Throb of Drums in Tennessee 1862-1865.
1973 · Philadelphia
by McKee, Jennie Starks.
Philadelphia: Dorrance & Company, (1973). Octavo, gray cloth (hardcover), 330 pp. Near-Fine, with slight foxing (age darkened spotting) to page edges; in a Very Good dust jacket with edgewear and darkened spine. From dust jacket: Throb of Drums in Tennessee succeeds in providing an authentic, documented Civil War account that effectively combines the personal views of those who had an actual part in the war, with a much broader overall view of historical background covering a wider field. Part I presents a history of the Twenty-sixth Battery Light Artillery, followed by the movements of the famous Lightning Brigade, beginning with cavalry of 1861 and moving with batteries and men toward the Grand Trilogy of East Tennessee that was Chickamauga -- River of Blood; Siege of Knoxville, when the besieged were driven to starvation; and finally, Lookout Mountain, the battle above the clouds. All of which gives a historicla overview that lends perspective and parallels correspondence in the last half of the book. Part II comprises letters written 1862-1865 by soldier Leander Starks during the War between the States and the letters which Leander received from home and from his wife, Kate. Together the parts make a fascinating picture of war and its impact on human lives. We come to know Kate and Leander well, and the picture that emerges is straightforward and intimate. They become characters in their own right in the ver human drama of a marriage lived in a time of devastating war and heartbreak. (Inventory #: 3355gl)