Written in the usual Shaara style, this book captured the brutality and tenuousness of war. Many of the decisions at various stages of the Battle of Shiloh had profound effects on the outcome. It is amazing and somewhat frightening that if some of these decisions had been different American history could have been significantly altered.

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While Shaara has written other good fictional novels about the Civil War, I wasn't impressed with this one. While an author can take creative license in writing a novel about historical events and characters, I, as a devoted reader of Civil War history, had some problems with his writing here.

While I won't go into those, I felt his use of the dialogue he had his historical characters use was excessive. This turned me off.

Also, as a avid reader of books on Civil War medicine, I take exception to Shaara's frequent mention of doctors taking off wounded men's arms and legs as if that was a regular and frequent practice. You see this in some movies too. The books I've read required a surgeon on the battlefield needing the agreement of one, if not two, other doctors before preforming an amputation.

Sorry, but my copy doesn't meet PBS requirements for posting.

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