A weekend reading review…because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading! And also for your stay at home, “shelter in place,” etc, with the virus.
Jeff D. Dickey. Rising in Flames. New York, NY: Pegasus Books, June 5th 2018. 400 pp.
4 out of 5
Purchase: Amazon
When I say “Sherman’s March to Sea,” what do you think of? I know many images and connotation is stirred up when General Sherman is brought up. This is a rather infamous military campaign led by General William Sherman going into the Confederate South for the purpose of sabotaging the economic capabilities of the South to feed and equip their Confederate Army. This was quite a controversy then and also controversial even for our day and age for non-Southerners given the kind of tactics Sherman pursued in the war. Most of what I have heard has largely been from the perspective of the South and also popular imagination from the movie Gone with the Wind. The author argues that there’s a need to understand what happened from the perspective of also those in the North and Sherman’s army.
Even if you are not big into military history there is something for you in the book if you are interested in people and human interests. I was pleasantly surprised that this isn’t just a military book but a story of people. You read about women who followed the Union Army trying to care for injured soldiers and those who are wounded. In fact a book part of the book is about that with stories of civilians helping hospitals, sanitation committee, charity, etc. There’s stories of slaves, pastors, immigrants (Germans and Irish), politicians turned soldiers and general and some military action and account of Sherman in between. I also learned about the contradiction within Sherman himself: He was anti-South yet at the same racist against Blacks and slaves himself. Sherman’s Army was more than just an army of soldiers; there’s were people who helped logistically and with other support along the way even before the infamous march to sea.
The book spent a lot longer length of things before the Civil War than I expected. Still it was well narrated, informative and helpful. I learned about the times before and during the war with German political machines, regional differences, state politics, journalism, etc. Some of the individuals in the book were so different from one another and yet also similar. In fact I thought it was interesting to see those who were foils of Abraham Lincoln in this time period. I think only towards the end of the book did I appreciate the author’s decision of going over the timeline before the war as you see some of the characters’ growing and developed in their views and outlook and perhaps most dramatically with the question of slavery.
Many colorful characters were discussed in the book. The two that stood out to me was John Alexander Logan and Mary Ann Bickerdyke. John Logan was an Irish immigrant turned politician and Union General. He’s most infamous for his 1853 anti-black laws, better known as the Logan Laws. Unlike other political appointee, he was actually a good general militarily. Though he originally was for slavery and against Lincoln nevertheless he was for the side of Union and against the South leaving the Union. This led him to lost favor with the rest of his family. Yet as the war continued he became more and more a supporter of Lincoln and also against slavery when he was able to see it first hand in the South. His idealistic view of master and slave relations shattered, he became more convinced slavery must end. What a fascinating story.
Then there’s the story of the fiery woman Bikerdyke. She was a nurse and medical logistics coordinator for the Union Army who was often accosted and made fun of. But she had a fiery temperament that was able to get things her way in order to help her “boys” in need. Soldiers eventually grew to love her, doctors feared her and generals obeyed her! Yet the help she gave in the end was astounding.
I don’t want to give too much of the book away but I found the book an interesting read!
The Domain for Truth 
I have always been interested in this time period, Pastor Jim. When I was teaching American History, my students were always required to do a report on the Civil War. I’ve been to some of the battlefields. Vicksburg has a road through it where you can see where much of the fighting took place. Lots of monuments there. It’s all closed for now because of the Corona virus. Hope all is well. Stay safe. It’s an interesting time we are living through.
God’s blessings…
It is an interesting time we living in! I’ve been overseas and seen shortage at the groceries elsewhere but never thought I see it in the USA. Still we count our blessing that there’s still not mass starvation but I don’t want to make light of what we are going through either. How are things are your neck of the wood? Any history book you recommend for the passing of time for such a time such as these?
Indeed, we are blessed to live in the U.S. I am thankful for so many Christians who have paved the way for our current freedoms. I pray that socialist/Godless idea never takes control here. We know that there will be a great tribulation eventually but I hope America can hold on to the Godly foundations that so many worked so hard to lay. It is sad to see some of the ways that we are losing our heritage.
We are fine. My daughter has a weakened immune system so we are being pretty careful not to catch this virus. Thank you for asking. So far so good and to God be the glory. I hope all is well with you and yours. 🙂
As far as books, I’ll stick with the subject of the American Civil War.
It has been awhile since I’ve read it, and you may have it since it won the Pulitzer Prize but “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1988) is a great book. The Author’s name is James McPherson. If you haven’t read it, it is lengthy but well worth the time. One can always read parts of it if time stressed.
Another book, one that I read to my son when he was younger, “Killer Angels” (1974) is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. It is called “The Classic Novel of the Civil War” by some.
My son, a high school teacher and a student of history, highly recommends all of the Shaara books and those by his son, Jeff Shaara. They are all historical fiction and they cover many different historic periods.
Another “classic” is “The Red Badge of Courage.” Is a Civil war novel by Stephen Crane. It isn’t a classic in my opinion but it is short and well-known. There has been a bit of controversy surrounding it but many liked it well enough that it became very popular at one time. It is another book that I read to my son when I felt he was old enough to deal with the violence in it. Maybe it was the mood I was in at the time but it fell far short of my expectations. We laughed at lines like “the green blades of grass were bold and clear” because we felt they seemed overly descriptive but I’m sure many like that sort of thing. We read the book over 10 years ago and we still remember the sentence about the clear grass. This is the last one on this short list and I only put it here because so many did like it. A “1895 publication went through ten editions in the first year alone, making Crane an overnight success at the age of twenty-four.”
If you have to choose one of the three, I’d recommend “The Battle Cry of Freedom.”
Thank you for asking and happy reading!
Thank you SlimJim for sharing another good book recommendation on the Civil War. Such a tragic time.
Jim, thank you for sharing this review. The Civil War is the defining moment of a still-maturing nation, finally thrust to deal with the issue of states’ rights and the idea of all people created equally. I will check further into this book.
In an earlier comment, you asked about Charles Spurgeon quotes. I have used 4-5 so far. If you go to my website (outside of the WordPress reader), there is a search box in the upper right corner. God’s peace!
Thanks for this interesting review of a book that I definitely would enjoy reading. Your remarks about the racial prejudice of Sherman and Logan were interesting. I remember being greatly shocked back in 8th grade when I read some quotes from Lincoln revealing a prejudice against Blacks, while at the same time he was championing their freedom from slavery. I brought the book to school and read some of the quotes to the class and our nun teacher was not happy with me.
What a reminder that Lincoln was also a product of the time. We can’t white wash history and there’s a danger if we do that. I really hope you can get your history book on Greene, any indication when your library might open up again or at least when they are close until?
The library announcement said it’s closed indefinitely. New York State is now in lockdown and all nonessential workers are ordered to stay home except for grocery shopping and medical visits. I think it’s the same in CA? This is going to sound dumb with everything going on but LSH #5 is due out this Wednesday but with the lockdown the comic shop will be closed. I’ll be downloading the e-comic to my Kindle. Many businesses won’t survive this lockdown.
Thanks for the review. I grew up in Atlanta so very interested in the topic.
Blessings.
It’s said (and I agree) that the Civil War produced two military geniuses–Sherman for the North, and Nathan Bedford Forrest for the South. Neither one was a moral genius.
Good review.
Thanks for this review, Jim! My view of the civil war is… well… unusual. It can put me at odds with southerners and northerners alike.