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John Hough, Seen the Glory: A Novel of the Battle of Gettysburg |
Capsule Summary: I have never been a fan of historical novels. However, if there are more out there that are this good, that may change.
It would be impossible to overstate the importance of the battle at Getttysburg. But this book is so much more than a fictional first-hand account of that battle. In fact, the battle itself takes up a small percentage of the book.
It is the story of two brothers growing up in Martha's Vineyard. Their abolitionist views were partially shaped by their father's helping a runaway slave while they were still small boys. More important perhaps was Rose, a person of color (though not African-American) who came into their home to nurse their dying mother and stayed on as housekeeper. And of course, their father's liberal views influenced their thinking.
The contrast between their father's view of blacks and most of his neighbors is one of the salient points of the book. To say that most Northerners were not abolitionists is an understatement. I've read elsewhere that at least 70% of the residents of Union states could have cared less about slavery. As Hough shows in the conversations of the soldiers and their actions, they were fighting to reunite the country, not free slaves. In fact, abolitionists were ridiculed and worse, even by educated officers. Hough does a great job of showing the overwhelming prejudice in the North.
Another thing that really stood out was his frank description of combat horrors. The hospital tents, with piles of amputated limbs, especially invoke vivid mental images. The incredibly high casualty rates of that war were brought home as friends and acquantances died in combat.
A better example might be an incident that led to PTSD symptoms in one of the brothers. On the way to Gettysburg, the army marched back through the Manassas battlefield. Heavy rains had unearthed many of the shallow graves, and the bones had been bleached white by the sun. This caused vivid nightmares, in which the younger brother was pursued by the skeletons.
There are many such details in the book, every character is brought to life to show their story, their individual viewpoint of the historical events. Their day-to-day lives were interesting; for example, have you ever wondered what people did for birth control in those days?
There is also a romance central to the story, but I don't want to spoil that part of the book for you in my review by revealing anything - although you should be able to figure it out.
As far as the battle itself, Hough has been praised by critics for his accurate depiction. His research on the part that the Twentieth Massachusetts played in the battle is impressive, his description of their actions is absolutely historically accurate.
| All in all, recommended as worth reading on so many levels. |
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