They Met at Shiloh by Phillip M. Bryant was a most interesting book and I liked the way that the story was told from the viewpoint of the enlisted men and not the viewpoint of the generals and other leaders. All war is sad but for me the Civil War was extremely sad for young boys, some not even yet a teenager, joined the army thinking that they were in for a great adventure and that the war would be over in a few months. Those who did not die in battle or from other causes, lived through four long years of bloody battles in which friends and family members were killed or seriously wounded. Most of the soldiers were poorly trained and in my opinion, at times it seemed as if the generals did not know all that much about what was going on. Of course we have to remember that during this war, instant communication was not even a far fetched dream. I know that this was a novel but at times I forgot that fact for everything seemed so real and it read more like an interesting history book. I have to say that I enjoyed the last half of the book more than the first half. It seemed there was more dialogue between the men and I also liked the interaction between the soldiers of the north and the ones from the south. At the end, it really did not matter which side they were on for most of their friends had been killed or suffered injuries that would be with them for life.
It is evident that the author did a great deal of research before writing this book and this enabled him to made all the characters come to life. Battle scenes were so well described that I felt as if I were behind a tree watching what was going on. The only suspense in the story was about which of the characters would make it home alive since the ending of the war is a known fact. The author did a great job in telling how different cannonballs were used, how battles were fought, and how the soldiers lived and survived. There were a large number of characters which at times I had trouble following but at the end it all came together with the story being mainly about four friends, two from the north and two from the south. I have read histories of how the soldiers lined up and marched toward each other killing those in the front and then the second row would start shooting. This has always seemed so unbelievable to me but I guess that is the way wars were fought for centuries. Something that brought tears to my eyes when reading the book was when brother was facing brother, one in blue and one in gray. And so many times a soldier was wearing a coat from a dead soldier from the other side and this often resulted in his death from a soldier/friend who did not see his face but only the color of his coat.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the battle that took place at Shiloh and how the enlisted men lived and survived the war. The author does not take sides but presents the facts in an easy to read novel.
Thanks to the author, Phillip M. Bryant, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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Top reviews from other countries
Client Kindle
The battle of Shiloh through the eyes of a few characters from both sides.
Reviewed in France on July 27, 2017
Stuart S. Laing
Thoroughly Enjoyable.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2015
Mike O'D
With God on their sides
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2012