The Whirlwind of War by Stephen B. Oates

 

I just finished reading one of the best books I have ever read on the Civil War. The Whirlwind of War by Stephen B. Oats is a very readable, intensively researched and documented, masterpiece. Oates employs a unique approach to the book's format--he writes in the first person from the views of leading characters in the Civil War such as Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, even John Wilkes Boothe. This he carries off masterfully with every event  portrayed meticulously documented and backed up by letters, diaries, biographies, and other well respected primary and secondary books and manuscripts. I am considering writing Hiram's Heart, the third book in my Civil War trilogy, using this first person viewpoint style with Hiram Terman, my ancestor as the main character supported by others such as Isaiah, Bushey, Seth, and other characters from Hiram's Honor and Hiram's Hope.  I certainly have a good example to try to emulate in this awesome book.  Michael Shara's novel The Killer Angels was also written in this way as was David Grub's novel The Voices of Glory and Cynthia Bass's novel Sherman's March.  I have read Shara's novel but need to check out the books by Grub and by Bass.

Lincoln's Battle With God by Stephen Mansfield

As part of my research for Hiram's Heart, I have just read Stephen Mansfield's Lincoln's Battle With God.  According to Mansfield, Abraham Lincoln had a journey from an immature believer, to skeptic and non-believer to what Mansfield allows, with some room for mystery, was a mature faith and a belief in Christianity.  In many ways, I think this parallels my Civil War ancestor's journey from a young man brought up in the church, through the horrors of the Civil War and Andersonville, to his return home and struggles with how he could believe in a God who allowed this to happen to him. I enjoyed this well-written, easy to read and engrossing book. I hope it gives me material for writing a third book in the Civil War trilogy of my ancestor's experiences in the Civil War.

Hiram's Honor and Hiram's Hope at Marion Library, Marion, Ks

On March 17, 2015 I presented a reading and map of events in Hiram's Honor and Hiram's Hope to a group of about 20 at Marion Library in Marion, Kansas. Questions centered on the life of the common Civil War soldier,Andersonville, Civil War ancestors, and writing-storytelling styles.  Signed and personalized copies of books were provided for donations to the library.

Hiram's Heart and the faith of Abraham Lincoln

The stress of the presidency and the Civil War shows on Abraham Lincoln (1858 and 1865). No president quoted the Bible more yet his religious views are complex and controversial.  My ancestor Private Terman, after having survived the Civil War and 17 months a prisoner of war (including Andersonville) also exhibited signs of emotional distress and struggles of faith in his pension file documents. I am working on a third book in my account of Hiram's Civil War experiences tentatively entitled Hiram's Heart: To The Shining Shore.

This book would complete a trilogy--- Hiram's Honor, Hiram's Hope, and Hiram's Heart. Since Abraham Lincoln was a model of faith for many Civil War veterans, I am exploring how Lincoln's and my ancestor's struggles to understand God's purposes in their lives and the Civil War might be part of a post-Civil War novel.

To read about Abraham Lincoln's faith, see Mark Noll's article at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/1992/issue33/3311.html

Book Review of Hiram's Hope: The Return of Isaiah

To see the latest review of Hiram's Hope, see http://tinyurl.com/nn76k5z