Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This first novel offers a clear if sometimes too flowery account of the bloodiest single day of the Civil War--the Battle of Antietam. Moreau's delineation of the sequence of events that thwarted Robert E. Lee's proposed 1862 invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania and gave the Union its first significant--albeit only nominal--victory is precise and more than competently rendered. Military history, troop movements and the geography of the Sharpsburg area are presented with workmanlike accuracy. Moreau focuses his narrative on the usual collection of military principals--Lee, Jackson and Longstreet for the South; McClellan, Hooker and Burnsides for the North--augmenting their shifting points of view with the perspectives of some less prominent personalities. In general, Moreau holds steady to the standard course of established biographies and histories and offers few divergences from conventional thinking, though he sometimes displays a Southern bias. Lee is once more the reluctant warrior, torn between duty and family; McClellan is again the marginal incompetent, an overly cautious martinet who relies too closely on the sycophantic advice of the cowardly Fitz John Porter. In the end the overwhelming numbers of the federal army force Lee to withdraw to Maryland, thereby giving Lincoln a chance to declare a victory. Moreau's research is impeccable and smoothly incorporated, and his descriptions of battle scenes are vivid if overwritten in places. Yet the narrative comes off more as docudrama than pure fiction, and in spite of a clarity of details and chronology, adds little to extant accounts of this infamous historical event. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
From the Publisher
“Moreau’s research is impeccable and smoothly incorporated, and his descriptions of battle scenes are vivid . . .”--Publishers Weekly
“Moreau displays an astute grasp of military history. . . . The author invests the cast of authentic historical characters with a wide range of strengths and failings, infusing this gripping narrative with a dramatic human element, resulting in a passionate retelling of a legendary battle.”--Booklist
“It is refreshing to read a historical novel that is both faithful to historical fact and yet imaginative enough to make the often dry bones of fact come alive. . . . C. X. Moreau succeeds in that endeavor by portraying the events of the Battle of Antietam, which produced America’s single most bloody day, through the eyes of the generals who planned and fought the battle . . . As only a veteran can do, Moreau paints a convincing portrayal of the ebb and flow of battle, providing his characters with credible thought processes as that terrible day proceeded. The terror, dismay, and savage emotion that one would expect to feel on a great battlefield show up in the fictionalized account of the actions of Lee, Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, Burnside, Hooker, and McClellan. Those who enjoy good historical fiction will find this an entertaining book.”--The Chattanooga Times
“What distinguishes this novel from a straight historical account is Moreau’s telling of the story through the eyes and emotions of an array of officers and soldiers, their detailed words and thoughts. The inner conversations and quotes spring from the author’s close reading of the record, and--in obviously large measure--from his imagination. His intuition rings true.--The Virginian Pilot
APR/MAY 03 - AudioFile
Tom Parker splendidly performs this fictional account of the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history. His deep and versatile voice presents Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, Hood, D.H. Hill, as well as McClellan, Fitz-John Porter, Hooker, Burnside, and a host of others. All the characters are consistently rendered with great skill. The lively narrative is as ably presented. Listening to a work such as this puts one into the confusion, excitement, and horror of combat. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
