The Fateful Lightning: A Novel of the Civil War
Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg have proven to be the turning point in the Civil War. Victory now seems within the North’s reach. In November 1864, Lincoln seeks to bring the war to a close by promoting General Grant to command all Union forces. General Sherman fills the vacancy left by Grant.
He conquers Atlanta, and to the astonishment of all, and the consternation of many, he strikes out with his entire army across northern Georgia. This famous “March to the Sea” proves to be an unstoppable wave of blue across the countryside. No one, least of all his superiors in Washington, can follow his progress. When Savannah falls to his army, he turns north. The Carolinas, and the last holdout for the Southern Cause, General Johnson’s army, are arrayed before him. His leadership will prove to be essential to the Union’s victory.
The Fateful Lightning is Shaara’s fourth and final installment of his Civil War novels set in the west, an oft overlooked theater in the war. He embeds us with Union and Confederate forces, in the presence – inside the heads – of personalities like Seeley, a freed slave, and Sherman himself. We are there for the frustrations and victories, surprises and lost opportunities that dog both sides. It is a powerful and emotional narrative, and worthy of Shaara’s other works. Highly recommended.
