Three Days in Hell

O'Sullivan Chronicles #4

by Blair Howard

If You Love Civil War Stories, you’ll love this fact-based novel of the bloodiest two days at Chickamauga as told by Major Chester Rigby CSA, ADC to General Bushrod Johnson For more than two months, Union General William Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland pursued General Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of Tennessee from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga. Finally, on September 18, 1863, on the banks of a small river in Northwest Georgia, the two great armies came face to face, and so began three days of hell, including the two bloodiest days of our nation's Civil War.

Three Days in Hell is a novel, a work of fiction, based on actual historical events. The characters, with one exception, were all real people. The words they speak throughout the story are the author's, the deeds they did, their success and failures, are their own. Drawing on many years of meticulous research, Blair Howard dramatizes one man's contribution to the stunning Confederate victory at Chickamauga. Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson was the key player for the army in gray.

This is the story of Confederate General Johnson's three days at Chickamauga, and his grand and glorious charge of more than a mile that smashed through the enemy lines and resulted in a resounding victory for the Confederate cause and an ignominious defeat for General Rosecrans. Even Johnson's enemies praised what he did that day. Some compared it to Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, but where Pickett failed, Johnson succeeded.

Three Days in Hell, action-packed from start to finish, is the story of Confederate General Bushrod Johnson's Chickamauga as told through the eyes and words of one of his staff officers, Major Chester Rigby. The author takes you onto the battlefield as no one has done before. He plunges you right into the center of the action, which doesn't let up until the very end. It's a story of heroism, desperate deeds, and death and destruction on a scale the likes of which had never been seen before.



Scroll up and grab a copy today.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2015

About the author

Blair C. Howard is a Royal Air Force veteran, a retired journalist, and the best-selling author of more than 50 novels, including the international best-selling Harry Starke series, and 23 travel books. In 2021, having been fascinated by the heavens almost from childhood, and a SciFi fan for almost as long, he decided to try his hand at writing a military space opera. His first journey into this genre resulted in the Sovereign Stars series. Book 1 in the series, Avenger was quickly followed by Gods of War and Armored Fleet.

Blair lives in East Tennessee with his wife Jo, and Jack Russell Terrier, Sally.

Reviews

[Connie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you who read "Chickamauga", as you will recall, the battle was told more from the Federal vantage than the Confederates'. If you haven't read that one (why didn't you :-), you needn't have read it as this is a great story in itself. I love Mr. Howard's books. They get better with each one! Again, this is absolutely no exception. His passion for studying the different battles of the Civil War shines through brilliantly. He is a literary wizard. He can conjure up what it must have felt like to be a part of the battle. He doesn't hold back with the graphic details, either (note to sensitive stomachs). He puts his readers smack dab right in the center of the action, And you will swear you just heard and felt a mini ball barely graze your ear. You will want to duck and take cover.

This book focuses our attention on the Confederate side this time. I love that it is told in the first person by Major Chester Rigbe, a scribe for Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson. As such, he is expected to be close by the General a great deal of the time. Therefore, I he is privy to a great deal of chatter among the officers and passes that on to us. I always wondered what the officers were doing huddled together while watching their men fight, get wounded, or even die. Well, now is our chance to find out. Is it ever interesting!

Mr. Howard's meticulous research and attention to detail in his descriptions, giving us the opportunity to feel what it was really like for the men who actually did fight in this battle, is unsurpassed.

My hope is that he will inspire a whole new generation of history buffs who just may want to pursue a career as a historian, writer or even the passionate history teacher that everyone wants, I because he or she brings history to life as Mr.Howard does right now.

His gifts are utilized in the best way. Please, even if you were never interested in the Civil War, read one of these action packed, adrenalin pumping, edge-of-your-seat Blair Howard historical novels. You can test your own mettle from the safety of your reading area. You just may learn something about yourself as well. (I was a passionate history major in college. Can you tell? Didn't think so).

I was given a free copy of this book so that I could read it and give my honest review.

[Elaine Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, history lovers, this one's for you. The author description of the events at the Battle of Chickamauga are so realistic I felt as if I'd been the battle myself. I could hear the sound of cannon, taste the choking dust, mourn the awful carnage, and feel the emotions of fear and excitement as I followed the story. I was a history major in college, and I've often thought that if we want students to learn about history, we have to find a way to make it real to them. I think a book like this might just do it. It would be hard to not get interested in this story.

By the way, the Battle of Chickamauga was a decisive Confederate victory. Even General Bushrod Johnson's enemies praised him for his handling of the battle.

The book is told from the point of view of one of General Johnson's officers which lends an immediacy to the events. I can highly recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in the Civil War or war in general.

[Julia Damatto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Days In Hell was read in six hours of angst.
How can I translate in words the amount of feelings that this story made me feel?
The book is full of action, action and more action. The Author have an excellent knowledge of the Civil War almost like he lived it and know all the characters. They are portrayed in the most vivid way, unbelievable.
Fast paced, historically accurate and amazingly written, this book deserves five stars and much more.
Extremely Recommended!!!

*I received a Free copy in exchange for an Honest review*

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not so much a novel as an eye witness account of the Civil War battle of Chickamauga recounted by a young officer who fought on the Confederate side. It is raw, graphic and hard-hitting; a reminder that war is never pretty and the Civil War was bloody and horrible regardless whether you are the winner or the loser.
I chose an Audible version of the story which is set in the frame work of the officer's recollections, years after the battle and it is well read by C.J. McAllister who lends the officer a realism that often puts you in the middle of the battle, as horror struck at the blood and the noise as those young soldiers must have been.
Well written, well read, well worth your time.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Days in Hell: a Novel of the American Civil War

This novel is though a work of fiction, a first person report on the Union Army's actions, decisions, mission, and results during the battle of Chickamunga. Quite the insight into the thoughts and decisions made by Union Generals during the three days that both Union and Confederate forces fought a brutal battle with high casualties in both sides. To the historians, the Confederate Army claimed victory, but it was more of what turned out to be a forerunner to the end of the war.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent fiction novel written in the actual facts. Reading this novel will bring you into battle and as you read you will know what the men, North and South, went through for three days in one of the most grievous exchanges between the North and South. The people are real. Note that the author has presented the material in the way he believed it could have happuend. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[david moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

True facts.My address for 23 yrs was Chickamauga,Ga.Ive covered that hallowed ground from Shields Crossroads to McFarland Gap and beyond to my birthplace in site of Orchard Knob in Chattanooga.
As a 9yr old in school I refused to believe the South was the bad guys. I'm 70 now and still learning. Thanks,Blair for your books.
.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable

Highly recommended. I also would encourage visiting the battlefields after reading this work.The perspective presented overwhelmed me. I look forward to reading other works by this author on the subject of the Civil War.

[Denise K. Maples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't Want To Put It Down

Mr. Blair gets you hooked with the vivid , gory details of the three days battle......a plunge into the depths of an intense fury that most of us will never know of (hopefully).

[Patrice l woodmansee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks

Thanks for the story, I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading more. Continue the writing you do, and thank you.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to like it but I guess this genre is just not my thing.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars! One of the best books I've read recently - I was swept into the story from page 1. If you are a Civil War buff, a history buff, a war story buff, you will love this story of the battle of Chickamauga, told from the viewpoint of a fictional Confederate aide-de-camp. Vivid descriptions, and an excellent narrative made me feel like I was with those men, in those woods, on that battlefield, hearing the din of cannon and rifle fire, straining to see through the smoke. I usually skim over descriptions of terrain, etc, and just follow the story, but I read every word of this book. How anyone survived any of these battles is a mystery. The dialogue is fictionalized, but the battle details and characters are true, and the end was very moving. Pretty amazing book - I will look for more by this author. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, in return for an an honest review. My lucky day, this book is a gem!

[Ellen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

THREE DAYS IN HELL
As one reads this, you wonder did the author live during that time.His detail account of this battle is so very real, the smells, the sounds, and what the men were going thru, and most were so very young. It is very accurate of what that time in history was. To read will leave you shaken of what they went thru. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Days in Hell: A Novel of the American Civil War (Blair Howard's Civil War/Western Series Book 4). A well-written historical blend of fact and fiction. If you have any interest at all in the Civil War and its battles, this is a book that should be on your TBR list! C.J. McAllister's narration adds to the book's enjoyment. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blair Howard is an amazing author. Every one of his books make you feel that you are there, fighting along side the soldiers. You can almost smell the coffee scalding in the morning, feel the ground shake from the cannons.

[Alesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

Very well written. I couldn't put it down, the story made you feel as though you were there. Very good read.