Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War

by Ernest B. Furgurson

Book Overview

On the day the first shots of the Civil War were fired, a mob in Richmond clambered on top of the Capitol to raise the Confederate flag. Four years later, another flag was raised in its place while... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679746609
• ISBN13: 9780679746607
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic book! Truly takes you back to1865 Richmond

As a native Richmonder and Civil War history neophite, this book opened my eyes to the range of emotions this city lived through in those unique years. With excerpts ranging from Confederate/Union government officials, ordinary citizens, freed/captive slaves,and so many others, the diversity of experiences in this book are truly amazing. I couldn't put it down!

Great Read

I liked Furguson's book on Chancellorsville and decided to give this one a try. Good thing because this is simply the best book I have read on wartime Richmond. The book starts off in 1859 describing pre-war Richmond and the sentiment in the city. Furguson does a great job of using newspapers, diaries, and letters to convey how ordinary citizens felt during the war. The author does an excellent job portraying the economic, political, and military situation of wartime Richmond from lots of perspectives. This book is highly readable, fast-paced, and just a good read. Very interesting and informative.

Another Superb Work From Furgurson

I've read all three outstanding Civil War-era books by Ernest Furgurson, and "Ashes of Glory" is the finest of the them all. Where "Chancellorsville 1863" and "Not War, But Murder" focus on individual battles -- and do so superbly -- "Ashes of Glory" is as much social as military history. The book captures the emotions and experiences of the Richmond population throughout the war's five-year ordeal. Along the way, we meet an eclectic cast of characters: well known leaders like Lee and Jeff Davis; fire and brimstone editorial writers; Union loyalists; brothel madames; aristocrats-turned-hospital-care-givers, and just ordinary folk. One of the most interesting is Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist whose selfless (often brazen) acts of courage earn the eternal gratitude of Commanding General U.S. Grant.Furgurson is an exceptional writer and storyteller. However, his true talent is in spicing his narrative with compelling anecdotes that bring his story to life. Especially poignant is his description of the defeated Lee's return to Richmond following Appomattox. The clandestine efforts to reclaim the body of a Union officer killed during a putative mission to assassinate Confederate leaders is another sparkling gem."Ashes of Glory" will make for engaging reading for anyone interested in U.S. history.

Detailed and Fast Paced. Fascinating

This book will enthrall the casual civil war reader and delight the enthusiast. Drawing on a wide range of first person accounts, the author does an excellent job of giving civil war era Richmond rhythm and life. As the fortunes of the Confederacy ebb and flow with each battle, so does the public mood in the capital of the rebellion. The author weaves this always interesting life of a city under seige and pregnant with the hope of a new history into a fascinating story. Not only are the thoughts and recollections of the history makers used (Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Govs. Lascher and Smith), but also the wartime experiences of junior officers, clerks, business people, spys, prostitutes and other everyday folk.This book is an interesting tale of people coping with an impossible situation that progresses from overwhelming to calamitous over the course of the war. The experienced Civil War reader will enjoy learning about life in a City that is usually coverd as a military objective in most books of this genreRecommended

Long overdue.

This is a book long overdue. It sits next to my copy of Margaret Leech's great Reveille in Washington 1860-1865, and holds its own in that exalted company. Much of the action behind the lines in the Civil War was more interesting than (and probably just as influential as) events up front, and Furgurson has done a fine job of reporting on Richmond's unhappy time. Impressive research and documentation. Highly recommended--no matter which side you back