Customer Reviews

Days of Darkness: The Gettysburg Civilians

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A must read for all those interested in the Human interest factor during the battle of Gettysburg. This book is easy to read and keeps your attention throughout. William G. Williams has done a masterful job of bringing the horrors of this magnificent Battle to life. I've already read it twice and have given several copies to my Civil War buff friends.

What a super idea - take the information from the many diaries, journals, and first hand memories and turn it into a novel of sorts. With all of the facts and documentation at one's fingertips - and that is NOT including the computer/internet - one would think that this book would be an engulfing read filled with the sort of descriptions to literally take the reader back in time.
Unfortunately, Mr. Williams did not do his historical homework. Pretty much all he did was embellish a bit on the original words of the diarists, with an accent on 'A BIT'.
To have the idea turned opportunity, as Mr. Williams did with literally hundreds of books readily available, I must say I was sorely disappointed in the outcome.
First off, DESCRIPTION. There is very little to be found. He writes of the citizens entering their homes with little thought of what the rooms of their homes may have looked like; the kitchen, bedroom, cellar, even the houses themselves.
There is also very little insight to how these folks might have looked - what they wore, how they carried themselves. I mean, if you're going to write it out in story form then give us a mental picture. And there seems to be more telling of, rather than playing out, the scene. Pretty simplistic.
The other thing that really bugged me was the language usage. Again, how folks spoke at that time is readily available in a multitude of books, including original period novels as well as writer's guides for those who write period stories and novels. For example, in 'Days of Darkness' Mr. Williams writes, "...I recognized him as a recruit in Bell's Cavalry whom I knew, so I said, 'Hello, Bill, what's up?'" Hmmmm. Hello, Bill, what's up??? I don't think so. If one were to jet back in time and greet someone in that manner they would surely have been looked upon quite queerly (in the 19th century sense of the word). 'Hello' was not a greeting as we know it to be. That did not come around until a number of years after the invention of the telephone. And "what's up" is from the latter half of the 20th century.
Maybe it's because I avidly study social history that I notice these sort of blunders, but if one wants to write an accurate historical novel, then one should do their homework.
On the plus side, Mr. Williams does a good job in the telling of the events of the summer of 1863 in Gettysburg, which is why this book received a "3". And, as another reviewer commented, it would make a wonderful movie.
For those of you who would like to read the story of the Gettysburg civilians as told by those who were there, may I suggest "Firestorm At Gettysburg" by Slade and Alexander, and "Days of Uncertainty and Dread" by Gerald Bennett. Both books are as gripping as any period novel out there.

This book had great eyewitness accounts.I enjoyed it alot and would suggest it to any Civil War buff or anyone who would like to learn what it was like to be a civilian in the Civil War.

This book is a great read for someone who wants to have a citizen's perspective on the battle at Gettysburg. Even though I know a lot about the battle, itself, I learned that the town actually changed hands several times. The Civilians did not see Blue or Gray, but real men who were wounded, starving or just plain scared. I was especially taken by the knowledge that at times, the Union held the front porch of a house, while Confederate soldiers occupied the back porch, with the interior of the home being "no man's land". A great edition to any Civil War Historian's library.

People tend to think of the battle of Gettysburg and consider the famous fields such as Pickett's Charge, Wheatfield, Little Round Top and Culp's Hill to be the history while the civilians in town shared their own battle. The entire town was littered with sharpshooters, Confederate soldiers, the wounded and prisoners. The Gettysburg people were basically caught up in this fray and this book demonstrates the horrors and hardships that these people witnessed. Personal accounts are placed together in almost a novel-like format which places the reader quite easily within the action itself. Stories such as housing the wounded, losing a home, sharing food with the soldiers caught up in battle and witnessing the bloodshed are among the many stories within this great book. It is a must read for those looking to understand Gettysburg completely.

I read this incredible and rare perspective on the great battle and came away with a rather astounding cinematic vision for its telling. This author has chosen to invite us into a glimpse of farmland simple life interrupted by ghastly warfare that changed all the lives of its citizens forever. How often do we think of that concerning the Civil War battlefields? Amazing take. I bought one for a friend immediately afterwards. This absolutely MUST be a film someday!

William G. Williams does an excellent job of blending real life accounts of the Gettysburg Civilians to create an educational and compelling novel. Included in the book are photos of some of the civilians whose stories are being told, as well as a map of Gettysburg to help familiarize yourself with the areas the story takes place in. Many books have been written about the Battle of Gettysburg, but this is a great way to get an understanding of how the families and storekeepers were affected by the battle that literally took place in their backyard!

For the serious Civil War reader, this is a must! Billy Williams brings alive the haunted streets of the little college town of Gettysburg as its people struggled to survive the three darkest days in American history. Two enormous armies tore at each other relentlessly, men fighting and dying on the porches of the town, in the streets, the gardens, the schools. You will meet many of the residents of Gettysburg and will feel the terror that they felt as they dodged snipers' bullets, nursed the wounded, closed the eyes of the dead. There is heroism and cowardice, sacrifice and selfishness in this well done offering. When the battle was over, the armies left 50,000 casualties behind in once pretty little town. Graphic, agonizing, inspiring, loving...this book is all of that. A true star in the many offerings of that most savage of times in our history.