Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman by Robert L. O'Connell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fierce Patriot was published this year, and I immediately added it to my to-read list for I just finished reading those three Jeff Shaara books about the Army of the West in which Sherman was a continuing character. This biography provides a much deeper understanding of Sherman and those battles through O'Connell's interpretation of historical records.

This biography divides Sherman's life into three parts: The Military Strategist; The General and His Army; and The Man and His Families for these are parts of Sherman which are tangled, and yet compartmentalized. There are 28-pages of notes for the sources used by O'Connell, and sometimes I wish these notes included more clarifying information, such as a back story.

I recommend this book for readers who have an interest in this period of American history (1820-1891) and an interest in William Tecumseh Sherman.

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