Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals Book Review By: Jeff Shaara. Ballantine Books, 1996. The American Civil War was a military conflict between the United States of America (The Union) and eleven secessionist southern states, organized as the Confederate States on America (The Confederacy). The intense conflicts lasted four decades and the reflected deep-rooted economic, social, and political differences between the north and south. Many literary works have been written describing this “first modern war” and its 620,000 victims. Yet, Jeff Shaara goes deeper and explores the conflicts of four historical figures, two from the north and two from the south, who feel as though their shot at opportunity has come and gone. Gods and Generals begins in 1858, with Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee arriving at his deceased father-in-law’s estate in Virginia to establish residence. He had been commanding a cavalry unit out in Texas. General Lee is called to the Whitehouse and ordered to capture John Brown, who led the anti-slavery uprising and also managed to raid his way into the life of Major Thomas Johnathan Jackson. Major Jackson, a hero of the Mexican War, was teaching at the Virginia Military Institute in the late 1850’s, when he and his men were commanded be the Governor of Virginia to occupy positions near Charlestown. Both Mr. Lee and Mr. Jackson were heavily patriotic about protecting their homeland, even against their own countrymen as well as friends.