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War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta Paperback – September 2, 2010
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A masterpiece of prose and research, the definitive history of the struggle for Atlanta during the Civil War, an episode immortalized by the novel Gone with the Wind
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 Based on new research in diaries, newspapers, previously unpublished letters, and other archival sources, War Like the Thunderbolt is a combination of captivating narrative and insightful military analysis—a stirring account of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.”
- Print length544 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWestholme Publishing
- Publication dateSeptember 2, 2010
- Dimensions6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101594161275
- ISBN-13978-1594161278
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Review
“One of the finest Civil War books in years.”—Mobile Press-Register
“Excellent. . . . a memorable and moving portrait of a besieged city.”—Booklist
“An absolute pleasure to read.”—Civil War News
“Mr. Bonds correctly notes that recent revisionist historians have tried to play down or even deny Sherman’s role in the burning.”—Winston Groom in the Wall Street Journal
“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
“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
“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
About the Author
Russell S. Bonds is an attorney in Atlanta and author of Stealing the General, also available from Westholme Publishing.
Product details
- Publisher : Westholme Publishing; 2nd edition (September 2, 2010)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 544 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1594161275
- ISBN-13 : 978-1594161278
- Item Weight : 1.68 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,542,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,973 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- #5,508 in U.S. Civil War History
- #28,458 in U.S. State & Local History
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The author has compiled extensive research into this book, drawing from accounts of participants on both sides (military and civilian) from personal letters, journals, memoirs, and regimental histories, as well as newspaper articles, official communications and reports, and other sources. He provides background details on key leaders as well as their interactions, decisions, and activities, as well as details of the deaths of Union General McPherson and Confederate General Walker. Observations by participants give the reader a sense of the horror, chaos, futility, privations, and carnage on the battlefields and within the city. This book is easy to read and comprehend, with excellent wordsmithing, organization, and editing, although I did find a handful of errors, mostly missing words. If you're looking for a book focused more on facts and less on hero worship, this is it. The author lays bare details on the mistakes, unflattering behavior, and finger-pointing on both sides, as well as instances of heroism and outstanding leadership. I found the quality of the hardback book’s binding and pages is not the best.
This book effectively captures the impacts on the city, its population, and the opposing armies during the sweltering summer of 1864 as Sherman’s Union legions descended upon the city and engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by newly assigned commander John Bell Hood. The book describes the major and minor engagements between the armies, the gradual destruction of the city, and the effect it had on the civilians population. Included is the Union's 5-week bombardment of the city, the Confederate withdrawal, its occupation by Union troops, the deportation of most of its citizens, the burning and destruction of the city and its resources by Union troops upon leaving (as well as other towns and railways north of Atlanta), looting of the city (by troops on both sides as well as civilians), and finally its reconstruction in the years that followed.
Later sections address Hood’s and Sherman’s remaining wartime experiences and post-war lives and legacies, the rebuilding of Atlanta, and the present state of the battlefields and their locations in association with modern-day reference points. Appendices provide a limited Order of Battle and an official report to the Georgia Governor on the state of the city following its destruction.
As Sherman’s three armies came within sight of the city, Hood wasted little time in taking to the offensive with the intent to destroy or rout them individually, and the four key battles around Atlanta that ultimately determined its fate are reviewed. These battles included Peach Tree Creek to the north of the city, the “Battle of Atlanta” to the east, Ezra Church to the west, and finally Jonesboro to the south, which severed the last railroad in and out of Atlanta and convinced Hood to abandon the city. Good maps of army dispositions around the city and of these engagements, down to the division and some the brigade level, are placed appropriately, although I would have liked more of them. (For those with further interest, in-depth studies of these individual battles are available from various authors.) Calvary operations by both sides are also reviewed, including attacks on railroads and supply trains, clashes between cavalry units, the failed attempt to free Andersonville prisoners, the capture of Union Maj Gen Stoneman, and Wheeler’s failed attempt to break Sherman’s supply line to the north, then disappear with half of Hood’s cavalry force for the rest of the campaign. (For more details, there are books available from other authors on cavalry operations during this campaign.)
It’s no secret that Hood was largely chosen by Jefferson Davis to replace the defensive-minded Johnston because of his aggressive nature, which pleased Sherman, whose instructions from Grant included “take apart” the Army of Tennessee, and wanted to fight the army in the open. Although some of his cavalry operations were successful and he won a minor engagement at Utoy Creek, Hood lost all four major battles, failing to move Union forces from their positions and resulting in thousands more Confederate casualties than inflicted upon the Union, which was particularly costly because Hood had less troops to fight with. In the first three battles, Hood made his attacks against isolated Union components; however, in addition to the questionable strategy of bringing his troops out into the open, the attacks were largely thwarted by poor timing and various mistakes by his field commanders, who were also going up against seasoned Union Armies, which by this time in the war had also largely purged ineffective leaders from their ranks. In the final battle that severed his last railway, Hood failed to realize Sherman had moved the bulk of his Armies (six of his seven army corps) south to Jonesboro, whereupon he responded too late and with too few troops. Also, despite previous attempts by the Union to cut this last railway, Hood failed to send 5 locomotives and 80 or so railway cars packed with ammunition and other war materiel south to safety, which he ordered destroyed upon his withdrawal from the city. The ensuing firestorm, which engulfed nearby buildings, is depicted in the Movie "Gone With the Wind." Many have mistakenly believed it is the burning of Atlanta caused by Union troops, which actually took place weeks later.
The question remains, had the Confederate Army remained on the defensive within their extensive line of works and delayed the city’s capture a few more weeks, whether the outcome of the November presidential election and the war could have changed in their favor. The Democrats, who were projected to win the election, were running on a peace platform to end the war through negotiation, without a demand for an end to slavery.
I do not agree with one reviewer who criticized the book for not encompassing the campaign between Chattanooga and Atlanta, with Sherman driving Johnston’s forces south with countless movements, skirmishes, and heavier engagements. This book is about the battle for, and destruction of, Atlanta. There are other books on the campaign between Chattanooga and Atlanta, as well as books on Sherman’s overall campaign to include his march to the sea, and individual battle studies, such as the battle of Kennesaw Mountain.
William T Sherman’s time in Georgia can be divided into three phases: (1) The Atlanta Campaign, during which he advanced from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Chattahoochee River, tussling with Joseph E Johnston all along the way until Johnston was finally replaced in command by John Bell Hood; (2) The Battles for Atlanta, fought between Sherman and Hood around the city of Atlanta, culminating in Hood’s abandonment of the city and Sherman’s capture of it; (3) Sherman’s March to the Sea. Bond’s book only covers phase (2) in detail. An argument can be made that all of Sherman’s time in Georgia may be the most dramatic story in the whole war. I’m not here to make or defend that argument, but only to say that any storyteller writing about any of those three phases of action has a lot of good material to work with. I’ve read several books about all three phases of these campaigns, and I was constantly amazed and impressed with how well Bonds understands and has assembled and presented his material. It’s clear to me that this is the best presentation of the battles of Atlanta that I’ve ever read. Bonds makes all of the characters and situations come to life on the page like few Civil War writers can. I already knew an awful lot of the story, but Bonds frequently recast it in a fresh, overriding gestalt such that the broader stories gelled with a wholistic coherence and clarity and so made a good deal more sense to me than ever before. I had thought I knew quite a lot about all of these battles and the personalities involved, but it took Russell Bonds to show me just how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Page after page was strewn with brilliant little gems of knowledge and useful information that I hadn’t found anywhere else. I don’t think I’ve said such a thing before, but this is a book that everyone interested in the American Civil War truly ought to have on the shelf. This is one of the rare Civil War books that I really found very hard to put down.
But . . . and you knew that was coming.
But there is one serious flaw in War Like the Thunderbolt, which is that every single time Sherman-the-personality is mentioned, Bonds simply can’t help himself exposing his personal hatred for the northern general.
Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t really care if someone is a hater or cheerleader for any particular officer on either side of the 19th century conflict. My opinion is that humans tend to be mixtures of favorable and unfavorable qualities, and these qualities tend to be inconsistently acted upon, so an action someone takes on any given day he might elect to forego on another day. That is to say, few humans I’ve encountered have been complete angels or complete devils. The problem here is that, for Bonds, Sherman is a complete devil, if not the Devil incarnate. There is no nuanced reading of Sherman for Bonds. Any successes Sherman’s army knew, Bonds preaches, were the result of actions and choices made by Sherman’s underlings. On every occasion, Bonds would have us believe, Sherman’s choices were wrong-headed, if not disastrous. The obsessive moral editorializing concerning the singular subject of Sherman interferes with what is otherwise an unbelievably outstanding book. Ironically, Bonds himself points out that the more Southerners have attacked Sherman as unabashed evil, the more his legendary status has grown, and I imagine Bonds accomplishes the same effect with his more open-minded readers. For surely as one of the two commanding officers who headed the most successful Northern armies in the Civil War, Sherman every now and then must have done something right. Bonds comes across, as far as this matter goes, as an obstinate, one-track curmudgeon.
My own opinions about Sherman, and about all the dramatis personae of the Civil War, have evolved over the years and continue to do so, mostly because I recognize that none of them was of a monolithic type, and the more I learn, the more subtle my understanding of them all becomes. What makes Sherman most interesting, I think, is that he was deliberately conducting a psychological war directed against the Southern psyche more than a militaristic war against Southern soldiers. It’s when people insist on judging him exclusively by military standards and ignore the broader context that, I think, they draw such fallacious conclusions. Sherman ― and mostly Sherman alone ― won the psychological war, which is why people can still feel passionate hatred for him 145 years after the fact; indeed, Bonds’ animosity for the man is pretty convincing evidence for Sherman’s success.
I find War Like the Thunderbolt to be brilliant, provided I ignore the ill-advised and from-the-hip anti-Sherman rants. As I can ignore such diatribes when I come across them online, so too can I do so when I encounter them in this book.






