Review: "The Damned of Petersburg" by Ralph Peters

I have come to expect outstanding historical fiction from Ralph Peters and he does not disappoint with this book. This Civil War novel picks up with the ill-fated mine that the North built to break the South in the siege of Petersburg. It details man’s inhumanity to man and the slaughter that followed after the explosion and the crater was formed. It shows that no one is immune to the cruelty that comes upon these men, both North and South in this struggle. It follows numerous generals and enlisted men from both sides as they struggle with their injuries and illnesses that threaten to take them out of the theater of war. It highlights the frustration that is endured as battles fall apart and lives are senselessly wasted because of ill planning and execution.

Ralph Peters brings history to life! He does not whitewash the personalities and the brutalities that occur. You feel that you are in the thick of the battle, can hear the booming cannon and muskets and smell all the horrendous odors that fill the air. He follows the war in chronological order, rotating between North and South, generals and enlisted men. All the chapters are identified at the beginning detailing which side of the battle is going to be described which makes for ease in following the story.

Again, I highly recommend this book. If you have read the other three in the series, you definitely won’t want to miss this one. If you haven’t read them and are interested in just this period of the war, you can pick this novel up and follow and enjoy without having read the others. I would recommend this for teen and older readers. Mr. Peters minces no words and descriptions and this may be too graphic for younger readers. I am eagerly awaiting the last installment of this sequence of books!