Battle Flag (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 3) [Paperback]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

Distinguished at the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Confederate Captain Nate Starbuck's career is jeopardized once again by the suspicion and hostility of his brigade commander, General Washington Faulconer. The outcome of this vicious fight drastically changes both men's fortunes and propels AX into the ghastly bloodletting at the Second Battle of Manassas.

Evocative and historically accurate, Battle Flag continues Bernard Cornwell's powerful series of Nate's adventures on some of the most decisive battlefields of the American Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb series." -- San Jose Mercury News

"Cornwell is more than a great storyteller.... An excellent history of the Civil War in the eastern theater." -- Flint Journal

"The best thing to hit Civil War fiction... one of the finest authors of military historical fiction today." -- Washington Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

In the third book of the Starbuck Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell's fascinating Civil War series whose first two novels, Rebel and Copperhead, won praise and a host of enthusiasts, Nate Starbuck faces a supreme test of courage and leadership on the battlefield of Second Manassas. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Perennial edition (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060937181
• ISBN-13: 978-0060937188
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernard Cornwell was born in London in 1944 - a 'warbaby' - whose father was a Canadian airman and mother in Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted by a family in Essex who belonged to a religious sect called the Peculiar People (and they were), but escaped to London University and, after a stint as a teacher, he joined BBC Television where he worked for the next 10 years. He began as a researcher on the Nationwide programme and ended as Head of Current Affairs Television for the BBC in Northern Ireland. It was while working in Belfast that he met Judy, a visiting American, and fell in love. Judy was unable to move to Britain for family reasons so Bernard went to the States where he was refused a Green Card. He decided to earn a living by writing, a job that did not need a permit from the US government - and for some years he had been wanting to write the adventures of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars - and so the Sharpe series was born. Bernard and Judy married in 1980, are still married, still live in the States and he is still writing Sharpe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pushing On, April 19, 2000

By 

Jeff Hubbard (Kent, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Flag (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

"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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable way to learn about the Civil War, January 27, 2010

By 

Daniel Berger (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battle Flag (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 3) (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes history live!, November 17, 2008

By 

Dr. Robert Massey (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Flag (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 3) (Paperback)

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