War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta [Hardcover]

Russell S. Bonds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1594161003 | ISBN-13: 978-1594161001 | Edition: 1st Edition

An absolute pleasure to read.” —Civil War News

“The freshness of the writing style, the pace of the story, and the handling of an entire campaign is as compelling as Bruce Catton’s landmark Army of the Potomac trilogy.” —Civil War Librarian

“Well-researched and well-written. . . . excellent character sketches. . . vivid and moving. . . . maps and diagrams of the battles are outstanding.” —Bowling Green Daily News

“Magnificent.”—Civil War Notebook

Excellent. . . Bonds provides the reader with a memorable and moving portrait of a besieged city." —Booklist

"For all Atlanta’s passion and fiery agony in that long ago time, one must now consult history books, and there is none better than 'War Like the Thunderbolt.'”—John Sledge, Mobile Press-Register

"This gripping story of the battles for Atlanta in 1864 provides new insights on a campaign that ensured Lincoln’s reelection and the ultimate destruction of the Confederacy. Russell S. Bonds has an impressive ability to combine combat narrative with shrewd analyses of commanders’ performances.” —James M. McPherson, author of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

“Through the power of Margaret Mitchell’s words and the film they inspired, the struggle for Atlanta became all that most folks needed to know about our nation’s four-year bloodbath. In War Like the Thunderbolt, using his skills as both historian and storyteller, Russell S. Bonds has given us what might have seemed impossible—a fresh, new look back at Atlanta.” —Robert Hicks, author of The Widow of the South

Called “the greatest event of the Civil War” by New York diarist George Templeton Strong, the epic struggle for the city of Atlanta in the bloody summer of 1864 was a pivotal moment in American history. Union commander William Tecumseh Sherman’s relentless fight for the city secured the reelection of Abraham Lincoln, sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy, and set a precedent for military campaigns that endures today. Its depiction in the novel and motion picture Gone with the Wind established the fight for Atlanta as an iconic episode in our nation’s most terrible war. In War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta, award-winning author Russell S. Bonds takes the reader behind the lines and across the smoky battlefields of Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, and Jonesboro, and into the lives of fascinating characters, both the famous and the forgotten, including the fiery and brilliant Sherman; General John Bell Hood, the Confederacy’s last hope to defend Atlanta; Benjamin Harrison, the diminutive young Indiana colonel who would rise to become President of the United States; Patrick Cleburne, the Irishmanturned- Southern officer; and ten-year-old diarist Carrie Berry, who bravely withstood and bore witness to the fall of the city. Here also is the dramatic story of the ordeal of Atlanta itself—the five-week artillery bombardment, the expulsion of its civilian population, and the infamous fire that followed. Based on new research in diaries, newspapers, previously unpublished letters, and other archival sources, War Like the Thunderbolt is a combination of captivating narrative and insightful military analysis—a stirring account of the battle and burning of the “Gate City of the South.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Through the power of Margaret Mitchell's words and the film they inspired, the struggle for Atlanta became all that most folks needed to know about our nation's four-year bloodbath. Russell S. Bonds has courageously focused his sights on retelling the story in War Like The Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta. Through the depth of his research and his skills as both historian and storyteller, Bonds has given us what might have seemed impossible--a fresh, new, and impressive look back at Atlanta." --Robert Hicks, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Widow of the South

"This gripping story of the battles for Atlanta in 1864 provides new insights on a campaign that ensured Lincoln's reelection and the ultimate destruction of the Confederacy. Russell S. Bonds has an impressive ability to combine combat narrative with shrewd analyses of commanders' performances." --James M. McPherson, author of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

From the Publisher

In War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta, award-winning author Russell S. Bonds (Stealing the General) presents the epic story of what a Union observer called "the greatest event of the Civil War"--the struggle for the city of Atlanta and the terrible fate that then befell the town and its citizens. The title is taken from a letter that Union commander William Tecumseh Sherman wrote on the eve of his campaign into Georgia: "War, like the thunderbolt follows its laws," he said, "and turns not aside even if the beautiful, the virtuous and charitable stand in its path." Sherman's relentless fight for Atlanta secured the reelection of Abraham Lincoln, sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy and set a precedent for military campaigns and war on civilian infrastructure that endures today.

Based on new research in diaries, letters (some previously unpublished), newspapers and other archival sources, War Like the Thunderbolt takes the reader across smoky battlefields--Bald Hill, Peachtree Creek, Ezra Church, and Jonesboro--and into the lives of fascinating characters, both the famous and the forgotten, including the fiery and brilliant Sherman, General John Bell Hood, the Confederacy's last hope to defend Atlanta, the Irishman-turned-Southern officer Patrick Cleburne, the diminutive young Indiana colonel, Benjamin Harrison, who would rise to become President of the United States, and ten-year-old diarist Carrie Berry, who bravely withstood and bore witness to the fall of the city. War Like the Thunderbolt, like its fictional counterpart Gone With the Wind, is also the story of the ordeal of Atlanta itself--the five-week artillery bombardment, the expulsion of its civilian population, and the infamous fire that followed. Beautifully written and authoritative, War Like the Thunderbolt is a stirring account of the battle and burning of the "Gate City of the South."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Westholme Publishing; 1st Edition edition (September 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594161003
• ISBN-13: 978-1594161001
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atlanta is the focus August 19, 2009

By James W. Durney TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is not the book I expected. My expectations were 544 pages of front, flank & feints dealing with Sherman's maneuvers around the city. My expectations were a book long on battle details, Confederate army politics and the election of 1864. The Preface of my book could not start with filming the burning of Atlanta for "Gone With the Wind"! My expectations for this book and the author's insights are why one of us writes reviews and the other writes books!
Russell S. Bonds, the author of the excellent "Stealing the General", turns a military campaign into a history of Atlanta from the arrival of Sherman's armies to when they abandon the city. By placing the city in this critical role, he emphasizes how important Atlanta is in the Fall of 1864. Sherman vs. Hood or Hood vs. Johnston is not the major story. The major story is Atlanta trying to survive as part of the Confederacy, then as an occupied city and last as a desolate ruined shell. Starting with "Gone With the Wind", ties the popular understanding to the real events in 1864 and how we see them now.
This is a complete history of Atlanta from July to October 1864. The first 90 pages are a summary of the campaign coupled with an excellent introduction of Sherman, Johnston and Hood. This introduction is followed by about 260 pages of solid history that never losses Atlanta as the central character. The presentation of battles is on the division level, which works very well in this type of history. Each battle is covered, with maps in the proper places. The assessment of the results is fair to all parties. The problems of terrain, subordinate commanders exceeding orders or failing to follow orders, the wearing down of the men and refusal to properly plan are detailed. The reader must judge as the author refuses to fall into the Crazy Bill or Old Wooden Head trap.
The heart of this book is the city and the civilians. The constant thread is what is happening inside the city to the people and the physical structure. We cheer armies marching to battle, watch the sad parade of wounded, bury the dead and suffer the bombardment. After the city falls, we endure the occupation, the expulsion of the people and the "Burning of Atlanta" as Sherman leaves. This emphasis makes this unique book such a fine history. The city is the focus and the author never allows us to lose our focus. In doing so, the reader comes to understand the importance of Atlanta as a symbol in 1864.
The chapter "Resurgens" tells the story of Atlanta's recovery to about 1886. These twenty pages is a look at how the South recovers from the war and the process of reconciliation. This is complemented by an excellent Afterword covering the major players and how we came to view their actions. The author includes a "guide" to the lost battlefields, always a sad part of any book. Atlanta did little to preserve the battlefields but the author gives us an idea of where they are and their present condition.
This is a fully footnoted indexed book with many illustrations, campaign and battle maps. The footnotes expand the text and are worth reading. This may not be the definitive book on the battle and burning of Atlanta but it is one that needs to be read. It is a valuable addition to my Atlanta Campaign books and will stay in my library.

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves Thunderous Applause August 24, 2009

By Michael J. Kline

Format:Hardcover

Russell S. Bonds "War Like the Thunderbolt is a magnificent work, from the wonderfully rendered and useful frontispiece map to the heartfelt acknowledgments on the last page. But it is the magesterial glory of the pages between the covers of this finely crafted masterpiece of a book that vividly bring the true story of the Battle and Burning of Atlanta to life. Readers are drawn into the drama from the first sentence, as the Prologue delivers both foreshadowing of the events to come and a fascinating look at what made this subject one of the most popular films and novels of all time--"Gone With the Wind." Key characters Sherman, Johnston, and Hood are introduced to set up the chessboard, and the momentum builds. Battle scenes are interspersed with plenty of action and first hand accounts that almost make you smell the smoke, experience the ear-ringing din of battle, and feel the heartache of war's human toll. Even the meticulously researched footnotes provide absorbing reading. Bond's faithful and eloquent reportage sings and resonates with the power and prose of Shelby Foote's great works, and "War Like the Thunderbolt" may well serve as the definitive Atlanta counterpart to Foote's account of Gettysburg, "Stars in Their Courses."

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atlanta is the Star August 27, 2009

By Old North State

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Atlanta is the star of this engrossing, compelling story of the city during wartime and afterward. The writing is excellent, carrying the reader along effortlessly. The description of battles and maneuvers, while not the major focus, is clear and detailed enough to be highly informative, especially for readers who have not studied these battles and the siege carefully. Moreover, easily read maps aid in this part of the story. The major characters involved, including the leaders of the Union and Confederate armies, are graphically described without resorting to stereotypes. Interesting comments from various soldiers and citizens are interspersed throughout, but he city and its residents remain the major concern. Where the author ventures opinion about the events, there is always room for disagreement, though his opinions are not intrusive. For example, he opines that Sherman had no reason to think that shelling the city would result in military advantage.. Thinking back to Sherman's shelling of Jackson, MS in July 1864, when Joe Johnston was there, might lead one to argue the point. Johnston says he evacuated Jackson when he realized it was going to be pulverized by Sherman. But this is a minor point and such opinions have the possibility of adding interest if the reader is one who has developed his own opinions on these matters. This book is highly recommended, both for an introduction to Atlanta in 1864 and beyond, as well as for the experienced reader.