Shiloh, the two-day battle fought in April, 1862 was the first major battle of the American Civil War. Political leaders and the public on both sides were appalled by the 23,000 plus casualties. Americans wondered whether the battle was a portent of what was to come.
Who better to paint an accurate, dramatic portrait of clashing armies and dissolve the romantic fog of war than a great, southern Civil War historian. Mr. Foote effectively chooses a first-person narrative and structures the details and action through the eyes of four diverse and believable participants: two Rebels and two Yankees. Through these primary witnesses, the author fleshes out the battle plan, troop maneuvers, and personalities from general down to private. No objective, detached, dry scholarly history here. The reader vicariously joins the ranks of both confederate and union’s experiencing the trauma of personal combat--"He was full grown, with a wide brown mustache...I'd have to say Sir to him back home. Then something hit my arm...I stumbled against him...there was something wrong with way he looked...My bayonet had gone in under his jaw...All I could do was look at him; I couldn't look away...I could see he wanted to grab it and pull it out...I let go of the rifle and rolled away."
The unique thing about authentic war fiction is that, whatever the war or setting, the behavior and emotional effects are the same and universal. Regardless of the time and place, the relevancy of war remains. Whether its San Juan Hill, Belleau Wood, Iwo, Ia Drang, or Afghanistan, the battle experience always comes down to the boots on the ground and weapons they carry, whether a sword or M16 rifle.
Although accurately described by critics as a bookend matching Crane's Red Badge of Courage – because Foote adroitly enables the reader to also comprehend the battle's strategy and observe top brass personalities including Sherman and the author's favorite, Nathan Bedford Forrest -- Shiloh provides the better overall war picture of the two. 226 pages
Recommended by Robert L. Hicks, high school librarian.
Book Trailer
SHILOH by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Trailer by Adam Wilcox of League City, Texas
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