Chancellorsville (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 4) [Paperback]

James Reasoner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

In the fourth book of this ten-volume series, the action is divided between northern Virginia and the western front. In Vickburg, Cory Brannon finds Lucille Farrell, his sweetheart, and also helps to establish a supply line from Texas, bringing food, weapons, and ammunition into the besieged city. That path, however, is strewn with renegades and outlaws, and on the horizon there may be a rival for Lucille's affections. Meanwhile, in Culpeper County, Virginia, after a brief visit to the family farm by Will and Mac, the newlywed Titus feels obliged to answer the call to duty. The South gains a gifted rifleman in time for the December 13, 1862, battle of Fredericksburg. Also thrown into the fray is Nathan Hatcher, former beau to Cordelia Brannon, although his uniform is Union blue. After the terrible Federal defeat, news comes that Titus has been lost. In her grief, Titu's widow, Polly, finds a comforting friend in Henry, the youngest of the Brannon sons. As winter turns to spring in early 1863, a fitful calm pervades the Virginia front until the Union army marches into the Virginia wilderness again and confidently stalks Robert E. Lee. Near a roadside inn at Chancellorsville, Will and Mac witness the boldest move a field commander can make and observe firsthand the greatest loss the Confederacy can ill afford--the wounding and subsequent death of Stonewall Jackson.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reasoner's battle narrative provides equal parts pathos and accuracy. -- Publishers Weekly, October 9, 2000

Romance replaces animosity as the preferred passion on the home front. -- Civil War Book Review, Winter 2001 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

One might wonder how our ancestors survived the tension and heartaches of the Civil War: how parents lost their sons, how families lost their land, how the notions of freedom and equality were forever altered. The Civil War Battle series allows readers to experience the war through the trials, discoveries, and battles of the Brannons, a fictional family living in Virginia. Reasoner has created an incredible fictional tale and interweaved historical information throughout the work. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581823002
• ISBN-13: 978-1581823004
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A lifelong Texan, Reasoner has been a professional writer for more than thirty years. In that time, he has authored several hundred novels and short stories in numerous genres. Best known for his Westerns, historical novels, and war novels, he is also the author of two mystery novels that have achieved cult classic status, Texas Wind and Dust Devils. Writing under his own name and various pseudonyms, his novels have garnered praise from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as appearing on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. He lives in a small town in Texas with his wife, award-winning fellow author Livia J. Washburn.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME!!, November 1, 2000

By 

Anne B. Burgamy (Milledgeville, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chancellorsville (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 4) (Hardcover)

This book is WONDERFUL! I've read all of them in the Civil War Battle Series and each one gets better, if that is possible. I only wish Mr. Reasoner could write faster and get them published quicker; it's gonna be hard to wait for #5 (Vicksburg) to come out in Spring 2001. His style of writing puts one right in the action, you feel as if you are in the middle of the battles. His facts are accurate and putting the Brannon family into the midst of the Civil War just makes the reading that much better. I would recommend these books to anyone who is interested in Civil War history. Keep them coming!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More Soap Opera than Battles this time around, April 16, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Chancellorsville (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 4) (Hardcover)

"Chancellorsville" is Book 4 by James Reasoner in The Civil War Battle Series, and from the title and the painting of Stonewall Jackson on the cover you know that this particular volume will end with the general's death after the battle. The question is which Brannon brothers will be around when Stonewall is shot by his own troops and dies from complications with pneumonia a few days later. After all the battles covered in the previous volume, "Antietam," this book is rather sparse on actual combat, saving both Fredericksburg and the title battle until the last chapters. Reasoner's narrative also suffers because the first half deals with the adventures of Cory Brannon in Vicksburg, which is not yet besieged by Grant's western Army. This presents several problems. First, the emphasis is more on the soap opera elements of the series, with Cory searching for his beloved Lucille Farrell. Second, the narrative switches back and forth between Cory in the west and the rest of the Brannons back in Virginia for the first half of the book before focusing entirely on the eastern theater for the last half (and the chronology does not seem to match up exactly). The soap opera elements are even more present back in Culpeper as Titus' marriage to Polly falls apart and he leaves to join the Army. Every time the soap opera elements intrude I have to resist the urge to skip ahead: Polly keeps visiting her father's room in the middle of the night, the new Preacher kisses Abigail, there is a rich Major who covets Mac's stallion, Nathan Hatcher keeps having chance encounters with the Brannon brothers. When we finally get to the two main battle of the book, it seems like too little too late. The Brannons continue to dodge the bullets for the most part, although there is one major setback, and their familiarity with famous Confederate generals a necessary convention. But I cannot believe they are all going to get out of this war alive, but the family is intact as of early 1863. The next volume is entitled "Vicksburg," which is interesting since the siege ends concurrently with the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. Hopefully Reasoner will keep us closer to the battlefields next time around.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chancellorsville by James Reasoner, March 7, 2001

By 

Lou Pagano (Zionsville, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chancellorsville (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 4) (Hardcover)

Fourth in the series by James Reasoner. The Brannon sons continue their adventures during the civil war. A quick, lite,enjoyable read yet very superficial with regard to historical details. You could read this book in a single sitting if you were so inclined.