To Jefferson Davis; he was the "Stonewall of the West"; to Robert E. Lee; he was "a meteor shining from a clouded sky"; and to Braxton Bragg; he was an officer "ever alive to a success." He was Patrick Ronayne Cleburne; one of the greatest of all Confederate field commanders. An Irishman by birth; Cleburne emigrated to the United States in 1849 at the age of 21. He achieved only modest success in the peacetime South; but rose rapidly in the wartime army to become the Confederacy's finest division commander. He was admired by peers and subordinates alike for his leadership; loyalty; honesty; and fearlessness in the face of enemy fire. The valor of his command was so inspirational that his unit alone was allowed to carry its own distinctive battle flag. In Stonewall of the West; Craig Symonds offers the first full-scale critical biography of this compelling figure. He explores all the sources of Cleburne's commitment to the Southern cause; his growth as a combat leader from Shiloh to Chickamauga; and his emergence as one of the Confederacy's most effective field commanders at Missionary Ridge; Ringgold Gap; and Pickett's Mill. In addition; Symonds unravels the "mystery" of Spring Hill and recounts Cleburne's dramatic and untimely death (at the age of 36) at Franklin; Tennessee; where he charged the enemy line on foot after having two horses shot from under him. Symonds also explores Cleburne's role in the complicated personal politics of the Army of Tennessee; as well as his astonishing proposal that the decimated Confederate ranks be filled by ending slavery and arming blacks against the Union. Symonds' definitive and immensely readable narrative casts new light on Cleburne; on the Army of Tennessee; and on the Civil War in the West. It finally and firmly establishes Cleburne's rightful place in the pantheon of Southern military heroes.
#833576 in Books Robertson Jr Gordon Bennett 2016-05-06Original language:English 9.00 x .53 x 6.00l; .70 #File Name: 0692709673232 pagesBringing the Thunder The Missions of a World War II B 29 Pilot in the Pacific
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Good solid story of one airman's experience flying B-29s over Japan.By Jonathan MattsonI read this book a little bit a go. I liked it. While you can find many many books and narratives about the bombers over Germany; finding a good book about the bombers over Japan is a little harder to find. What I liked about this narrative was he gave a much more in-depth explanation of what was occurring. Some narratives end up being a very dry account of an individual going about his job that just happens to be soldier; pilot; or a sailor. Here he does take the time to explain about the bomber; his mission; and how operations were done. While it may bore some people; I enjoy that stuff. It helps fill in my knowledge about the war and how the bombing campaign was conducted.As for why I gave it a four star over a five star; maybe I’m a little tough of a grader; but to me a five star book is one that I would want to reread at least a few more times. While his narrative was good and a great story; I’m not sure if this would fall into the category of I love it and want to reread it over and over again. To give him a five star would detract from the books that I really love; that I’m so glad to have read and will want to reread over and over again.Also; I love the stackpole military history series and buy almost every volume of it. Sometimes they are not books on a subject I would normally read about; but I’ve never been disappointed. They select great personal stories and excellent histories. I hope they keep up the great work!!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Bombing JapanBy Toe TagBringing the Thunder is an interesting book written by a man who was a pilot late in the war. He flew 34 missions against Japan in a B-29 bomber and was part of some of the more impressive and destructive raids in the history of the war.The book is easy to read and quite interesting. The author spends a great deal of time detailing his training in various types of aircraft and his desire to be a fighter pilot. Instead; he becomes the pilot of one of the most impressive bombers of all time.One of the most interesting topics covered in the book was the firebombing of Japan. The author was part of the famous raid that burned dozens of square miles of Tokyo to the ground in one night. He even writes about the infamous thermals having pulled a few of our own aircraft into the fires.He also writes extensively about the dangers of losing an aircraft over Japan and many of the war crimes perpetrated upon the bomber crews. It was truly a war to the end.The only concern I have with this book is it needed an editor. There are many typos though the book. But nothing that takes away from a great war-time memoir. I just wish it had an editor who could have made those changes for the sake of a wonderful read.If you enjoyed this book then I would strong recommend reading the fantastic book; “The Wrong Stuff;†by Truman Smith. I would also recommend; “Two Gold Coins and a Prayer;†by James H Keetfe; III.; and Shot at and Missed by Jack Myers. All three recommendations are very strong books.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A very compelling story of a B-29 pilot in WWIIBy J. ChambersI've read hundreds of books and articles on World War II; but Bringing the Thunder added a lot to my knowledge of the B-29 strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese mainland throughout 1945. Author Gordon Robertson gave a superb first-person account of his 35 missions as the aircraft commander of a B-29 flying long-range bombing missions from Guam. The first chapter described his first mission; a low-altitude night run dropping incendiary bombs on Tokyo. The next chapters recounted Robertson's early years growing up in Nebraska. Even before Pearl Harbor; he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and began his training; leading eventually to learning to fly the new B-29 Superfortress.Robertson did a great job of describing what it was like to be in the cockpit of the giant bomber. The 14-hour missions were grueling enough as it was; but with bad weather often the norm; many missions were flown under instrument flight conditions. With the low-altitude flying; Japanese antiaircraft fire and interceptor planes brought down many of the bombers; but many bombers were lost from mid-air collisions and mechanical problems; notably from the unproven Wright R-3350 engines.I've read a number of books that covered the B-29 strategic bombing campaign against Japan; but with the author's vivid descriptions of each mission; and the anecdotes about life on the base; the book stands out from many of the detailed but dry histories as one of the best wartime chronicles that I've read.
