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castlelass's review
4.0
I had recently read a novel of historical fiction about the end of the American Civil War and decided to find out more about it. This book starts after the capture of Atlanta and follows Sherman and his troops as they trek through Georgia and the Carolinas, attempting to cut off the supply lines to the Confederate troops and bring an end to hostilities. This meant taking the war to civilians, mostly women, children, and slaves. It ends with the final victory parade and a few words about the remainder of Sherman’s life. Although it contains biographical material, it is not a biography of Sherman; rather, it is a detailed examination of the “march” and related events that led to the end of the war.
The author has taken eye-witness accounts and woven them together with his narrative into a cohesive story depicting what life was like during this difficult time. His research and the inclusion of anecdotes and quotes from letters and diaries of participants on both sides, lends a feeling of authenticity, and it certainly helps that many people of the time tended to write eloquently of their experiences. The structure is chronological, and the storyline is focused. Enough detail is offered without being too verbose. Davis includes sights, sounds, smells, textures to bring the past to life: the appearance of the countryside, the weather, the clothing, the food (or lack thereof), almost like scenes in a movie. He does not shy away from describing the horrific destruction, lives shattered, and sense of “punishing” the south (especially in South Carolina, the seat of secession). Sherman is lauded as a fine military strategist, but his racism and mercurial temperament are not overlooked. He did not condone pillaging but did little to stop it. One of the most interesting parts, for me, was the backstory of the bad blood between Sherman and Secretary of War Stanton, and the controversy over the terms of surrender negotiated with Confederate General Johnston.
Content warnings include descriptions of war-related violence, looting, racism, rape, and executions. Recommended to readers interested in American Civil War history, especially how it came to an end. Overall, I found it vivid, readable, and informative.
The author has taken eye-witness accounts and woven them together with his narrative into a cohesive story depicting what life was like during this difficult time. His research and the inclusion of anecdotes and quotes from letters and diaries of participants on both sides, lends a feeling of authenticity, and it certainly helps that many people of the time tended to write eloquently of their experiences. The structure is chronological, and the storyline is focused. Enough detail is offered without being too verbose. Davis includes sights, sounds, smells, textures to bring the past to life: the appearance of the countryside, the weather, the clothing, the food (or lack thereof), almost like scenes in a movie. He does not shy away from describing the horrific destruction, lives shattered, and sense of “punishing” the south (especially in South Carolina, the seat of secession). Sherman is lauded as a fine military strategist, but his racism and mercurial temperament are not overlooked. He did not condone pillaging but did little to stop it. One of the most interesting parts, for me, was the backstory of the bad blood between Sherman and Secretary of War Stanton, and the controversy over the terms of surrender negotiated with Confederate General Johnston.
Content warnings include descriptions of war-related violence, looting, racism, rape, and executions. Recommended to readers interested in American Civil War history, especially how it came to an end. Overall, I found it vivid, readable, and informative.
theangrylawngnome's review
4.0
Even though this book was published in the far ago, ancient past of 1980, Davis brings to the table a boatload of narrative I've not seen addressed to this degree elsewhere. As claimed, he certainly did his share of digging, through obscure and doubtless even difficult to locate local historical societies throughout the North and South. His reliance on these previously unknown journals, magazine articles and even books that have "fallen off the table" as it were makes this a very different sort of read from most works of history.
Since I enjoyed the work quite a bit more than I even expected, and I think he needs an "A" for effort for the hard work he put into assembling the book, I had to give this one four stars. However, there is one very important element missing here: context. What is not covered in much detail is any sense of the strategic effect of Sherman's March. Which is a pity, since I came from the book with an (admittedly unproven) sense that Davis could have written just as well on this matter as he does in presenting some of his more micro-level details.
If he had let go of some rather unimportant and gossipy stuff, he might have been able to take a stab and give those of us in the great ignorant unwashed the context we need. As one example of what I mean: Did he really need to spend pages and pages on the dalliance between General Kilpatrick (Sherman's cavalary commander) and Columbia, SC "belle" Marie Boozer? He even provided a brief biography of her curious post-war life, something he did not in fact seem interested in doing for most of Sherman's immediate subordinates, as in Howard, Slocum, and even Kilpatrick himself.
But on balance I'll take what I was given. This work is truly a gem, with a unique perspective, great readability and a legion of very interesting quotations I wish I had marked down and scanned as I was reading. In fact, I may mark this book as a "to re-read" for that very reason, though I'll have to see if I have the energy for the task.
Since I enjoyed the work quite a bit more than I even expected, and I think he needs an "A" for effort for the hard work he put into assembling the book, I had to give this one four stars. However, there is one very important element missing here: context. What is not covered in much detail is any sense of the strategic effect of Sherman's March. Which is a pity, since I came from the book with an (admittedly unproven) sense that Davis could have written just as well on this matter as he does in presenting some of his more micro-level details.
If he had let go of some rather unimportant and gossipy stuff, he might have been able to take a stab and give those of us in the great ignorant unwashed the context we need. As one example of what I mean: Did he really need to spend pages and pages on the dalliance between General Kilpatrick (Sherman's cavalary commander) and Columbia, SC "belle" Marie Boozer? He even provided a brief biography of her curious post-war life, something he did not in fact seem interested in doing for most of Sherman's immediate subordinates, as in Howard, Slocum, and even Kilpatrick himself.
But on balance I'll take what I was given. This work is truly a gem, with a unique perspective, great readability and a legion of very interesting quotations I wish I had marked down and scanned as I was reading. In fact, I may mark this book as a "to re-read" for that very reason, though I'll have to see if I have the energy for the task.
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