Tim Kent's "Die Like Men", $19.95 published by Bluewater Publications, is a historical novel portraying the Civil War battles of Franklin and Nashville and the events leading up to these tragic slaughters. Generals Hooke, Forrest, Cheatham, Brown, Cleburne, Lee, Smith, Thomas, Schofield, Opdycke, Wilson, Shy, and others come alive. Author Kent obviously lives and breathes the lives of these officers since he demonstates an intimate knowledge of their personalities and backgrounds. Although we know the outcomes of those battles, Tim makes the story live and writes in such a way that one looks forward to each new page. Sparingly the language is raw where needed; omiting that would be an injustice to history. The chapters alternate between the CSA and the USA plans. Mr. Kent presents a balanced description that is fair to both sides of the conflict. He adeptly shows how certain subordinate decisions drastically affected the outcome. You can sample his book at his blog: www.trrcobb.blogspot.com. I eagerly look forward to the "histories" of other battles by this exciting young historian.
© 2012 Dr. David R. Curott
Author of “Signs of the Past”
