God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers
A True Civil War Christmas Story
James McIvor, Author
7.1x5.2 inches, 176 pages
ISBN 0-670-03451-7
Retail Price: $19.95 / QMB Price: $4.50
Reviewed by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.
If one might say that one war is good and another bad (and I don't believe any war is good), the U.S. Civil War would be judged as bad though the outcome was good. As stated at the end of this book, That purpose, Lincoln suggested simply, was ridding America of the sin of slavery.
Friend against friend, family against family. It was a terrible time made more terrible by the fact that the enemy truly was a brother. God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers is not a pretty Christmas story, but neither is it unreadable for the horror. What James McIvor attempts to show, without bias to either side, is the good that came out of trial.
He begins not at the beginning, but in the second year of the war. Pomp and circumstance, high drama and the glory of the moment are now over. With a huge thud reality sets in, and soldiers long to be home at Christmas. They long to be warm, dry, have food in their bellies, and comfort from loved ones nearby.
McIvor sets the scene as Christmas arrives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Northern and Southern soldiers are jockeying their positions for what will be a terrible battle with thousands of lives lost -- yes, thousands. The miracle that occurs, that makes this event and this war even more terrible, is when the camaraderie and hopes of both sides join together--the dropping of weapons and following conversations, the back-and-forth playing of the regimental bands, and the most miraculous, sorrowful happening of all, when all of the bands and all of the soldiers--north and south together--play and sing Home, Sweet, Home in the dark of the night before retiring on the eve of battle.
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
To understand fully what this means takes some thought, and I am not quite sure I understand it now. What I do know is that a unique, poignant moment tells a story in itself. I am not a Civil War "buff," but I am telling you that I could not put this book down. It is both sad and full of hope, and gives me important issues to think about.
I recommend this book for high school students, homeschoolers, history readers, and those trying to understand war.
Are our enemy's aspirations really that much different from our own?
I also recommend God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers to those who will be speaking during the Christmas holiday season. There is definite sermon material here.
A True Civil War Christmas Story
James McIvor, Author
7.1x5.2 inches, 176 pages
ISBN 0-670-03451-7
Retail Price: $19.95 / QMB Price: $4.50
Reviewed by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.
If one might say that one war is good and another bad (and I don't believe any war is good), the U.S. Civil War would be judged as bad though the outcome was good. As stated at the end of this book, That purpose, Lincoln suggested simply, was ridding America of the sin of slavery.
Friend against friend, family against family. It was a terrible time made more terrible by the fact that the enemy truly was a brother. God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers is not a pretty Christmas story, but neither is it unreadable for the horror. What James McIvor attempts to show, without bias to either side, is the good that came out of trial.
He begins not at the beginning, but in the second year of the war. Pomp and circumstance, high drama and the glory of the moment are now over. With a huge thud reality sets in, and soldiers long to be home at Christmas. They long to be warm, dry, have food in their bellies, and comfort from loved ones nearby.
McIvor sets the scene as Christmas arrives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Northern and Southern soldiers are jockeying their positions for what will be a terrible battle with thousands of lives lost -- yes, thousands. The miracle that occurs, that makes this event and this war even more terrible, is when the camaraderie and hopes of both sides join together--the dropping of weapons and following conversations, the back-and-forth playing of the regimental bands, and the most miraculous, sorrowful happening of all, when all of the bands and all of the soldiers--north and south together--play and sing Home, Sweet, Home in the dark of the night before retiring on the eve of battle.
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
To understand fully what this means takes some thought, and I am not quite sure I understand it now. What I do know is that a unique, poignant moment tells a story in itself. I am not a Civil War "buff," but I am telling you that I could not put this book down. It is both sad and full of hope, and gives me important issues to think about.
I recommend this book for high school students, homeschoolers, history readers, and those trying to understand war.
Are our enemy's aspirations really that much different from our own?
I also recommend God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers to those who will be speaking during the Christmas holiday season. There is definite sermon material here.
No comments:
Post a Comment