Just finished reading Jeff Shaara's opening salvo in a planned trilogy of historic novels: A Blaze of Glory.
As previously posted, I regret my interest in the War Between the States has mostly focused on events in the East. So, a lot of this very well written book was new material for me.
I think the big takeaway will be profound respect for Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who led the surprise attack that could very well have ended the war.
It is easy to speculate what may have transpired if the brilliant scheme to crush the Federal invasion had succeeded in capturing or discrediting U.S. Grant and W.T. Sherman.
Certainly, Sherman deserved to be discredited for failing to realize the storm building around him and denying it was happening even when the bullets began to fly.
But, the less said about Sherman the better, both in this case and generally.
What if the Confederacy had a leader in the West as inspiring as Robert E. Lee was in the East?
But, it was not Sidney Johnston's fate to be a western version of Lee.
Sadly, he was destined to fill a more tragic role, as one of the greatest martyrs of the "Lost Cause." Perhaps second only to Stonewall Jackson.
Thank you, Mr. Shaara, for shedding light not only on this heroic figure but on the entire tragedy that was the Battle of Shiloh.
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