It is my favorite CW novel!
I have heard of Hick's, never the Millett/White. Thanks!
I have not heard of any of these. Thanks!In "A Boot Full of Memories: Captain Leonard Williams, 2nd South Carolina Cavalry," the author David Douglas used the (real) Civil War letters of his great grandfather, Captain Leonard Williams, to illustrate war-time life on a small South Carolina farm, and to essentially produce a regimental history of the Hampton Legion Cavalry, Brooks Troop / 2nd SC Cavalry.
For the personal and family-life aspect of the book, Mr. Douglas wove a story by creating fictional thoughts and memories for Capt. Williams. Though descriptive details (such as counting the freckles on his daughter's nose) are imagined, the story rings true - reflecting the personality seen in the letters. It makes for a very good read.
Mr. Douglas did not weave imagined details when it came to military history - he stuck to what is known about the units. The extent of his research is really good. I am studying about the Hampton Legion Cavalry / 2nd SC Cavalry myself - having inherited my own packet of letters. I want to trace the journey of the Beaufort District Troop of the Legion Cavalry / 2nd SCC, and this is a helpful resource.
One misstep, however, in my opinion, is Douglas' reliance on the memoirs of E. Prioleau Henderson, "Autobiography of Arab," to track the history of the Legion Cavalry / 2nd SC Cavalry. Prioleau Henderson rode in the Beaufort District Troop (a company), same as my great uncle, and the details in his book often diverge from what I read in Uncle Tommie's letters. Tommie Jeffers wrote his letters as events were unfolding, Prioleau Henderson wrote his memoirs forty years later. So who do I believe?
But if you are looking for semi-fictionalized accounts of the Civil War - Henderson's "Autobiography of Arab" fits in that category. It is a lively and humorous account of the adventures of Henderson, his horse, and Wade Hampton's Iron Scouts. Just realize he conflates events and changes the record on other events. But readers enjoy the book and come away with a flavor of the escapades of those adventurous scouts.
Not quite. I'm asking for books with real characters, not anything the other asked for. And I'm not just asking for fiction.
I am in my second reading of Foote.
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These are what I mean. thanks, and I'm stunned by how much work you did for that post.I'm still not entirely clear on what you're asking for, @TallTallMan , but perhaps Jennifer Chiaverini's Civil War-era novels would be of interest, although her focus is on women. I also see that I liked some of these books more than the Kirkus reviewer did, particularly Mrs. Lincoln's Rival. I felt I got a definite picture of Kate Chase Sprague, one that I will eventually try to validate or disprove by reading a real biography of the woman. Plus, I didn't take the title to mean that I should expect serial cage matches between the ladies. Mrs. Grant's slave disappears from history in real life, but I enjoyed Ms. Chiaverini (spoiler alert) turning her into a prototype for Madame C. J. Walker. Personally, Fates and Traitors was my favorite followed closely by The Spymistress.
Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
MRS. LINCOLN'S DRESSMAKER | Kirkus Reviews
From the intimate domestic circles of the political elite, a dressmaker witnesses the upheavals of 19th-century America.
The Spymistress
THE SPYMISTRESS | Kirkus Reviews
Serviceable biofiction based on the heroic work of Elizabeth Van Lew, Union sympathizer and spy living in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., during the Civil War.
Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
MRS. LINCOLN'S RIVAL | Kirkus Reviews
Chiaverini (Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, 2013, etc.) examines Civil War politics and battles, this time through the eyes of Washington hostess Kate Chase Sprague.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule
MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE | Kirkus Reviews
Two Julias, one born into prosperity, the other into slavery, witness the rise of the Civil War and the beginnings of Reconstruction.
Fates and Traitors
FATES AND TRAITORS | Kirkus Reviews
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. But how did Booth come to such a point? And how did his loved ones miss the warning signs?
Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters
MRS. LINCOLN'S SISTERS | Kirkus Reviews
In 1875, Robert Lincoln committed his mother to an asylum for the insane. How did former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln fall from grace to incarceration at Bellevue Place?
Only Call Us Faithful by Marie Jakober is another novel about Elizabeth Van Lew. It won the Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction in 2002.
ONLY CALL US FAITHFUL | Kirkus Reviews
A historical thriller from Canadian Jakober (The Black Chalice, not reviewed) follows the exploits (based partly on a true story) of a Richmond belle who spied for the Union during the Civil War.
Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln by Richard Slotkin won the Shaara Award in 2000. This novel covers a time in Lincoln's life for which there is relatively little information. In addition to being a novelist, Slotkin is also an historian. He wrote: No Quarter: The Battle of the Crater, 1864.
"Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln" by Richard Slotkin - Salon.com
A splendid piece of mythmaking views the young hero's coming of age through the lens of Huckleberry Finn.
Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) also wrote Varina, a novel about Mrs. Jefferson Davis. Personally, I liked it much better than Cold Mountain, maybe because she was a real person.
VARINA | Kirkus Reviews
A new novel of the Civil War and its aftermath from the author of Cold Mountain (1997, etc.).
Rather than focus on Harriet Tubman's work with the Underground Railroad, The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs, tells of her work with General David Hunter and Colonel James Montgomery in staging a raid to free slaves upriver in South Carolina.
THE TUBMAN COMMAND | Kirkus Reviews
Cobbs' (The Hamilton Affair, 2016, etc.) third novel follows Harriet Tubman as she leads a crucial raid on behalf of the Union Army.
Karen Joy Fowler's novel Booth is really more about the entire family than simply about John Wilkes Booth.
BOOTH | Kirkus Reviews
Ostensibly about the family of Shakespearean actors best known for their connection to Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth, Fowler’s novel explores tensions surrounding race, politics, and culture in 19th-century America.
I hope there is something here that you are looking for.
I'm not sure you're going to get that. As an example Killer Angel's, which I regard as excellent historic fiction, had at least one major character who was completely fictitious.
I mean with 90% real characters. Not Gone with the Wind or The Black Flower.
I am pleased to discover we agree on something!
Would alternate history with real characters qualify?
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