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From: Bill Rogers, Tyler TX
Date: 1/28/2004
Time: 11:39:01 PM
Remote Name: 66.76.254.12
I just finished reading a newly published book by Victor Davis Hanson. It's got a biiiigggg title: "Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Stil Determine How we Fight, How We Live, and How We Think." The author discusses how several major battles in history have influenced the culture of the time and then "rippled" on down through time. One of his chosen battles is Shiloh, and specifically the action of Sherman, Johnston, Forrest and Lew Wallace (among a few others, but he leaves out my hero: Pat Cleburne). For those of us who try to put our Civil War into some kind of cultural context, the book is a great read, filled with interesting facts, factoids, and often surprising conclusions. One final titilating idea: if you want to understand our tactics for fighting in Iraq...you have to understand Shiloh.