A Fierce Glory

I love stories about Lincoln and this is one of the better ones I have read. It is full of interesting facts and interested points of view. Another look at the history that held my attention from beginning to end.

Wow!! This was one of the best history books I have ever read!!!! Very informative and helpful. I will admit I had not read many books about Antietam but I was blown away by this one. The author did his homework and research. This was well thought out in my honest opinion. The different POVs that were written about have given me different perspectives that I may not have considered otherwise. All in all, a great read

A Fierce Glory covers one battle - Antietam beginning on September, 17, 1862. Unlike a number of books covering this three day battle, this one stands alone. The step by step actions and movements of the troops have been well covered by many authors. Justin Martin chooses to tackle this historical battle from the aspects of General George McClellan commanding the Union Troops, General Robert Lee guiding the Confederate Troops, and the actions and reactions of Abraham Lincoln as he absorbs the slowly arriving news of this battle, taking place only 55 miles from D.C. Antietam has been the most lethal battle in our history. With the yank and rebel loses combined, 3,650 died on 9.17.1862. Another 2,000 would later die of their wounds.

Justin Martin did a LOT of research before writing A Fierce Glory. The reactions included here are gleaned from many journals and letters of the participants of the Antietam battle. Twenty-one percent of this history is comprised of notes and the bibliography. Many of the volumes Martin used while blocking out the background and research in this history are available at my little library. I am hoping you can find them at yours, as well.

I found it very interesting that the heart of the division between the north and south is very clear in A Fierce Glory. The Civil War began on April 12, 1861. Both England and France who depended on imports of cotton and grains from the US were on the verge of recognizing the South as a separate entity until the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. A battle over States Rights and Federal interference were one thing, and having the USA split in two would be advantageous to Europe. Dealing directly with the south on important imports would be cheaper if they cut out the middle man - exporters in the north who purchased the crops to forward them to Europe. But both England and France had already abolished slavery in their own colonies. They could not continence aiding the Confederates with the issue of slavery so prominently labeled as a major cause of this civil conflict. Many histories continue to state that slavery was the hiccup that started the Civil War rather than standing up to the industrialized Northern states who used their power in Washington DC to keep the South hamstrung by Federal controls, restrictions and laws.

I received a free electronic copy of this history from Netgalley, Justin Martin, and Da Capo Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.Netgalley
pub date Sept 11, 2018

The author did extensive research on a battle that many have never heard of and wrote this book highlighting the significance of the Battle of Antietam. This is one of the best books that I have read about Lincoln and this time period, as there were a lot of facts I had not heard before.

What I Liked

Having lived in the U.S. I have been hearing about this battle from a young age and how it is the bloodiest of our history. Even moving on to University I learned even more and I though I had a very good grasp on the events of this battle. I am happy to say that this novel has shed some fresh light ton aspects of the battle I did not previously know or fully understand. Martin has done a great job in creating this unique and very well informed account.

One thing I look at while reading a non-fiction novel is I am very mindful of the footnotes/end notes. For me this can either make a nonfiction book or break it. When writing about nonfiction these authors need to cite a lot of documents and other articles to come across as legitimate and essentially prove that they did their due diligence while researching. It is apparent here that he has done just that. I also appreciated the mention of women dressing up in mens clothing so they too can fight.

Another thing I really enjoyed about A Fierce Glory was how the author showed how the soldiers and leaders lived and were affected. Additionally, the narrative benefited greatly by the author showing the battle in a large scope instead of focusing on the movements of soldiers. Often while reading a something about the battle you hear something along the lines of, so and so did this and then this happened. What was done with this account is very unique. Not only does the author NOT show you what happened, the historical figures do. This is something I think will benefit a lot of readers who normally would not pick up this genre.

What I Didn’t Like

While the author mentioned women taking part in the fighting, such as Barton, I just wanted to hear more. Now this is a person want and does not mean the book is not good in anyway. In fact, I am happy the author talked about women roles during the civil war. I just wish I could learn even more about it.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I would say this is a very solid look at Antietam and the bloodiest day in U.S. history. The way the author conveys the information give it a more human feeling instead of the others I have read that keep the readers at a distance from the people who fought by hiding behind troop movements. I really think this book would be well recommended for those who are interested in the battle, U.S. History, and want to get into reading nonfiction. The way in which this is written makes it very accessible.

* I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.