiers stationed in Vicksburg, but she is largely on her own. I will update this post when I finish reading this book. The third and final book is called The Smoke At Dawn.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 19:38:04 +0000
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