I have a friend who is out of the military and is majoring in history, just about to start on his MA. He told me he is reading this book about the final year of the Civil War.

Anyone read it? I very much enjoyed Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon" but there are some reviews of this recent book on Amazon that are disturbing.

One in particular says that the book essentially begins with the Fort Pillow massacre and includes the line, "Fort Pillow was the single greatest atrocity of the Civil War, proof of the cruelty, moral degeneracy, and savage racism of the Southern Soldier."

Another review says that there is extended discussion of Andersonville but no mention of similar atrocities in the North.

As I said, I have not read it. Anyone with a reaction to the book?

OldArmy71 said:

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I have a friend who is out of the military and is majoring in history, just about to start on his MA. He told me he is reading this book about the final year of the Civil War.

Anyone read it? I very much enjoyed Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon" but there are some reviews of this recent book on Amazon that are disturbing.

One in particular says that the book essentially begins with the Fort Pillow massacre and includes the line, "Fort Pillow was the single greatest atrocity of the Civil War, proof of the cruelty, moral degeneracy, and savage racism of the Southern Soldier."

Another review says that there is extended discussion of Andersonville but no mention of similar atrocities in the North.

As I said, I have not read it. Anyone with a reaction to the book?

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Read up on the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg....

And Lawrence, KS and Missouri and Kentucky... After 1863 and the emancipation proclamation the Civil War took on a different kind of savagery.

BQ78 said:

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And Lawrence, KS and Missouri and Kentucky... After 1863 and the emancipation proclamation the Civil War took on a different kind of savagery.

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This also tends to happen historically after a couple years of total war. At first people are excited about the "glory" of war and then deal with the shock of the death toll. Once this becomes life for a nation, where it seems like there's no way out, people get desperate.

OldArmy71 said:

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I have a friend who is out of the military and is majoring in history, just about to start on his MA. He told me he is reading this book about the final year of the Civil War.

Anyone read it? I very much enjoyed Gwynne's "Empire of the Summer Moon" but there are some reviews of this recent book on Amazon that are disturbing.

One in particular says that the book essentially begins with the Fort Pillow massacre and includes the line, "Fort Pillow was the single greatest atrocity of the Civil War, proof of the cruelty, moral degeneracy, and savage racism of the Southern Soldier."

Another review says that there is extended discussion of Andersonville but no mention of similar atrocities in the North.

As I said, I have not read it. Anyone with a reaction to the book?

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Not atrocities but racist in nature... During the Petersburg campaign Yankee soldiers absolutely hated when USCT regiments were put into the line next to them. The Confederates would take note and there would be no let up of mortaring and snipper fire on the their lines and it bled over onto the white units adjacent to the USCTs.

Once the USCTs were sent in they were met with utter chaos in the crater, it was akin to massed murder. No quarter was given, specially to the colored troops. There were numerous incidents of Confederates shooting,bayoneting and clubbing to death colored troops who were giving up and begging for mercy.