Bullet and Shell

by George Forrester Williams

Before the last gunshot echoed through the battlefield in 1865, the total casualties for the Civil War reached 1.2 million -- more than the total number of United States troops in World War I and II combined. This dark crisis in American history still horrifies and captivates many historians and Americans today. "Bullet and Shell" and Deeds of Valor journey back to the hallowed ground of the Civil War battlefields and relive the appalling conditions on the field and the unspeakable destruction of war. "Bullet and Shell" is a narrative account of the Civil War told from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldiers who suffered through the cannons, deaths, and other aggravations of the realities of war. Illustrated with engravings and sketches by contemporary artist Edwin Forbes, this gripping account by war correspondent George F. Williams is unique in its understanding of the bravery of combatants on both sides of the war.

Genres: History, Civil War, Military Fiction, Military History

458 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1992

Reviews

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy moly rocky!

As a Civil War re-enactor, I get to practice speaking 19th century English a lot. This book is the real deal! The author was a contemporary journalist, and his dialogue is spoken 19th century English. He takes the major battles of the Civil War and fictionalizes them through one of the main character. Great chance to "hear" how English sounded and how a contemporary viewed the battles we have read so much about on paper.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a novelized Civil War history that follows one character during his time in the Union Army from private to officer as a result of battlefield promotions. Not a "realistic" book by current standards, it still is interesting to see this sort of real life fiction in context of its original publishing date of 1884. Best read in that manner, but not necessarily if you're looking for simple entertainment.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work is a reprint of the 1884 volume which gave narrative accounts of individual soldiers' memories of the American Civil War. There are forty articles in the book.

[Gerald Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

'too much prep and intro. Should get into the day to day camp life of a trooper.