Stonewall Brigade

by Frank G. Slaughter

Centers on the ordeals of David Preston, medical officer with Confederate General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson's Army of Northern Virginia, following the Army's campaigns from Harpers Ferry to Appomattox

Genres: Historical Fiction, American Civil War

500 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1975

About the author

Frank Gill Slaughter , pen-name Frank G. Slaughter, pseudonym C.V. Terry, was an American novelist and physician whose books sold more than 60 million copies. His novels drew on his own experience as a doctor and his interest in history and the Bible. Through his novels, he often introduced readers to new findings in medical research and new medical technologies.

Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Stephen Lucious Slaughter and Sarah "Sallie" Nicholson Gill. When he was about five years old, his family moved to a farm near Berea, North Carolina, which is west of Oxford, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity College (now Duke University) at 17 and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He began writing fiction in 1935 while a physician at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

Books by Slaughter include The Purple Quest, Surgeon, U.S.A., Epidemic! , Tomorrow's Miracle and The Scarlet Cord. Slaughter died May 17, 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Reviews

[Harry Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in the mid-1970's. I think I read it a long time ago, but recently picked up a copy and read it again. It is a carefully-researched historical novel, the goes into great detail about the military campaigns of Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson. The story is told through the eyes of a young doctor, David Preston, who resigns his commission in the US Army to fight for his native Virginia. There is a love interest when David falls in love with a Cherokee princess, Araminta.
Slaughter is an excellent writer. I envy the ease with which he crafts his novel. The dialogue, plotting, pacing, all show the marks of a professional. Editing is top-notch.
I enjoyed the book and would have given it five stars, but I don't want to mislead modern readers by doing so. The issue of slavery was the elephant in the room, and Slaughter mostly tiptoed around it or addressed it in the most oblique way. None of the fictional characters in the book say or do anything in support of the cruel institution, but there is little protest against it. I think the author could have handled the matter better.
Overall, a good read, but be aware that it mostly avoids a serious discussion of the slavery issue, and how it was that good men could fight for such a bad cause.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel, especially the first half. I felt as the book went on, the story gave way to more of a narrative of the Civil War from the perspective of the Stonewall Brigade, with the characters taking a back seat and popping in now and then to participate in famous actions.

I found the fictional characters to be fairly compelling, especially Dr. Preston and his bride Araminta. Preston was an interesting character and the author's descriptions of medical treatments and procedures administered by Preston were enthralling to me. Unfortunately these were few and far between.

Overall a solid work historical fiction, though I wish there was more focus on Dr. Preston and his craft.

[Miguel Covas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una historia informal de la brigada Stonewall contada desde el punto de vista un protagonista del tipo habitual en el autor: médico y cirujano un tanto adelantado a su tiempo con una protagonista apropiadamente exótica y también adelantada a su tiempo.
Al final el aspecto histórico resulta denso y poco ameno. Hace falta usar un mapa y conocer con alguna profundidad la geografía e historia de los Estados Unidos.
La aventura de los protagonistas resulta plana, previsible y sin sorpresas.
No es el mejor de los libros del autor

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel, about a Confederate surgeon, who "captures" a Union field hospital and becomes a war hero. Follows the exploits of Thomas J Jackson's Brigade throughout the war.