Shiloh (historical novel)
First edition
|
|
| Author | Shelby Foote |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | H. Lawrence Hoffman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical War novel |
| Publisher | The Dial Press (US) |
|
Publication date
|
1952 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 226 pp |
| ISBN | |
Shiloh: A Novel is an historical novel about the American Civil War battle of that name, written in 1952 by Shelby Foote. It employs the first-person perspectives of several protagonists, Union and Confederate, to give a moment-by-moment depiction of the battle.
Because the novel is divided into chapters, each closely concerned with one of the characters, a summary of the story serves as a character analysis as well.
Chapter One takes place the day before the battle; it is narrated by Lieutenant Palmer Metcalfe, a cocky, 19 year old, aristocrat from New Orleans and a staff officer under Confederate commander Albert Sidney Johnston. He watches as the Confederate army marches through the Tennessee countryside in preparation for a surprise attack upon the Union troops at Pittsburg Landing. His self-satisfaction is evident as he remembers the complicated attack plan he helped draft, and as he thinks back on the struggles Johnston went through in bringing his army together for this decisive blow. The Confederate troops are inexperienced and noisy, and some of Johnston's generals believe the element of surprise has been lost. Johnston, however, insists on fighting whatever the conditions.
Chapter Two is the story of Captain Walter Fountain, an Ohio regimental adjutant in the Union Army encamped at Pittsburg Landing. He is the Officer of the Day and whiles away the Tennessee night by writing a letter to his wife, Martha. Through his thoughts, the reader learns about the Union army's slow but steady advance through Tennessee under the resolute leadership of Ulysses Grant. Fountain is homesick but confident that the war will be over soon. He interacts with the regimental mascot, a dog named Bango. As he commits his feelings and hopes to paper, he begins to notice that the birds and other woodland creatures have become noisier and more agitated. Suddenly hundreds of Confederate soldiers burst out of the forest, charging headlong upon Fountain and the other unsuspecting Federals. The chapter ends abruptly, and the reader assumes that Fountain is killed in the initial assault.
Chapter Three comes from the perspective of Private Luther Dade, a humble rifleman from Mississippi. He is frightened but determined to do his duty as his regiment prepares to join the battle. When the fight does come, Dade is disturbed when he realizes that the mangled corpses of old friends mean no more to him than those of strangers; the new horrors of the day are too much for him to process. He does well in combat but sustains a minor arm wound and is sent to a triage area to wait for a doctor. Hours pass, no doctor shows up, and Dade's arm begins to show signs of infection. He stumbles toward the sound of firing in search of medical attention and soon finds himself in a clearing near Shiloh Church. Others are there; Johnston's staff, gathered around their wounded and dying commander. Dade is transfixed by the drama of the scene, even as he begins to pass out from his wound.
...
Wikipedia