Shrouds of Glory: From Atlanta to Nashville--The Last Great Campaign of the Civil War

As a Civil War buff, I cannot count the number of books about the Civil War I have read, including Shelby Foote's monumental work and Bruce Catton's volumes. This book is quite simply the best book on the Civil War I have ever read. For the first time as I was reading about the war, I could picture exactly what was going on. Groom focuses on details where it is appropriate and the backs out to give overviews of the campaign. This allows it to be enjoyable for the reader who is more familiar with the war as well as someone new to reading about Civil War events. I have to confess that prior to this book, I saw the Western campaigns are boring and nothing more than background to the more important battles on the East. This book changed my perception on that issue.

As a high school history teacher and Civil War Buff, I am always looking for ways to bring the deeds and accomplishments of history to life for an audience with open hostility for the topic. This book accomplishes this next-to-impossible task. Groom writes with the prose of a novelist (no surprise), the research of a scholar (surprise)and a genuine love for and interest in the subject matter. One of the most fascinating non-fiction books I have even read, complete with excellent maps and interesting photographs.

My great-great grandfather fought in these battles, so this book was heart-breaking to read. It has been a month since I read it and my mind is still filled with "what if's". The blunders were so huge, the courage so magnificent. I thought the author did a superb job of trying to get into the minds of the key players; I found the book very personal.

I found this book to be an excellent and well-crafted story of the bitterly-fought Tennessee campaign and in particular, the gruesome fight at Franklin, which was a truely tragic battle. The horrendous casualties, the poor leadership on Hood's behalf, the valiant but futile assaults by his veteran troops, the relentless and devastating firepower that was unleashed upon his men, which would have stopped most other troops in their tracks, is detailed in a superb fashion. The text was easy to follow and the maps were top notch. I feel that this small, but extremely bloody battle has greatly been overlooked and often only mentioned in passing by other historians. I highly recommend this well-researched book to anyone wanting to understand what happened to the Army of Tennessee during this phase of the war. I think the handling of a truely great and courageous officer, Patrick Cleburne, was sad, fitting and interesting. Excellent reading.

Groom the novelist shows in this quick read of a remarkable civil war story. The details are present to please military history purists and the author's ability to weave an excellent story from the facts will make this enjoyable to the casual civil war reader. Good beach or holiday book because you will not want to put it down.