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.
