Glamorous Lords, a review of The Killer Angels, plus an original song

Hope you will enjoy my review of The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Also hope you'll enjoy the lyrics of my original song, Glamorous Lords at the end of the post.

As always, thanks for stopping by my blog. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined.           jesse s. hanson

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The Killer Angels

by Michael Shaara

THe Killer Angels

jesse hanson's review
Mar 23, 11  · 

bookshelves: books-i-ve-reviewed

status: Read from March 20 to 21, 2011

-Glamorous Lords-

It's hard to explain. There's a quote at the end of this book: "Thus ended the great American Civil War, which must upon the whole be considered the noblest and least avoidable of all the great mass conflicts of which till then there was record." –Winston Churchil, A History of the English Speaking Peoples.

I couldn't agree with that.

Everything in my being says that it wasn't handled right. The north just had a different way of handling it's slaves. It called them employees. Not only that, but during the "noblest and least avoidable conflict" the US Army was also busy exterminating the Native Americans to further the white man's God given dominion over the whole country. I guess we screwed up, losing part of Mexico and all. Will the real hypocrites please stand up!!

But the book is a page turner alright. Brilliant in capturing the simplicity of it all. A special note: I was surprised to see Lee portrayed as much less than perfect–deeply and vastly loved by his army, as well as the entire South, but much less than perfect.

Highly recommend this book. Draw or re-draw your own conclusions.

p.s. I've included this review on my blog http://jesseshanson.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/glamorous-lords-a-review-of-the-killer-angels-plus-an-original-song/ along with an original song of mine, Glamorous Lords, that was inspired by just such "noblest and least avoidable conflict"s. Oh well, Winston, no matter how great a man, in many ways, was a "Glamorous Lord", himself, no doubt.

 

GLAMOROUS LORDS

                                    Jesse S. Hanson

You speak so carelessly about death

As if there was only your part in it

And when the killing's finally over with

You wish to once again begin it

          All your wars, you mighty butchers

          Glamorous Lords, you find yourselves

          You break down doors, you private lookers

          Flesh and blood on swords is where your perversion dwells

They came like demons and they came like priests

They came like vampires in the darkness

In the names of gods and in the names of beasts

We fought and we fled and we became heartless

With colors flying and bright metal shining

The ground is shaking before the horde

Elephants and horses and dark angels riding

Beware the servants of the Lord

          All your wars, you mighty butchers

          Glamorous Lords, you find yourselves

          You break down doors, you private lookers

          Flesh and blood on swords is where your perversion dwells

Some speak of the past as if it's past

As if we are somehow above it

But they've gone to every corner, all unasked

Until there's no place left to love it

 Out of all the earthly six directions

A sound that for all who hear portends

For dominion lost in derelictions

And lost, it does not come back again

and lost, it does not come back again

and lost it does not come back…

come back again…