War like the thunderbolt - Russell S. Bonds

An
absolute pleasure to read." -Civil War
News

"The
freshness of the writing style, the
pace of the story, and the handling of an
entire campaign is as
compelling as Bruce Catton's landmark Army of the Potomac
trilogy." -Civil War Librarian

"Well-researched
and well-written. . . .
excellent character sketches. . . vivid and moving. . .
. maps and
diagrams of the battles are outstanding." -Bowling Green Daily News

Excellent. . . Bonds provides the reader with a memorable and moving portrait of
a besieged city." -Booklist

"For
all Atlanta's passion and fiery
agony in that long ago time, one must
now consult history books, and there is
none better than 'War Like
the Thunderbolt.'"-John Sledge, Mobile
Press-Register

"This
gripping story of the battles for Atlanta in 1864
provides new
insights on a campaign that ensured Lincoln's reelection and the
ultimate destruction of the Confederacy. Russell S. Bonds has an
impressive
ability to combine combat narrative with shrewd analyses of
commanders'
performances." -James M. McPherson, author of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

"Through
the power of Margaret Mitchell's words and the film
they inspired, the
struggle for Atlanta became all that most folks needed to
know about
our nation's four-year bloodbath. In War Like the Thunderbolt, using his
skills as both historian and
storyteller, Russell S. Bonds has given
us what might have seemed impossible-a
fresh, new look back at
Atlanta." -Robert Hicks, author of The Widow of the South

Called "the greatest
event of the Civil War" by New York
diarist George Templeton Strong,
the epic struggle for the city of Atlanta in
the bloody summer of 1864
was a pivotal moment in American history. Union
commander William
Tecumseh Sherman's relentless fight for the city secured the
reelection
of Abraham Lincoln, sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy, and
set a precedent for military campaigns that endures today. Its depiction
in the
novel and motion picture Gone with the Wind established the
fight for Atlanta
as an iconic episode in our nation's most terrible
war. In War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta,
award-winning author Russell S. Bonds takes the reader behind the
lines and
across the smoky battlefields of Peachtree Creek, Atlanta,
Ezra Church, and
Jonesboro, and into the lives of fascinating
characters, both the famous and
the forgotten, including the fiery and
brilliant Sherman; General John Bell
Hood, the Confederacy's last hope
to defend Atlanta; Benjamin Harrison, the
diminutive young Indiana
colonel who would rise to become President of the
United States;
Patrick Cleburne, the Irishmanturned- Southern officer; and
ten-year-old diarist Carrie Berry, who bravely withstood and bore
witness to
the fall of the city. Here also is the dramatic story of the
ordeal of Atlanta
itself-the five-week artillery bombardment, the
expulsion of its civilian
population, and the infamous fire that
followed. Based on new research in
diaries, newspapers, previously
unpublished letters, and other archival
sources, War Like the Thunderbolt
is
a combination of captivating narrative and insightful military
analysis-a
stirring account of the battle and burning of the "Gate City
of the South."