Customer Reviews

Vicksburg (Civil War Battle)

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

 

 

"Vicksburg," Book 5 in James Reasoner's Civil War Battle Series continues the Soap Opera saga about the Brannon Family, this time around focusing on wandering son Cory and the Western Theater of the war. Most of the action happens concurrently with some of the events covered in the previous volume, "Chancellorsville" and I assume the next book will be "Gettysburg" and provide some overlap as well. Of course, Vickburg is more of a siege than a battle, and my biggest complaint is that we do not really get a sense of that siege. The last couple of months fly bye quite quickly and suddenly the city is being surrendered to Grant's Union forces. But the driving force of the narrative is not the attempt to take the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River but whether Cory will live long enough to marry his beloved Lucille Farrell. Even though he is still a civilian, Cory manages to become involved in all sorts of escapades that put him in the right place at the right time to be around during the key fighting in this campaign.

The centerpiece of the novel is when Cory joins Nathan Bedford Forrest on his famous raid behind Union lines, but it is hard to focus on the military engagements when our hero is paying attention the calendar and trying to figure out if he can make it back to Vicksburg in time for his planned wedding. At other times Reasoner reduces major military operations to a few concise paragraphs so we can get back to our young lovers. However, I must say that that just when it seemed like Lucille was going to carry out an act of vulgar stupidity in the name of love, she actually did the smart thing. But ultimately things move too quickly to really give us a sense of how long and hard of a struggle the siege of Vicksburg was for those trapped in the city.

All of these books are perfect for a day at the beach or wherever you head for vacation this summer. As with the rest of the series, "Vicksburg" is more of a Soap Opera than a military history, and devote Civil War buffs are going to note every opportunity passed over to make this lengthy tale more authentic. Readers of the series know full well that the particular "battle" that serves for the title of each book is only going to pop up at the end, so the series title remains something of a misnomer. However, we know the Brannon family is not going to make it through this war unscathed and it will be interesting to see which of the clan is left standing at the end.

Mr. Reasoner has done it again! His books are an easy read and provide a unique view of the "War of Northern Aggression" from a fictional standpoint. Many of the "friendships" between the Brannon boys and the famous men of the South (e.g. Forrest, Jackson, Stuart, etc.) are a little stretched but it is a good way to introduce their personalities into the series without compromising historical accuracy. Looking for the next one!

In Vicksburg, despite the courageous efforts of Cory Brannon and his companions to bring supplies to the embattled city, the Union noose continues to tighten, as the Yankees are determined to seize the last obstacle to Northern control of the Mississippi River.

Cory and his now-fiancee, Lucille Farrel, face multiple perils of their own, as they plan for a wedding. Circumstances will conspire to interfere with those plans, as Cory, despite his best intentions, finds himself on yet another dangerous mission for the Confederacy.

Once again, VICKSBURG had me looking forward to the next volume in The Civil War Battle Series. James Reasoner writes characters who the reader truly cares about, even a Yankee such as myself. And, as always, his books are meticulously researched. These are not the books for a Civil War buff interested only in the minute details of each battle of the war, but for anyone interested in lively historical fiction, all the books in this series are highly recommended.

This 5th in the series is WONDERFUL as are the first 4. I read this one in about 2 nights 'cause I couldn't put it down! My only complaint is that Mr. Reasoner doesn't get the sequels published quick enough - please hurry with the others. These are books that rank right up there with others that I own that I could easily read over and over.

Keep up the good work!!!

I realize that this series is about the Brannon family. However Vicksburg was the turning point of the Civil War. On July 4, 1863 Grant takes Vicksburg and on the same day Lee is forced to withdraw from Gettysburg. I truly think that a little more time could have been given to the end of the Siege of Vicksburg. Cory's concern of not making it in time for the wedding is not more important. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"