Blood, guts, and vainglory

Too Much the Lion, a new novel by Preston Lewis, plunges the reader into the horrific Battle of Franklin in the dying days of the Confederacy—a hell that one soldier described as a "grand holocaust of death."

The book covers the five days leading up to the battle through the eyes of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood and a selection of his officers, soldiers, private citizens, and slaves. Except for a few interactions with U.S. soldiers, the novel's viewpoint is Southern.

Lewis uses the template of Michael Shaara's groundbreaking Civil War novel, The Killer Angels, combining historical facts with interpretations of the inner thoughts and motivations of the real-life participants.

Hood hoped to position his forces at Spring Hill between U.S. Maj. Gen. John Schofield in Columbia and Maj. Gen. George Thomas in Nashville. He wanted to force Schofield into attacking the entrenched Confederates, a departure from Hood's usual frontal assault strategy. Hood envisioned defeating Schofield, then rolling through Nashville, Kentucky, and Ohio. He was convinced these victories would end the war.

However, poor communication and confusion caused the plan to collapse, allowing Schofield's army to slip past the Confederates and into Franklin during the night. Humiliated by this failure, Hood ordered a frontal assault, sending 20,000 men against the heavily fortified Union positions. When the battle ended five hours later, Hood had lost six generals and more than 6,000 men. Few Civil War battles were as costly in so short a time.

Through changes in viewpoints, the reader is given a realistic interpretation of how war affected soldiers, citizens, and slaves. Lewis spends just the right amount of time with each character, letting them fill in the details of the five days of fear and terror. Getting familiar with each character takes a while, but it's worth the investment.

Before taking us into battle, Lewis shows us his characters' state of mind. Exhaustion hung over them all. These folks were bone tired. The soldiers suffered the most, but the toll was apparent on all.

"A striking woman of 30 years, Cornelia showed the strain and worry of operating their estate while mothering three boys ages 10 to four, plus a nine-month-old daughter. Her gaunt cheeks, drawn lips, downcast eyes, and slumped shoulders mirrored the exhaustion that all plantation folks felt after three long years of war and Union intrusion upon their land and lives."

This weariness would soon give way to something far worse. No one escapes the battle, and each plays a part. Some die, and others suffer wounds seen and unseen.

Like The Killer Angels, the novel is paced to allow us to learn about the people, the place, and the time. Time is spent examining Hood's leadership and the infighting among his officers. Politics and ego are on display as much as military strategy. To his credit, Lewis also puts the common soldier and civilians on stage, giving them a generous portion of the narrative. It pays off by showing how Hood's decisions and their consequences ripple across the characters' lives, leaving them scarred in ways far beyond the battlefield. Too Much the Lion is a powerful statement about the vainglory of war.

An advanced copy of Too Much the Lion was provided by NetGalley.com.