McDonough’s Purpose in Writing the Book

Of all of the numbers in American history, few would argue that the cultivated war is the most debated, written most and discussed event. While it is beyond the scope of this research to pin take the all of the reasons wherefore the obliging War still captures the imagination of historic scholars to this very day, save it is possible to take one of the many discs written on the exit and provide a thorough review. In this research, Shiloh-In Hell before dark by James L. McDonough will be the flow reviewed from several divergent vantage proves. McDonoughs Purpose in Writing the adjudge.It would be user-friendly to simply adduce that McDonoughs purpose in writing his disc was to depict the populate and events of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, which took place in the Tennessee valley on April 6, 1862, when hundreds of thousands of Union and Confederate troops clashed, fought and died (McDonough, 1977). Upon a closer interpretation of the work, however, a larger purpose becomes app bent. Within the pages of the tidings, McDonough uses the writing style of the prominent fiction writers of all time to create an historic account that reads care a novel.Moreover, through the use of quotes from many of those who were involved in the battle, these people come back to life in a way and guarantee their own story, lending credibility and accuracy to the work. The Main Argument of the put to work James L. McDonoughs briny argument in this work is that the Civil War was not just a series of battles, gets and losses, but alternatively was a struggle for opposing people to try to direct a way of life for everyone to follow. He does this by using stand forual quotes from the main individuals involved in the battle of Shiloh which show how they felt and what lengths they would go to in order to put forth those beliefs.Was the Goal of the Book sodding(a)? Generally speaking, the goal of the contain was accomplished in that McDonough was able to work on the point that even in defeat, there is honor to a legitimate extent, and similarly that the cause of the Confederate States of America was as much a commitment to the preservation of a way of life that had existed for generations and hundreds of years as much as it was a fight to break away from a government that was seen as oppressive and dictatorial.McDonough, in his vivid characterizations and flowing style, makes the point that even when a decisive victory is not gained, even the act of fighting for ones beliefs is in itself a form of victory. By doing this, McDonough shows that the Civil War was a far more complex event in American history than simply two sides fighting to win battles.This most certainly contributes to the ongoing fascination with the Civil War that was mentioned as this research began, and it is authors like McDonough that both satisfy the readers ache for more development about the Civil War and sparks additional come to at the same ti me, which is quite a feat for any book about any historic period. Strengths/Weaknesses of the Book In fairness, McDonoughs book has its share of relative strengths and weaknesses which became clear in reading the book and are worthwhile to present and discuss in this review.An overall strength of the book which became apparent from the very first paragraph was the realization that this was not the usual, modify historic text. Rather, McDonough took on a narrative style that made the institution of the necessary elements of any historic account something that the reader would in accompaniment look forward to reading, and as such, the more that was read, the more that was learned. In this sense, it could also be cited as a strength that this book serves to educate, as sanitary as entertain the reader. Weaknesses also exist in the book.Understandably, McDonough wrote the book from a southern point of view, and while there is no way to ethically change the result of the battle- a Co nfederate retreat which can middling be seen in retrospect as a defeat- it is fair to say that McDonoughs narrative style and attempt to make the key players in the battle come to life tends to glorify even those who ultimately failed to effect up to standards in the battle, and of course, in the end, were not victorious. This is not to say that McDonough distorted any facts, but he did tend in some slipway to over dramatize unsuccessful leaders like Beauregard and others.Is McDonoughs Book a Valuable Contribution to the Study of the American Civil War? In conclusion, the remaining point to be discussed is whether or not McDonoughs book is a valuable contribution to the study of the Civil War. The point has already been made that the book is able to both provide information and spark a desire to learn more, all in an socialise and vivid style. Also, it was discussed that McDonough was able to convey something far beyond history- the mindset and usance which led to the Civil Wa r and inspired thousands on both sides of the counterpoint to make the ultimate sacrifice for their beliefs.Based on all of this, it can moderately be say that this book is a valuable study of the Civil War, for anytime that facts and figures from the past can be brought to life and spark the imagination of the reader, the work is most worthwhile, and this work is no exception. Therefore, in closing, let it be said that Shiloh-In Hell before Night, decades after its publication, is still deserving of high move review. Works Cited McDonough, James Lee. 1977. Shiloh In Hell before Night. Knoxville University of Tennessee Press.