A Scythe of Fire: A Civil War Story of the Eighth Georgia Infantry Regiment

This is the story of the officers and men of the Eighth Georgia Infantry Regiment. The book opens with an interesting account of how the volunteer infantry companies comprising the Eighth were formed and concludes with Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Optimism was unlimited, and many volunteers were concerned that the war would end before they got in the "fray." They were convinced that they were invincible. When orders were received to report to Richmond, as they traveled north they were met by cheering crowds along the way. In Richmond the Georgia Eighth Infantry Regiment was organized from ten Georgia volunteer infantry companies and assigned to the command of General Joseph Johnston.Much of the text is based on information from diaries, journals, letters home and hometown newspapers. This makes for a very personal and readable account. Their baptism under fire came at the First Battle of Manassas when they faced cannon fire followed by a rifle engagement in nearby piney woods. At the First Battle of Manassas the Eighth suffered 208 casualties, 11% of the total Confederate losses. However, morale remained high and for those who missed the engagement due to illness the text notes that " . . .their worst fear was that the war would end . . .and they would go home never having seen the face of battle." The book narrates the Georgia Eighth's campaigns from First Manassas to surrender at Appomattox with the Eighth participating in most major engagements. The book observes that "As usual, the men in the ranks paid the price," but inspite of heavy causalities morale remained high with the text noting "They would go, all right, when ordered, not from any eagerness for the fight, but rather from "deep and stern convictions of duty." Furthermore, they found support in experiencing the "decided change in the religious tone of the army . . ." Robert E. Lee replaced Joe Johnston on June 1, 1862, and the text states "After three months of following Lee, the men had already gained a sublime confidence that they could not fail where he led." However, following Gettysburg ". . the campaign had seared its mark in the hearts and minds of the soldiers. They had thought victory close, within their grasp. They had given their supreme effort, and it had not been enough." Nevertheless, almost two years later the men of the Eighth still cheered Robert E. Lee when he rode past in his full dress uniform on his way to surrender to Grant.Being the story of Confederate Infantrymen, there is limited analysis of strategies, tactics, commanders and command problems, concentrating instead on the men and their ordeals. However, the few comments made are interesting such as on page 60 which observes that "Like many of the plans Beauregard would make during the war, this one was overelaborate and unrealistic . . .Mistakes and misunderstandings were bound to occur and Beauregard's grandiose plan tended to maximize them." On page 246, the text correctly comments on Longstreet's July

Hats off to Mr. Woodworth for putting the finishing touches on the late Mr. Wilkinson's regimental history of this fighting unit. The diary, journal and newspaper accounts of the period allow a true "you are there" experience for the reader - and all are woven nearly seamlessly to offer a vivid text for the scholar or casual reader. A bit annoying, though, are the lack of ANY maps! A definate "recommend" from this Civil War enthusiast!

As Webmaster of the 8th Georgia Infantry Webpage, I have anxiously awaited the publication of "A Scythe of Fire" for many years. Approximately eleven years ago, Warren Wilkinson answered an ad I had placed in the Civil War News, regarding my ancestor, William J. Andrews, who was a private in Company E of the Eighth Georgia Infantry. Warren and I spent many hours on the phone discussing the progress he was making on his new book on the Eighth Georgia, which he was originally planning to title "In the Midst of Desolation." Once during our discussions, Warren vividly described a grueling walk he made one summer at Gettysburg on the second of July, through the Rose Woods near the Wheatfield, retracing the route taken by the Eighth on that historic day in 1863. This Rose Woods "nightmare" of the Eighth Georgia was to become the opening scene of "A Scythe of Fire."Warren's untimely death in 1995 caused a huge delay in the completion of this book, and I was very glad when accomplished Civil War author Steven Woodworth agreed to complete the history and publish it. He writes of the brave men of the Eighth: "They were ordinary people, faced with extraordinary choices and challenges. This is their story.""A Scythe of Fire" is an excellent book, and the story flows very nicely in a smooth narrative style. Its pages are interwoven with personal diary, journal and letter excerpts from the Eighth Georgia soldiers themselves. Anecdotes and humor abounds, as well as skin-itching accounts of lice and other camp maladies such as measles and small pox. Religion, lack of food, lack of rifles, bad water, and military life are described from a soldier's viewpoint. The reader is also thrust to the "front" with vivid descriptions of most of the Army of Northern Virginia's battles.The book chronicles the campaigns of the 8th Georgia from 1861 through 1865 and lists its astounding casualty rates. The Eighth sustained 208 casualties at First Manassas (highest casualties of any regiment in the battle), and my ancestor was one of 172 casualties at Gettysburg. Only about a hundred men remained ready for duty in the regiment at the end of the war. An account given by Lt. Charles Harper still brings tears to my eyes each time I read it. Harper describes the morning of April 9th, 1865, the day of the surrender at Appomattox, when General Lee passed by, and the Eighth Georgia Regiment gave him three cheers with a "real Rebel yell." Harper's dinner on that memorable day was corn picked up out of the dirt and sand where some horses or mules had been fed.I wish maps had been included in the book, as I was constantly referring to other collections of maps while reading "A Scythe of Fire." Included in the book are black and white photographs of eight soldiers: seven war-time photos, and one post-war photo. As webmaster of this unit's history, I have found or received war-time photos of 15 soldiers and officers, and post-war photos of another 21, and wish more of these had been include