TO APPOMATTOX: Nine April Days, 1865

by Burke Davis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 16, 1959

Report repeated from the August 15th bulletin, when scheduled for fall publication, as follows: (It is now the March Literary Guild selection.) ""Another entry in the lists, but an author who has made a name for himself in this area of our history. Here, minute by minute, is an account of the days which ended with Lee's surrender at Appomattox- a record in exhaustive detail. Here are the civilians in Richmond and Petersburg, the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, here the sailors of the Confederate Navy, the reporters for the northern newspapers, Jefferson Davis' family and cabinet, Mr. Lincoln, his own family and his political family- actors in the dramatic final scenes. Minutiae of the great retreat show every inch of the road in concrete, compelling terms. Some experiences are given in direct quotation, but Burke Davis has successfully kept the lines clear and as he shifts from group to group the pattern comes out, there is no confusion. The tragic urgency and despair of the Confederates and the general depression of the Union officers come through strongly, and the reader closes the book with a sense of having participated in the experience.

Pub Date: Feb. 16, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Rinehart

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1959

Categories: NONFICTION