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Lawyer's Reviews > Shiloh, 1862
Shiloh, 1862
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Lawyer's review
bookshelves: 19th-century, american-civil-war, history, military-history, non-fiction, western-theater, u-s-grant, william-t-sherman, p-g-t-beauregard, albert-sydney-johnson, signed-first-edition
May 02, 2012
bookshelves: 19th-century, american-civil-war, history, military-history, non-fiction, western-theater, u-s-grant, william-t-sherman, p-g-t-beauregard, albert-sydney-johnson, signed-first-edition
Shiloh, 1862: Winston Groom's history of the battle of Shiloh
The Hornet's Nest,
"War means fightin'. Fightin' means killin'."--Nathan Bedford Forrest
I'll be the first to admit as much of it as I have read, some military histories can be duller than dishwater. There are authors of that vast genre that I avoid for that reason. But Winston Groom doesn't fall into that category.
Although I first came to appreciate Groom as a novelist, I've come to admire him more as a historian. Shiloh, 1862 is his finest work yet.
A battle the magnitude of Shiloh was inevitable. However, politicians, military leaders and civilians had no baseline in American history to anticipate how long and grim the American Civil War would become until news of what had happened in a mere day and a half had happened near a small Methodist Church known as Shiloh in Northwest, Tennessee, on April 6 and 7, 1862. In Hebrew Shiloh means "place of peace."
When the final shot was fired, more Americans had been killed in one confrontation than during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. The butcher's bill was over 25,000 killed, wounded, and captured, split roughly equally between the North and South.
U.S. Grant and William Sherman had been surprised by Beauregard and Johnson. The Union position had not been fortified prior to the attack. If Shiloh accomplished anything for Grant and Johnson it would be their unwillingness to ever be surprised again. Shiloh also led both men to form the philosophy that, having seen the determined fighting of Southern soldiers, the war would last until the South was completely subjugated. And that is what happened.
The tactics of Jomini and Napoleon still reigned supreme on the battlefield, although advancement in military technology had outstripped outdated tactics resulting in ever increasing body counts.
Perhaps because Groom began as a novelist, he brings a different perspective to his works of history. For here you find the voices of Ambrose Bierce, Lew Wallace, Henry Stanley, mingled with the words of Elsie Duncan Hunt whose Unionist family was caught in the middle of the Shiloh battlefield. This is not a mere recapitulation of facts but a living recreation of the first major conflict that brought the startling knowledge to the American people this was not a war that would be decided by one devastating battle.
Highly, highly recommended.
The Hornet's Nest,
"War means fightin'. Fightin' means killin'."--Nathan Bedford Forrest
I'll be the first to admit as much of it as I have read, some military histories can be duller than dishwater. There are authors of that vast genre that I avoid for that reason. But Winston Groom doesn't fall into that category.
Although I first came to appreciate Groom as a novelist, I've come to admire him more as a historian. Shiloh, 1862 is his finest work yet.
A battle the magnitude of Shiloh was inevitable. However, politicians, military leaders and civilians had no baseline in American history to anticipate how long and grim the American Civil War would become until news of what had happened in a mere day and a half had happened near a small Methodist Church known as Shiloh in Northwest, Tennessee, on April 6 and 7, 1862. In Hebrew Shiloh means "place of peace."
When the final shot was fired, more Americans had been killed in one confrontation than during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. The butcher's bill was over 25,000 killed, wounded, and captured, split roughly equally between the North and South.
U.S. Grant and William Sherman had been surprised by Beauregard and Johnson. The Union position had not been fortified prior to the attack. If Shiloh accomplished anything for Grant and Johnson it would be their unwillingness to ever be surprised again. Shiloh also led both men to form the philosophy that, having seen the determined fighting of Southern soldiers, the war would last until the South was completely subjugated. And that is what happened.
The tactics of Jomini and Napoleon still reigned supreme on the battlefield, although advancement in military technology had outstripped outdated tactics resulting in ever increasing body counts.
Perhaps because Groom began as a novelist, he brings a different perspective to his works of history. For here you find the voices of Ambrose Bierce, Lew Wallace, Henry Stanley, mingled with the words of Elsie Duncan Hunt whose Unionist family was caught in the middle of the Shiloh battlefield. This is not a mere recapitulation of facts but a living recreation of the first major conflict that brought the startling knowledge to the American people this was not a war that would be decided by one devastating battle.
Highly, highly recommended.
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Reading Progress
May 2, 2012
–
Started Reading
May 2, 2012
– Shelved
May 2, 2012
–
31.47%
"A fine blend of biography, personality, and military history. Groom's treatment of the first major battle on the Western front of the American Civil War. Extremely fine writing."
page
141
May 5, 2012
–
68.08%
"Far surpasses Larry Daniels' treatment of Shiloh. Rivals Shelby Foote. Don't limit your reading of Groom to "Forrest Gump." You're missing out if you do."
page
305
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
19th-century
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
american-civil-war
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
history
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
military-history
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
western-theater
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
u-s-grant
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
william-t-sherman
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
p-g-t-beauregard
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
albert-sydney-johnson
May 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
signed-first-edition
May 6, 2012
–
Finished Reading
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May 07, 2012 09:35AM
There is a long chapter about Shiloh in Victor Davis Hanson's Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live & How We Think. As I recall, Hanson concentrated on how Sherman had multiple horses shot out from under him and saved the day. Also, Hanson wrote about Gen. Lew Wallace (the writer of Ben Hur) who got blamed for his inadequacies at Shiloh and had to work the rest of his life to redeem himself. Note the Ben Hur character was falsely blamed and had to redeem himself as well. It's been a while since I studied the battle, I hope I don't have my facts too wrong as I write here off the fly. Good Review.
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I've got a Groom on the docket. A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front I picked up after you informed me he had nonfiction work. I usually like it when novelists try their hand at history.
Steve wrote: "There is a long chapter about Shiloh in Victor Davis Hanson's Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live & How We Think. As I recall, Hanson concentrated on ..."Wallace was ordered to the front and took the wrong road. He showed up about eight hours late. I don't know that I would consider Sherman the hero of the day, though there is no question of his bravery. After repeated frontal assaults on the Hornet's Nest, Beauregard withdrew from the field and was accused of losing the last opportunity for victory. It is doubtful that a final attack would have been successful because by that time Don Carlos Buell's Army was beginning to take the field. The Union had fresh reinforcements. The Confederacy had exhausted its forces with repeated direct assaults.
Jeffrey wrote: "I've got a Groom on the docket. A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front I picked up after you informed me he had nonfiction work. I usually lik..."Let me know what you think of it. I've not read that one, although it gleams in its "library jacket" on the shelf. Some times I don't know how Groom finds the energy. He released "Kearney's March only a few months before the appearance of "Shiloh." I noticed that National Geographic published Shiloh and I believe they have aired two shows concerning the battle. Be on the look out. It looks worth it.
Mike, interesting review. I can't help but think how my husband would have relished this book. He was a great student of history, particularly Civil War battles through WW II, etc. I'll be on the lookout for this too.
Great review. I liked this paragraph:When the final shot was fired, more Americans had been killed in one confrontation than during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. The butcher's bill was over 25,000 killed, wounded, and captured, split roughly equally between the North and South.
Sobering reality. I like this one too:
The tactics of Jomini and Napoleon still reigned supreme on the battlefield, although advancement in military technology had outstripped outdated tactics resulting in ever increasing body counts.
Darn! I have so much to read but Groom is so good. I will get this book.
