There are many fiction written on the American Civil War. A novel of the Civil War by Jeff Shaara is one of the best series written on the civil war. Jeff Shaara has mastered the style of writing his story from different point of views. He picks up various historical characters, from generals to foot soldiers to civilians so that readers could get a wholesome picture of the situation from various angles. This makes the narrative very gripping and engross the readers completely in the book.
The Smoke at Dawn is the third installment in the series which is expected to release on June 3, 2014. This book stages the decisive confrontation at Chattanooga that could determine the outcome of the war.
Here is the brief synopsis of The Smoke At Dawn
Summer, 1863. The Federal triumph at Vicksburg has secured complete control of the Mississippi River from the Confederacy, cementing the reputation of Ulysses S. Grant. Farther east, the Federal army under the command of William Rosecrans captures the crucial rail hub at Chattanooga. But Rosecrans is careless, and while pursuing the Confederates, the Federal forces are routed in north Georgia at Chickamauga Creek. Retreating in a panic back to Chattanooga, Rosecrans is pursued by the Confederate forces under General Braxton Bragg. Penned up, with their supply lines severed, the Federal army seems doomed to the same kind of defeat that plagued the Confederates at Vicksburg. But a disgusted Abraham Lincoln has seen enough of General Rosecrans. Ulysses Grant is elevated to command of the entire theater of the war, and immediately replaces Rosecrans with General George Thomas. Grant gathers an enormous force, including armies commanded by Joseph Hooker and Grant’s friend, William T. Sherman. Grant’s mission is clear: Break the Confederate siege and destroy Bragg’s army. Meanwhile, Bragg wages war as much with his own subordinates as he does with the Federals, creating dissension and disharmony in the Southern ranks, erasing the Confederate army’s superiority at exactly the wrong time.
Blending evocative historical detail with searing depictions of battle, Jeff Shaara immerses readers in the world of commanders and common soldiers, civilians and statesmen. From the Union side come the voices of Generals Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and George Thomas—the vaunted “Rock of Chickamauga”—as well as the young private Fritz “Dutchie” Bauer. From the Rebel ranks come Generals Bragg, Patrick Cleburne, and James Longstreet, as well as the legendary cavalry commander, Nathan Bedford Forrest. A tale of history played out on a human scale in the grand Shaara tradition, The Smoke at Dawn vividly recreates the climactic months of the war in the West, when the fate of a divided nation truly hangs in the balance.
Previous Books in the Series
The other first two books in the series are A Blaze of Glory and A Chain of Thunder. The first volume in this series, documented the fiercely bloody Battle of Shiloh, in Tennessee. While the second book is about the the Siege of Vicksburg. Both of them have riveting narrative of the deadly wars.
