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Rebel Boast: First at Bethel, Last at Appomattox
"First at Bethel, last at Appomattox," was their cry. Five young men from eastern North Carolina marched away to Big Bethel, and two lived to lay down their arms at Appomattox. Through their letters and diaries, see what kind of men they were and how they fought and triumphed and lost.
- GenresHistory
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 9, 2016
I hate myself for rating this book so poorly, but I just could not read this book. I limped painfully to page 50, and gave up in despair.
This sounded like the sort of book which I normally love to read. Story of five young men who enlist in the rebel cause in 1861, and fight through the entire war until it ends in 1865. All five of the young men are based on some of author Wellman's own ancestors who fought and died in the Civil War. Move of this book is based on Wellman's research into the letters and diary's of the soldiers, and other memories told him by the family years later. What is there not to love about this book?
My answer is: Footnotes. Author Wellman is constantly jumping back and forth from the story to the end of the book to be sure and inform you exactly where, in whose letter/diary/story he heard one Christmas... He seems to average about 3 footnotes per page of story. So you are jumping back and forth all the time, and lose your thoughts on the story.
It just seems to me that Wellman was not capable of deciding what he is writing here. Was it a work of fiction, or a detailing of the records in his family possession?
The title alone is enough to make a reader of historic fiction jump at this one. First at Bethel--Last at Appomattox. They fought in the first battle of the war, and were there until the bitter end. That's not a boast. It's a claim to fame that is worth better handling than this.
This sounded like the sort of book which I normally love to read. Story of five young men who enlist in the rebel cause in 1861, and fight through the entire war until it ends in 1865. All five of the young men are based on some of author Wellman's own ancestors who fought and died in the Civil War. Move of this book is based on Wellman's research into the letters and diary's of the soldiers, and other memories told him by the family years later. What is there not to love about this book?
My answer is: Footnotes. Author Wellman is constantly jumping back and forth from the story to the end of the book to be sure and inform you exactly where, in whose letter/diary/story he heard one Christmas... He seems to average about 3 footnotes per page of story. So you are jumping back and forth all the time, and lose your thoughts on the story.
It just seems to me that Wellman was not capable of deciding what he is writing here. Was it a work of fiction, or a detailing of the records in his family possession?
The title alone is enough to make a reader of historic fiction jump at this one. First at Bethel--Last at Appomattox. They fought in the first battle of the war, and were there until the bitter end. That's not a boast. It's a claim to fame that is worth better handling than this.
January 19, 2011
Unlike many histories, which focus on the great events and the famous people, this is a story of the American Civil War as seen by a group of common soldiers, Confederates from a relatively small town who enlisted and served together. Their story, as compiled and told by a man known for both his fiction and non-fiction works, was a fascinating narrative derived from their diaries and letters.
Because this is a faithful work of history, not every viewpoint will be comfortable for the readers, and not every character in the story survives to the final page. Wellman's use of the term "servant" for two of the slaves mentioned in the story might be criticized today, but at that time the term was an accurate job description for the two men, both personal slaves as opposed to slaves who worked in a field somewhere. They were afforded higher status and better treatment, as personal servants to specific individuals. In some cases, like those mentioned in the book, this led to a loyalty to their masters that is difficult to understand today, but it did happen.
The real heart of the story is the human side of warfare. The reader sees the ups and downs of military campaigns, but the most telling piece of information in each chapter is the slowly shrinking size of the units containing the central characters. An army, worn away by military action, disease, and simple exhaustion, just can't fight forever.
Because this is a faithful work of history, not every viewpoint will be comfortable for the readers, and not every character in the story survives to the final page. Wellman's use of the term "servant" for two of the slaves mentioned in the story might be criticized today, but at that time the term was an accurate job description for the two men, both personal slaves as opposed to slaves who worked in a field somewhere. They were afforded higher status and better treatment, as personal servants to specific individuals. In some cases, like those mentioned in the book, this led to a loyalty to their masters that is difficult to understand today, but it did happen.
The real heart of the story is the human side of warfare. The reader sees the ups and downs of military campaigns, but the most telling piece of information in each chapter is the slowly shrinking size of the units containing the central characters. An army, worn away by military action, disease, and simple exhaustion, just can't fight forever.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews