The Guns of Shiloh: A Story of the Great Western Campaign

The Civil War #2

by Joseph Alexander Altsheler

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Civil War, Historical Fiction, Classics, Fiction

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Joseph Alexander Altsheler was an American newspaper reporter, editor and author of popular juvenile historical fiction. He was a prolific writer, and produced fifty-one novels and at least fifty-three short stories. Thirty-two of his novels were part of his seven series:

The Civil War Series (8 volumes)
The French and Indian War Series (6 volumes)
The Gold Series (2 volumes)
The Great West Series (2 volumes)
The Texan Series (3 volumes)
The World War Series (3 volumes)
The Young Trailers Series (8 volumes)

Although each of the thirty-two novels constitutes an independent story, Altsheler suggested a reading order for each series (i.e., he numbered the volumes). The remaining nineteen novels can be read in any order. [Note, however, that A Knight of Philadelphia was later expanded through the addition of nineteen chapters and some minor tweaks to become Mr. Altsheler's novel In Hostile Red.]

The short stories, of course, can be read in any order. However, some readers might prefer to read them in the order in which they were published. The short story list below is displayed in chronological order with the publication dates shown alongside the titles.

Reviews

[Curtis Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book for a college class I was attending while stationed in Kingsville, Texas. The book was a earlier copy that was given to me as a Christmas present from a family member. It was in fair condition but the contents was a grand pleasure to read. I saw the near "first hand witness" to the events that the story details. The characters for the story are just the eyes to see the real history of those dark lonely days of the battle that changed the Western CSA. If you have a passing interest in the Civil War, Tennessee's role in the war, or the Battle of Shiloh, this is a book for you.
This is just one of 9 great books Joseph Altsheler wrote on the Civil War. There are 8 books to this set and one book is a stand alone book covering the Fall of Richmond.

I re-read this book again in 2007.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Kentuckian in the Union army witnesses all the major battles in the "west" from the aftermath of the first Bull Run to Shiloh. Though it's a real period piece----the cast is larded with manly men who burst with fighting spirit and show little if any fear, there's hardly a glimpse of a woman from beginning to end----and the protagonist not only contrives to meet all the major generals on both sides but shows an eldritch ability to suddenly become an omniscient observer of what's happening elsewhere or over a whole battlefield, Altshelter keeps the plot moving right along and there's a tone to his prose that puts a properly epic cast on both his tale and his characters.

[Becky Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two--a view from the Northern side. I really enjoy these books. The treatment of both sides seems fair and the story seems true enough to history. I like how the characters are pushed to become the best of the best and not just stumble along on the bottom of the barrel. I feel like I'm getting reports from the front. I want both sides to win, even though I know they can't. I worry about what might happen if Dick has to meet Harry on the battlefield and feel it's inevitable. It's engaging and keeps me reading. I feel as though I have a better grasp of history reading these fiction books.

[Duane Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad In so many ways

Written in such genuine knowledge of compassionate yet determined men. I really felt like I was right there with the soldiers. Hurting for what they had to do against their own.
The author provides good insight of war and characters.
I recommend it to anyone that wants to read of our civil war.

[Chad D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these when I was a boy. They are a boy's reading. The Civil War was gallant and glorious. All but one character are white. Mistakes were strategic (Grant's at Shiloh) but rarely moral. Both sides behaved with chivalric dignity. The core group of characters survives battles with only minor wounds. The battles move maybe too quickly and with a common young officer's uncommon preternatural insight into battle strategy. The subtitle is more accurate than the title: Shiloh gets about a fifth of the book, which begins at Bull Run. The focalisation of characters occasionally proves psychologically insightful. There are math jokes. On an important military errand, the main character surreptitiously visits his mother. I enjoyed it thirty years ago, and now. One could learn a bit from it about the basic facts of the war. The author had reasonably good notes and insight for the time. I doubt it FELT quite like this, however, at the fountainhead of brutal modern warfare.

[Greatredwarrior · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read that is in the public domain. I listened to the Librivox recording, but all in all, it was enjoyable. A very "bright and clean" perspective on the American Civil War, but an interesting first-person story of the American Civil war from right after 1st Bull Run till the immediate aftermath of Shiloh. Dick, the main character, travels from the East to the West, having many contextual adventures and eventually joins U.S. Grant's army. Good story but far from a must read.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is from a series of books written for younger readers that cover the Civil War from the viewpoint of two cousins from Kentucky fighting on opposite sides. This book covers the boy fighting for the North from Bull Run to Shiloh. It does a good job of sharing the events of the war and portraying many of the issues. It is excellent for young readers who want to learn about the war.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same. Equally popular and instructive. This time told from the standpoint of the Kentucky boy fighting for the north against his uncle fighting for the south.