The author's writing style is weak, and his use of military terms without definition distracting. The title isn't suitable because only the last three chapters are about Vicksburg. I learned new (to me) information about the six month build up to the actual Vicksburg campaign, including the use of the Union navy on the Mississippi, and a good deal about the personalities and abilities of the generals involved (Grant, Pemberton, Sherman, etc.), but very little about the average infantry man's experience. Except for the fact that it's told from a more southern point of view, this is the story I was aiming for when I wrote the narrative of my great-grandfather's service with the 16th O.V.I. The author of "Forrest Gump," Groom knows how to set the scene, bring the characters to life, and keep the action moving while sticking to historical facts. Civil War fanatics may criticize him for the lack of footnotes, and he doesn't go into exhaustive comparisons of different versions of events, but he tells a great tale.
What do You think about Vicksburg, 1863 Vicksburg, 1863 (2009)?
I learned SO much from this book!!! Same author as Forrest Gump. That should say it all...
—iheartbooks
