Customer Reviews

Battle Flag (Isis Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"I think I died and went to hell. Maybe that's it Colonel. Maybe none of this is real. We're all in hell"

I cannot rate this book without talking about the brilliance of the whole series. Cornwell takes you from your reading room, and teleports you back to a simpler time. And you find out that it's not so simple. Set against the backdrop of the Eastern Theatre in the American Civil War, he portrays the massive carnage and greatest bravery in minute detail. You actually hear the cannons, and smell the rotting flesh of the wounded. Yet, the main plot does not take place amongst the gunfire outside. But, rather, within. It is a story of a soul, and his struggle with God, man, who he is, and what he stands for. Amidst the shouting, crying, blasting, and dieing...is a poor heart, searching for peace. I found Cornwell's protrayal of Nate Starbuck to be no less than perfect. I found myself rooting, questioning, hoping, and praying for this fictional character. For, I saw myself in Nate. The same questions, fears, and desires. When done, I walked away from this story with a different outlook on life, liberty, and what's truly important. As will you.

As the summer of 1862 passes, the Yankees once again maneuver and reinforce for a massive Virginia offensive they can never quite manage to begin. The Rebels repulse one attempt at Cedar Mountain. Lee, now in field command, sends Stonewall Jackson on a daring long march into the Yankees' rear, striking towards Manassas where the war's first big battle was fought. The Rebels are already hungry, ragged and ill-equipped, and as Jackson's probe develops, they barely have enough ammunition to fight. The two armies' maneuvering in Northern Virginia continues to take its toll on the countryside.

Nathaniel Starbuck is now a captain, uneasily under the command of his nemesis Washington Faulconer, who conspires to get rid of him. Unknown to Starbuck, his estranged father, Northern abolitionist preacher Elial Starbuck, is visiting the opposing lines, where he is constantly assured a decisive Union victory. Adam Faulconer now has joined a Union cavalry detachment composed entirely of pro-Union Southerners, whose knowledge of the Virginia countryside can help them raid behind enemy lines like the Rebels' Jeb Stuart. They make a bold move on the Faulconer Brigade. The eccentric Stonewall Jackson, who seems to confide only in God and Lee, inspires his men to go beyond themselves as "foot cavalry" to fight a force vastly superior in numbers and equipment.

In this third installment in the series, the action is located almost entirely in the field, without the Richmond scenes, intelligence intrigues and romantic complications of the earlier books. Cornwell does a fine job bringing Jackson's character to life; his battle scenes are, as always, vivid; and he imbues the reader with the ethoi that pervaded each side. The Union's inability to bring its well-supplied and numerically superior forces to bear is increasing frustration on its side, as McClellan's ponderous landing southeast of Richmond has come to nothing in the Peninsular Campaign, and the now equally ponderous repositioning back towards Manassas is under way. The Rebels, meanwhile, already feel the pinch of hunger and see they can only hang on through audacity, courage and luck. I can't think of any more enjoyable way to learn about the Civil War.

As a US History teacher, I am always looking for fiction that is historically accurate and yet exciting to read. The Starbuck series does that and "Battle Flag" is the best of the series.

Dr. Robert Massey

I continue to read and enjoy Cornwell's Civil War series. I do however, have problems with these books in two areas: 1) the same themes recur to the point of monotony; and 2) Cornwell is not all that competent historically.

With respect to the latter, he makes several errors in _Battle Flag_. These seem not so much due to ignorance, carelessness, or convenience, as to a desire by Cornwell to re-characterize history to fit his own prejudices.

For example, he attributes to Jackson an active role in troop management during the battles at Cedar Mountain and Second Manassas. The truth is quite the opposite; Jackson remained largely passive during both of those battles. That was one of his few notable weak points during the entire campaign.

Cornwell's treatment here is odd, in that he supposedly based the historical portions of this novel largely on John Hennessy's fine history, _Return to Bull Run_, which details Jackson's passivity during those battles at some length, calling his performance "mediocre".

If a bit of gratuitous generosity on Jackson's behalf can be excused, the unnecessary swipe Cornwell takes at Longstreet in the Historical Notes section is not so easily forgiven. Cornwell makes the statement that "Lee's victory might have been more complete had Longstreet attacked [sooner]." Hennessy explicitly expresses the opposite opinion: Longstreet and Lee independently choose the exact same moment for the attack, and it was at that precise moment when the Union forces were at their most vulnerable.

Cornwell is, in essence, another Jackson/Lee groupie who thinks all faults belong to Longstreet -- and he's willing to re-write history in order to advance his prejuduces. Stuff like that is fine for arguing about over beers, but it's dishonest.

Corwell's books are fun to read though.

This series is just getting better and better. Although I though it started out quite weakly this third installment is gripping. The characters are developed now and the descriptions of the battles are awesome. Overall, not only is it a very good read but highly informative as well. A kind of Flashman on the civil war but without too much humour

Bernard Cornwall is one of my favourite authors. His research is amazing and he weaves his story around actual events, bending it a little to make it work, that results in a compelling read. Hard to put Mr. Cornwall's books down.

In this third book of the Nathaniel Starbuck series by bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, our hero has recently been made a captain in the confederate army, after the successful victory at the Battle of Cedar Mountain. But this brigade commander from Rebel, General Washington Falconer, returns to cause problems for Starbuck. While battles rage with Confederates against Yankees, a new battle begins between two long-standing enemies, making one of the most decisive battle of the American Civil War, the Second Battle of Manassas, all the more vehement.

Originally published on November 4th, 2002.

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This series really help me peak my interest in the civil war. Cornwell is one of the best at historical fiction. A great story whilr learning at the same time.

I have been reading Bernard Cornwell's books one after the other for the last two years . The Starbuck series is one of his best . I have read all of the Sharp series , all the Saxon tales , The Grail Quest series , and am trying to read some of his stand alone novels now . He is a very good writer with a wonderful grasp of the details of history . I have read elsewhere about Jackson's "scarecrow army" , but nothing brought home the reality of the times as well as this author . Read this book , but do so in order of the series . His characters mature from book to book , so that is part of the fun .

I must admit that the Starbuck series doesn't grab me quite the way that some of the other Cornwell books do, but they are still very good in their own right. Cornwell manages to create suspense and great battle scenes as usual. He also finds a few great historical details to give a real period flavor to his descriptions. The way that the fog of war and the shock of violence are portrayed are stock Cornwell and they still always hit home.

One of the uneven things about this series is that the character development is slightly uneven, on the other hand the characters are all interesting and have very realistic elements.
Highly recommended for Cornwell fans and Civil War buffs. Others will still enjoy it but for your first Cornwell book it might be better to start with something else.