Courage on Little Round Top: A Historical Novel [Paperback]

Thomas M. Eishen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels is the sweeping story of the Battle of Gettysburg told from the point of view of officers from both sides of the fight. Thomas Eishen's Courage on Little Round Top is a detailed look at one of the battle's most be

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . .a refreshing retelling of a saga to be enjoyed by battle buffs and those who delight in historical fiction." -- John R. Valley, Historical Novel Society

"A sweeping re-creation that fills in the gaps of Chamberlain's story and the battle at Little Round Top." -- Robert Vaughan, Brandywine's War: Back In Country

"Courage On Little Round Top" provides interesting and well-researched reading. -- Joel Craig, Editor The Bivouac

"Robert Wicker and Joshua Chamberlain . . . Eishen has lifted them out of those dry historical accounts and given them character." -- Sterling Rogers, The Society for the Study of the Southwest

. . . The battle for Little Round Top is brought to life straight from the pages of Eishen's book. -- Robert A. Niepert, Florida Reenactors Online.com

. . . a commendable job of conveying Civil War history through dialogue fashioned for its participants. -- Washington Times September 16, 2006

. . .authentic background gives a realistic feel for what happened to the people involved. -- The Historical Novel Society, May 2006

Eishen has lifted them (Robert Wicker and Joshua Chamberlain) out of those dry historical accounts and given them character. -- Texas Books in Review (Fall/Winter 2005-2006)

How characters personally deal with fate makes this book a must read for all Civil War buffs. -- Kathi Schue, President, Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association

From the Publisher

If you've read The Killer Angels, Courage on Little Round Top is a must read. The author did a great job with the book.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: Skyward Publishing (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881554384
• ISBN-13: 978-1881554387
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCITING STORY OF COURAGE & BRAVERY!!!!!, December 7, 2004

By 

Lester E Williams "Les" (Lincoln, Nebraska United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courage on Little Round Top: A Historical Novel (Paperback)

Robert Wicker of the Fifteenth Alabama Regiment is promoted to Second Lieutentant after his predecessor was killed in action. Robert's regiment along with the rest of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia are now on northern soil. Soon they will be at the crossroads of a small Pennsylvania town. It is here that Wicker will take part in the deciding battle of the Civil War. At a place named Gettysburg. Commanding the Army of the Potomac is George Meade. It is his responsibility to defeat Lee and prevent the southern army from marching on Washington. Among the many officers in Meade's command is a former professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the commanding officer of the 20th Regiment of Infantry, Maine Volunteers. Brigadier General Evander Law's brigade, in which Robert is a part of, is ordered to turn the Union left flank. This will require attacking up the hill of a formation known as Little Round Top. With the Confederates gaining ground and moving up the hill, Colonel Chamberlain and his men find themselves out of ammunition with few options. It is then that Lawrence did the unthinkable. He orders his men to fix bayonets and charge down the hill to meet the advancing Rebels. In this fierce fighting Chamberlain and Wicker come face to face. Lawrence with is drawn sword and Robert with his Colt. Wicker takes aim at Chamberlain's head. COURAGE ON LITTLE ROUND TOP recounts those events leading up to the confrontation between Chamberlain and Wicker. Thomas M. Eishen helps us understand this historic Civil War battle and the brave men who fought and died on three hot days in July of 1863.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Following in the footsteps of "The Killer Angels", September 1, 2006

By 

Thomas J. Ryan (Bethany Beach, DE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courage on Little Round Top: A Historical Novel (Paperback)

If you have read Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" and Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" you have an excellent basis to read and enjoy Thomas Eishen's novel that combines some of the aspects of both. This book features Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a prominent character in Shaara's novel, and Lt. Robert Wicker, who is only alluded to by Shaara.

Eishen's novel unfolds around the impending confrontation between these two men on July 2, 1863 on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg. Wicker, whose unit is the 15th Alabama, had fled the scene during a previous battle, and, like Private Henry Fleming in "The Red Badge of Courage" worries that he in fact may be a coward. Since many of the soldiers in his company are friends and relatives from back home in Alabama, his fear is that a repeat performance in battle will make him a laughingstock and he will become an embarrassment to his family members. Chamberlain, on the other hand, has to deal with his two well-intentioned but meddlesome brothers who are members of his staff.

Eishen does a fine job of relating the evolution of these events through dialogue fashioned for these characters. The run-up to the actual confrontation between Chamberlain and Wicker is an interesting perspective on the daily lives of the common soldier in camp and while on the march.

First time novelist Thomas Eishen has done a commendable job of describing these fast-paced events, and readers will find that the situation only alluded to in "The Killer Angels" takes on new meaning, and the characters involved come alive.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for a classroom, January 1, 2006

By 

Caitlin Elizabeth "CE" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Courage on Little Round Top: A Historical Novel (Paperback)

Mr. Eishen's book is entertaining and historically factual. A lot of research has obviously gone into this novel. This book challenges "Killer Angels" as an equally respectable and educational novel that could be read in jr. highs and middle schools throughout the nation. This novel is hard to put down because it draws you into the action and doesn't let you go. I would love to see this book on future reading lists for schools.