Nashville 1864

by Madison Jones

This award-winning novel follows twelve-year-old Steven Moore and his slave companion on a nightmarish journey behind Union lines.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Civil War, War, American Civil War, Historical, Southern

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1997

About the author

Madison Percy Jones was a novelist from Nashville, Tennessee. He published almost a dozen novels in his lifetime, and is considered "one of the major figures of contemporary southern letters."

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not prepared for how much of a personal connection this story would make me feel with the late unpleasantness. Madison Jones placed his characters on Shy's hill as the Confederates made their "great mistake" and had them caught up in the tragic yet dignified retreat of General Hood's army. As someone who has focused at times on the legal aspects of the war I enjoyed the new perspective this book offered me. One of a young boy who was caught up in a hostile occupation while trying to protect and help his family. It was doubly refreshing considering the difficulty in coming across any literature that doesn't seek to damn the memory of the south for its participation in the inherited tradition of chattel slavery. Instead of taking the easy rout, Jones handles the peculiar institution maturely and fairly in his story neither romanticizing or demonizing it. Having lived on the battle field where this book took place for years, I was familiar with most of the land marks described in the story. Jones has given me a much greater sense of the rich history of the city I live in.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 1 out of 5]

This small novel sees the Civil War through the eyes of its 12-year-old boy. It is well written but requires a lot of swallowing. The author uses the story as a vehicle to advance the false narrative of a benign, paternalistic Confederacy where slaves are treated as family. Accompanied by a slave his own age, the boy goes on a journey behind enemy lines to find his father and bring him home to look after his ill wife and babies. As time goes by, the story will look more and more like propaganda.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised at how compelling this little book (129 pages) was. Story of the end of the Civil War; with a 12 year old boy seeking his father in the midst of the chaos of a final battle. Very clearly showed the devastation of war on soldiers, civilians, children, and the land itself. I don't generally like Civil War novels but maybe the brevity and concise story of this one, covering only a few days, made a difference.

[Tim McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young boy who runs away to seek his confederate soldier-father in the hills round Nashville. Concisely written and interesting for its local references. It maintains a serious tone throughout as it depicts the horrific impact of the war on the Southern families that fought it.

[Peter Landau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t help but think of Huck Finn, while reading this. Though it takes place during, not before, the Civil War, the short book is about the albeit darker adventures of a young white boy and the family’s slave. They set out to find the father and engage in many of the senseless horrors of war. Written as a memoir, whose narrator defends the South and even slavery, the book is powerful because of such controversial stances, which challenge and make you think more than a story that follows conventional wisdom. The writer is a great storyteller, regardless of subtext, and will pull you forward from the first sentence.

[Daren Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out and it was the first book I ever read by Madison Jones. I had the feeling that I'd earlier had with Flannery O'Connor when I read Wise Blood in college--I felt cheated as though someone purposely kept her from me! That's probably not true, but Nashville 1864 immediately brought to mind The Unvanguished by William Faulkner. It's a slim book but it's definitely a book of high literary quality and entertaining to boot. Jones is a first rate writer who I keep thinking will suddenly attract the notice of everyone in the way that Cormac McCarthy, who had also labored in relative obscurity as well, did with All The Pretty Horses. Over the years he's published great books, but labored for the most part in obscurity. I believe he's one of those writers who deserve a greater audience. Writers like Flannery O'Connor and James Dickey (among many others) praised his work. I believe this slim volume would serve as a great introduction to Jones along with The Innocent.

[Daryl Nash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lost Cause bullshit. I suspected I was in for some crap when the novel opens with a foreword framing it as a found memoir from a grandfather, and claiming that its intention is to counteract a view of "the Old South as a veritable nest of evils." He then says, "For me, at least, he quite successfully did so." This is essentially the author assuming the person of a character in his novel to praise said novel.

Then we are sketched a picture of a happy Southern family, obviously of some means based on the description of their house, and the fact that they own four slaves. And, of course, these slaves were just like part of the family, and the youngest boy, Dink, is even friends with the main character, Steven. And of course Dink is the one to die. Steven's father goes off to join the Confederate army as an officer. The family is tormented by damn Yankees occupying the city, until a chance sickness sends Steven in search of his father, through the Battle of Nashville.

White Confederates never use the N-word, only Yankees and other blacks do. There is a two page aside on why the cause of the war wasn't slavery that mixes up what soldiers fought for with what the war was about. (As a modern example, probably no soldier fought in Iraq for oil, but you'd have to be a fool to say that it wasn't a primary cause for the war.) With a couple of rare exceptions, the Yankees are portrayed as savages and the Confederates as gentlemen, or at least conscientious. Though this is the South in the Civil War, only the black characters are given heavy accents.

After all that, even with the racism and the Lost Cause cheerleading, I might have at understood the praise and award if the book were well-written or engaging. But it's more concerned with battle tactics and white-washing slavery than telling a good story. The characterization is shallow and the storytelling pedestrian.

It reminds me of Faulkner's famous quote about Pickett's Charge, and this feels a bit like a fourteen-year old's Civil War fantasy dressed up in adult concerns.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it will never displace The Red Badge of Courage as a Civil War coming of age story, this brief novel still packs a punch. In December 1864, twelve-year-old Steven Moore and his enslaved friend Dink slip past Union lines into the city, occupied by the Federals for two years. He seeks his father, a Confederate officer whose unit is limping away from nearby Franklin after a disastrous defeat. The boys find themselves in the danger zone as a new battle breaks out.

Be prepared: this book has a fair amount of Lost Cause mythology. Although the tale is told by a middle-aged Steven at the turn of the 20th century, he can sound like an unreconstructed Confederate. Despite that, his memoir reflects an awareness of the horrors he had seen. After the decades, he wonders if any redemption is possible for the men on either side for all the carnage of the war. This makes for a unique war story. Three and a half stars.

[Farrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

My perusal of "Gone with the Wind" has sparked a Civil War curiosity and fervor that can only be satisfied through feedings. Thus, my shelf now holds books I would give nary a thought in the past. And sure, sometimes you get your stinkers. This one fits that description.

Is it unfair to rate this book among the many during my Civil War fervor, especially after just having finished GWTW? Maybe. But you know what I really could've used a little bit of, and I don't think it's really asking for much, was an interesting character. This guy just uses the actual war to satisfy his reader's need of character personae, but guess what? It didn't work. Put a little work in and give your character's a bit of difference from one another. It was so g.d. formulaic.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A short bittersweet, seemingly historically accurate depiction of a twelve-year-old's experience trying to find his confederate soldier dad while the battle is going on around them. His companion, Dink, a slave boy, but also his best friend, is killed and his dad is severely wounded. The gown-up boy is the narrator and he questions his relationship to Dink - realizing that Dink stayed by his side as much or more because he "had" to as a slave rather than just as a friend.

[Beth Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a heartbreaking little book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was surprised that this was recognized with a Michael Sharra award.

[Sarah Falck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written. Good to read if you know the historical context of the Civil War and slavery's role in it. However, it does perpetrate some of the most common and most dangerous myths about slavery.

[Murphy C]

I read this ten or 12 years ago, so I don't feel comfortable rating it. I remember it being an interesting enough read. It's short and literary.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read which chronicles a southern boy scouring the south for his father. Not the most interesting book I've read on the Civil War, but still enticing and fast-paced. Worth a read!

[Richmond Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little Lost Cause-y, sure. But it comes by it honestly. The book is written by a Southerner of the Silent Generation, and told from the perspective of a family who suffered immensely - if justifiably - at Federal hands. It would be asinine for the protagonist to adopt an enlightened contemporary view of the conflict.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one a lot. The writing is good, the story tight, and the two main characters of Steven and Dink have good character arcs.

[David Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place during the battle of Nashville.. Many of the places mentioned are as well known to me as my backyard, having spent a great deal of time roaming over the battlefield,now lost almost entirely to urban development.A beautiful and haunting tale about one family's struggle to come to grips with war's chaos and destruction in their own community.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to Nashville to pickup my grandson from college, we are reading books related to Civil War in that area. This was a simple and interesting story of a young boy and his young slave companion going to find his father in battle.

Many facts about the area and interesting story.

[Sloan · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Somebody might like this book. Just not me. Couldn't make it half way.

[Abrahamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good historical fiction novel. Especially meaningful to me given my interest in local history and my familiarity with the locales which serve as settings for the story.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting. Sad, though. Unique in that it is a child's perspective of the Civil War. Interesting historical details of Nashville that I could really appreciate growing up there.

[Cathy Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

It belongs beside RED BADGE OF COURAGE as a classic. the truth of war seen through the eyes of a 12 year old boy in all its grim details.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of The Red Badge of Courage and March by Geraldine Brooks.

[Ginger Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book because it was recommended as the equivalent of Shelby Foote's "Shiloh." Since that was a most excellent book, I had high hopes for this one. It exceeded my expectations, even though it is less than 130 pages.

The book is written as the memories of a middle-aged man who was caught in the Battle of Nashville as a 12-year-old boy while searching for his father. He takes his best friend with him, a slave named Dink. Their transformation thru the battle is haunting.

I would recommend the book to anyone who had an ancestor in the Confederate Army, or to anyone who is curious about the war. Its depiction of the war and the tenacity of the men who served will give you a greater respect for what they endured. The book says it best: the war ended as a "beginning with no promise."