Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War [Paperback]

Ernest B. Furgurson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1997

On the day the first shots of the Civil War were fired, a mob in Richmond clambered on top of the Capitol to raise the Confederate flag. Four years later, another flag was raised in its place while the city burned below. A thirteen-year-old girl compared the stars and stripes to "so many bloody gashes." This richly detailed, absorbing book brings to life the years in which Richmond was the symbol of Southern independence and the theater for a drama as splendid, sordid, and tragic as the war itself. Drawing on an array of archival sources, Ashes of Glory portrays Richmond's passion through the voices of soldiers and statesmen, preachers and prostitutes, slaves and slavers. Masterfully orchestrated and finely rendered, the result is a passionate and compelling work of social history.



"Furguson is a lively writer with an eye for the apt quotation and the telling incident...He brings to life a diverse cast of characters."--Newsday


"Succeeds to a remarkable extent...Furguson brings war-torn Richmond to life."--Baltimore Sun

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The siege of Richmond, Virginia, is unlike anything in the history of America. For four years the Union soldiers tied an ever-tightening noose around the defiant city. That story--and the way Ernest B. Furgurson tells it--is reason enough to tackle this work. But even more fascinating is Furgurson's exploration of the minds of the residents who so passionately supported the Confederate cause. What twist of logic must have inspired a citizenry--many of whom never owned slaves--to plunge into one of history's bloodiest conflicts? Visit Richmond in its proudest moments, when it envisioned victory; visit Richmond in its darkest times, when it felt flames. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Following his definitive analysis in Chancellorsville 1863, Furgurson offers a splendid account of Richmond during the Civil War that proves that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. Using archival sources and first-person published accounts, he tells the story of a city that between 1861 and 1865 epitomized the experience of the Civil War as a revolutionary one. Capital of a state that had long opposed secession, Richmond now became the symbol of Southern independence. It also remained a center of clandestine Unionism that hosted a struggle between espionage networks matching anything seen in Cold War Berlin. Industrial hub of an agrarian society, Richmond, Furgurson demonstrates, was a focal point for changing race relations as blacks became ever more essential to the city's economy, inspiring fear among whites. Self-defined embodiment of traditional Southern values, wartime Richmond attracted the Confederacy's "new men" (and women): profiteers, madams, refugees. Furgurson is particularly successful in presenting the erosion of conventional standards and the increasing randomness of everyday life for everyone from congressmen to prostitutes. With each passing month, it became more apparent in Richmond that, no matter what the war's outcome, things would never be as they had been. Furgurson's dramatic depiction of the spectrum of individual responses to that fact, from resignation to affirmation, makes this work comparable to Alfred Doblin's fictional chronicle of another city in the throes of change: Berlin Alexanderplatz. Photos and maps not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Civil War Library Ed edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679746609
• ISBN-13: 978-0679746607
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #736,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Superb Work From Furgurson, March 24, 2001

By 

Steve Iaco (northern new jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War (Paperback)

I've read all three outstanding Civil War-era books by Ernest Furgurson, and "Ashes of Glory" is the finest of the them all. Where "Chancellorsville 1863" and "Not War, But Murder" focus on individual battles -- and do so superbly -- "Ashes of Glory" is as much social as military history. The book captures the emotions and experiences of the Richmond population throughout the war's five-year ordeal. Along the way, we meet an eclectic cast of characters: well known leaders like Lee and Jeff Davis; fire and brimstone editorial writers; Union loyalists; brothel madames; aristocrats-turned-hospital-care-givers, and just ordinary folk. One of the most interesting is Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist whose selfless (often brazen) acts of courage earn the eternal gratitude of Commanding General U.S. Grant.

Furgurson is an exceptional writer and storyteller. However, his true talent is in spicing his narrative with compelling anecdotes that bring his story to life. Especially poignant is his description of the defeated Lee's return to Richmond following Appomattox. The clandestine efforts to reclaim the body of a Union officer killed during a putative mission to assassinate Confederate leaders is another sparkling gem.

"Ashes of Glory" will make for engaging reading for anyone interested in U.S. history.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, April 12, 2002

By 

Lynn Robinson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War (Paperback)

I liked Furguson's book on Chancellorsville and decided to give this one a try. Good thing because this is simply the best book I have read on wartime Richmond. The book starts off in 1859 describing pre-war Richmond and the sentiment in the city. Furguson does a great job of using newspapers, diaries, and letters to convey how ordinary citizens felt during the war. The author does an excellent job portraying the economic, political, and military situation of wartime Richmond from lots of perspectives. This book is highly readable, fast-paced, and just a good read. Very interesting and informative.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and Fast Paced. Fascinating, May 29, 2000

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War (Paperback)

This book will enthrall the casual civil war reader and delight the enthusiast. Drawing on a wide range of first person accounts, the author does an excellent job of giving civil war era Richmond rhythm and life. As the fortunes of the Confederacy ebb and flow with each battle, so does the public mood in the capital of the rebellion. The author weaves this always interesting life of a city under seige and pregnant with the hope of a new history into a fascinating story. Not only are the thoughts and recollections of the history makers used (Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Govs. Lascher and Smith), but also the wartime experiences of junior officers, clerks, business people, spys, prostitutes and other everyday folk.

This book is an interesting tale of people coping with an impossible situation that progresses from overwhelming to calamitous over the course of the war. The experienced Civil War reader will enjoy learning about life in a City that is usually coverd as a military objective in most books of this genre

Recommended