Hell or Richmond
by Ralph Peters (Tor Forge, 2013).
Peters follows his best-selling Civil War historical novel (Tor Forge, 2012) with an- Cain at Gettysburg other triumph of meticulous scholarship, compelling characterization and exciting, page-turning combat action. Hell or Richmond is not only storytelling at its best, it is also an astonishingly accurate account of the May-June 1864 clash between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, from the nightmarish Battle of the Wilderness through the bloody carnage at the Battle of Cold Harbor.
Peters has exhaustively mined hundreds of reference works, from the War of the Rebellion Official Records to Soldiers’ letters and diaries, to accurately – and magnificently – re-create what Civil War combat actually felt like to the battles’ participants. Just one telling testament to his historical rigor is that his narrative even includes an accurate description of the weather for a given time of day as Soldiers in blue and gray marched and fought, alternately enduring blazing heat and drenching downpours.
As in Cain at Gettysburg, Peters presents the commanders and common Soldiers on both sides of the battle lines. Yet in this superbly crafted book, all of the characters are actual historical personages, resurrected and brought to vivid life by a writer at the top of his form. In his author’s note, Peters explains: “If historical fiction is properly done, it can bring history to life. History provides the identities. Historical fiction investigates the souls.” Hell or Richmond is indeed “historical fiction properly done,” revealing the very soul of deadly Civil War combat.
Lincoln
(DreamWorks, 2012; DVD released by Touchstone Home Entertainment, 2013). Lincoln, Steven Spielberg’s superb dramatization of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 efforts to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, was a box office and critical hit in its 2012 theatrical release. Touchstone Home Entertainment has now released the film in DVD, Blu-ray and digital download versions. Although some Civil War scholars have found a few historical inaccuracies in the movie, strong performances by Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln), Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln), Tommy Lee Jones (Thaddeus Stevens) and David Strathairn (William Seward) relegate those complaints to mere nitpicks.
READ MORE: For more about Lincoln, check out Lincoln on Leadership (Weider History Group Special Issue, historynet.com, 2012).
Originally published in the July 2013 issue of Armchair General.
