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No Greater Courage: A Novel of the Battle of Fredericksburg
written by Richard Croker
Studio : Harper
by Harper
Release Date : 2007-03-27
Publisher : Harper
Released : 2007-04-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780061228063
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 2 reviews)
List Price : $7.99
Our Price : $1.34
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Product Description |
Midway through its second year the Civil War was no closer to resolution. Pressured by politicians to deliver a significant victory in Southern territory before the winter set in, General Ambrose Burnside, the newly appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac, quickly advanced his troops into Virginia toward the city of Fredericksburg. It was a rash gamble, and a Union victory was totally dependent on the element of surprise. It was a terrible and bloody mistake . . . With a vivid cast of characters that includes President Lincoln, General Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, as well as common soldiers on both sides, all based on actual participants, Richard Croker's No Greater Courage is a blazing narrative of one of the most infamous engagements of the Civil War—brilliantly re-creating the smoke, brutality, and incredible gallantry that was the Battle of Fredericksburg. |
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A fine bit of historical fiction. |
Richard Croker's novelization of the events leading up to and including the Battle of Fredricksburg in December of 1862 is just about as good as it gets in the "cast of thousands" (lots and lots of characters) type of historical fiction.
Due to the nature of this book, it is just about impossible to get too deeply involved in many of them. But, Croker does an admirable job of giving us something to know about each of them, reminding the reader who each character is when they re-join the narrative and then we get to watch them in arugably the Union Army of the Potomac's worst moments. Most of the characters are real and not all of them are big generals. Not only do we get to see the action in the battle itself, but there is plenty of focus on the behind-the-scenes political intrigue that demonstrates how truly talented Lincoln was as a politician and also the dangers of too much civilian interference in purely military matters.
The only complaint I have concerns maps. There are not enough of them and the maps that are included are so stylized that I had difficulty reading them. Fortunately, the maps are not absolutely necessary for the book to be enjoyed and if you find yourself confused, historical maps of this battle abound on the internet.
I hope than Richard Croker is working on another book. Chancellorsville comes up next chronologically and he would do a great job with it.
Croker's previous novel of the Civil War, To Make Men Free: A Novel of the Battle of Antietam is not required pre-reading to enjoy this novel. |
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A Different Opinion |
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I don't know who reviewed this book at Publishers Weekly, but I couldn't disagree more with whoever it was. Having read several non-fiction and fictionalized novels of the Civil War, I would have to say this book ranks almost equally with Jeff Sharra's The Last Full Measure and above his Gods and Generals which I felt was weak. I am enjoying new characterzations and characters in Croker's book that weren't covered in Shaara's books. In fact I have ordered his "To Make Men Free" and am looking forward to reading it. |
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