Shiloh (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 2) [Hardcover]

James Reasoner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Here the series focuses on the Mississippi River. Prior to the war, Cory Brannon had gone west to seek his fortune and joins the crew of a steamboat whose captain has definite loyalties. Brannon soon finds himself at the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson and winds up at Pittsburg Landing, where the battle of Shiloh temporarily stymies the Union advance into the Confederate heartland.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a ripping good read." -- The Civil War News

From the Inside Flap

As the Civil War sweeps across the country, it finds the most wayfaring member of the Brannon family working as a wharf rat at the Mississippi port of New Madrid, Missouri. Cory Brannon's first step toward the fighting, however, doesn't take place at a recruiting office. Instead he's rescued from a bar fight and makes the acquaintance of Capt. Zeke Farrell of the riverboat Missouri Zephyr. Later, when a small party of men attempts to burn the boat, Cory sounds a timely warning and finds himself the newest member of the crew.

The Zephyr makes the journey from New Madrid to New Orleans in late 1861 and ventures as far north as Cairo, Illinois. During the passage, Cory matures professionally and personally and finds that he has an interest both in learning the ways of the rivermen and in his captain's daughter, Lucille. His interests, however, subside when the vessel reaches Cairo in early 1862 and is greeted by Union gunboats. The war is now on the water, and there is little room left for river commerce.

Farrell, his ship, and his cargo pass Yankee scrutiny so that the riverboat is allowed to continue on to the Tennessee River. Here the boat is drawn into the battle lines developing around two strongpoints on the river: Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson. At the same time, a Union force under Ulysses S. Grant is preparing to initiate the fight to claim the prime water route for the North. Cory and his crewmates must choose sides and join in the fight to see which side will control the river.

Cory learns what it's like to fight for one's beliefs. He experiences combat. He sees men fall in front of him and beside him. He is taken prisoner and paroled. He loses Lucy and searches for word of her well-being in Nashville and beyond. When he learns that Grant is preparing to move farther south, he tries to alert the Southern leaders of the danger growing in Western Tennessee. In the end he takes up arms again, this time at the battle of Shiloh, where the largest armies in the West collide to determine the fate of the war in the western theater.

Shiloh is the second book in a projected series of eight, spanning the Civil War and describing its effect on one southern family. The Brannon brothers answer the call to arms at different times, and the family finds itself struggling with dilemmas it never had considered.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581820488
• ISBN-13: 978-1581820485
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,529 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A common man caught up in uncommon events!, January 30, 2000

By 

Randal Greenwood (Hugoton, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shiloh (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I reccomend that you read this series in order beginning with Manassas if for no other reason that you will miss a very good novel. You will be able to read this novel and enjoy it without doing so, but it would be a pity. This book again kept me interested throughout. At first I wasn't sure I liked Cory Brannon very much, but he earned my respect and quickly became a favorite. This novel brings a glimpse of life along the mighty Mississippi river and the exciting days of the steamboat trade leading up to the war. As the inevitable war erupts you are swept up in the battles of Fort Henry and Donaldson for the control of the upper Mississippi. Finally, the novel culminates in the horrendous battle of Shiloh and you are there for every vivid moment. Although the action is sweeping, it is the people caught in the currents of the back ebbys of the war you will learn to love and care about that keeps the pages turning. I highly reccomend this novel for your entertainment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After Manassas, January 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shiloh (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

While reading "Manassas", the first of this eight volume fictional history of the U.S. Civil War is not absolutely necessary because the author subtly weaves in the backgound of a Culpepper, Virginia family's history, the enjoyment of this second volume is greatly enhanced if one does read volume one, first. Die-hard Civil War buffs may quibble that about the lack of an index indicating the serious research performed by the author. However, this skillfully woven tale is far too exciting to worry a great deal about accuracy. Mr. Reasoner lays the ground work for the oncoming war in his first volume and now moves into the scene at Shiloh faster and with more color. For lovers of adventure tales this second in the series may be more to their liking, but viewed in the broader context of the lengthy and costly war, it will be interesting to see where volume three carries us.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Brannon Saga Continues, May 6, 2003

By 

Westy (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shiloh (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 2) (Hardcover)

In SHILOH, we meet Corey Brannon, the prodigal son of the clan, who has wandered westward to make his fortune. Instead, he is living hand-to-mouth on the Mississippi River docks of New Madrid, Missouri. However, his life is soon to change, as fate thrusts him into the politics and intrigues of abolitionists and secessionists.

Meantime, in Culpepper, Titus continues his pursuit of Polly Ebersole, daughter of the wealthiest planter in the county. Will is off with the Confederate Army, while Mac, the second eldest, will also soon, along with the mysterious wild stallion he's tamed, be fighting for the cause of the South.

As is the preceding volume in James Reasoner's The Civil War Battle Series, SHILOH is a gripping, action-packed tale. the reader's interest is maintained throughout, and while the outcomes of the battles are, of course, never in doubt, the author maintains a high level of tension, keeping the reader guessing as to who will or will not survive.