Sacred Ties: From West Point Brothers to Battlefield Rivals: A True Story of the Civil War

by Tom Carhart

The gripping story of six West Point graduates-including George Armstrong Custer-who fought each other in the Civil War.

With Civil War storm clouds darkening the horizon, they were strangers from different states thrown together as West Point George Armstrong Custer, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Henry Algernon DuPont, John Pelham, Thomas Lafayette Rosser, and Wesley Merritt. Educated and trained there to be not only officers and gentlemen but also courageous battlefield leaders, their shared experience at West Point forged bonds between them stronger than brotherhood.

Right after their graduations, war erupted in 1861. They stayed blue or went gray, and even faced each other in battle. Acclaimed military historian Tom Carhart brings to life the human side of valiant victories and crushing defeats, and, most vividly, of these young men of individual valor and personal honor.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Nonfiction, American History

373 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Military historian. West Point Military Academy, Class of 1966. Served in South Vietnam as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. Has also been a lawyer and a historian for the Department of the Army in Washington, D.C. Earned a Ph.D. in American and military history from Princeton University.

Reviews

[Tom Darrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several major drawbacks, which prevent it from earning a higher score... 1) the author's writing style is very elementary, part of which is a consequence of the subject material. He bounces between major charcters very frequently within chapters, which puts events out of chronological order. Some events (like the death of Stonewall Jackson) are covered several times. It's almost as if he had forgotten he wrote about them earlier. Some chapters seem very rushed, perhaps out of a lack of source material. Some chapters seem to be included just to continue with the narative of the Civil War, even though the six main charcters are not involved in any way. Other battles, like Cedar Mountain, take up several chapters. 2) This book is essentially a summary of action on the eastern front of the Civil War which focuses on six officers who happened to go to school together. There are only a few occasions where the author makes any effort to discuss their interaction with each other. So, basically, this book is like many others except in its framing. 3) Even though this book is clearly a summary work of eastern front battles, it is clearly intended for readers who are familiar with the events and people in the war. For example, he makes references to generals without mentioning which side they are on... a fact that will leave many less-knowledgable readers confused. 4) Even though I am pretty familiar with the events of the Civil War, his fast pace and superficial coverage makes some of the events and actions very confusing to understand. A simple fix would have been to include maps, but there are none.

Despite these drawbacks, I found the book easy to read and enjoyable. It doesn't shine any new light on the war and I feel it doesn't cover the bonds of brotherhood as well as it could have, but I still don't regret reading it.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarced Ties is the story of 6 men, students at West Point during the years before the civil war. George Armstrongg Custer, Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Henry Algernon DuPont, John Pelham, Thomas Lafayette Rosser and Wesley Merritt were all West Point students at the beginning of the Civil War. They all had important decisions to make, mainly, finish school or return to their home state to help in the fight.
The book follows their careers during the Civil War and gives us a summary of their lives afterward. It was surprising to find the number of battles where these "academy brothers" found each other on opposite sides of the battle.
It was interesting to read about some of the battles, to see what part each of these men played and how their actions helped their side.
I feld that the author did a great job of writing, lots of endnotes. He is a graduate of West Point and Dept. of the Army historian which allows him easy access to those records and allows us to understand some of the things happening at that time.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of West point and the connection to civil war. All the big names from history were there. The best part was learning about the ties the cadets made with each other and even while fighting on opposing sides, the respect they had for each other. After the war they were still friends. The details of battle were a little dull if you are not into war strategy.

[David Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book explores the friendships of West Point classmates who fought one another in the Civil War, some of whom resumed their affections for one another in spite of siding againt each another. I enjoyed learning details about fasmiliar battles I hadn't heard.

[Tim Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about six men who were at West Point. Some who fought for the confederacy & some for the union. A tale of battles and how those who survived reunited once again

[Laura LeAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of six men that attended West Point together and then served during the Civil War, three for the Union and three for the Confederacy. While it is very well-written and well-researched, it just seemed to be a retelling of many of the most significant battles and campaigns of the war, highlighting the part that one or more of these men played. Based on the title, I was expecting a different book, one that told the story through the eyes of these individuals from their own journals, diaries, letters, and the like. Maybe that material doesn't exist and so the author was left to tell the story of the material that does exist. If that is the case, maybe a different title would have lead the reader to understand that the book was going to be about the campaigns and battles of the war, rather than of their relationships with one another.

[Scott L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows six cadets from West Point, all friends, as they go their separate ways to fight during the American War Between the States. The author's writing style is very informal, and this book was a fairly quick read - not necessarily one that I couldn't put down, however. The narrative follows the Eastern Theater of the war, where the six (three Union, three Confederate) fought against each other. Carhart is obviously sympathetic to his subjects - their strong points are greatly emphasized, while there is very little mention of their weakness - especially in the case of George Armstrong Custer (Carhart very obviously loves Custer). I thought this was a good book, not an excellent or exceptional book, but a good read for anyone interested in the American War Between the States or the West Point ties of general officers in that war.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Sacred Ties, Tom Carhart lays the service of six friends and West Point classmates- Custer, Pelham, Merritt, Ramseur, Rosser and DuPont - over the action of the Civil War in the Eastern Theater. 3 of them would serve the Union and the others,the Confederacy. The beginning of the books told the story of West Point camaraderie, sharing bits and pieces of what it may have been like with the six of them.

[Shavon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about the battles of the civil war, especially as it relates to 6 former West Point cadets who find themselves on opposite sides of the divide. It is not a well-written book. I sometimes got lost when the author chose to refer to characters by their first names instead of the last names that were familiar to me. But the book made me want to read about the politics leading up to the war now that I'm sufficiently knowledgeable about the fighting itself.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carhart’s book covers the Civil War exploits of six West Point graduates…six men who went right from the classroom onto the battlefield – an engaging twist on the Band of Brothers theme. When the book stays on topic, it is an excellent read. We wished there was more of that interplay among the men, but the storyline spends a bit too much time recounting familiar battle scenes.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author traces the American Civil War through the lives of six men who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point within a two year period. He looks at the values installed at the Point and how they influenced these men, three on each side of the war. Informative and easy to read. Sacred Ties presents a view of the Civil War in the Eastern Theater.

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story about how a brotherhood was more important and stronger than battlelines.