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In Danger Every Hour: A Civil War Novel
In Danger Every Hour: A Civil War Novel
by: Charles Causey
by: Charles Causey
536 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2010
2 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
Charles Causey
8 books211 followersCharles Causey's family comes from Hangingdog, North Carolina, a quaint community hidden deep inside the Smoky Mountains. As a boy he ran through lush, green fields alongside his grandfather’s Black Angus cows and swam in the cool creeks and lakes - always with a wary eye out for water moccasins. The tales he heard down those beautifully wooded country roads formed in him a love for people, the outdoors, and good stories, usually told by World War II veterans while rocking together on their front porches. Now Charles has the privilege to serve veterans every day as a military chaplain stationed in Washington D.C. He is married and has four children. His website is: causeybooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 24, 2017
Charles Causey’s “In Danger Every Hour” encompasses everything that defines historical fiction. It is both entertaining and educational. The book tells the story of friends growing up in Virginia and ending up on opposite sides of the Civil War. The effect of the war on the country, the politicians, the soldiers and the families is so vividly shown that I felt such sadness when I read this book.
Causey’s use of actual Civil War battles and letters and telegrams exchanged between different Generals and President Lincoln kept the book historically on track. His attention to keeping the book as historically accurate as possible made it a book I would recommend to everyone. It is not a chick lit book nor a male war book. If you know your history you will not be disappointed and if you do not, you will have learned much by the end of the book, but never with the feeling that you are reading a text book.
Causey’s use of actual Civil War battles and letters and telegrams exchanged between different Generals and President Lincoln kept the book historically on track. His attention to keeping the book as historically accurate as possible made it a book I would recommend to everyone. It is not a chick lit book nor a male war book. If you know your history you will not be disappointed and if you do not, you will have learned much by the end of the book, but never with the feeling that you are reading a text book.
September 21, 2017
In Danger Every Hour is a story of conflict, the most obvious being the American Civil War. But there are multiple layers of conflict at play here; political, familial, fraternal, personal, spiritual. At the story’s core is a band of childhood friends from northern Virginia. We first meet them as children and get an idea of the group dynamic. However, the story quickly jumps forward in time to their young adulthood. Unrest between the states is at a peak and civil war is on the horizon.
The book is both a story of the American Civil War writ large and a microcosm of the childhood friends ensnared by it. Significant battles are illuminated, with respect to both the events on the battlefields and the strategies and troop movements leading up to them. I am not a Civil War buff, so I can only assume that this non-fictional content is indeed factual.
With war about to break out, each friend must make the daunting decision of which side will hold their allegiance. The story doesn’t get bogged down with long, philosophical debates about slavery, but it does illuminate the reasoning behind the choices that are made. In the end, most of the friends side with their states decision to secede from the Union and fight for the Confederacy. But not all. It becomes apparent early on that there will eventually be a confrontation between friends on the battlefield; a confrontation of life and death.
With most of the friends choosing to fight for the Confederacy, I suppose it is not surprising that we witness the American Civil War through a primarily southern lens. Through the eyes of these friends, the novel dispels the viewpoint that everyone who fought for the South was an unrepentant racist. Indeed, many of these friends and their families feel slavery to be morally unjust. It is their perception of the federal government exceeding its authority and usurping the rights and privileges of the states that they cannot abide.
The novel points out that Robert E. Lee himself was asked by the federal government to fight for the Union. He declined because his home state of Virginia, though it was something he did not desire, chose secession from the Union. His fealty toward his state, where his family had owned and farmed land for over a century, took precedence in his mind.
Faith plays a significant role in the novel and it is largely embodied in the person of Stonewall Jackson, the feared Confederate general. Jackson’s strong religious beliefs and humility are demonstrated on numerous occasions, alongside his numerous and brazen battlefield victories. The North, on the other hand, is presented in a seemingly secular light, with President Lincoln even stating he was not of strong faith and did not believe in an afterlife. It’s not surprising then, that the field commander for the Union, General George McClellan, is shown to be a pompous, cowardly, utterly ineffectual leader. The humble general who put his faith in God was the successor on the battlefield.
In Danger Every Hour shows the brutality and senselessness of war. Indeed, some scenes are quite graphic. But it also shows how good can grow out of the most horrible of circumstances. Because of the war, one of the friends is introduced to an Amish couple who help her change her views on slavery. Because of the war, another of the friends undergoes a spiritual awakening after a lifetime of skepticism. It’s interesting that a black man plays a large role in his transformation.
The battlefield confrontation between friends does ultimately occur, and tragedy results. But even in this, the book shows that grace and forgiveness can still shine through. Even in the most dangerous and darkest hour, God is there.
The spiritual aspect of this novel is undeniable. The author is an Army Reserve Chaplain so this should not come as a surprise. If this is off-putting to you, or you desire a strictly military account of the American Civil War, you should probably look elsewhere. I found it to be the most meaningful part of the story and welcomed it.
The American Civil War is not concluded when the story ends, but the stories of the group of children we met at the beginning are largely resolved. And this is ultimately their story. A coming of age story during the most tumultuous time in our nation’s history.
The book is both a story of the American Civil War writ large and a microcosm of the childhood friends ensnared by it. Significant battles are illuminated, with respect to both the events on the battlefields and the strategies and troop movements leading up to them. I am not a Civil War buff, so I can only assume that this non-fictional content is indeed factual.
With war about to break out, each friend must make the daunting decision of which side will hold their allegiance. The story doesn’t get bogged down with long, philosophical debates about slavery, but it does illuminate the reasoning behind the choices that are made. In the end, most of the friends side with their states decision to secede from the Union and fight for the Confederacy. But not all. It becomes apparent early on that there will eventually be a confrontation between friends on the battlefield; a confrontation of life and death.
With most of the friends choosing to fight for the Confederacy, I suppose it is not surprising that we witness the American Civil War through a primarily southern lens. Through the eyes of these friends, the novel dispels the viewpoint that everyone who fought for the South was an unrepentant racist. Indeed, many of these friends and their families feel slavery to be morally unjust. It is their perception of the federal government exceeding its authority and usurping the rights and privileges of the states that they cannot abide.
The novel points out that Robert E. Lee himself was asked by the federal government to fight for the Union. He declined because his home state of Virginia, though it was something he did not desire, chose secession from the Union. His fealty toward his state, where his family had owned and farmed land for over a century, took precedence in his mind.
Faith plays a significant role in the novel and it is largely embodied in the person of Stonewall Jackson, the feared Confederate general. Jackson’s strong religious beliefs and humility are demonstrated on numerous occasions, alongside his numerous and brazen battlefield victories. The North, on the other hand, is presented in a seemingly secular light, with President Lincoln even stating he was not of strong faith and did not believe in an afterlife. It’s not surprising then, that the field commander for the Union, General George McClellan, is shown to be a pompous, cowardly, utterly ineffectual leader. The humble general who put his faith in God was the successor on the battlefield.
In Danger Every Hour shows the brutality and senselessness of war. Indeed, some scenes are quite graphic. But it also shows how good can grow out of the most horrible of circumstances. Because of the war, one of the friends is introduced to an Amish couple who help her change her views on slavery. Because of the war, another of the friends undergoes a spiritual awakening after a lifetime of skepticism. It’s interesting that a black man plays a large role in his transformation.
The battlefield confrontation between friends does ultimately occur, and tragedy results. But even in this, the book shows that grace and forgiveness can still shine through. Even in the most dangerous and darkest hour, God is there.
The spiritual aspect of this novel is undeniable. The author is an Army Reserve Chaplain so this should not come as a surprise. If this is off-putting to you, or you desire a strictly military account of the American Civil War, you should probably look elsewhere. I found it to be the most meaningful part of the story and welcomed it.
The American Civil War is not concluded when the story ends, but the stories of the group of children we met at the beginning are largely resolved. And this is ultimately their story. A coming of age story during the most tumultuous time in our nation’s history.
October 26, 2017
What a superb historical novel! The author skillfully intertwines accurate 1862 historic facts with characters and descriptions which make that history come alive. Of the "local" characters and those they encounter throughout the book, it made me wonder which were based on little-known true life personalities.
Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended!
Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended!
July 13, 2017
well written and fact based Civil War novel. I really enjoyed this.
May 5, 2017
Review to come
March 1, 2016
This book would have gotten a higher rating if there seemed to be an end to the story. The end didn't seem to be the end and not in the way of there being a sequel. It seemed like the author just stopped writing. Even if I didn't know the outcome of the war, the reader would be saying there is no way that the north could have won. Then the author tied together who the visitor was but there were never any clues along the way so the reader wasn't involved in that story line and didn't rally care about it. I did like the interwovenness of the historical facts into the story. The battles did not bore my like I anticipated and I really liked learning about stonewall's Christian beliefs.
March 15, 2019
War is hell. I did not know the incredibly high number of soldiers on both sides and the incredibly high numbers of killed and wounded. I also didn't know of the incompetence of George McClellan (the South was winning the Civil War for a time).
In spite of all the gore I enjoyed this book.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
In spite of all the gore I enjoyed this book.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
July 15, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It was definitely a memorable read that was clearly well-researched and well written. I was not overly familiar with the history of the American Civil War and I felt that I truly learnt a lot by reading this novel.
May 16, 2017
A very strong 3 stars.
My copy was a gift through Goodreads First Reads.
My copy was a gift through Goodreads First Reads.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews