4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holding the Line, July 7, 2000
This review is from: Holding the Line: The Third Tennessee Infantry, 1861-1864 (Hardcover)
When it comes to telling the story of the Civil War through old diaries, this book ranks on the top. Flavel C. Barber, 3rd Tennessee Infantry, kept a diary through his entire service with the Confederate Army - beginning with Fort Donelson and going through the Atlanta Campaign where he was killed. The diaries, edited by Robert Ferell, are invaluable in helping Civil War scholars piece together bits of history from the past. The diarist, Flavel C. Barber, was a school teacher prior to enlisting in the Confederate Army. Perhaps, that gave Barber an edge to his style of writing and his accuracy in writing. The diaries are well written and almost poetic in spots. I consider this book to be one of the finest books available regarding Civil War history.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best-written but least-known soldier's accounts of the Civil War., June 18, 2010
This review is from: Holding the Line: The Third Tennessee Infantry, 1861-1864 (Hardcover)
281 pages long and at least copyrighted first in 1994, "Holding the Line" is an astoundingly good book. Written with a level of skill that matches and even surpasses the literary level of many modern Americans, it is a personal account of the Civil War as one truly dedicated Confederate knew it. Elected Captain when the 3rd Tennessee Infantry first organized as a state militia unit in 1861, Flavel C. Barber kept his rank when the unit reorganized upon entering Confederate service immediately after Tennessee seceded. The book begins with a retrospect account of the fighting at Fort Donelson and the 3rd Tennessee's entry into captivity. Held for months at two different prison camps, the enlisted men and officers of the 3rd were paroled at Vicksburg in 1862, and went on to fight many, many battles until the Army of Tennessee surrendered in 1865 at the war's end. Eventually promoted to Major, Barber led his regiment with sincerity and courage. He and the many other brave NCO's and officers in his regiment seem to have never once received any medals for what they did, as is often the case with young nations, especially ones that lose. But in reading his wartime diary, which after the account of Donelson notes the date, both number and day of the week, I became very convinced that Barber never much cared, nor did his comrades. As dedicated to the Confederate cause as any, Barber looked with a mixture of scorn, confusion, and dismay on deserters, cowards, and those who became pessimistic and sure of the CSA's defeat.
Major Flavel C. Barber was a great man, yet history at large has ignored him and the fine regiment in which he served. Barber displays a love for and loyalty to his wife, his army, and his country that cannot be surpassed, only equalled. His loyalty to all those things never flagged, nor did his devout belief in God. Not under fire, not in camp, not in prison, not at all. He was not a naive optimist, but an extremely loyal and brave man who maintained a sure belief that, in time, the Confederacy would be seen through to victory. Many of his entries are routine, some saddening, some happy, and they all add together to give the reader a fine picture of what kind of man Major Barber was. Early on in the war, Barber and some of his men fooled Kentucky citizens into thinking the Confederate Army had captured Daniel Boone's rifle. How the fake was discovered he does not say, but the story was quite entertaining, both for Barber and the reader. At another time, later on, Barber and his men saw the esteemed Robert E. Lee on horseback. He called on the men of the 3rd Tennessee, "Be cool", but Barber and his men laughed. Not out of scorn or disrespect, but because the idea was funny to them. The 3rd Tennessee, stay cool under fire? Since when had they done anything but? Lee soon realized this and told them he wasn't worried either, declaring he wasn't about to get killed by a ****ed Yankee.
Sadly, not only did the valiant efforts of the 3rd Tennessee ultimately come to naught, but Major Barber did not even live to see the war's end, to return to his Giles County, Tennessee home and his beloved wife, Mary. In a way, Barber was spared something. He didn't live to see the Confederate States, a nation he endured immense physical and mental hardship to save, fall despite his and many others' best efforts. But Major Flavel C. Barber kept his good spirit until the end- when he was fatally wounded during a successful uphill charge at the Battle of Resaca on May 14, 1864, it was found after he'd died the next morning that his diary had been premarked up to May 21, 1864. He'd fully expected to live to make those entries, and it's a real shame he didn't. Somewhat like Patton, his book is incomplete, and had he lived longer, a much finer second book, or a better, finished version of this one, might well have appeared. Instead, his diaries were many, many years later put together to make this fine book by one Robert H. Ferrell. I feel rather grateful to Ferrell, especially since Major Barber is, somehow or another, an ancestor of mine.
I think it should be noted that in his writing, Major Barber calls his Northern foes "Yankees" and blacks "Negroes". Some might take offense at one or the other, or perhaps both. But both words were considered perfectly acceptable at the time, especially when you consider a white man, especially in the American South, could go around calling blacks far less polite words than "Negro" and not get in trouble at all. Altogether, Major Barber is quite well-mannered and respectful in his mentioning those two groups.
In the end, while it is very sad that Major Flavel C. Barber didn't survive the war, a certain statement once made by General George S. Patton, III comes to mind, applicable to Barber and the 3rd Tennessee, men who can by no means be held responsible for the Confederacy's defeat- "It is foolish and wrong to mourn that such men died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.".
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
