We Look Like Men of War [Hardcover]

William R. Forstchen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2001

From the bestselling author of The Lost Regiment series comes a factually based narrative of the black military experience in the Civil War.

We Look Like Men of War

"I was born a slave, as was my father before me, but I shall die a free man...."

Thus begins the poignant story of Samuel Washburn, born a slave in 1850. A young master's cruelty leads to an unforeseen confrontation, which forces Sam and his cousin to flee the plantation. They run north to freedom, only to return south to fight for the greater cause.

Though still a boy, Sam becomes a regimental drummer with a "colored regiment" and sees action in the Wilderness campaign at Fredericksburg and Petersburg, as well as at the bloody Battle of the Crater in July of 1864.

Sam's voice offers a unique and insightful perspective on the carnage of the War Between the States and the toll it took on both young and old, black and white.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like Tom Willard's Black Sabre Chronicles, this based-in-fact narrative recounts the longoverlooked contributions of African American military personnel. Using the Civil War as his venue, Forstchen chronicles the experiences of Sam Washburn, a former slave who returns south to fearlessly fight for freedom. Sam, a member of a "colored regiment," provides firsthand accounts of several pivotal battle campaigns from the unique perspective of a black man in the predominantly white Union army. Though merely a drummer boy, young Sam manages to play a key role in the disastrous Battle of the Crater. Action and adventure abound in this heartfelt tribute to the heroism of black soldiers during the Civil War. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

William R. Forstchen is a professor of history at Montreat College in North Carolina. He did his doctoral thesis on the 28th U.S. Colored Troops who fought during the Civil War.

He is also the author of the bestselling SF Civil War series The Lost Regiment. Forstchen was Newt Gingrich's coauthor on the bestselling alternate history novel 1945 and was coeditor of the nonfiction anthology It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (December 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765301148
• ISBN-13: 978-0765301147
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN has a Ph.D. from Purdue University with specializations in Military History and the History of Technology. He is a Faculty Fellow and Professor of History at Montreat College. He is the author of over forty books, including the New York Times bestselling series Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor (coauthored with Newt Gingrich), as well as the award-winning young adult novel We Look Like Men of War. He has also authored numerous short stories and articles about military history and military technology. His interests include archaeological research on sites in Mongolia, and as a pilot he owns and flies an original World War II "recon bird." Dr. Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his teenage daughter Meghan and their small pack of golden retreivers and yellow labs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating!, November 19, 2001

By 

J. Mina (N. Ft. Myers, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Look Like Men of War (Hardcover)

I had the pleasure of obtaining a review copy of this book and simply could not put it down. "We Look Like Men of War," works os so many different levels and that is what I found so fascinating. It stares as a simple, almost gentle tale, but then inexorably builds to the climax, the Battle of the Crater, one of the most tragic battles of the Civil War. Forstchen has managed to avoid so many of the stereotypes that are out there when it comes to fiction about the Civil War, and especially fiction related to slavery, race relations, and the deployment of black troops with the Union Army. I understand that this work is actually based on research he did while working on his doctoral dissertation, and the research in so many fine nuances and details that are slipped into the story. I, as a reader, got a glimpse of what it was really like, not just for African-Americans soldiers but for any soldier who fought in our nation's greatest struggle. This would make an excellent textbook for teachers wanting their students to learn about slaves and free men who served in the United States Colored Troops.
Anyone intetrested in American History, Black History, or just wants a great, stimulating book should give this one a try.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: We Look Like Men of War (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book that I have really enjoyed reading. Though it is the kind of book that can really only be read once, that one time is killer! It is really hard to put down and is a great read!

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, quick read, May 28, 2011

By 

W. Ivey (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: We Look Like Men of War (Hardcover)

Really enjoyed it. The style seems to be aimed at the young adult market and, thus, is different from some of his other books. The chapters involving the Battle of the Crater were especially interesting - and damning to the officers who decided to send in untrained troops instead of the colored regiments that had been training for days.