I really enjoyed this book. A very good historical romance that touched my heart.

See the PS at the end of this- I've rationed myself and got through Chapter 4, trying to make this last as long as I can, but I had to go ahead and write. Diane Haeger has outdone herself. OK, I'm prejudiced. I have never enjoyed an author's works as much as hers, and I have not found another author of her caliber. I didn't think she could do any better than THE SECRET WIFE OF KING GEORGE IV, but this has already set itself up as such. The love story (based on a true story)between Cecilia and William is already so heartwrenching- to find a love so strong, so quickly, so true....and to be told by the world it would be destined to fail. These characters from the very beginning are so believeable and so realistic, you can close your eyes and envision them standing in front of you having their conversations. If you aren't familiar with Diane Haeger's works, RUN, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore. One quick warning- she sets the bar so high, you will be hard pressed to find another author that can come close to appeasing you until she sends us another book!

PS- I've finished and I can't begin to praise this book enough. One thing I enjoyed about this book that has been different from other Civil War era books is that you are not drowned in a history lesson along with the story. The author tells you enough to acclimate you to what is going on without going too far into details of the war and battles. As with all her books, you don't ever want them to end and find you have a hard time finding anything else to read that will appease you after this.

It is Spring of 1837, and due to dispute at home, Southern belle Cecelia Stovall is sent with her 2 brothers to visit her oldest brother Marcellus who is attending West Point Academy. While attending the Commencement Ball Cecelia meets Northerner William T. Sherman, roomate of Marcellus. They are both captivated with each other and find reasons to see each other during the days to follow (against the approval of her brothers). During one of these times they pledge their love to each other. Marcellus discovers that there are sparks between the two. Cecelia is swept away by her brothers and adventually off to Europe by her father, against her will, with Marcellus to avoid communication between her and William. The Stovall family is a wealthy, starch, southern family that will have no northerner as a part of it. Failing attempts are made to send correspondence to William of her love. While in Europe, Cecelia is introduced to wealthy cotton planter Charles Shelman from Georgia. Since the family business is in financial need, marriage between Cecelia and Charles is that much more important as well as the prestige it would have for the family name. Cecelia and Marcellus finally return home to Georgia, with Charles determined to make her his trophy wife. To earn favor with his father, Marcellus sees that attempts made between William and Cecelia to write or see each other are void. Cecelia is able to avoid marriage to Charles wondering why William hasn't come after her, while William is sent false word that Cecelia has forgotten him and moved on with her life. Days, months, and then years go by. Both eventually end up married to others (though their hearts belong to each other only) only to find each other again and discover that each still truly love each other. The marriages are rocky from beginning to end. Civil War breaks out. Over time William becomes a noted General for the North while Cecelia works with the Underground Railroad helping to get slaves out of the South and a spy for the North. Their paths cross several times only to realize those vows that were taken such a long time ago were for life.

It is a wonderful book. Very well written. My heart went out to Cecelia and William-to see others control their futures was just heart breaking. I highly recommend it!!!

I have to confess a bias; Professor Glatthaar taught me US history in my first semester of college and was a very engaging, entertaining and clear teacher.

This book is history of the very best kind. It is extensively documented from primary sources, it is well written and draws the reader in and the text of the book is free from cumbersome and often distracting academic citation apparatus. It also has selected a topic of almost epic proportions.

The March to the Sea, coming on the heels of the devastating fall of Atlanta was the straw that broke the South's back. After years of war and the related hardships, the devastation that this march produced in the South dealt a death blow to the South's war effort.

In one of the great strategic decisions of the war, Sherman breaks his lines of communication and supply and, like a modern day nuclear sub, disappears only to resurface at Savannah. The freedom of movement that this decision allowed made this march even more effective.

Further, the productivity of the South, even after years of warfare is evidenced. The author presents data showing an increase in the weight of soldiers due to the richness of the diet they were able to secure from those unfortunate enough to be in the path of Sherman's army.

To quibble with a prior reviewer, this is not a novel. This is academic history of the best sort but written in a easy and accesible manner. A great book.

Joseph Glatthaar wrote this book in order to examine Sherman's march across the South "from the level of the common soldier, both enlisted and officer". In the introduction he states that by writing the book from this perspective, he hoped "to restore the reality of the campaigns, to understand the underlying motivation of Sherman's men for adopting a policy of devestation and to shed light on the total-war concept in military history".

Mr. Glatthaar's efforts have resulted in this very informative and engaging book. I did not know a lot about Sherman's Army before reading this book, and feel that I now have a much better understanding of the men who filled the ranks and led the regiments in their famous march to the sea. In his text, Mr. Glatthaar presents many quotes directly from letters and diaries written by Sherman's men, which really enhances the story and his conclusions.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about Sherman's Army- why it was successful, why it adopted a policy of total war, destroying much of the South, and why it remains controversial to this day.

Individuals who belong to a Civil War reenacting association, history buffs, and serious scholars of the Civil War will all find quiet enjoyment in Joseph Glatthaar's historical novel on Major General Sherman's march to Savannah and through the Carolinas. Glatthaar's perspective of bringing the war down to the level of the individual soldier is not always found in historical novels. He writes about the soldier's innermost feelings, not about the glorious generals, the great armies, or the magnificent campaigns. I believe that individual battles do not win wars, but that it is the men composing the fighting force that can turn a potential devastating defeat into a glorious victory. Mr. Glatthaar has done a great justice in his portrayal of the men who conducted the march to the sea and beyond. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wishes better to understand the soldiers that fought for Sherman

I was raised in Georgia and attended public school in Athens in the 60s and 70s. Even in a university town some 100 years after the Civil War there were people with embittered attitudes toward the North who saw themselves as citizens of a conquered country. This was surely due in part to Civil Rights legislation enforcing integration; and in part to that fable of Southern life, GONE WITH THE WIND. Most white Southerners know and many revile the name of William Tecumseh Sherman; not because they are ardent historians but because Margaret Mitchell and director Victor Fleming immortalized Sherman's burning of Atlanta on celluloid. In fact, although I hardly studied anything about the Civil War in public school, our class did take a 60-mile bus ride to watch GONE WITH THE WIND at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Although many years have passed, I have no reason to believe that today's young Georgians are any more informed about the actual history of their state; whether this is through official ignorance, shame, fear, or willful deceit I cannot say.

Lee Kennett's book, MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA goes a long way toward addressing this ignorance, and should be required reading for every Georgian. The book focuses on Sherman's North Georgia Campaign, the Battle of Atlanta and the March to the Sea as it affected the soldiers and civilians of both sides. His discussion of strategy is general and primarily about Sherman's decision to have his army forage off the land. Even this is included because of the consequence such forage had for the people involved--Kennett lays the blame of the Union atrocities at the feet of this decision, but takes care to point out the nature of such "atrocities", and that truly severe crimes other than the destruction of property was rather rare. Indeed, what makes Kennett's book so valuable is its evenness of tone regarding the issues and personalities. A Sherman biographer, he neither idolizes nor demonizes the General. Sherman, though not the main subject of this book, emerges as a recognizable and very human figure. Sherman's devotion to duty was horrifyingly single-minded--Kennett relates an incident in which 28 Union soldiers are too ill to travel, and Sherman left them in the care of a Confederate hospital in Milledgeville while he moved on with his troops: "'If they die, give them a decent burial,' Sherman said, 'if they live, send them to Andersonville [the prison in south Georgia where Union soldiers were held in appalling conditions to die in the thousands], if course,' Dr. Massey may have looked a bit nonplussed at this, for Sherman added: 'They are prisoners of war, what else can you do? If I had your men I would send them to prison.'" In another incident, Sherman refused to accept Union prisoners from Andersonville in a prisoner exchange because they were too ill or wounded to fight.

Kennett's descriptions of Sherman's progress were very meaningful to me as a native of the state. Non-Georgians might get bogged down a bit in the geography, and this is one of the book's weaknesses, but a minor one. There are two maps included, but as neither shows a complete map of the state some readers might well be bewildered. The Andersonville prison played an important role as at least a potential target but appears on neither map. It was not liberated during Sherman's Georgia campaign, and had it been shown on the map its distance from Sherman's path would have been immediately clear. The only other flaw is the paucity of information on black Georgians and how the campaign affected them. Kennett addresses this, relating that most information on their situation is related by whites and is mostly stereotypical. He provides one touching conversation passed along from Joel Chandler Harris (author of the Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales): "...an old black couple he found in a corner of fence, not far from the road Sherman's army had just passed: 'Who is that lying there?' asked Joe. 'It my old man, suh.' 'What is the matter with him?' 'He dead, suh, But bless God he died free.'"

Also extraordinary is the comradeship that grew between members of the opposing sides whenever contact was allowed. Animosity between combatants is expected, but over and over Kennett relates encounters between the two armies, or between Union soldiers and Southern civilians that are remarkable in that so many concerned seemed able to view their opposite number as a fellow human rather than an evil enemy. Southerners now know only the destruction Sherman's forces brought, emptying and burning Atlanta and many other towns; but at the time Sherman's actions were seen at least by some as a reasonable response to the Confederates' burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA is full of fascinating information: North Georgia, mostly populated by poor white farmers who didn't own slaves, was largely loyalist and opposed succession; Governor Joe Brown (after the war a US Senator!) supported States' Rights to the extent that he clashed repeatedly with Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Sherman's forces faced the most opposition and most difficult fighting in primarily loyalist North Georgia; after the burning of Atlanta Sherman was able to move through Georgia with very little fighting at all; and rather than "bushwacking" Sherman's forces and provoking a fight with vastly superior forces, most Georgians preferred to let him move quickly through their land.

The Civil War buff, fans of War Histories and Southern History and Georgians in general will all find much of interest in Marching Through Georgia. My knowledge of my home state has been immeasurably improved, and I am looking forward to reading Kennett's biography, SHERMAN.

Lee Kennett is an excellent historian who combines exhaustive research with a splendid narrative pace in his "Marching Through Georgia."

This is not a book about Sherman's military campaign through the Peach State. The battles and maneuvers provide only the backdrop. The story is of the common soldiers who fought with and against Sherman and the citizens of Georgia who endured both armies during 1864.

The author makes heavy use of diaries and first person accounts. He focuses on several perspectives across the book: life in the trenches, on the battlefield, camp life, foraging, life on the March to the Sea, life in besieged and occupied Atlanta, and the life of Georgia's black and white citizens.

What is rendered is an exciting account of what these people experienced during these seminal months in their lives and the life of their country'. Kennett brings it all together as a story -- never falling into the trap of some authors of this genre of over repeating diary entries and accounts in a redundant attempt to be thorough. He achieves just the right mix of memoir and story to keep his book moving along at a good clip.

This book will fascinate and educate.

Lee Kennett is an excellent historian who combines exhaustive research with a splendid narrative pace in his "Marching Through Georgia."

This is not a book about Sherman's military campaign through the Peach State. The battles and maneuvers provide only the backdrop. The story is of the common soldiers who fought with and against Sherman and the citizens of Georgia who endured both armies during 1864.

The author makes heavy use of diaries and first person accounts. He focuses on several perspectives across the book: life in the trenches, on the battlefield, camp life, foraging, life on the March to the Sea, life in besieged and occupied Atlanta, and the life of Georgia's black and white citizens.

What is rendered is an exciting account of what these people experienced during these seminal months in their lives and the life of their country. Kennett brings it all together as a story -- never falling into the trap of some authors of this genre of over repeating diary entries and accounts in a redundant attempt to be thorough. He achieves just the right mix of memoir and story to keep his book moving along at a good clip.

This book will fascinate and educate.

This book, which I found at the library(can I say that word here?) was truly engrossing. The author juxtaposes indian and colonial culture so clearly and freshly, putting a historical and very personal perspective on facts not previously so well illuminated. He described and de-bunked for me the particulars of early period of colonial-indian political and territorial relationships. The action and battle scenes are painted with skillful brushstrokes as are the characterizations of the principle players. Mr Gilbert fairly describes with a warm heart the phenomemon which was the native American, sharing the fine points which created this honorable people without filtering the panorama through rose-colored glasses. The reader is reminded of this sad and shameful legacy of our country's history with each turn of the page. I think we would have been a much greater nation had we dealt these people an even hand. Great reading, greta history.

The history of the deceit effected upon Native Indian ancestors, especially the Shawnee, by the British, French, Americans, and by the Iroquois truly made me ashamed to be a white American. We call ourselves "civilized"; the lies, purging, and needless slaughter of Native Indian nations is comparable to the extermination of the Jews. Americans stole this continent from the Indians. Tecumseh (Tekamthi) was an honorable, just man, who only wanted what God had given his people - the land and the freedom to roam it and to use it (Mother Nature). As I approached the last chapter of God Gave Us This Country, I did not want Tecumseh to die; but I know he still lives on in the minds of living Indians as well as those of us who avidly study Native American history and who prefer justice

This is Timothy Truman's beautiful graphic novel adaptation of Alan Eckert's outdoor drama Tecumseh! which is performed every summer in Chillicothe, OH. It is based on the life of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh and tells the story of the rise and fall of this great Indian hero and his ambitious plan to unite the eastern woodland tribes in a final war to remove the threat of white expansion into the trans-Alleghany west. Truman has done a number of other wonderful graphic novels relating to this period and this one is just as great. If you can get ahold of a copy, buy it.

This brief book describes the last days of the great Native American leader Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief whose vision was to unite his and other tribes in defense of much of what is now the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. He was both respected and feared by the westward moving settlers. General William Henry Harrison waged battle against Tecumseh and his Indian alliance, first in Indiana, and later in Candada during the War of 1812.

The Candadian author describes Tecumseh's defeat and death during the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812. The book brings an insightful Canadian perspective of Tecumseh's role in the War of 1812. Although the book is written for adolescent readers, anyone with an interest in early 19th century American history will enjoy this book

Professor Lucas has written a well researched analysis of the burning of Columbia, South
Carolina by the Federal army. There were strategic military reasons for Sherman's march
through central South Carolina. Columbia "was an important war manufacturing
center--one of the few still in Confederate hands--providing munitions, equipment, and
uniforms....central South Carolina contained the last Confederate sources of food
untouched by war." Governor Magrath pointed out to Jefferson Davis that the borders of
South Carolina were Richmond's second line of defense which was confirmed when
Richmond fell less than two months after Columbia surrendered.

The author outlines the wartime conditions in Columbia noting that both the civilian and
military authorities were tardy in realizing the obvious danger to the city and even slower
to act. Finally the author writes "The missing ingredient with the Confederate camp....was
a belief in the possibility of success. The defeatism of Beauregard's leadership was
abundantly clear...."

Chapter 2 gives a succinct account of the evacuation of Columbia noting that inspite of
the desperate condition of the Confederate armies, the large arsenals and war supplies in
Columbia were not evacuated. The cotton in storage was moved into the streets with
orders for it to be burned which contributed to the later fires. Columbia Mayor Goodwyn
surrendered the city while scores of bewildered Columbians, in an ill-conceived attempt to
placate a dreaded conqueror, began distributing alcoholic beverages to the soldiers. This
precipitated an insurmountable problem.

A balanced account of the burning of Columbia is given. The most damaging fire began
about eight p.m.on February 17th, was of inexplicable origin and was not extinguished for
six or seven hours when the wind abated. With drunken men roaming the streets, rioting
and acts of personal violence were bound to occur. Confusion reigned and most control
over the city was lost . The extent of the damage following the fire is reviewed. About
one-third of Columbia was destroyed with the business community virtually wiped out and
265 residences burned.

Regarding who burned Columbia, the conclusions were (and still are) along partisan lines.
South Carolinians charged Sherman as "morally responsible for the burning of Columbia".
Union officers and troops felt that while the events in Columbia were regrettable they
were the results of acts of war. Sherman entered South Carolina to disrupt the state's
transportation system and bring an end to the war by destroying Southern morale.
However, Professor Lucas notes "The failure of Sherman's psychological warfare, a new
kind of war which Southern civilians did not understand, was that the hatred generated
during the invasion did not terminate with the war's end."

The post war criticisms of and charges against Sherman and the Union army are reviewed.
The author notes that the Confederates as they evacuated the city began the looting and
plundering then the entering Federal troops seized what was left. The unanswered
question of incendiarism, the most disputed issue, is complicated by a lack of reliable
eyewitness accounts.
In summary, Sherman failed to take timely and sufficient action to control both the fires
and the riots. However, the author notes that the failure of Confederate leadership in the
defense of South Carolina and the evacuation of the city played a major role in creating a
situation which resulted in the destruction of the city. In addition no preparations were
made by Beauregard, Hampton or the city fathers for the official surrender of the city
when a formal declaration of Columbia as an open city may have produced positive
results.

In conclusion, Professor Lucas writes that the burning of Columbia was a great tragedy
for South Carolina and the Union stating "....when the Union Army left Columbia on
February 20, 1865, it left behind bitter hatred. Many citizens had lost everything they
possessed, while others had gone through the catastrophe relatively unscathed. All,
however, suffered psychologically. They had promised to give their "all" in defense of
South Carolina and the Confederacy; it was painfully apparent that few had done so. Long
before Columbia was captured, Columbians had given up."

William T. Sherman was an irascible, unpredictably brilliant man and his letters bring out these myriad traits. He was a fascinating man and his own words illuminate his fiery personality. Sherman's own 1875 memoirs are a mixed bag, marred by an over-abundance of wartime correspondence and ancillary material. This collection of his letters actually makes for more engrossing, instructive reading. We hear his opinions on the major players of the Civil War: Grant, Halleck and Lincoln. We gain an understanding of his tortured relationship with his wife, Ellen, to whom many of the letters are addressed. His visceral hatred of the press and reporters is well represented.

The collection is expertly edited by Brooks Simpson, someone who thoroughly understands both Sherman and the civil war era. The notes are instructive and unobtrusive and the introduction lays the groundwork for appreciating Sherman and his correspondence. This is an outstanding book for anyone who wishes to get to know the erratic and intellectual General who was second only to Ulysses S. Grant in ability and results.

Sherman's March to the Sea is well-known, however his subsequent campaign up through the Carolinas is not. Sherman is widely considered to be the inventor of manuever warfare, and as such this is required reading. It is little known that this campaign continued for 9 days after Appomattox!

READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED

This was arguably the greatest book that I have ever read on any topic. Not only was it a great account of General Willie T.'s life, but it also gave great insight into the real meaning of life. If anyone is looking for an answer to anything, then this is the book for you.